Page 61 of Cut Off from Sky and Earth

He looks behind him, like he’s about to call for back up. “It’s more than just wrong. It’s heinous.”

Heinous, really?

“I forwarded myself a file. It’s not a capital crime.”

“You forwarded yourself a file?” he repeats blankly.

“Yeah, I forwarded myself a copy of the Dana Rowland file when you asked me to forward it to you. I thought I could work on it while I’m here waiting for you to clear up whatever misunderstanding got me kicked off the Ward case.”

“I’m not here about a file, Tristan.”

“Then why are you here?” My eyes flick back to the police. “And why did you bring them?”

“Son, you’re gonna need to come down to the station with us.”

“Why don’t you tell me what this is about?”

He exhales heavily. “I convinced them to let me talk to you first. Don’t make me regret it. We need you to clear up some things about your brother.”

My stomach hits the floor and I grip the edge of the door with both hands. This is it—the moment I’ve been dreading my entire adult life. Tate’s crimes have caught up with him, which means they’ve caught up with me.

“My brother,” I stall.

“Yes, your brother. Tate Weakes.”

“I can’t answer any questions about Tate. We’ve been estranged for twenty-one years. Since I was nine.” I flash him a tight smile of my own. “I don’t know where he is.”

A detective I recognize from cases I’ve worked comes around the corner from the narrow alley between our place and Lashina and Ty’s house. His name is Dunn or Dane, something like that. He must have been standing just out of view, listening.

“We know where he is,” he informs me in a grave voice.

“You do?” This is comforting news. If they have Tate, Emily’s not in danger.

“Yes, we found his body in the parking lot behind the gym you frequent.”

“His body?” I repeat.

Graham sighs heavily. “Your brother’s dead.”

I almost snark, Again? But I control myself and, instead, say, “Is that right?”

The two men exchange a look.

“That’s right,” the detective says. “And you’ll never guess what we found.”

“Well, it’s got to be something that ties him to Giselle Ward’s murder. Right?”

Surprise sparks in Graham’s eyes. “What?”

I exhale heavily. “I ordered that cold case file from Arizona because I have a theory that Giselle Ward and Dana Rowland were murdered by the same person.”

“I know. We talked about this.”

“What I didn’t mention is I suspect my brother was that person. I guess I’m right. Did he kill himself? It’s just like him to take the coward’s way out.”

Another unreadable look passes between them before the detective says, “No, your brother didn’t kill himself. Frankly, I’d have expected a better cleanup job from you.”

“What?”