Holy. Crap.
It didn’t matter why. Not right now. Didn’t matter that none of this made sense.
I had to get out of here.
I lunged for the door, but Zach leaped up and blocked my path. I gasped.
My hand searched my back pockets for my phone. But it wasn’t in my jeans. Wasn’t in my apron either. I’d left it on the counter when I was chatting with Rina.
Rina. She was still here. I opened my mouth to scream.
Zach pushed me back, his hand slamming over my mouth. “Yell for your employee, and I’ll do to her what I did to Danny.”
My eyes bugged. I wanted to gasp for breath, but struggled to get enough air with Zach’s hand on my face.
“Will you give me the jewelry box or not? I’m going to move my hand. Stay fucking quiet.”
As soon as the obstruction was gone, my chest heaved a few times. Pulling in oxygen. Then I whispered, “I don’t have it. I swear to you, Zach. I have no idea what any of this is about. Whatever Danny told you, it has nothing to do with me.”
His eyes narrowed with hatred again. “It haseverythingto do with you.”
FIFTY-THREE
Grayden
I walkedwith Milo through a door and onto the work floor. Earl looked up from the Yamaha he was servicing.
“Earl, got a minute for Grayden?” Milo asked.
“Sure.” He grabbed a rag to wipe his hands. “Been meaning to stop by your place, O’Neal. I’m about halfway through a new piece with that fabric you gave me.”
Milo tilted his head toward me. “Earl considers himself a fabric artist. Not a quilter. Just FYI.”
Earl pointed at him. “Damn right. Want to see a progress photo?”
“Another time,” I said. “I have a question for you. It’s about the day you, Milo, and Zach stopped by. When you took the fabric with you.”
His face scrunched behind his unruly beard. “You want me to pay for it or something?”
“No, not at all. I just need to know. Was it you who found that package that looked like drugs? Or was it Zach?”
“Uh.” The big man thought. “It was Zach. I was poking through one crate of fabric, and then he tapped my shoulder. Showed me that brick of powder inside another box.”
“Did you happen to see a sweatshirt with Seattle written on it?”
“I dunno. Maybe? Why all these questions?”
Milo was watching me curiously too. I didn’t want to make an unfounded accusation against their friend. But the evidence was lining up, and I didn’t like where it led.
“Why did you all come see me that day in particular?” I asked. “Did you ask Zach to come along? Or…”
“It was Zach’s idea, now that you mention it.” Milo tugged at the zipper pull on his leather jacket. “He said he’d heard about a new tattoo studio going in. And I realized you were my old classmate and Ashford’s brother. Seriously, why is this important?”
“Because a Seattle sweatshirt disappeared from my house at some point. I have no idea when, since I didn’t notice it was gone. Then it turned up at the scene of Danny Carmichael’s stabbing. I have an alibi, as the police have already confirmed.”
Earl held up his hands. “Whoa, I’ve got nothing to do with any of that.”
“It’s also a pretty big coincidence that those drugs turned up when you all were at the house,” I went on. “I immediately assumed Danny Carmichael was behind it. That he’d broken in again. But now? After somebody attacked him and tried to frame me?”
