“Don’t count on it,” Gideon said.
“The car should have been towed to the forensic bay by now. Pulling it apart is priority number one. While Boy Wonder dials for attorneys, I’m going to watch the techs work on the car. You never know.”
“Keep me posted.”
“Back at you.”
Elijah sat back and stared at the two cameras that captured Ann’s living room. He replayed the morning footage, watching as Ann got the boy off to school. He had been pleased to see Nate shove the copy of Huckleberry Finn in his backpack.
His doorbell rang, surging annoyance through him, which only doubled when he glanced in the peephole and saw Maura standing on his porch. She had been fun and useful, but she was now growing irritating. He had not been clear about what he wanted, but the time had come for him to set her straight.
When he opened the door, her red lips widened into a grin, and she held up a brown paper bag. “I have burgers and news you’re going to want to hear.”
She kissed him on the lips and then slipped past him. “I was not sure what kind of burger you liked, so I got plain with all the condiments tossed in the bag. Also got two cheeseburgers. Can’t go wrong either way.”
Her words buzzed around his head like flies. What kept him quiet was her announcement of news. “Sounds great.”
She moved into the kitchen with a familiarity that was unsettling. The more comfortable he allowed her to become, the harder it would be to extricate her. “I’ve tried several burger shops since I arrived in Missoula, and this one is my favorite.”
“You never said why you came to Missoula,” he said.
“Needed a change.” She checked the cabinets and found two plates. “I pointed the car west, and here I am.”
He wished he could read her thoughts. “What’s the news?”
“I met with Paul Thompson last night.”
“That was fast.”
“I went by his motel, but he was leaving. I followed him, and he ended up in a bar. He’s a good-looking man. I wanted to have sex with him, but I paid a girl to sleep with him.”
“Really?”
“I’d have done it, but you and I have been seen together. Figured you wouldn’t want anything connecting back to you.”
He remained silent.
“Does it make you jealous that I said I wanted to sleep with him?”
“Maybe.” It didn’t, but she seemed to equate love with jealousy.
She unwrapped a burger. “I’d totally have hooked up with him.”
He offered a frown, knowing that was what she expected.
“But it wouldn’t have been like it is with us,” she said quickly.
There was no us. “Did you learn anything?”
“Oh, I sure did.” She was teasing this out as long as she could.
Like it or not, he had to play along. She served him a burger, and he took a bite, pretending he was not full and that he liked it.
“My girl, Carla, slipped Thompson Rohypnol, he passed out, and she left his motel room door slightly ajar.” She dug a stack of papers from her purse. “I took pictures of Thompson’s notes and printed them out.”
Elijah’s attention shifted to the printouts.
“His story might have started off with last year’s fires, but his focus is all squarely on you now, baby. He’s talked to four Fireflies.”
“Why?”
“You’re a mystery, darling. And many think you really are guilty of the College Fire.”
That specter would follow him forever. But ghosts were the least of his concerns. “What’s his angle?”
“He wants to turn you into the next big villain of the podcast world. He sees you as the master puppeteer of the Fireflies. A kind of a Charles Manson character.”
He thought about Nate and how a story like that would affect him. “Is that what you think?”
She set her burger down and kissed him. “You did convince me to hide those cameras in Ann’s house. And I paid a woman to have sex with Thompson.”
Suddenly, he was disgusted with her. “You can’t prove that.”
Her smile dimmed slightly. “You asked me to do both.”
“Your word against mine.”
She managed a little-girl pout that looked ridiculous. “Why are you acting like this?”
“I’m not acting like anything. You’re suggesting I’m some kind of evil mastermind.”
“I didn’t say that.” She looked startled. “That’s what Paul Thompson said in his notes.”
“But you believe it.”
“It’s kind of true, don’t you think?” she asked. “I read about that woman from last year. She was willing to do anything for you.”
“She made her own choices, just like you made yours.”
She frowned. “To please you.”
Elijah wiped his hands on a paper towel. “It’s time you leave.”
“Why?”
“I have a study session.”
“Is school that important?” she demanded.
“It’s everything.”
“What is it with men and their work? They pretend like it’s their world, but it’s just an excuse to hide from their true feelings.”
“Maybe you’ve never been that important to any man,” he said.
She scowled. “That’s a shitty thing to say.”
“Maybe. But you need to leave.”
She frowned as if she would fight him, and then she grabbed her purse and stomped out of the house, slamming the door behind her. He locked it.
The truth was none of the Fireflies or the one-night stands could please him for very long. They were all disposable, and all were more trouble than they were worth in the end. And as much as he wanted to forget them and their smiling faces, they would not leave him alone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Missoula, Montana
Thursday, August 26
4:00 p.m.
Ann arrived at the Beech Street house to find her Realtor and the prospective buyers standing in the driveway. They were early, but that did not ease her sense that she was somehow behind and needed to catch up.
She parked and, as she got out of the car, summoned a smile. “Am I late?”
“No,” the Realtor said. “We’re early. The buyers just flew in, and we came straight here from the airport.”
Ann dug keys from her purse. “We just finished deep cleaning yesterday, so you’ll find the place in top shape.” As she shoved her key into the lock, her phone rang. Bryce’s name appeared on her display.
“Excuse me,” she said. “Go ahead and show yourselves around.”
She turned from the group and walked several paces away. “What’s up? I’m meeting with a Realtor now.”
As if she had not spoken, he said, “We found Nena Lassiter’s car and have discovered evidence that connects all the murders. The car’s been towed to the forensic warehouse, which is where I am now. I think you should be here.”
She looked back at the house and watched as the Realtor escorted the couple inside. “Have you found anything?”
“I’d like another set of eyes on the vehicle as we go through it.”