Page 24 of Dead Love

They were getting close, then.

Visions of Kora surrounded me, paintings I had created: Kora’s mouth wrapped in agony; Kora being crushed under the weight of the earth; Kora and her innocence, protected behind a gate. She had been my spark over the last few years. But right then, I felt nothing. A stern indifference always overcame me right before I was about to do something destructive. My body always saved energy for those moments.

A few seconds later, another voice:10-70.And let’s go with a 10-38. Backup requested at the scene. Lake Drive and Willow Highway.

That was closer than the others.

It’s totaled,he continued.We need another officer down here.

A 10-70? Echo?another voice asked. I checked the code guide: a possible dead body.

Another pause, then:Affirmative. 10-71.

Sending the team down now,Sheriff Mike said.Andrew?

Andrew:On it.

An array of codes was read off, but my mind glossed over once I confirmed that Sheriff Mike had been telling the truth. Having a potentially dead body was a curious situation, especially so close to a supposed arrest for Echo distribution. And who better than to assist at the scene first, than the golden boy, Andrew Pompino, himself?

It left me the prime opportunity to finally take Kora.

In the kitchen, Sarah lifted her head from the ground, grumbled, then laid back down between her paws. Her brothers snored beside her. I gave her a scratch on the head, and she huffed, annoyed that I was leaving her.

“I’ll be back,” I said. “Soon.”

Another huff.

The night was quiet; Punica saw little action after the moon came out, which was when I liked to work. But as I turned onto the main road, blue and white lights flashed in my rearview mirror. I pulled over, waiting for the officer. When he finally came, I rolled down the window. Andrew’s white hair came into view.

“Officer Drew,” I said.

“Andrew,” he corrected.

“What can I do for you on a night like this?” I smiled. “You must have something—” I shrugged, “—morepressingto take care of right now?”

Wasn’t he supposed to be on his way to a car wreck? Not dealing with a traffic stop.

“Always the clever one,” Andrew said. “According to the paper, this is about the time the dealers sell Echo.”

“Interesting,” I said. “Do you know where I can get some?”

Andrew stiffened, not appreciating my joke. “Do you know why I pulled you over?”

I pointed at the chip in the glass. “The crack on my windshield?”

“Tail light out. Something like that isn’t safe, especially at night.”

“I could think of worse things.”

He tapped the side of my car. “Fix the tail light. And don’t let me catch you with it out again.”

“Of course, Drew,” I said. He glared at me, then walked back to his vehicle. I pulled out, taking the long way to the Nova house, and finally found a new parking spot a block away. I went through the gate in the fence. The master bedroom’s blinds were shut, but Kora’s window was open. She faced the wall again, not wanting to see out.

Back at the car, I took out the wet rags and canisters of gasoline, then scattered the liquid on the sides of the house, avoiding the areas around Kora’s bedroom. The walls near the kitchen. The living room. The sides of the house. The master bedroom. My head itched, the sensation crawling down my neck, expanding in my chest. It had been a long, long time since I had done something like this. I had been waiting for it.

I hit the match against the striking strip, then dropped it. The flames burst to life in a flash of blue and red, crackling across the house. The heat brushed my skin.

For a moment, I thought about leaving them both inside of there. Locking the doors. Letting Sheriff Mike find the bodies of his family. With a fire this big, it wouldn’t take long for the police to be notified about the house. And by then, Shea would likely be dead.