“Whatever we’re doing, we’d better do it fast,” Vero said. “It’ll be light in a few hours, and we should get the car back to the academy before sunrise.”
Vero and I worked quickly, using the head of the shovel to leverage the two heavy markers off the ground. Vero hoisted up one side and I lifted the other, both of us bickering and tripping over the landscape as we carefully switched the positions of the headstones. The exercise was reminiscent of the obstacle course we’d tackled two days ago, with a lot more cussing and a few more stubbed toes. By the time we’d finished, our hands were calloused and our noses were red and dripping from the cold.
We kicked the scattered dead leaves back in place around the graves, panting steam as we surveyed our handiwork. Every inch of me hurt.
Vero’s lips had turned blue. “My lady bits are frozen.”
“Let’s put this stuff back where we found it and get out of here.”
Ty’s pant legs dragged on the ground as Vero plodded along beside me down the hill toward the shed. I used an old rag to wipe dirt and fingerprints from the shovel as Vero slipped off the gloves and hung them back on their hook. Bright slashes of light cut through the cracks in the siding. Vero and I went still as tires crunched over the gravel.
I peered through the cracked door of the shed in time to see Nick’s car pull into the driveway. My heart leapt into my throat as he killed the headlights.
“Is it Barbara?” Vero asked hopefully.
“No. It’s Nick and Charlie.” By the faint moonlight, I could just make out Charlie’s profile in the passenger seat.
“I thought Nick wasn’t supposed to come until the morning!” Vero whispered.
“I guess he got antsy.”
Nick squinted through the windshield at Barbara’s house. If we opened the shed door now, he’d spot us. “When they get to the porch, we’ll make a run for it.”
Vero looked at me like I’d just described a scene fromMission: Impossible. “Have you seen yourself run?”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
A car door opened. I peeped through the crack as Nick and Charlie got out of the car and Charlie followed him to the front porch. Nick’s cane thumped up the steps. A series of loud knocks rattled the door. I tip-toed out of the shed and peeked around the side.
“So this is where it happened,” Charlie mused, staring over the porch rail at the blackened scorch marks that stained the front yard. A smile tugged at his scar. “Molotov cocktails, huh? I can see why you like her.”
Nick leaned on his cane beside him as he waited for Barbara to answer. “I’m glad,” he said with a smile. “She seems to like you, too. Now if I could just get Joey to come around.”
“What do you mean?”
Nick shook his head. “He and Finn have been acting strange ever since the shooting. Suspicious of each other. Both of them dancing around it.”
“Kind of like you and Joey?”
Nick choked out a laugh. “Why the hell would I be suspicious of Joey?”
“Why don’t you tell me?” Charlie asked. “Why’d you bring me out here instead of your partner, Nick?”
“Because I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t feel like waiting until the morning. I texted you and you were up. That’s all.”
“Did you even tell him you were coming?”
Nick looked away.
“You already know how I feel about him. I’ve never held back. And Georgia’s sister is smart. You said it yourself, she’s got good instincts. If she suspects there’s something off with Balafonte, I’d pay attention if I was you.”
Nick frowned at the yard.
“What is it?” Charlie asked.
“It’s just… I don’t know, Charlie. There’s something about that night that doesn’t sit right with me. I read Finlay’s statement a million times. She said she found this address in Steven’s calendar that afternoon when he went missing, and she came out here looking for him.”
“So?”
