“Thank you.She was the best partner that I could have ever asked for and will be greatly missed.”
I nodded and pressed my lips into the best smile I could muster.
“Thank you for dropping this off.I appreciate it.”
“My pleasure.”
He turned and walked away as I closed and locked the door behind him.My fingers trembled as I held the envelope in my hands, staring at it.
“Want to open it together?”Julie offered, standing beside me.
“Yes,” I said quickly, my nerves already getting the best of me.
I was shocked they had the report so quickly, especially since online it said it could take weeks to months.But then again, it wasn’t that big of a surprise given that he worked in law enforcement and was being investigated by the FBI.There were several people who wanted immediate answers on what happened to him.
My heart raced as I tore open the envelope and pulled the paper out.I scanned it, my brain too rushed to actually read the full report.I didn’t need to know all of the details about Dale; I just needed to see what they ruled as the cause of death.
Julie looked over my shoulder, both of us reading quietly as I tried to process what everything meant.There were several notes about blunt force trauma, which I knew was from me hitting him with the pan.Then I got to the part where it stated that numerous tests confirmed he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident and that it was estimated that he had a BAC of .22 or higher.
The official cause of death was listed as asphyxia due to drowning with blunt force trauma to the head, and acute ethanol intoxication was a significant contributing factor to the accident and subsequent death.The manner of death showed the wordaccident.
I gasped and covered my mouth as I turned and looked at Julie.
“They think his death was an accident,” I said quietly, still not believing what I read.“But they found blunt force trauma, so that means they’re going to look into it, right?I mean, the car didn’t have any damage to it, so it’s not like he hit a tree and hurt his head that way.They’re going to know that I killed him, thatIwas the one who caused the trauma to his head.”
I could feel the panic rushing through me as I processed everything.
Julie gently placed her hands on my arms and looked me in the eyes.
“It’s okay, Poppy.Who’s to say that he wasn’t drunk before he got in the car and that he didn’t fall and hit his head somewhere in the house?Drunk people stumble and fall all the time.Plus, we don’t know what they found with the search warrant once they entered the house.You said it yourself that you washed off the pans and put them away before you left.He wasn’t bleeding, so it wasn’t like there was a trail of blood from you dragging his body to the garage.I don’t think they’re going to suspect you.You also put in the police report that you filed here that he had been drinking the night he attacked you.There’s a record of his intoxicationbeforehis fatal accident.I think you’re overthinking this.”
I nodded and let out a slow, unsteady breath as my body trembled.
“Until the cops come to question you about his death, I think it’s safe to say that this chapter is closed.Try not to stress about it unless you have to.”
“You’re right.I don’t know why I keep trying to freak myself out over everything.”
“Because this is a lot, Poppy.I get it, and I’m not trying to disregard your feelings one bit.I just think that for now, we don’t have to worry about this.Let’s let the dust settle and see what happens next.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed, taking a deep breath.
Julie’s phone started ringing, and part of me hoped that it was Gage letting her know they were headed back.While I knew I couldn’t see Patrick right now, I felt better knowing he was just a cabin away from me.Silver Falls had gotten lucky with the past few storms blowing right past us, but the next one was guaranteed to hit us spot on.According to the local meteorologist, this storm could break the record for the worst storm ever to hit Silver Falls.
I’d heard Gage and Julie talking this morning about stocking up on supplies and making sure her parents had what they needed for Daisy.I hated that they couldn’t be with Daisy because I was here, but we didn’t have a lot of options.Julie assured me that it was better for Daisy to stay with her parents because they were in Silver Falls and could get what she needed more easily than Julie could, being stuck at the inn.The roads leading back to town would definitely be impacted, and we would be trapped back here until the storm let up enough for them to try to plow them.
“I’m sorry, I need to take this real quick,” Julie said, smiling as she lifted the phone to her ear.“Hey, Mom.What’s up?”
I sat on the couch and set the report on the coffee table as I tried to force myself to relax.
“Are you serious?How long has she been running a fever?”Julie paused where she was as she listened, the concern of a mother worried about her daughter etched across her face.“Shit.I can call Gage and—”
She tipped her head back in frustration and groaned.
“Go,” I said softly, pulling her attention to me.“Go to your daughter.I’ll be fine.No one knows I’m here, and if anyone comes for me, I have plenty of weapons to choose from here.”
“Hold on for a second,” Julie said to her mom before turning the phone away from her face so she didn’t speak into it as she talked to me.“Are you sure?I don’t want to—”
I held up a hand to stop her.
