Page 50 of Five for Silver

“Vincent didn’t kill her.”

Josh dropped his pizza crust. Merc bumpedinto his knees to gobble it up.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” Josh asked, still gawping.

“Like I’m crazy.”

“Maybe don’t say crazy things. Vincentadmitted it.”

“I know but … things don’t add up.”

“What things?” Josh asked, leaningcloser.

Chad scanned the area around them again.“The lack of detail when he describes Harriet.”

Josh frowned.

“When he talks about the others, it’s likehe’s reliving it. His recollection is almost palpable. He describeshow their hair smells, and their skin felt, and the color of theireyes—like the exact color. You can more than picture it, hedescribes it so vividly it’s like you’re there, standing overhim.”

Debbie Ark’s hair smelled of apples, freshlywashed, Vincent had circled his finger around her damp pigtail.

Jessica Bamber had skin as soft as silk onher face, but her back was marred with acne scars that he draggedhis nails over.

Kelly Price had glacial blue eyes set in awhite porcelain face that he cut from their sockets to admire inhis palm.

Chad’s stomach rolled. He dropped his pizzaslice back in the box, and sucked a deep breath through his nose.Josh didn’t push him to continue, instead he eyed the slice Chadhad abandoned.

“You eating that, or…”

Chad shook his head.

Josh grabbed the slice, and tore off abite.

“It’s not just the lack of detail that mademe suspicious. He says he killed her in his van, and there’s bloodinside. There are photographs of it in back, the passenger seat,but there’s no proof any of it belonged to Harriet. DNA testing wasnot what it is now back then. Nothing physically places her in thevan, just Vincent’s words.” Chad checked behind him. “And that’snot all. Part of Harriet’s file has been blacked out.”

“What? Why?”

“No idea.”

“But why would Vincent admit to a murder hedidn’t do?” Josh asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe because he’s apsychopath.”

“You need a psychopath to understand apsychopath,” Josh muttered.

Chad frowned. “What?”

“Only another psychopath could understandwhy.” Josh’s jaw dropped with a gasp. “But wait, let’s say yourcrazy theory is right, then whatreallyhappened toher?”

“That’s what I want to find out.”

“Do James and Lucy know you don’t think itwas Vincent?”

Chad shook his head. “No. There’s a strangeenergy between them, I can feel it. I doubt mentioning I have mydoubts will be embraced by either of them. This needs to staybetween us.”

Josh smiled. “You can count on me.” Hefinished his slice, then wiped his greasy hands down his jumper.“Now enough work talk, we’ve got a game to play.”

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