Page 103 of Five for Silver

“Because you’re such a clever detective Ithought you might,” Vincent scrunched his nose. “But now you knowfor certain. I didn’t kill Harriet. It wasn’t me.”

“Then who did?”

“Not my area of expertise.”

“Why would you admit to killing her when youdidn’t?”

Vincent sighed. “I didn’t want to bring theother killer’s fun to an end. It’s us against you, the lightagainst the dark, and I thought why not let them go free. I hopedafter one, they would’ve got a taste for more. It can be quiteaddicting.”

“How did you know about the tattoo?”

“Eileen told me.”

Chad blinked. “What?”

“Eileen, Harriet’s mother, wrote to me. Shetold me things, things like … how she fell off her bike at fourteenand needed an operation. How Harriet had been so looking forward tothem bringing sheep onto the farm. How she loved to sing. How herand her sister had been arguing over a boy, Gavin, and that boy,after she’d tracked him down years later, had told her about adolphin tattoo on her daughter’s ankle.”

“But you knew what it looked like—”

“I did. Eileen sketched me a picture in oneof her letters. Gavin had a matching one in the same place thatHarriet had done for him. Romantic, don’t you think?”

“Eileen sent you letters?”

Vincent nodded. “Yes, don’t you remember metelling you I get lots of letters? There’s few I reply to, Tatejust stood out to me, but Eileen kept sending them despite my lackof response. I think she found it therapeutic telling me aboutHarriet, trying to appeal to my human side. I burned the lettersafter I read them of course. I don’t need sentiment—from what I’veseen it makes people weak and easy to manipulate.”

Chad squeezed his temples. “I get thatyou’re angry at me, but why drag Lucy and James into this?”

“Because if I was a betting man, I’d bet onone of them. The jealous love rival or the obsessed grieving dad. Isaw the posters about James, you know, all those years ago, theones Lucy and Harriet’s father made, the ones warning about thepedophile in the police force. I don’t know who killed Harriet, butthat was never the point of all this.”

“You wanted to get to me.”

“Yes. I set the board. I brought in theplayers. But it’s you that’s been rolling the dice.”

“More riddles. We’re just puppets being madeto dance on your strings.”

Vincent closed his eyes. “I like thatcomparison.”

“Lucy came up with it.”

“But what happens when the puppeteer can nolonger hold you up?”

Chad shook his head.

“You all fall.” Vincent smiled with his eyesclosed. “It was nice seeing you again, Chad.”

“The feeling isn’t mutual.”

“I wouldn’t imagine it would be. Now on yourway out, tell the doctor no more visitors. I want to die inpeace.”

Chad got to his feet. “No can do.”

“Why not?”

“There’s one more person waiting to see you,Vincent, and I know more than most, she won’t take no for ananswer.”

Vincent’s eyes snapped open. He bared histeeth, gritting them together until his whole body shook. “I don’twant to seeher.”

“Tough.” Ally said from the doorway. “I’mgoing to watch you die and I’m going to enjoy it. Those were thewords you said to me once and how I’ve longed for the day I couldsay them back.”

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