“That’s good to know,” Megan said. “Did you stay friends with Quentin until his death?”
“No. Come to think of it, Franny’s party was the last time I saw him.” Kyle frowned. “Seriously, Megs, you don’t have to clean.”
“You know me. I hate clutter.” She handed him another plate. “Here. If we both do it, we’ll have the place spic-and-span in no time. Remember the time you and Wade played water balloons inside?”
Kyle chuckled. “June was furious. So were you.”
“We made you clean the entire living room from top to bottom.”
Megan strolled into the kitchen and Kyle followed. Half listening to their conversation, Luke crossed the living room. He scanned the bookshelves. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Belt buckles that served as trophies for cattle roping, knickknacks, and a few crime novels.
A closet was nearby. It was deep enough to be a walk-in and, with the light off, impossible to see inside. Glancing over his shoulder, Luke confirmed Megan and Kyle were still deep in conversation.
He nudged the door inward with his foot and stepped inside, flipping on the light. He sucked in a breath and his mind took quick mental photos. Marijuana, pills, and white powder intermingled with rifles and handguns. Dangling from a pistol was an evidence tag.
A muzzle pressed into the back of his head. Luke froze.
“I knew you were going to be trouble.”
Twenty
The tape binding Megan’s wrists was cutting off her circulation. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. The couch underneath her sagged and the scent of marijuana made her head hurt. Lord, we could use some help.
Beside her, Luke sat stone-faced, his hands cuffed behind his back. His primary weapon along with his backup and his knife sat on the wet bar. Close enough to see but impossible to reach. His gaze was fixed on the two men in front of them, and she knew he was waiting for an opening. But how much could he do with no weapon and his hands behind his back?
“Oh no, oh no. This is bad.”
Kyle paced up and down the living room. His steps were frantic, increasing with the pitch of his voice. The hand holding his gun shook.
“This is really bad,” he continued. “What are we going to do?”
“What do you think, you idiot,” Dan snapped.
The chief deputy took a drag of his cigarette and held the smoke in for a moment before blowing it out.
“We’re going to kill them.”
Megan swallowed hard. She’d suspected that was the plan, but hearing him say the words in such a cold manner sent fresh terror racing through her. A drop of sweat trickled down her back. Her gaze snapped to the weapon in Dan’s hand.
Kyle reared back. “We…we can’t do that. That’s crazy.”
“No, that’s self-preservation. There’s at least twenty thousand dollars worth of drugs in that closet. Do you know what the prison sentence for that is?”
“I didn’t sign up for murder.”
Dan shrugged. “You knew the risks.”
The horror on Kyle’s face wasn’t an act. Megan racked her brain, recalling their conversations and everything she knew about the case. Kyle had been the one who confirmed Franny wasn’t alone on the night of her murder. He told them about the phone call he’d received. Why would he do that if he was part of it?
He wouldn’t. Quentin died a year ago, but Lieutenant Rodriguez said the thefts from the evidence room were going on for a while and were extensive. Dan had to be the one behind it. After Quentin died, he needed a new go-between, and Kyle was it.
“The only question is how we do it,” Dan continued, taking another drag on his cigarette before snuffing it out in the ashtray on the coffee table. “The easiest would be to kill them right now and be done with it.”
“But it wouldn’t be smart.” Luke arched his brows, his tone casual, as if he was discussing the weather and not murder. “Do you know how hard it is to dispose of a body? Not to mention the trace evidence that’s left behind? I’ve already informed dispatch I’m here. This is the first place they’ll look.”
Kyle’s breathing sped up. “He’s right.”
As if on cue, Luke’s phone on the wet bar started ringing.
Dan glanced at it and frowned. “Why is Weston calling you?”
“Because he needs to talk to me. If I don’t answer, he’ll call again,” Luke said. “Turn off the phone and he’ll know something is wrong.”
Kyle swallowed hard. “We can’t do this. It’ll never work. We’ll get caught.”
“Don’t be stupid.” Dan tapped a finger to his temple. “He’s screwing with your head. Don’t you understand he’ll say anything to prevent us from killing him? That doesn’t make it true.”
Luke’s phone rang again. He lifted his chin. “Everything I’m telling you is true, Kyle.”
“Shut up,” Dan snapped. He grabbed the roll of duct tape and peeled off a piece, shoving it over Luke’s mouth. “Shoulda done that in the first place.”
Dan grabbed Luke’s face, squeezing hard enough to form indentions in the skin, and pushed it back. He put the muzzle of his gun to Luke’s throat.
“I’m gonna enjoy shooting you.”
Luke glared at him. Despite the weakness of his position, fear didn’t flicker across his features. Megan heart flipped, however, and her blood turned to ice.
“Like you did Franny?”
Her voice trembled, but the question worked as she’d hoped to distract Dan. He turned toward her and smirked. Madness glimmered in his eyes.
“What’s she talking about?” Kyle’s gaze jumped from Dan to Megan and back again. “Did you kill Franny and frame Wade?”
“It was before your time, and it’s not your concern. The less you know, the better.” Dan released Luke and stepped back. “We’ll drive them out to the woods and shoot them there.”
Luke’s expression never changed, but his posture relaxed a fraction. Megan understood why. The decision to kill them later bought them time, and every minute counted.
He glanced at her and then down before focusing back on the
