“And that is?”
“Where would Danny even get the money for a bunch of drugs? He can get access to prescription painkillers and anesthesia as a dentist, sure, but not whateverthatis.” She jabbed a finger at the box, which lay where we’d left it, flaps hanging open to reveal its nasty contents. “He’s capable of plenty, but this just doesn’t feel like Danny.”
The message made its way through my thick skull. Fuck.
“You don’t believe me.”
Piper stopped pacing, head swiveling toward me in shock. “I didn’t say that.”
“No. But it’s okay.” I felt my shoulders drop, resignation settling over me with a familiar weight. I’d been through this so many times before. The questions, the suspicion. Even with people I’d thought I was close to.
Didn’t make it hurt any less.
This was like what happened at my previous gig in Seattle. My colleague had been dealing, and the shop owner believed I was in on it too. I’d been honest with Piper about that, but maybe that story planted a thread of doubt in her mind about me.
And now that thread was twisting into a whole pattern, probably as elaborate as one of Earl’s quilts.
Grayden O’Neal, the lying criminal.
“I understand if you doubt me,” I said calmly. “But I have never seen that package before in my life. I would never bring something illegal into this house or anywhere near you. Never.”
Piper exhaled and shook her head, her expression crumpling. “No, I know you wouldn’t do that. And even if you did…”
“I didn’t.”
“Iknow. But if it was yours, why would you invite your new friends inside to have a look? Unless they were here for that, or…”
I gripped the bridge of my nose. “Maybe a guy like Officer Bronski believes leather jackets, bushy beards, and tattoos equal drug dealers, but it’s not actually true.”
“Don’t put words in my mouth.”
Holding up my hands in surrender, I took a few steps away. Not because I was mad at her. I wasn’t. I would never, ever, take out my anger on Piper. I’d promised her she was safe with me, and she was.
I was just tired. So fucking tired.
Piper pressed her fingers to her temples. “If Danny really did this, then I don’t want him anywhere near Ollie. But it’s another thing to prove it. If that’s even possible.”
It could be possible. If the police investigated who’d made the call. But they’d have towantto investigate it. Besides, the tipsterhad probably made an effort to stay anonymous. Using a burner phone or a VPN or something.
For similar reasons, I knew it would be pointless to turn over the drugs to the police as evidence and report the latest break-in here.
What do you mean they didn’t find the real culprit? Didn’t they call their forensics experts to take DNA swabs and examine the broken lock with a giant magnifying glass?
Yeah, right.
I stuck my hands in my pockets. “Honestly, I’d much rather have Danny bothering me than him taking it out on you or your kid.”
“But you don’t deserve this. You never would’ve met Danny if not for me.”
True. But either way, it wasn’t her fault. “I can flush the stuff to get rid of it.”
Piper looked horrified. “And poison a bunch of innocent fish with fentanyl or whatever that is?No.” She went over to squint at the offending package again. “There’s an anonymous drop box for contraband at Silver Ridge PD headquarters. I can get rid of the drugs there.”
“I don’t want you getting mixed up in this any more than?—”
“I’m already mixed up in it.”
Well, she was right about that.
