Page 90 of Retribution

‘Both of you cut it out!’ Shade thunders. ‘Jesus! What was the name, Blake?’

‘FuckingWinters!’

Shade and I both stop.

‘Winters, like the name on Daisy’s police report Winters?’

‘Yep.’

‘Fuck,’ Shade says faintly as he sits down. ‘Could Aprilhave been one of the kids? The ones who moved away. She could have come back to Richmond for school.’

‘But why the name change?’ I ask. ‘Why pretend she wasn’t a Winters?’

Shade just shakes his head. ‘Maybe there was a reason the Winters left this area, some scandal. Or she might have wanted to attend Birchmore incognito, but her family name was too well known around here, so she used another one. Who knows?’

‘Anyway, it looks like she called it off with John and married Mark Evans instead,’ Blake continues. ‘He wasn’t from a wealthy family. He was at Birchmore on a scholarship.’

‘Then he dies, and John is there to pick up the pieces,’ I mutter.

‘Jesus,’ Shade whispers, sinking down on Blake’s bed. ‘My dad might have killed Daisy’s dad…and her mom. What the fuck?’

He gets up quickly. ‘I’m going to speak to Stephens. He’s still in the hospital. Maybe he knowssomethingeven if he doesn’t know he does.’

‘I’ll go with you,’ I say.

I glance at Blake. ‘You coming?’

Blake’s attention is back on his screen. He shakes his head without looking at us. I catch Shade’s eye again.

‘No more using our regular phones,’ Shade says to him with a frown. ‘We’re getting burners.’

Blake nods again.

‘Don’t do…anything while we’re gone.’

He ignores me.

We leave his room.

‘I’m worried about him,’ I say quietly as we walk down the hall ward the stairs. ‘I’ve never seen him like this. He’s just…closed down.’

‘We’re all in freefall without Daisy,’ he replies.

That’s for fucking sure.

‘You think she’s okay?’ I ask.

‘I have to,’ he says, glancing at me. ‘If I don’t, I feel so worried, like…’

‘Like your heart is being torn out of your chest,’ I nod.

He returns the gesture. ‘Yeah.’

We get to the hospital in Shade’s car. While we’re in the Richmond grid system, I notice a Prius about three cars back.

‘Think we got a tail,’ I say, staring at the car that signals left about thirty seconds after Shade does.

‘Not surprised about that,’ he says. ‘Kinda shocked Joe sent his guys in a Prius, though.’