She smiles at me. “Anytime, Eli.”
***
I’ve just arrived back at the house and parked on the drive when Eva’s name flashes up on my phone. I press to answer, and she comes through on the car’s Bluetooth. “That was quick,” I say.
Silence hangs heavy for a moment before Eva speaks. “I’m not finished yet, but I found something, and I thought I should tell you sooner rather than later.”
A stone sinks down into my stomach. “What is it?”
“When I looked back over the old cases, part of the reason I was able to tell the crosses on the chest were made by someone different to the laceration across the throat was because I suspected the crosses were made by a left hander. Maxwell is right-handed.” Eva pauses.
Unease trickles down my spine and I grip the steering wheel as she carries on.
“I didn’t know for sure, but this time, because of the writing on the chest, it was easier to see. Eli, whoever cut into Posy’s chest, it wasn’t the same person who cut her neck.”
I don’t say anything. I can’t. Because the only thought in my head is that Freya is left-handed.
CHAPTER FORTY
River
ELI CRASHES INTO my office like a wild bull. It’s not often he gets like this nowadays, but it’s been happening more since Freya came into our lives. Part of me wonders whether bringing her in like this was the right decision or whether I’ve just made everything harder for my team.
“Where is she?” Eli demands, vibrating with anger.
I stand up from behind my desk, keeping my movements slow. “Freya?”
Eli snarls at me. “Her name’s Angelica and she’s a fucking liar.”
I blow out a breath between rounded lips and hold my hands up in the air. I’ve seen Eli at his worst. I’ve peeled him off the tarmac after he tried to bury himself in drugs, but I’ve never seen him look quite so vicious. “What happened?”
Eli’s cold eyes bore into mine. “She’s the one who carved into Posy Winters’ chest.”
My heart trips. I go still, my body freezing while my brain plays catch up. My first instinct is to deny it. To rage at Eli for daring to accuse her of something like that but I hold it back. My feelings for Freya are getting in the way of me being objective just like I knew they would. I should have kept more of a distance. I shouldn’t have brought her back here. I squeeze my hand into a fist then force myself to let it go. To lockmy emotions away and focus on the facts. “That doesn’t make sense.”
Eli steps in towards me, his nostrils flaring. “I’ve just been with Eva. The throat laceration was done by someone right-handed - Maxwell. The cuts on the chest were made by a left-hander.”
I shake my head.
Eli grabs my shoulder. “Think about it. Posy was missing for two days before her body was left in the park. Freya could have gotten to her before we put the tracking anklet on.”
I run through the past four days in my head. Analyzing every detail, every interaction I’ve had with Freya.
I don’t do this. I don’t doubt myself because I don’t make mistakes. But I let Freya in and now I’m paying for it.
A fist clenches around my heart and my blood races. I rub the aching spot on my chest. “She took a lie detector test.”
“We didn’t ask the right questions. Come on, Riv. You’ve been saying all along that she’s hiding something.” Eli drags a hand through his hair, his face contorting. “She played us all.” A broken edge seeps its way into his voice and that’s all I need to pull myself together. If Eli’s right, this will kill Jude and Oz. Maybe me too. But right now, I have a job to do. If I’ve made a mistake, I will fix it.
“Look at me, Eli.” I wait till his eyes lock with mine. “We don’t jump to conclusions. We analyze the evidence, and we find proof. Freya wants to catch her father. She’s telling the truth about that. Things might not be as clear cut as they look.”
Eli’s throat bobs. “And if they are?”
I hold his gaze. “If Freya laid a hand on either of the most recent victims, then the deal is off. She goes to prison.”
Eli follows me out of my office, his presence a caged inferno at my back.
We find Freya in the kitchen. Her hair glimmers under the golden glow of the low hanging light above the island. She’s pouring cereal into a bowl but stops the second she catches sight of us.
