Page 135 of Nails
She sat beside Nails at a glossy black table inside Tink’s private office.The walls were painted a neutral color, and there were no windows, just a giant flat-screen on one wall.
Tink sat across from her, files neatly stacked in front of him.The man looked like he’d walked straight out of a covert military op.Physically fit, a mountain of muscle under a black long-sleeved shirt, and mostly bald except for a stubborn shadow of hair near the sides.His expression was unreadable.He was someone Riley instinctively knew not to cross, and also someone she could trust.
He had been kind when she and Nails first arrived, welcoming in a way that made her feel like more than just a name on a case file.But now, that warmth was gone.What sat across from her now was the operative—the one who didn’t sugarcoat hard truths.
Tink cleared his throat and laced his fingers together.“Riley,” he said, his voice deep and measured.“What I’m about to share is going to be difficult.Upsetting, even.If you want me to stop at any time, just say so.”
She shook her head.“No.I want to know.All of it.”
He nodded slowly, then slid one of the folders toward her.“We dug deeper than law enforcement was ever able to.Used tools and resources they don’t have.I tasked one of my best intel teams on this full-time.”
A pause.
“What we found points to your father as the primary suspect in your mother’s murder.”
The words hit like a fist to the chest.Riley stared at Tink, unsure if she’d heard him right.
“My father?”she echoed, the disbelief thick in her voice.
Tink nodded.“The evidence is compelling.A combination of digital records, old interviews that were never filed properly, and financial documents your father likely thought were long buried.”
Riley’s mouth went dry.She felt Nails shift beside her, his hand finding hers beneath the table.
“Your father and your stepmother, Linda, were having an affair,” Tink continued.“According to what we found, the relationship started two years before your mom’s death.They were already living together within a few months of the murder,” he paused for a moment, “and they had a child together while your father was still married to your mom.”
Riley’s jaw clenched.
“But there’s more,” Tink said.“Are you aware of the trust your mother set up?”
She blinked.“What trust?”
Tink tapped the folder again.“Your mother created a trust shortly before her death.You were made the sole beneficiary.It included all her personal assets, investments, and the house that your father and Linda have been living in all these years.He had no legal access to it.The terms were very specific.The funds could only be accessed by you, and only when you got married.”
Riley shook her head slowly, trying to process.“I didn’t know any of this.”
“Your father did,” Tink said.“And he thought with your mother out of the picture, he could find a way around the restrictions.”
“And Linda?”Nails asked, voice tight.
Tink leaned back in his chair.“We turned over everything we had to the local authorities a few days ago.They brought both your father and Linda in for questioning.Under pressure, Linda cracked.She admitted she knew he killed your mother.She didn’t witness it directly, but she knew the plan.She didn’t report it.In fact, she helped him cover it up.”
Riley stared at the table, her heartbeat roaring in her ears.
“She said the motive was both personal and financial,” Tink added.“He wanted your mother gone to be with her, and he thought he’d be able to access the trust.Obviously, he was wrong.”
Nails squeezed her hand tighter.“What happens now?”
Tink exhaled slowly.“They were both arrested early this morning.Your father’s being charged with the murder of your mother.Linda is being charged as an accessory after the fact.”
Riley was silent.She stared ahead, her mind spinning, her body numb.It was like her entire childhood had just collapsed inward.All the years she had spent investigating who had killed her mother, and to find out now that it had been her father.
She tried to breathe, but it felt like her lungs had forgotten how.
“Riley?”Nails said beside her, his voice sounding distant.
She opened her mouth to respond, but the room tilted sideways, her vision blurring.The last thing she saw was Tink rising fast and Nails reaching for her as the floor rushed up to meet her.
Everything went black.
