Page 75 of Five for Silver

“What?”

“I know what you’re trying to do Chad.You’re trying to find out about me and Harriet, but fuck me,” heshuddered. “Telling me you loved Romeo Knight, that’s seriouslymessed up to compare the two. He was a fucking monster, apsychopath who murdered innocent people for the thrill of it, andyou’re trying to pull comparisons?”

Chad looked away. “I just—I understand whatit feels like to care about someone you know you shouldn’t.”

James chuckled, “You’re continuing withthis? Are you serious? I wasn’t searching for a victim, I didn’tkidnap Harriet and brainwash her in the hope she’d love me, or am Iyouin your messed up comparison, Chad? Was I in a numbbubble and she was there to pop it for me? She was the one whomanipulated me?”

“Forget it,” Chad snapped. “I was justtrying to understand.”

“I cautioned her for possession—”

“You are lying,” Chad shouted. “You pickedher up from school that day and drove her to Melbourn Spring. You’dbeen sending her gifts—”

“Gifts? Name me one. One gift.”

Chad couldn’t. But he was angry and James’ssmug smile only made it worse.

“You waited around the church after herchoir practice. You were obsessed with her, and Michael tried toget you to back off, Harriet told you to leave her alone.”

James shook his head. “Michael made her goto the station with him. She didn’t want to report me.”

“She was afraid of you.”

“No! She wasn’t. She liked me, and I likedher, and yeah, it was fucked up. I’d buried my daughter, and mywife was barely talking to me, and Harriet was seventeen. All wedid was talk. And maybe I wanted more, and maybe she did, too, butit never happened.”

“Why was she in your car?”

“I told her it had to stop. Whatever washappening between us, it had to stop before it truly started. Itwas already a mess. I’d been warned off her at work, and Michaelhad run a smear campaign against me, making fliers about thepedophile on the police force and handing them out at every schoolin Bardhum.” He took a deep breath. “My wife needed me, and I’dbeen selfish, I’d been flattered getting attention from this prettyseventeen-year-old. That was all it was. I didn’t love her. That’snot what this has all been about.” He gestured to the prison. “Shewas upset and left the car. I went after her, but she screamed atme to let her go. She said if I didn’t, she’d go to her dad andthey’d drive to the station and report me, and she’d make sure Iwas arrested, so I backed off. I got in my car, and I drovestraight home to my wife. It was my fault she was walking alone onthat road. I put her in the path of that monster.”

The reception doors opened, and Chad spottedLynn wheeling Vincent over to them. Pauline walked beside them,stern faced, with her bag of equipment over one of hershoulders.

“But to compare me and Harriet, to you andRomeo to get your answers, that’s low, and I hope they were justfoolish words, in a desperate attempt to know about us, because ifthey weren’t, if you really did fall for a psychopathic serialkiller and you’re some kind of sympathizer,” he tilted his head tothe window, nodding at Wiltknot, “I’ll do everything in my power tomake sure you end up in there with the rest of the animals.”

The back passenger door opened. Lynn helpedget Vincent onto the backseat, then slammed the door. Paulinejogged around to the other side and climbed in.

“Didn’t interrupt something, did I?” Vincentasked.

Chad inwardly cursed, and glanced at James,but he didn’t meet Chad’s eyes.

James stabbed his keys into the ignition andtwisted. “As it happens, you did miss a bit of a bombshell.”

Chad tensed. “James—”

“DI Poole,” James corrected. “Chad here toldme he was in love with Romeo Knight. You know, the psychopathicserial killer who kidnapped him.”

Chad squeezed his eyes shut, inwardlycounting to ten.

“That was obvious,” Vincent murmured. “Iassumed everyone knew.”

Chad opened his eyes, and turned to look atVincent.

Vincent smiled. “But what I’ve alwayswondered is whether Romeo loves him back.”

“Of course he didn’t.” James snorted. “Howcould he?”

“Quite right, DI Poole. Psychopaths can’tlove, they can’t feel, but they’re very good at manipulating naïvepeople into thinking they can.”

Then he smiled his devil’s smile, directingit right at Chad.

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