That idea made me squirm. “Billy wouldn’t have gone after Polly or Rishi,” I defended.
Levi eyed me. “Why not?”
“Because.” If Billy was responsible, it would have been retaliation for my leaving him. Their deaths would be on my hands, and I couldn’t handle that. “Polly’s killer was probably one of her clients.”
Levi’s brows drew together. “Her killer has been sendingyouBible verses.”
“We don’t know that for sure.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Okay. A week ago, you showed up on my doorstep believing you were in trouble. Now, you doubt the murders are connected? Why are you backpedaling?”
“I’m not. I just… this all seems so crazy. Maybe I read too much into the emails.”
“What kind of la-la-land are you livin’ in right now?”
Irritated by the way he was mocking me without even hearing me out, I said, “The murders aren’t even the same. They were at two different hotels, and while Polly’s cause of death was blunt force trauma, Rishi had multiple stab wounds.”
“And you received an email after each.”
“But I haven’t even received any new emails since Saturday. Maybe the murderer’s given up?”
“Given up?” He snorted. “Saturday was six days ago. I know your head is not far enough up your ass to actually believe that.”
I wanted to believe it more than anything. “I just want this to be over.”
“Me too, but it won’t be until we find the killer.”
Panic seized my chest as I saw all my plans crumble. “That could take years!”
“Or longer. Forty percent of American homicides are never solved. I’m not sure what the statistics are for Canada, but they can’t be much different.”
“But, I can’t… I have to go back to Ottawa next month. I have to get my classroom ready for the new school year.” I still hadn’t turned in my notice, and since I’d never make my goal while hiding out in Washington state, going back to school in the fall was a no-brainer.
“Yeah? Well, I hope you have a contingency plan.”
“No, I...” I thought about the nearly five hundred grand in my bank account, but Levi didn’t need to know about that. Not yet, anyway. “We don’t even know for sure I’m in danger. I mean, yeah, I received a few emails that could be seen as threatening, but is that really a good reason to throw away my career?” I was grasping at straws when what I needed was a life raft. “Nothing has actually been donetome.”
He shook his head, chuckling. “So, you flew all the way here for ‘nothing’?”
“I was scared, but now that I’ve had time to think it all over, I’m not so sure fleeing Canada was necessary. What if I overreacted?”
Levi let out a frustrated breath. “Did Polly ever mention anything about receiving strange emails?”
She hadn’t, but there could be multiple reasons for her keeping them to herself. “They looked like spam. I didn’t tell her about mine, either.”
“I thought you told each other everything.”
“Everything important,” I clarified.
He snorted. “If those emails are connected to her murder, I think it’s safe to say they’re pretty damn important.”
“But we wouldn’t have connected them untilafterher death. Hell, I didn’t even realize the connection until after Rishi was killed.”
“Ah-ha, so you admit there’s a connection.”
“Alleged connection,” I corrected. “Possible alleged connection. Why are you coming at me like this?”
“Because you’re suddenly acting like this will all go away, and it won’t. There’s something I need to tell you.” He shook his head and met my gaze. “Meals, Polly wasn’t just murdered. She was stoned.”
