When Nicky returned to my side, she knelt and frowned at my bloody arm. “We need to put some pressure on your wound.”
“I know. Let me get see if I can slide my arm out of the coat sleeve.” I grabbed the cuff and tugged, my jaw rigid as I fought through the waves of pain.
Of more concern than my injury, which would heal—a new scar to join my collection—was the fact Nicky and I found ourselves in a house with a few too many dead bodies, a tricky dilemma that would require some kind of solution so we avoided jail, and yet I’d never been happier. The reason for my mood knelt by my side, applying pressure to my arm.
“I need fabric to wrap this with. Hold it tight while I find something.” She stood and scanned the room for something to use as a bandage.
I noticed she avoided looking at Joseph and it prompted me to ask, “Are you okay?”
She froze in the process of snatching a tablecloth. “Yeah. I’ve only got a few bruises.”
“What about mentally?”
She returned to my side, biting her lower lip as she tore the fabric into a long strip before answering. “Still shaken. Joseph was very detailed when it came to describing my punishment and eventual death.”
I could have apologized again for not handling Joseph before he got his hands on her, but I think we’d both done that enough. None of this was our fault. But in excellent news, the man responsible would never threaten anyone again.
“You don’t have to be afraid anymore,” I stated in case it hadn’t yet sunk in.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
“You fear his mobster friends will retaliate?”
“No.” Nicky shook her head. “Most likely they’ll fight each other trying to claim Joseph’s stake in various illegal businesses.”
“Then what are you worried about?”
“What the police will say when they find the bodies.”
“You didn’t kill anyone.”
“As his wife, I’ll be the first suspect.”
“You have an alibi.”
“An ex-soldier I’m romantically involved with? Not to mention Joseph kidnapping Zaza gave me motive.”
She had a point and it led to my brain working overtime before saying, “I have an idea.”
“What are you planning?”
Since we couldn’t hide the fact two people had been shot, Joseph had frozen to death, and, according to Nicky, a woman outside had her throat torn open, we had to make all those points work together. This was where being an author proved to be an advantage because I totally could see what needed to be done to convey a version of events that would keep us in the clear.
The bodies on the rear balcony could stay where they’d been shot. The gun that killed them already had Joseph’s prints. Police would likely assume they’d pissed off Joseph in some fashion. The bullets I’d fired at them might cause some questions but I didn’t worry much as I’d ensured the rifle was wiped clean and would leave it at the scene.
The woman Percy had killed posed a dilemma. The way she’d been savaged indicated an animal attack, and that wouldn’t work with any scenario we staged. I had to get creative—and turn off my emotions. I didn’t let Nicky watch as I used my knife to repeatedly slash the woman’s throat to hide Percy’s bite marks and make the police think the blade was the actual murder weapon. Luckily, Percy had leaped from the car before attacking, meaning the spattered blood ended up staining the snow in the driveway. To have the location of her death make sense, I slid my car further down the driveway and once I located the keys, moved the orange car in its spot. Given I knew forensics would be combing over the vehicle, I wore gloves to prevent fingerprints and a tuque to keep from shedding any strands of hair.
While the blood had begun to congeal in the cold, it didn’t prove too difficult to smear Allegra’s hand in the fluid and have her fingers trail over the door handle and down the driver’s side panel, leaving a red streak. This should be enough to convince cops she’d been trying to leave and Joseph killed her.
Three bodies down, with only the most complicated one left.
I entered the house to find Nicky standing with arms crossed, staring at her dead husband in his frozen crouch. “There’s no way the police will believe Joseph froze to death inside the house. And what about your blood?” She indicated the pool of it on the floor. “Even if we scrub, the stain’s never going to completely come out of the wood grain.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got an idea. I started the car so it should be warm. Strap Zaza in so she’s ready to go. When you come back, I’ll tell you how we’re going to set the scene.”
“Will it take long?” she asked as she headed to the kitchen to grab the baby who played hand-to-claw slap with Percy—who showed remarkable patience with the simple game.
“It shouldn’t.” But that depended on Nicky and if she balked at what I’d ask her to do.
