Page 65 of The Italian Reckoning
“My captain kicked me off. Belle’s case is closed.” I lean forward. “No one told you?”
Rocky shakes his head. “I don’t give a shit what they say. It’s not closed on our end. How can it be when there was a second murder?”
“I was too close to the case and the uhm… the killer called me again.”
“What?”
“A lot, actually. He checks in to make sure I’m still on edge. That’s why I had my gun ready.”
“You thought I was him coming to get you?”
A dry, papery laugh escapes me. “You have no idea. Anyway, my captain kicked me off the case and closed it because my involvement would prevent a conviction.”
“Because you worked on it back in Montana too?”
“Something like that. So my way is a dead end, I’m sorry. I don’t know how much help I can be.”
“But you haven’t given up,” Rocky says. “I know you. This is important to you. There’s no way you’d give up. You said you needed to make up for your mistake and get justice for his last victim back in Montana. There’s no way you’d just walk away, right?”
“Am I that obvious?” I laugh softly.
“I’d say passionate.” Rocky smiles warmly. “But my father… I tried to make him see sense, but he refuses to enter the 21st Century so I’ve decided I’m going to do this myself. I’ll solve thecase, I’ll get justice for Gio, and I’ll show all the families under us that I care. Fuck my father. So if you’re of the same mindset, maybe we could…” His smile turns a little cocky and he lightly squeezes my ankle.
How can I say no?
“Come on.” Climbing from the couch, I motion for Rocky to follow me. He does after darting around Iris who still hisses sharply at his presence. She’s never been good with strangers.
Rocky follows me through to my small study where every single detail of the case is spread out on the walls and the floors, with everything from Montana to New York.
“You’re right,” I sigh. “I can’t give up.”
“Holy shit…” Rocky sets his empty glass down on a paper-laden table and moves toward the wall. “This is everything?”
“Everything I could get my hands on. Every victim, every location, every bit of evidence he left behind. Every picture of the makeup masks he left for us. The lives of all his victims… everything.”
“What a fucking psychopath. I’ve seen some shit in my time,” Rocky murmurs. “The Mafia draws in twisted minds to an extent, but this?” He cautiously reaches out to touch a few of the pictures and follows a few red threads between clues, but his movements are hesitant. As if his very presence could disturb how carefully I have everything set up.
A heavy silence falls as Rocky pieces things together in his mind while slowly walking around the room. Iris joins us and she hops up onto the window sill, watching Rocky with her thick tail swishing back and forth. Rocky drinks in every drop of information until he reaches a row of pictures taped in a straight line. “Who are these?”
“Every detective who worked the case back in Montana.”
“You had seventeen cops on this?”
“Detectives,” I correct. “And yeah. It was a huge case. Technically still is.”
“Then why is he so obsessed with you? The killer, I mean. Out of everyone, why did he follow you across the country?” Rocky glances at me over his shoulder with his brows pinch together. “Is it because of your mistake?”
My secret hangs on the tip of my tongue. With a rush of adrenaline, my heart begins to pound like a powerful drum against my ribs and blood rushes so fast to my head that a flush of dizziness overtakes me. I lean against the bench and nod slowly.
“Yeah.”
The hoarse tightness of my voice makes Rocky spin to face me, concern spreading across his eyes. “Sarah?”
“I… he’s obsessed with me because of what I did.”
“What did you do?” Rocky takes a step closer until I hold up my hand, forcing him back.
“I escaped,” I whisper tightly. “I was his last victim. The p–person I want justice for is me.”
