Page 116 of Five for Silver

“I’m fine.”

“You look about ready to pass out.”

Josh opened the back door of his car. “I didtry to tell him.” He kneeled on the backseat, and reached over tograb a plastic sheet.

“You need to sit,” Ally told Chad.

“We’re all ready for you,” Josh said,patting the plastic on the seat.

Chad walked over, and side-saddled the seatleaving his legs on the ground. He tipped forward, catching hishead in his hands. He brushed his bloodied hands through his bloodslick hair. There wasn’t enough to drip down his face, but he couldfeel it collecting on his sideburns, irritating the fine hairs.Most of the blood had sprayed his face and ran down the side of hisneck, soaking his t-shirt.

Ally rubbed the back of his neck. Joshcrowded in close, blocking him from the sight of the otherofficers. Merc sat on the ground in front of them, occasionallyswiping his tail back and forth with nerves. Chad didn’t know howlong they stayed like that. His shoulders throbbed, his neck ached,and the scent of blood had his stomach rolling.

“I really fucked up this time.”

Ally tried to lift his head, but when herefused, she crouched down to look at him. “You didn’t.”

“I played right into Vincent’s hands. Heknew I’d look, he knew I’d investigate, and I did, I investigatedLucy. I grew suspicious of her, and she knew it. She felt let down,trapped, angry and then it only took four words from his twistedmouth.”

“Four words?” Josh asked.

“I didn’t kill Harriet.” Ally said. “That’swhat he said to Chad, that’s what he said to Lucy, if James wasstill alive, I imagine he would’ve told us Vincent had said thesame to him, too.”

“He admitted it,” Josh whispered. “Heactually—”

“It doesn’t matter.” Ally snapped.

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?”

“He only said that to stir up trouble, whoknows whether he was telling the truth or not. He wanted areaction. Three out of four didn’t take the bait, but it only takesone.”

“Wait…” Josh’s shoes scuffed the ground ashe pressed himself closer. “What do you mean out offour?”

“I meant three.” Ally said. “Two out ofthree, but it only takes one, and that was Lucy.”

Chad exhaled at the ground. “I pushed hertowards it.”

“She was a grown assed woman, she made herchoice. She chose to believe Vincent and then she chose to gun downJames and come here to do the same to you. She was weak.”

Chad lifted his head. “Don’t start thisagain. You said that about Tate, too.”

“Well, he was. They both were. They let aserial killer into their heads.”

“So did I!”

“This isn’t about Romeo—”

“I’m not talking about Romeo, I’m talkingabout Vincent. I should’ve kept him out. I shouldn’t have gone tosee him again. You tried to tell me, Ally, but I didn’t listen andI thought … I thought I was smarter than him.”

She looked away.

“And now James and Lucy are dead.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Chad ran his fingers though his hair again.It was no longer slick, but tacky.

The DI strolled over, and Josh backed offenough to include him in their human box around Chad. He pressedhis lips together in a grim line, lowering his gaze to his shoes.“Are you ready to go down to the station?”

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