Chapter 25
Reese barely got any sleep. Even after Garrett had given her three amazing orgasms, in two different positions that had all but rocked her world, she had still spent most of the night tossing and turning. After the sun came up, she slipped out of bed and padded her way into the kitchen to start the coffee. She hoped Garrett was still asleep, but as soon as the dark liquid started dripping into the pot, Garrett emerged looking as exhausted as she felt.
“I’m sorry if I kept you up,” she said. “I just couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing Russell killing you.” Just saying the words made her hands shake and her head hurt like she hadn’t slept in days.
Garrett closed the distance between them, taking her into his arms. “It’s okay. I would rather be kept awake by you lying next to me than be unable to sleep because you’re gone. We’ll figure this out.” He kissed her, slowly devouring her mouth until her knees went weak and a throaty moan escaped her lips.
A knock at Garrett’s door made Reese jump, completely killing the mood. “It’s barely seven in the morning on a Sunday,” she complained. “Are you expecting company?”
Garrett smiled. “Knowing my friends, it’s probably one of the guys checking to make sure I’m still alive.”
Reese bit back a smile and playfully punched his arm. “That’s not funny.”
Garrett went to the door. Reese followed close behind. He opened the door to find Tanner with two paper bags, a tray with three coffees, and a file under his arm. “Just wanted to make sure you were still with us,” Tanner deadpanned. “My caseload is pretty full. Not sure I’d be able to squeeze in another body right now.”
Garrett snorted and turned to Reese. “See? Told ya.”
“Still not funny,” she grumbled and marched back into the kitchen. The guys followed.
“I’m kidding,” Tanner said. “I mean, of course, I wanted to make sure Garrett was okay, but I actually stopped by for an entirely different reason.”
“Oh?” Garrett said, a bit of disappointment edging out.
“Don’t tell me someone else died,” Reese said. She really couldn’t handle any more bad news right now.
“No. I don’t think anyone else died,” Tanner assured her. “Here,” he offered up the two paper bags and tray of coffees. “I brought breakfast. Help yourselves to pastries and caffeine. The chocolate one is mine.”
Garrett peered into the bag. “I don’t see a chocolate one. They must’ve forgotten it.”
“No they didn’t,” Tanner said like someone had just threatened to take away his favorite toy. He yanked the bag out of Garrett’s hand and looked inside. Smirking, he reached into the bag and pulled out a chocolate covered pastry. “See? Mine.” He took a satisfying bite and chewed appreciatively.
Reese smiled, loving how the guys’ antics weren’t affected by the gravity of the situation at hand. “So, if no one died, what’s going on?”
“I didn’t say no one died. I said that I didn’t think anyoneelsedied,” Tanner explained. “A hiker and his dog found a body in Sedona last week. Caden was going to have Blake tell you, butSkyla’s not feeling too hot today so he asked me. DNA came back and it’s a perfect match.”
“Molly Edgar?” Reese asked.
Tanner nodded.
“Evidence?” Garrett asked, taking one of the coffee cups for himself.
“Fingerprints and a hair,” Tanner said.
“Whose?” Reese asked.
“What’s in the file?” Garrett asked Tanner, holding out his other hand for it.
Tanner handed it to Garrett. Reese watched as he opened it and saw the photograph inside of a shallow grave along with a piece of metal lying next to it.
“What is that?” Garrett asked.
Horror suffused Reese’s voice as she struggled to speak. “It was part of the art piece Molly bought. Oh my God, she was buried there with my artwork?”
“Three guesses as to who would want to get rid of a body and a piece of artwork,” Tanner said, then took another large bite of his pastry.
“But he only left a piece of it behind,” Reese said. “Why would he do that, and where’s the rest of it?”
All three of them moved to sit at the kitchen table. “Killers like to keep souvenirs, or given Russell’s history of framing innocent people for his crimes, he might have kept it to incriminate someone, or point us away from the real murderer.” Tanner said.