Page 114 of It's a Wonderful Knife

“This isn’t a game of poker, Jax.” Royce scowled.

“No, I know, but… she’s just a kid.” Jax turned to look at Chloe. “Leave her out of this.”

Royce hardened his jaw. “I can’t do that.”

“I don’t want to be left out of it.” Chloe straightened her shoulders. “I’mnota kid. I’m a woman, and I did what I did for love.”

“Oh, geez.” Jax winced.

“What exactly did you do… for love?” Royce asked quietly. “Why kill Santiago?”

“I didn’t want to kill him. He wasn’t so bad.” Chloe grimaced.

Royce studied her. “So then, why do it?”

“Santiago stumbled on Richard and Jax in the reindeer barn. He saw the drugs. He promised Jax he wouldn’t say anything. Jax even gave him some money to keep him quiet.” She sighed. “But Santiago changed his mind. He said the right thing to do was to tell you, Sheriff. I… I couldn’t let that happen.”

I frowned. “Were you in on the drug thing, Chloe?”

She widened her eyes. “Oh, heavens, no.”

Jax scowled. “You think I’d cut a young girl in on the action?”

“Then how did she know Santiago discovered the drugs? How did she know he promised not to tell but then changed his mind?” I asked.

Chloe gave Jax a longing glance. “I… I know everything Jax does.”

Jax looked uneasy. “I didn’t know that she followed me around. I knew she liked me, but I didn’t know she was literally tailing me. Not until Santiago got… killed.”

“I’m pretty good at staying hidden,” Chloe said softly.

Her matter-of-fact voice sent a chill down my spine.

“Why did you kill Richard?” Royce asked.

Her mouth thinned. “He tried… well, he tried to have sex with me.” Her face was pink. “Against my will. Mama had me take a plate of food to him, and he started pawing me. It was disgusting.”

Jax scowled. “You should have just told me, Chloe. I’d have handled him.”

“I didn’t need your help.” She frowned. “I… I handled him.”

I squinted at her. “You murdered him because he tried to have sex with you?”

She shook her head. “Not just that. He wanted to cut Jax out of all the money. He actually told me that to my face. He said he and Jax were in business together, but that we could cut Jax out and keep all the drugs and money for ourselves. Like I would want that.”

“And that made you angry?” Royce said.

“Of course. What made him think I’d turn on Jax?Hewas the outsider.” She frowned. “He was telling me all these lies about how he’d take care of me. He actually thought I was so stupid, or naïve, that I’d believe that? I felt so angry that he thought he could just come here and what? Use me? Because I’m a country bumpkin or something? I… I felt bad about Santiago but not Richard.”

“Was it you who destroyed the guest’s phones?” I asked.

She nodded, looking sheepish. “I kind of forgot about the fact the staff all have phones. After I… killed Santiago, I panicked. I wasn’t thinking straight. I was so happy when the sheriff said there was no cell phone signal. I… I couldn’t believe my luck. I felt like God wanted me to get away with it.”

“I don’t think that was God,” I muttered.

“Why did you go back for the knife after killing Santiago?” Royce asked.

Chloe sighed. “It was Jax’s knife. I didn’t want anything to lead back to him.”