Page 94 of Tested

“And since Smith lied about talking to him, he’s guilty of all the murders?” There’s a leap of logic I can’t quite make, and disbelief shows in my voice. Smith is one of the good guys.I think.

“Sorry, no, sunshine.” Joey’s grin is infused with anger. “If Smith had called the cops like they asked him to, Donna might still be alive, and when he got his fancy police gig, he decided to kill Donna’s friends so they wouldn’t tell everyone what a chickenshit he was back in the day.”

Sheena’s now standing in the dining room doorway. “Seriously? I’ve known Adam a while. He’s not a bad guy.”

Connor shrugs like lifting his shoulders is almost more than he can do. “Last time I saw him, he had a gun drawn on Joey’s parents, threatening to kill them if they wouldn’t give up Joey’s location.”

The silence in the room deepens. A couple of Lydia’s wolves have joined her in the doorway, arms around each other, expressions concerned if not fearful.

“I guess not many of us would like to be judged by our behavior in high school.” My words draw a small smile from Connor.

“You really are the smartest of all of us,” he says.

Our mini-moment ends when Joey raises his arms, trying to yank apart the cuffs. “Take these off me.”

“Sorry, but you’re our closest link to Smith. If you shift and disappear, it’s my word against his that he committed the murders.” Connor meets my gaze, then Sheena’s, then Lydia’s. “Trajan won’t rise for three or four more hours, so it’s just us until then.”

“Stone should be here by three,” I offer. I’d called him earlier in the morning but he had a job that would keep him tied up until then. “He said he’d bring friends.” Other trolls, I hope, although I don’t know how many are around.

“Good. I asked Brodie to pull the police reports that’ll show the inconsistency in Smith’s story and in the meantime, we wait. At this point he’s got the whole LAPD behind him, so it’s possible this whole house will be surrounded by the SWAT before very much longer.”

On cue, a disembodied voice from out front calls out, “Connor MacPherson, we know you’re in there. Drop your weapons and step out of the house.”