“You’re joking?”
Shaking my head, I say, “I wish I were. I think a month ago I would have been so happy, and now I feel like he’s being snatched away from me just as I realized how much I need him.”
Lottie shames me with a grin so large that they could have seen it from Vancouver.
“Not talking about that.” I point at her again. “So let’s continue with the case. Do you have any thoughts?”
“Colonel Rogers is the one who’s threatening to move Jonesy to the other side of the country?”
“Yeah, you know him?”
“My dad golfs with him.” Her lips flatten.
I forget how famous Lottie’s family is. I mean, if America had a royal family, hers would probably be it. But she’s so down to earth. Her dad just happens to play golf with the most influential military guy on the West Coast. Last year, I’m sure the chief mentioned him donating some money to the station after the Thomas Vale case wrapped up. Told us all to have a good time on his dime. He’s a generous guy, adored by many, given his philanthropic pursuits over the years, but Iknow he and Lottie have somewhat of a strained relationship. She isn’t what he expected, and she expects more out of life than having everything mapped out for her.
She purses her lips together, staring off at one of the bookshelves.
“Do you know what I think is odd?” she asks.
“What’s that?” I lean back again, grateful to be feeling myself again after the last year.
“Well, ask yourself. Why do you bury bodies in the backyard?”
I laugh. “Well, I’ve never had to think about this, but I suppose you don’t have any means to dump the body somewhere else. I’m not sure if Connor Maddox has a car or not.”
“I just mean, if you’re going to risk murdering people and burying them on your property, the yard is pretty risky, isn’t it?” she hums thoughtfully. “Did they search the house?”
“Of course.”
“With the sniffer dogs?”
“I...I’m not sure if the dogs went into the house. The anonymous tip was for the backyard.”
She nods, her lips pursing together. “Okay, so I’m gonna ask again, why do you bury bodies in the backyard?”
My brow furrows as I try to work through what Lottie’s question means. The answer hits me like a sledgehammer. “Oh my God. You bury bodies in the backyard because the house is full.”
My heart stumbles, picking up again after a few seconds.
You bury bodies in the backyard because the house is full.
The. House. Is. Full.
Holy cheese nuts.
“Could they have missed anything in the house?” Lottie asks, her eyes flicking between mine.
“I mean...I don’t think their focus was on the house, but how could they have missed it? Anthony told me they used sniffer dogs on the first day, and they were restless but focused on the yard. I don’t know if they took the dogs into the house or not.”
My mind is racing a mile a minute. This could break the case. This could be the missing thing that gets Connor Maddox out of prison. Or keep him there for good. Either way, I need to go to the house right now to scope it out. Given that the initial confession was about the backyard, I don’t think they would have had cause to search the property any deeper than surface level. I need to get out of here so my heart rate can calm down.
“I need to go. I’ll be back for dinner club.” I rise from the couch, itching to get moving.
“Do you want to call Jonesy first?”
No, I need to do this by myself. Prove that my instincts are right. Prove that I can trust myself again. Well...with a little help from Lottie. “It’s fine. I just need to go and check something out.It’s only thirty minutes from here. I’ll be back in less than a few hours.”
“Okay...” She bites her lip, her brow furrowing. “Be careful. I’ll start cooking the risotto.”
