“What?”
“Can I,uh, speak to you for a second?”
Delaney’s dark eyes flicked from Vaughn to Ivy and back again.
About her, the look said.
“You can speak in front of her.”
“You...uh, Captain Daniels...” His voice cracked.
“Just spit it the fuck out, Delaney.”
The officer cleared his throat.
“He’s on a warpath. Darnell mentioned Dr.Reeves at the last crime scene, and he lost it.”
Captain Daniels.
That name...
Ivy had a flashback to the night of the fire.
The telephone call.
Her father was a lot of things, but until that night, she’d never seen or heard him scared. And Gene had been terrified.
The rapid-fire instructions. Her trying to get a word in, him not letting her.
Telling her that it was all over.
Later, after Ivy had dragged the body out of the still-burning house, Captain Daniels had arrived.
“Delaney, we’ve got a fucking dead body here! And you’re worried that Daniels is pissed?” Vaughn shouted.
“I—I—I know... it’s just... I thought... Darnell—”
“Why the fuck did Darnell mention Dr.Reeves?” Vaughn’s face had turned scarlet.
“I—Vaughn, the kid—Zeke—his father is raising hell, too. Lawyers are barking shit about lawsuits. It’s a fucking mess.”
Ivy felt her hackles raise.
Delaney talking about a “fucking mess” back at the police station. Legalities, formalities, technicalities.
Thefucking messwas right here.
The mess was Dr.Ben Moorehead dead on the grass.
Thatwas the mess—none of the other bullshit mattered.
“What do you want me to do?” Delaney asked desperately.
Vaughn’s reply came immediately.
“Call the captain, tell him to get his ass out here. I’ll deal with him when he comes.”
?Chapter 63
