“A lot of good it did. Social services got us out of the house and we lived in shelters until the next predator asshole found my mom. The thought that the only home I could ever have was owned by an asshole who wanted me more than my mom. Those men were twisted.”
I struggled to disagree.
“But when you had a man who didn’t use you, you killed him?”
“Didn’t use me? I was just arm candy to him and when the promises of movie roles and stardom fell through, he didn’t want me anymore.”
“He didn’t abuse you, though.”
“He threw me away, though. Apparently, he wanted you more than me.” She wiped her face and sniffed. With her face in shadows, I couldn’t see any tears, but I was sure some had trickled out.
“Scarlet…”
“Shut up, Doc. This conversation is over.” She grabbed her items from the desk and stormed out.
Stu opened the door for her like a matador pulling the cape away from a charging bull. He glanced my way and his eyes and face were set with a certain determination. Any reluctance I thought he might have had in killing a woman faded immediately.
* * *
I stormed down the hallway, passing Wagner, a thin man who looked like he had just recovered from a weekend heroine binge. Stu had vouched for him and he had helped with dragging the Doc’s body from the wreckage.
Stu followed behind me.
When we got to the end of the short hallway with offices to each side and the empty, open warehouse behind us, I stopped and whirled on Stu.
“What the fuck, Stu?”
The big man could charge into gunfire in a war zone, but my anger stopped him in his tracks. His shoulders slumped, and he looked anywhere but at me.
“What the fuck what?”
“Why isn’t she dead? Rolling a car off those cliffs should kill anybody, right?”
“The Navigators are pretty solid. It just didn’t happen like we planned. When Wagner and I got to the vehicle to make sure they were dead, the woman was crawling out…”
“Yeah, and the other guy looked bad.” Wagner piped in, eager to join the conversation.
I glared at him.
“And Dirk? Is he dead?”
“There was a trail of blood behind the woman and the passenger window somehow hadn’t shattered. She was barely coherent and passed out as soon as I…”
“And Dirk?”
“He looked bad.” Wagner repeated.
“She passed out when I picked her up and her phone dropped out of her hand. It was dialing 911.”
“What about Dirk, you fucking jarhead?”
“She saw me, Scarlet. She saw both of us.”
“I don’t fucking care about the bitch, Stu.”
Stu sighed and straightened his shoulders. “I don’t know. Before we could stuff her back in the vehicle, we heard someone…”
“Your only job was to make sure Dirk died. Why fuck with the bitch?”
