I don’t know what makes me say it. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure he was the one who did it, but when his hand goes around my throat and he starts to squeeze, I know I’m right. This is Ben’s killer.
“Ben made the same mistake you’re making now. I offered him a pretty good deal. All he had to do was stop looking. Give up his search. But he turned me down, just like you are now. I may have underestimated you before but I won’t do it again,” he whispers in my ear.
I struggle against him but he’s still crushing me so close to his body that I can’t move. I kick at his shins and stomp on his feet but his hold around my neck doesn’t loosen.
“Tell me what you know and I’ll let you go.”
He’s going to kill me.
“You’re not going to get away with this,” I say, trying to stall him until I figure out how to get free.
He laughs. “First on the scene controls it. Learned that years ago. Works even better when you create it. I could strangle you right now and make everyone believe your boyfriend did it.”
I claw at his hands hard enough that I have to have drawn blood.
Just as I start to see spots, I slip from his grip and hit the ground. There’s a scuffle happening behind me but I’m on my hands and knees trying to catch my breath. I’m gasping for air and I’m so dizzy I fall over. When I can finally sit up and turn around, I find Deacon and the detective twisted into a heap on the floor. Before I can even think about how to help Deacon, a shot rings out and I scream.
It’s a long few seconds before either of them moves. Finally, Deacon untangles himself and the detective flops on the ground, blood blooming from the center of his chest.
I run to Deacon and throw myself at him, sobbing. “Oh my God! I thought it was you. I thought you were the one who got shot!”
He squeezes me tight. “Are you okay? I was so scared I wouldn’t get here in time.”
I nod against his neck. “How did you know he was here?”
“Frank called and warned me. He and Silas will be here any minute and then we’ll figure out what the hell we’re going to do.”
Deacon moved us to the kitchen so I wouldn’t have to look at the dead body in the foyer. Both of us sit shell-shocked at the table. All Deacon could tell me was that Frank called him and said he needed to get over here as fast as possible.
I don’t know how much time passes before Silas and Frank are at the back door. Frank lets himself in, just like he has for the last several months. By the way Deacon is looking at him, I’m not sure if he wants to punch Frank or hug him.
“The only reason I’m not kicking your ass is because you saved Aubrey’s.”
Frank nods. “That’s fair.”
Deacon quickly fills them in on what happened, then they all go look at the scene. I stay at the table.
When they get back to the kitchen, Deacon sits down next to me while Silas and Frank stand near the sink. “How did y’all know he was here?” I ask.
Frank runs a hand through his hair. “I have one of those doorbell cameras hooked up on the porch. Shows the front yard and driveway.” He ducks his head, seemingly embarrassed to admit he was spying on who was coming and going.
I can’t even be mad, honestly.
Silas finally sits down across from us. “Hank is actually the one who tipped us off. He had gone back through Paul’s file, looking at the list of people who had been at his house that night. Was shocked to see Nathan Sullivan’s name there. He did a little digging and discovered he was Foster’s nephew. Apparently, he had spent the summer with Foster in Corbeaubefore going off to the police academy and had made friends with some of the locals, including Paul.”
I’m shaking my head. “I don’t understand.”
“After Hank told me Sullivan was on that list, I went through some of the more recent files on that USB drive. And there was Sullivan’s name. I would have discovered it eventually but Hank helped us get there a little quicker.
“Sullivan was Foster’s go-to when he needed help to carry out whatever Dad wanted outside Corbeau. Dad liked to keep his hands as clean as possible so he only ever talked to Foster about what he wanted done. He trusted Foster to handle things and didn’t get into the weeds of how he did it, so we never knew about the connection. Foster may have been a big deal in Corbeau, but he wouldn’t have had any pull here in Baton Rouge.”
I tell them everything the detective said to me about Ben, including how he planted the knife in my drawer. “He killed him because Ben wouldn’t stop looking for those files.”
Silas shrugs. “There was no way for Foster to confess his sins without forcing Sullivan to confess his as well.”
I take a deep breath and look directly at Silas. “He told me your wife, Margaret, was the one driving Paul’s truck that night my parents were killed.”
He seems surprised but recovers quickly. Silas frowns when he says, “Yes, that’s what the video showed. I had no idea she was the one driving until I saw it yesterday.” It looks like he wants to say more but he doesn’t.
