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Attikus brought my duffle bags and placed them on the floor. “I’ve got to head out. You can give yourself a tour or wait until I get back. What do you want for dinner? I’ll pick something up.”

“It doesn’t matter. Anything is fine.”

“Anything?”

“I’m not picky.”

“Okay. How about I get some Vietnamese food from Saigon Bistro again?”

“You really like it there?”

“The food is amazing. Can you text me what we got last time? That way, I’ll know what to order when I call it in?”

“Okay.”

When he left, I called Leo to triple-check that my mom’s escape was solid.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

ATTIKUS

I walkedinto Detective Farmer’s office. “Thanks for calling me about the news.”

“You’re welcome. Please have a seat.” He gestured to the leather chair in front of his mahogany desk.

I closed the door, leaned my cane against the chair, and sat down. He’d lost some weight since I last saw him. Or maybe the blue-striped shirt made him look slimmer.

“Is the department working you to death?” I asked.

“Oh, you know how it is working for the city. Overworked and underpaid.”

“Public service is a hard job, and it’s rare to have someone dedicated like you. I’ve met a lot of city workers. Not all of them have the same integrity as you, detective.” I leaned into the table. “So what do you have for me?”

He slid me a folder. “This case has become interesting.”

I arched an eyebrow and opened the folder. A muscle on my cheek twitched as the past flashed across my vision. How in hell did my high school principal’s finger end up in a box sent to Vanessa?

“Are you sure it’s him?” I read the report.

Detective Farmer nodded. “We tested the DNA twice. Both times, it showed Stephen C. Perry.”

I’d looked into all the names of those who had sided with Ashton and his family back then. Stephen C. Perry had taken money from the Lindor family many times. He hadn’t cooperated with the investigation regarding Ashton, Bobby, and Harry bullying me and others. He had been a minor character until now.

“Do you know where he is?” I asked, remembering he had a wife and a daughter.

“Yeah, he’s in the morgue with his wife and daughter.”

“What? How?” I furrowed my brow.

“A friend came to visit and found the family dead in the living room this morning. We’re still investigating.”

“How did they die?”

“It appears like a murder-suicide. Stephen killed his wife and daughter, then turned the gun on himself.”

“With the hand that had the missing finger?” I asked sarcastically.

“How do you know?” Detective Farmer looked at me suspiciously.