Ethan nodded. “That’s true. They haven’t really got a place to start. Apparently, he didn’t have anything on him that could identify him, so they’re not sure if he was robbed and then killed, or if something else is going on here.”
What did that mean? Did they think he’d been killed for another reason?
“Do you think he was killed by an accomplice? Maybe he was part of a gang and another gang member got him,” Dotty suggested.
“We can make guesses or we can stick to facts,” Butch said.
Dotty glared at the back of his head. Butch was lucky that her glare couldn’t melt him or he’d be goo on the floor.
And then Addie would be able to put him into a squishy.
An hour later,they left the morgue.
Monroe was shivering, and Addie drew off her hoodie to put around her sister. It didn’t matter that she was now cold, Monroe was like an icicle and in shock.
“How are you doing, Monroe?” Ink asked. “Is there anything I can get for you?”
Monroe shook her head, her teeth chattering. “I just can’t believe that it’s him, that he’s gone. He’s dead. How is he dead?”
“Three bullets to the chest will do that,” Dotty said.
Addie shot her older sister a look. That wasn’t helping, even though it was technically true.
“It’s okay to have mixed feelings about all of this,” Addie told her.
“Is it?” Monroe asked. “I d-don’t know.”
Butch took Addie’s hoodie off Monroe’s shoulders and Addie frowned at him until he placed his own jacket around her. It was far bigger, so it covered more of her.
Monroe gave him a grateful look. “Thanks.”
“At least we found him, right?” Dotty says. “I mean, I know that sounds callous when he’s dead, but it doesn’t seem like he was a good person. Now we know that he’s not going to come after you, Monroe, so we can go home, right?”
“That is true,” Ink said. “You are probably safer with him dead. Although it would have been good to get some answers. Like why those men came after you at the airport.”
“If he’s dead, what reason could there possibly be for them coming after Monroe again?” Dotty asked.
Ink shook his head. “I don’t know. There’s no way to know the answers without Vextar or Limpy. We’re still trying to find Limpy.”
Dotty sighed. “I need to get home. I really can’t afford to be away much longer. I think I’ll book us plane tickets for tomorrow.”
Addie really wanted to go home too. If Cash wasn’t coming back, maybe it was best to just leave, to break things off cleanly. She could go home and have all of her things around her. Surely she’d feel better then, right?
“Would you be able to arrange an escort for us to the airport? Just in case? I’d be happy to pay the tickets to get you through security,” Dotty said to Ink.
Ink nodded. “If you’re sure that’s what you want to do. We’ll get you safely on the plane.”
“Fuck,”Ralen groaned. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a train.”
“Tell me about it,” Cash said. “I can’t believe everything that just happened.”
Ortega’s revelations about his girlfriend who wasn’t his girlfriend. That he had been the guy with the body that Addie saw. All of those bodies they’d had to dispose of. Then for the last twelve hours they’d been doing recon on some other guy. Cash wasn’t sure if Ortega wanted to kill this guy, though. That part hadn’t been clear.
Now it was just after five, and if they drove straight through they could get to Billings around ten tonight. Maybe earlier.
Ortega had promised to call Dante. Ralen had given him twenty-four hours to do it before he did.
“Sure you’re all right to drive?” Ralen asked. “We can stop and sleep.”
