Page 78 of The Secret's Out

“We right to talk?” he gestured to Josie with his chin. I nodded. “Okay then, we went to Mr Peterson’s house yesterday afternoon. Of course, we didn’t have a warrant so all we could do was ask him some questions.” He ran a hand over his face. “At the time, I wasn’t sure your mum was even there, Pick. But...shit. We had to leave, man, and it wasn’t until late last night a neighbour called and complained about shouting. They thought they heard a gunshot. I drove over there with some blues. The front door was open.” He paused.

“Just spit it out, brother,” I growled.

He nodded. “We went in. Found Mr Peterson in his library, gunshot wound to the head. He’s dead.” I felt Josie stiffen beside me. “We searched the house. Found your mum downstairs in the basement...She’s dead also, man.”

Fuck.

I waited for the sting of her death to hit me, only it didn’t come.

“What about Cameron?” Eli asked.

“The son?” Lan questioned.

“Yeah.” Eli nodded.

“You guys got a beef with him as well?”

“You could say that. He hassled Josie for a while. Wanted her for himself, wasn’t gonna happen,” Eli explained. “You could say he even tried to have his dad get her for him.”

“That explains his...” he started saying to himself, looking at the floor, and then he looked to me and asked, “Your mum?” Lan asked.

“Yeah,” I spat.

“Sorry about your loss, brother,” Lan offered.

I snorted and just about jumped when I felt Josie’s hand touch my back. “No loss really. She was never a good mother.”

“Right, well, there’s something else you guys need to know.”

Shit. Lan actually bit his bottom lip, as if he wished he didn’t have to say what was comin’ next.

“What?” Eli growled.

“Ah.” His gaze roamed over Josie for a second. “We searched the rest of the house. Sorry, Josie, but that Cameron kid, he’s kinda into you.”

“We know this,” I barked.

Lan shook his head. “No, brother. I mean he’s really into your woman. So much so his bedroom walls are lined with pictures of her.”

Josie gasped. Her hand flew over her mouth.

The detective ran a hand across the back of his neck. “Did you guys go to the drive-in recently?”

Our first date. The little fucker was there photographing us.

“And Eli, you and Josie went to a carnival.”

“Motherfucker,” Eli spat.

“You need to know we’re searching for Cameron. Not only for his obsession with Josie, but we believe it was him who shot his dad and your mum. Cameron’s mum is outta town on some trip at the moment.”

Motherfucking Cameron.

The little cocksucker took away my chance for retribution and took away the chance to show my mum I was finally fuckin’ clean and had beauty on my arm. And he wanted our woman in a sick-as-fuck way.

“We’ll let you know if we spot him.” I smiled. Lan searched my face, looked to the floor, and shook his head, but I was sure we all saw the smile he was fighting.

Lan was a good guy. Even though he was a detective, he still had our backs. I knew if I pushed the matter, he wouldn’t bother looking for Cameron. Hell, either way, if Lan found him or we did, both ways Cameron would wish his life had ended with his dad’s.

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