Page 89 of Hard Heart

“Drugs, grief, a desire to get away from his mother by any means necessary.”

“Damn, that’s messed up.” Raelene shook her head, incredulous. “Okay, where’s the rest?”

“In Levi’s studio.”

The paintings were still there, a hundred of them at least, hanging from the walls, resting on easels, stacked in a corner when he ran out of space. I spotted the triptych of Shadow he’d spoken of, two finished canvases and one half done, and there were dozens of Ruby. She’d been beautiful. Not just her face, but the glimpses of her soul he’d captured too.

Raelene was more interested in the money, and the two of us tapped the wall by his desk until another hidden panel popped open. This space was bigger than the last, and holy crap…

“There must be thousands in there.”

“Yup.” Raelene gave a low whistle. “We used to see this with the Mafia when their laundering businesses couldn’t keep up. If those are all hundreds, we’re looking at…eighty thousand. Something like that. Adds credence to the blackmail theory.”

I choked out a laugh. “He told me to use it if I needed money. I thought he was talking a few hundred dollars.”

“You need to learn to ask better questions, but don’t worry; we can work on that. This money is also evidence. If nobody else knows it exists, it’s probably safe here for now.”

“Are you thinking it might be possible to trace the serial numbers?”

“Fingerprints are a better option. I’ll speak with the lab because I’m not even sure if they have a facility to store this much cash.”

“Levi’s laptop already disappeared from the police evidence locker.”

“For fuck’s sake.”

“He thought someone took it for his research notes. But this feels more hopeful than the Big Oil conspiracy theory, don’t you think?”

“It does. Money, love, anger, fear—most murders come down to one or more of those. This Stark person is the most likely suspect in the Groveland case, and from what you said, his motive might have been a desire to protect his mother.”

“So, love?”

“Love one person, hate another.”

I paused in front of a painting of Blackstone House in its heyday, the woodwork pristine, the garden overflowing with flowers. Had Levi copied this from an old photograph? Or just imagined its past? When I looked closer, I saw a woman resembling Ruby sitting on the front porch with two flowers in her hand, her gaze cast sideways as a secret smile played over her lips.

What a waste.

What a waste of two young lives.

Raelene was right—this case was teaching me about love, but I was learning to hate as well.

CHAPTER 26

LEVI

Two motherfuckers had tried to kill him, and somehow, it felt as if Levi was being the one punished. With the amount of freedom he no longer had, he might as well be back in Redding’s Gap, and even the number of art classes had been cut. The Etsy production line was still going, but Levi found himself in the position of manager rather than teacher.

Sera’s visit was the only glimmer of light in a dark week, and thank fuck she was back to wearing those ballet pumps.

“How are you feeling?” she asked after Jim had left coffee and retreated to the hallway. He knew the drill.

“I’ve been better.”

“How long do we have?”

“Enough time for me to give you a foot rub.” When she hesitated, his heart sank, and he added, “That is, if you want one.”

“Let’s not beat about the bush here—yes, I’m still a tiny bit angry about the kidnap/torture thing, but I want to peel you out of those scrubs, shove you onto the nearest horizontal surface, and ride you until I spontaneously combust.” Sera set her pen on her legal pad. “But unfortunately, Raelene gave me a list of questions to ask.”