Page 98 of Wicked Games

“And I told you to because Crane—” Bill starts.

“Was going through the motions,” Detective LaSalle fills in.

“Yeah, that’s what it sounded like.”

“You never found out who wrote that comment?” I ask, inching toward the door of the conference room, torn between wanting more information and seeing Seth.

“No, but it’s possible Mrs. Vale did, just to take any attention away from herself. Though at the time, we checked into both of them and they came back clean. We didn’t have anything tying them to the kidnapping. If Vale wouldn’t have had Mrs. Maitland killed, they would have gotten away with it, but he couldn’t take the chance. She had too much conscience to have stayed quiet for long.”

I mull that over as Bill, Violet, and I walk through the police station and outside into the sun. They might have gotten away with it, legally, but Brooke never wanted to hurt Theo. No, she wouldn’t have ended up in prison, but she would have paid a different kind of price for the death of her little boy. When Vale killed her, all he did was keep her from living a lifetime of guilt.

Despite the couple of hours we spent talking to Detective LaSalle, there are still questions that don’t have answers, like where those assholes kept Theo. Maybe Hattie didn’t know or document it, but I’m sure she did. It was her nature to want every detail, but her laptop and everything on it is evidence and he only shared what he thought we needed to know.

“Don’t be a stranger, huh?” Bill asks, giving me a hug.

“Of course not. You’re family. For as long as you want to be.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that. I’m going to head home and try to get some sleep. Keep me in the loop.”

“I will.”

He turns, and I watch him walk down the block.

“Where are you parked?” Violet asks, her voice soft. I’m not sure what’s going through her head.

“Down there,” I say, nodding. “Are you closer?”

“Not by much, but yeah. I’ll give you a ride.”

I agree because I might have known what neighborhood Seth and Brooke lived in, but I never kept up with gossip like that and I don’t know which house is his.

She’s quiet, her eyes fixed firmly on the road, turning the corners as if she’s been to his house hundreds of times. I’m curious what Brooke thought of Violet in her home if she hated her so much.

Seth’s truck is parked in the driveway of a two story mini-mansion, a four-stall garage connected to the brick and glass house.

At least we know he’s here.

“This is beautiful. The interior must be incredible,” I say, peering out the window.

“It is, but I was only able to see it after Brooke left.”

All of Violet’s usual sparkle is fading, and I know why.

“Seth didn’t think that was strange?”

She huffs, not quite a scoff. “I don’t think he ever realized it.”

“I see,” I say, and I do. Seth didn’t realize it because he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to have to choose, and he hid, hoping it would go away. It never did, and it turned into something worse. Something with consequences he couldn’t outrun.

“Go in there, Avery, and make sure he’s okay. I’ll stay out of your way. We have so much money, there’s no reason to keep doing what we’re doing.”

I stare at my lap, the hem of my sundress lying on my thighs. I sort out what she said and what I want to say. I’m glad she’s giving me a chance to see Seth alone. We have a few things to straighten out, and it would be nice to do it without an audience, even if it’s Violet. But she didn’t mean just for the afternoon. She meant for always, but if Seth stopped working, if he stopped being her friend to keep me happy, our relationship would be like his and Brooke’s, doomed before we stepped out of the church.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” I ask, unlatching my seatbelt and twisting in my seat.

She frowns. “No. Why?”

“Because when you met Seth in school, that’s what he turned into. You’re close, like siblings. I miss Hattie, more than I’ll ever be able to say. I never thought I would have to live without her, never thought that we wouldn’t always have each other. I don’t have any other brothers or sisters, it was just me and her. Now it’s just me. I’m not going to do that to you, Violet. I’m not Brooke, and you will always be welcome in our house.”