I don’t respond. Instead, I study the dead body in front of me—not touching it, of course—while I try to guess the cause of death.
Judging from the condition of his body, it doesn’t appear that he died violently. He’s just laying there, beneath the covers, like he went to sleep and never woke up. There are the normal signs of death—a bluish-green cast to his features, a laxness to his skin, his eyes slightly sunken in—but no sign of an unnatural death.
Tyler joins us at the side of the bed and says quietly, “He has to have died pretty recently. There’s no bloating yet. Or if there is, it’s not noticeable.”
“He was alive on Wednesday night,” Ace replies. “At least, he sent his last email then.”
Tyler leans close to inspect the body. “A couple days at most, I’d say. And if I had to guess, I’d say he died in his sleep.”
“A heart attack,” I muse. “Maybe a stroke. Unless… he didn’t have cancer or anything, did he?”
Tyler shakes his head. “I checked his medical records. Aside from hypertension, which he was on medication for, and occasional cluster headaches, he was pretty healthy.”
“Of course he was.” My jaw clenches as anger pulses through me.
Logically, I know this isn’t a bad outcome. Yeah, the guy is dead, but I’m certainly not sad about that. And his death will put an end to Noelle’s harassment, which is the most important thing.
But, shit. Iwantedto face him. I wanted to scare the shit out of him. I wanted to make him suffer like he did to Noelle.
And fuck, did I want to punch him.
“Dammit,” I mutter.
“At least it’s over,” Ace says.
“I know. But—” I shake my head. “I wanted him to know what it felt like. Being scared. He deserved it.”
Tyler puts his hand on my shoulder. “He did. But this will make it easier.”
“I want those videos.” My voice is rough with frustration and anger. “I don’t care if he’s dead. And—” I release a heavy sigh. “We need to know if he did this to anyone else.”
“We will,” Tyler agrees. “Before we leave, we’ll search the apartment. Find that damn USB drive. And I’ll make backups of everything. If we find recordings of anyone else, we’ll make sure the evidence is in plain sight, so the policehaveto investigate this time.”
With Donaldson dead, we could just delete the videos of Noelle and leave it at that. But before I left B and A tonight, Noelle asked if we’d be looking for recordings of other women. “I have a hard time believing he only did it to me,” she said. “And if there are other videos out there, other women he recorded, they deserve justice, too.”
I couldn’t argue her point. So we’ll search for other recordings, and if we find them, we’ll do our best to ensure the police follow up. We’ll arrange for the evidence to be conveniently in sight when the police inevitably come for a welfare check. If there’s other information, Tyler will anonymously share it with the investigators. And at the end of it, Donaldson will be outed for the sick asshole he was.
The stench of decomposition stings my nose, and I take a few steps away from the body. Turning to Ace and Tyler, I say, “Okay. Let’s search this place and get out of here as quickly as possible.”
Because, though I don’t say it, I’ve already been away from Noelle far too long.
I know she’s still awake, waiting for me to come home to give her the news. Probably sitting up in bed, Bigfoot and Grizzle sitting beside her. I’m sure she’s worrying about the outcome. Worrying about me.
I can’t wait to see her. Kiss her. Hold her. And despite how it came about, I can’t wait to tell her it’s over. That Ken Donaldson willneverhurt her again.
CHAPTER 14
NOELLE
I never thoughtI’d feel relief over someone’s death.
Before all of this, I couldn’t have imagined it.
Not just relieved, but like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. The tension that’s been banded around my chest for months is gone, and I finally feel like I can take a full breath again.
It kind of reminds me of when my father got sick. The stress was so all-encompassing; I didn’t realize just how bad it had gotten until it was gone. But when my dad died, the stress shifted to an aching sadness that still comes back at unexpected moments.
Knowing that Ken’s dead, though?
