Rio’s eyes cut away for a beat, tension pulling through him like a wire.
“Mariana?” I hope she was one of the names.
Rio nods solemnly.
I hope this brings him some peace at last. Rio didn’t drive her off that cliff; a madman did.
He clears his throat of the memory. “Freya kicked ass on this one. Out of respect, we told her about the confession first.”
Freya deserves this. She went against the grain, stood up to an established police officer, as well as the chief of police, and fought to make sure things were right.
They aren’tright. That would be the wrong word to use for something as heinous as a crime like this, but justice will be served.
I’m damn proud of her.
“Any news on Justin Ingram’s involvement?”
“He was found at SFO. He sent his kids and wife off on that Florida trip, but stayed back himself. He had a ticket to Mexico in his hand. Guess he was planning to flee but decided not to.” Rio huffs. “Blood is thicker than water.”
“He knew about all of this?” How could he hide this, even for his brother?
Ingram has his own daughter. Mine isn’t even born yet but I can’t imagine covering for a man who clearly hates women.
Rio continues. “Justin’s in custody now. Callum asked if Freya would like to question him this afternoon, and she said if she’s out, yes.”
Fuck. She doesn’t need that stress.
But she does deserve the satisfaction of hearing it all for herself.
I can’t help but wonder why Mike came back to Echo Valley at all.
“Why did he come back for Zoe here?”
Rio’s jaw clenches. “Serial offenders escalate. The more they get away with, the bigger the risk they chase. And they often circle back to their original ground. Mike would have known Zoe when she was a kid. Enzo and Ava found a post put up by an avatar they believe was Zoe. It was an appeal for funds for her flower shop on a community-driven forum. Mike confirmed that in his confession.”
He lets the rest fall away into whatever dark place it belongs.
Rio rubs a hand over his jaw, the gesture of a man carrying more than he’ll ever say aloud. Such a young spirit dying before her time is something neither of us wants to discuss for longer than we need to. And even though he’s now freed from his guilt over Mariana, I’m sure he’s now blaming himself for her taking Mike’s money.
I change the subject, though I’m not sure it will get any better. “You gave me the good news. What’s the bad news?”
Rio stares at me with features carved of steel. “Neither of us got to kill Mike today.”
The nurse draws in a sharp breath, probably happy to finish stitching me up and able to get away from our morally gray conversation.
“You’ll be sore. A lot.” She takes off her gloves. “Try not to overdo it.”
I let out a humorless breath. “Define overdo.”
She gives me a tight, unimpressed look that says she knows exactly the type of man she’s talking to. “How about starting with not standing up too fast?”
She pulls her lips into a thin smile, stands, and slips out past Rio like she wants to be close, but worries that bumping into him might make her spontaneously combust. The curtain whispers shut behind her, leaving the hum of fluorescent lights in her place.
I need to get dressed and get out of here, but all I’ve got are my bloody pants to put back on. Some way to see the mother of my child and reassure her.
Rio reaches behind the curtain and throws me a backpack. “Here. G said there are some sweatpants in there for you.”
I open the backpack. “That man takes preparedness to the next level.”
