Page 87 of Forgotten Path
“Sure you can.”
“No, Brianna. I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because Fred didn’t kill Doc. I did. And he knows it.”
Felicia scrambled out of the car and raced for the door, gun drawn. They’d never considered Chad would cop to Joel’s death. Why would he? Their plan had been to sow dissent between the co-conspirators, driving a wedge between them, before they brought them in for questioning. But Fred and Chad had both overreacted. Fred was on his way to kill Chad, and Chad had just confessed to Brianna.
Of the two reactions, Chad’s was somehow even stupider than Fred’s. And once he realized what he’d done, Brianna would be in danger.
Keep him talking,Felicia urged her silently as she flung the door open and barreled through the dark building. At least she’d had the foresight to get Brianna to make a sketch of the floor plan. Now, she just had to remember the route to the file room.
“What? No, that’s not … Chad, why?”
Was she hearing Brianna’s shaking voice in stereo? If so, she must be close.
“It was an accident. I swear. I did try to get him to accept a donation. We were up in his stupid loft office. I offered him cash, and he pushed my hand away. He called it blood money. Then he stood up and ordered me out of the clinic. I was pissed, so I made contact with his chest as I passed by him. You know, threw a shoulder into him. I didn’t even think I hit him that hard, but he was standing right by the edge of the loft, and he went flying.”
Felicia reached the door to the file room and paused, listening.
“And you left him to die?” Brianna breathed.
“No! He was dead the second he hit the floor. You have to believe me. I ran down the ladder and felt for a pulse, but … nothing.”
“So what did you do?”
“I panicked. I took his phone from his pocket because I knew there’d be a record of my call from earlier. And I don’t know why, but I grabbed his keys, too. Then I locked up the clinic and ran. But the thing is, I called Fred for help. He knows he didn’t kill Doc, and he knows I did.”
Felicia pushed the door open and stood in the doorway with her feet planted and her weapon pointed at Chad’s chest.
“Now we all know. Charles Hornbill, you’re under arrest.” She paused before reciting his rights and jerked her head at Brianna. “You did great. Go wait in the car.”
Brianna took off running.
CHAPTERFORTY-FIVE
Bodhi instructed Craig to park the sedan sideways across the narrow path at the top of the gravel hill behind the shopping center, blocking the only way down to the paper mill and its paved lot.
Craig did as he asked and shifted the car into ‘Park.’ “Good?”
“Good,” Bodhi told him.
“Now what?”
“Now unclip the recording device and put it in the center console.” Chad removed the recorder and sat it in the console. “Thanks.”
Bodhi checked the rearview mirror and spotted Brianna running through the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. He inhaled sharply.
“What?” Craig asked, wide-eyed.
“Look in the mirror.”
“What’s she doing?”
Bodhi shook his head. “I don’t know. This plan is falling apart. You should go down there and see if she’s okay.”
“What about you?”
