“I’ll answer after you play the game.”
“I don’t want to play your fucking games!”
Ivy’s eyes roamed the retrofitted space. Spotted another one of those shitty cameras mounted in the corner. And an air vent.
The walls were made of drywall, just like at the crime other scenes. No mud, no tape. The vent... Ivy knew exactly what was hooked up on the other side.
Why did I come inside? Why?
“You know the game, Ivy, and you know what comes next.”
She knew, all right.
“Would you like to switch doors or keep door number one, Dr.Reeves?”?
?Chapter 73
“Steve Neely’s kid,”Vaughn repeated softly. This was for his own benefit, but Bowes confirmed it anyway.
“Yep. His only kid. Mom’s not in the picture. Died of breast cancer nearly a decade ago.”
What the actual fuck?
Tristan Coates, née Tristan Neely, was Steve’s son.
Ivy’s father and Steve worked together before a mysterious fire resulted in the latter’s death and the former being burnt and turned into a living vegetable.
A fire that the retired detective who worked the case was convinced Gene had started.
Did Ivy know? Did she know that Tristan Coates was actually Tristan Neely?
No, she couldn’t have; she would have said something.
Wouldn’t she?
“How?”
“It’s not hard to change your name. All you have to do is—”
“No, I mean how the hell did he become Ivy’s TA?”
“Well, I did some digging. Tristan applied to be Dr.Reeves’s TA at the end of last term.”
“Okay, thenwhy? Why did he change his name? Wouldn’t letting everyone know he was Steve Neely’s kid help him? I mean, his father was a legend in the math world.”
“I’m guessing because he didn’t want people to know.”
He didn’t wantIvyto know, Vaughn mentally corrected.
Vaughn blinked, shook his head. Tried to lock in.
He still didn’t get it.
Zeke, Dr.Moorehead, now Tristan.
“There is something weird,” Bowes said.Colostomy hole weird?“Weirder, I mean. Tristan’s grades... they weren’t great.”
“Not great?” Stalling, trying to give himself time to figure this out.
