The marriage finger.
Interesting.
Especially when the man sitting in prison for the crimes was an older man.
“Why did he kill his neighbor?” Marlo asked.
“She rejected him. And she does look a lot like those girls, which is why we were able to make the stretch,” Matt said. “But to this day, he swears he was wrongfully incarcerated for three murders.”
“Do you believe him?” Jag asked.
“I didn’t at the time,” Matt said. “Because at the third crime scene, which was the neighbor’s, the victim was clutching a mood ring. And let’s remember, I wasn’t detective back then, so not my case. But when you asked to see all this, I started examining all the evidence again, and it turns out Armstrong logged in the mood ring for that crime scene.”
“Fuck,” Jag mumbled. “Armstrong mishandled a lot of my evidence and DNA.”
“And then killed herself,” Marlo added, shaking his head. “She handled a lot of evidence. I wonder how many she tampered with and why.”
“We might never know the answer to the latter question,” Matt said. “But this house is pulling all the cases with Armstrong’s name on it. Now what’s really interesting about what I’ve dug up so far, is that procedure was followed to the letter on every case, except the Trinket Killer and the ones we just mentioned.”
Jag peered over the file. “Are you saying you think Armstrong is connected to the Trinket Killer?”
Matt nodded. “I’m pulling the autopsy report on Armstrong as well. I’ll have everything sent to your office.”
“Send it to me too,” Marlo said.
Jag slammed the file shut. “Why do I get the feeling this fucking killer has been playing me for a long time?”
Callie stood at the end of the dock and watched a sailboat tilt over as the winds grabbed ahold of the jib. She covered her forehead with her hand, shielding the sunrays peeking through the fog floating above the sound.
The floorboard rattled.
She glanced over her shoulder.
“Ziggy,” she said with a smile before practically taking off in a full sprint. She hugged Ziggy tight for a good three minutes.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Ziggy said.
“Me neither.” Callie smacked her lips against Ziggy’s cheek. “You are a sight for sore eyes.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be saying that about my brother?” Ziggy tilted her head and batted her thick eyelashes. “He’s been a miserable prick since you left.”
“He doesn’t seem like it to me.” Callie looped her hand through Ziggy’s arm and led her down to the beach.
It was only about sixty degrees, but the sun warmed Callie’s face, and the salty breeze filled her heart with a sense of calmness she hadn’t felt in a long time. She knew the second she got off this beach and met with Jackie for this stupid interview about her book, which her publisher blindsided her with by putting the pre-order up, her mood would surely sour.
While she was happy they agreed on the new title, and the cover was tasteful, she wasn’t prepared for how real having it up for sale would make it.
She worried how Jag would take the news, especially when he saw his name right there in the product description.
Yeah, that was going to piss him right the fuck off.
“We all miss Jag on the mainland,” Ziggy said. “But being out here, on this island, has done him a world of good.”
“I noticed.”
A few toddlers raced by chasing a puppy, their mother only a few steps behind. Callie used to daydream about the day she and Jag might get married and have a little brood of their own. They’d even started talking about that prospect, someday in the future.
She pressed her hand across her stomach. If he’d known she was pregnant when she left Seattle, he’d hate her, but it didn’t matter. She miscarried less than a month after she’d left.
But the burning question had always been: would she have told him had she been able to carry the child to term?
Today, she’d like to think she would have told him long before the baby was born. But part of her wonders if she would have used it to stay away from Seattle altogether. The reality was the only reason she came back had been for the interview. The publisher all but demanded it. And she knew it was best for the book. The more she thought about it, the more it simmered in her brain, the more she wanted to spend time in Seattle.
And time with Jag.
Something Kara warned her would be a bad idea. Something about history repeating itself.
“You being back in his life would be even better.” Ziggy squeezed her hand. “He’s really missed you.”
Their families hadn’t known about their relationship for very long, but Ziggy had been one of the first, and since she worked with her at the station, they became fast friends.
Best friends.
“I’ve missed him too, and while we’ve been able to heal old wounds, I don’t think we would ever be able to be together again long term.”
“Oh, so does that mean something kinky happened since you’ve been back? I know you’re staying with him, and I heard through the family grapevine he went camping last night at Fort Casey.”
Callie shook her head and let out a short laugh. “Nothing is sacred or private in your family.”
“Hey, it was only a guess, but thanks confirming it for me.”
“You tricked me.” Callie hip-checked Ziggy.
“You would have told me anyway.”
“True.” If Callie told Kara, she’d get a lecture. Now all Callie had to do was brace herself for Ziggy and the rest of his siblings to push back hard for them to get back together.
It wouldn’t happen.
It couldn’t.
They were oil and water.
Ziggy paused and turned toward the sound. “Jag told me you plan on leaving in a couple of weeks.”
“As soon as his chapter is done. He gave me an interview. Now all I have to do is write it and get him to approve it.”
“Don’t leave again.” Ziggy turned. “He loves you, and I know you
