“It was an accident.”
“Keep talking,” Josh suggested.
“We went to visit Maggie.She was on her roof cleaning out the gutters and told us to leave or she’d call the police.Johann kept persisting, trying to persuade her to come down.Eventually she did, and she said she was calling the police.”Leyton squeezed his eyes closed.“Johann got mad and shoved the ladder.She fell and hit the ground.Her head hit a rock.”His eyes filled with tears.“Johann checked her pulse, but she must have died instantly.”
Chelsea shook in Ethan’s arms.
Fury and grief warred inside him.“So you just left her there?”Ethan demanded.
“Johann said we’d be arrested for murder.I couldn’t go to gaol.It was an accident.”
Ethan narrowed his eyes.“Johann pushed a ladder with an old woman on it.What did he think would happen?At best she would have broken bones.”He shoved his emotions down so he could focus on the facts.
“It was then that he told me who he worked for.That he could make me disappear, or hurt my family.Please, I didn’t want to do it.I liked Aunt Maggie.”Tears filled his eyes.
Julie and Rhys returned, but Ethan’s attention was all on the snivelling man in front of him.They needed to know more about Johann and the people he worked for.
“I’ve heard enough,” Josh said.“I’ll get my colleagues in Perth to bring Johann in for questioning.”He helped Leyton into the backseat of the police car and then walked back to Ethan.“I don’t want you near Johann.”
Ethan said nothing.
“I mean it, Ethan.”Josh glanced at Chelsea.“Can you talk sense into him?”
She looked up at Ethan.“Aunt Maggie wouldn’t want you getting into trouble for her.”
He exhaled and nodded, though part of him wanted to storm Johann’s house and demand answers.Chelsea needed him.“Call us when you have more.”
Josh and Julie got into the car and drove away.
Chelsea turned to him.“Is Johann likely to be in Honeybrook?”
Ethan shook his head.“He’ll want an alibi for tonight.We should be safe for the rest of the night.”He glanced at Dobby as he pulled Chelsea inside and Dobby nodded, knowing they needed more information on the enemy.“You need to sleep.”
“We both do.”
“Yeah.”There was no way he was sleeping tonight with the possibility Darren was out there still, but Chelsea wouldn’t sleep if she thought he wasn’t.
Connor and Mila were in the living room.“I’m beat,” he said.“See you guys in the morning.”
“’Night.We’ll pack up here and hit the hay too,” Dobby replied.
Ethan smiled.They wouldn’t sleep without a debrief and the mission wouldn’t be over until morning.
He climbed the stairs, stripping out of his clothes and leaving them and his boots by the door.
Chelsea slid into his bed without question.“I can’t believe Johann killed Aunt Maggie.All for a piece of land.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her.“He’ll pay for it.”There might not be any evidence aside from Leyton’s statement, but somehow Ethan would ensure he paid.
“She wouldn’t have hurt anyone.”Tears fell from her eyes and Ethan’s heart broke.
“I know.I’m sorry, Chels.”He held her as she cried and her body grew heavy.A few minutes later her breathing became even.He held her for a little longer to make sure she was asleep.
It felt so right to have her in his arms that he struggled to pull away.She shifted, turning over, mumbling something, and he waited another moment before he climbed out of bed, gathered his clothes and slipped out of the bedroom.
He dressed in the darkened hallway, carrying his boots and socks downstairs, where only Connor was still monitoring the surveillance.
“Everyone’s back out there,” Connor reported.“Haven’t seen anything on the cameras.”
