My mind raced. What would Kat do?
Keeping my back to him, I thrust my right hand in the air, saluting him with my raised middle finger. He barked out a laugh as I started briskly toward the maintenance truck.
“You always did have a way with words, Rybakov,” Nick called after me. “See you in court, Counselor.”
When the door to the jail clicked closed, I ducked behind my van, peeking through its windows to make sure Nick was gone. My hands shook as I fished in my bag for my keys. Trembling, I unlocked the door and melted into the driver’s seat.
That was close. Too close.
I sighed with relief when the engine started. Cold air blasted from the vents, and I cranked the heat, cupping my hands in front of the fins. A dim light issued from my open purse, and I reached inside it for my phone.
“How’d it go?” Vero asked in a low voice. The kids were long asleep. In the background, I could hear the squeak of the pantry door and the telltale rustle of a bag.
“Terrifying.”
“Did you make it in to see Feliks?”
“Yeah, but I ran into Nick on the way out.”
Vero gasped. “Did he recognize you?”
“No, thank god.”
“What did Feliks say?”
“Apparently, we have a deal. Did you dig up any information on Carl?”
“Nothing helpful. As far as I can tell, in the four months he’s been dead, not a single person has reported him missing. Don’t you think that’s odd?”
“Theresa mentioned that Carl and his wife had split up. Maybe she didn’t know anything was wrong.”
“But why wouldn’t Steven be looking for him?”
“Theresa said Carl and Steven weren’t close. Were you able to figure out who the other silent partner was?”
“I’m not certain, but I have a pretty good guess. Theresa said the other partner’s name was Ted, which is a common nickname for Edward. When I Googled Carl, another name kept popping up. Turns out, Carl owned a few farms with his cousin, Edward Fuller.”
“Fuller. As in Bree Fuller?” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t made the connection before. Bree had been in the photo, sandwiched between the three of them. And she’d said her father had been the one to get her the job at the farm. But if Ted Fuller and Carl Westover were cousins, why hadn’t he reported Carl missing either?
My phone vibrated. I drew the phone from my ear, swearing at Steven’s name on the screen.
“I have to take this,” I told Vero.
“Pick up some chips and ice cream on the way. I’ll keep looking and see what I can dig up on Carl’s wife.”
I clicked over to Steven. “What the hell are you trying to pull?” he shouted.
I squeezed my eyes shut, struggling to hold the reins on my temper. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“All this drama about arsonists trying to blow up my house… it’s all one big plot you’ve concocted in your head. And now I’ve got cops all over my property, convinced someone’s trying to kill me.”
“Did you ever stop to think maybe someoneistrying to kill you?”
“That’s a load of horseshit! I heard the security recording. You and I both know who set that fire.”
I gripped the steering wheel. “Look, I admit I was at the farm that night, but I swear, Steven, I didn’t start that fire. You have to believe me.”
“I don’t have to believe anything—not a word you just said or the voice on that stupid recording! But so help me, if you pull one more stunt like this last one, I’m going to tell the cops it was you in my trailer!”
