Three
Poppy
“Get in the truck,”Patrick said as he tossed the shovel into the bed.
“That’s not necessary.I can walk back to the inn.”
After Patrick found out that I had driven Dale’s car, he suggested that we put Dale back in the driver’s seat and push the car into the river to make it look like he lost control and died that way.I knew that if they did an autopsy, it would show blunt force trauma to the head instead, but I didn’t have time to worry about all of that.Hopefully, it would be days, if not weeks, before the car surfaced and anyone found his body.
He had been a good sport and didn’t complain about the physical work, while I struggled not to compliment him on his killer body when he took his hoodie off and tossed it to the side when he got too hot.We were there for a reason, and that reason did not include checking out my cousin’s best friend.
“The last thing you need is your footprints leading from the grave to the inn.Get in the truck, and I’ll drive you into town.We’ll make it look like I picked you up from the airport or something.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because you need an alibi.It’s already daylight, so you can’t sneak around without someone noticing you and asking questions.Has anyone in town seen you yet?”
“No,” I answered quickly with a shake of my head.“I got in super early this morning and came directly here.”
“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about the car,” he said as he looked off in the distance, where we had pushed it into the river.“Good thinking with wearing gloves and not touching anything.Even if it’s his car, you don’t want your fingerprints to be the ones they pull first.”
“Thanks.I guess old habits die hard,” I replied softly, feeling his eyes as he studied me.It wasn’t a surprise that I spent a lot of my teen years and early twenties getting into trouble.It was one of the reasons my family didn’t want me around.I brought more trouble than it was worth, and they got tired of cleaning up my messes.If they could only see me now and the mess I had gotten myself into.
“You’re not the same reckless teenager with a bad attitude that you used to be,” he said sternly, giving me a look.
“Really?Cause this doesn’t seem like something a mature, responsible adult would get themselves into.”I pointed out the window to where the car was, hopefully sinking in the river.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”I lifted my hands in front of me.“Speak the truth?I fucked up, Pat.Big time.Anyone can see that, and now you’re caught up in the mess I created.”
“I’m not caught up in anything, Poppy.You didn’t fuck up—your husband did the second he laid his hands on you.He deserved what happened to him.”
“How can you say that so easily?”I asked as I stared at him, wondering what had made him so cold and calloused.
“Any man who puts his hands on a woman doesn’t deserve to take another fucking breath.Do I make myself clear on where I stand on this?”He pinned me with a look that sent a shiver down my spine.
I nodded and looked out the window as he put the truck in drive and started going slowly in circles.
“What are you doing?”
“Erasing our footsteps and making it less obvious that any dirt was dug up.This will look like someone went off-roading and got turned around.If we’re lucky, the car will float far away from here, so no one will bother looking in this area to begin with.But I’d rather not leave that to chance and don’t want anyone to question the fresh shovel marks.”
“Do you think that will work?”
“It’s the best option we have right now.”
I let out a long, slow exhale and leaned against the seat, noticing how everything around me smelled like him.
