Page 106 of Five for Silver

Ally gave him a watery smile as she slottedher fingers through Chad’s.

True to her word, Ally stayed and watchedVincent be transferred to the morgue, and true to Chad’s word, hestayed, silently observing Vincent being tagged, and zipped into ablack body bag.

“I wish you could’ve had this, too,” Allywhispered.

Chad frowned. “Had what?”

“Romeo’s body laid out on a slab.”

Chad’s gut tightened. He couldn’t imagineanything worse than seeing Romeo dead, being zipped up with nocompassion.

“Sometimes I wish his body would wash up.”Ally said. “Give you … this moment.”

She squeezed his hand tight.

“He’s gone.” Chad said, speaking past thelump in his throat.

“I know, but you’re owed a body.”

“I don’t want one.”

Ally sighed. “Does your offer of a coffeestill stand?”

“Of course.” Chad replied, pulling on herhand. He led her over to the door. Ally shot one last glance backat Vincent, then she dropped Chad’s hand and led the way.

****

Four hours after Vincent was pronounceddead, Superintendent Peter Watts addressed the press outside St.John’s hospital. His suit was immaculate, his hair neatly swept,and his eyes were bright and round with a practiced sincerity.James Poole stood beside him, disheveled, with his head bowed asPeter offered his sympathy to the Hastings family and informed thebaying mob that they’d tried for two weeks to find out whathappened to Harriet’s remains, but their attempts had been thwartedby Vincent’s failing health.

Chad didn’t get the invite to attend—therewas no need to present a united front with Vincent dead.

The brief statement made by thesuperintendent had been playing on every news channel for the pasttwelve hours, repeated with commentary from body language experts.According to them, Peter was strained yet resilient, but James wascrushed by the lack of a result.

“I didn’t kill Harriet.”

Romeo repeated Vincent’s words, rubbing hischin as he gazed out the window. Chad looked, too, but not even themagpies hopped around the muddy field—it lay barren and empty.

“Those were the four words he thought wouldcause you the most harm.”

“You were right.” Chad said. “He wanted toprotect whoever the real killer is, hoped they’d get a taste formurder and go off on a spree.”

“Who knows, maybe they did.”

“Maybe,” Chad collapsed back onto the sofa.“Maybe not. Maybe they did it the once and didn’t again—”

“How anyone can stop at one is beyondme.”

“Some murders are accidental, some are heatof the moment.”

Romeo shrugged.

“So all this, thisgame… Vincent’srevenge was to have us fail and leave me with an unsolvedcase?”

“You didn’t fail.”

“And I quote, ‘Officers working with Vincentfailed to get a location in the lead up to his death, devastatingthe Hastings family.’”

“Not your fault,” Romeo said firmly.

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