Page 69 of What She Saw

“That’s lucky for you.” I took another bite. “I go to bed with my stories on my mind. I dream about them, and the ghosts are waiting for me each morning.”

“Ghosts?”

I set my pizza down and wiped my fingers clean. “They tend to circle me until I find them or catch their killer.”

His head angled. “What if you fail?”

“I’ve not failed yet.”

“Do you have a plan if you do?”

I shook my head. “I never have a plan B.”

He drew in a breath. “You’re a burn-your-bridges kind of person.”

“Yep.”

“What about family? Friends?”

“This feels a little like a job interview. If you think you’re working with a super-stable person, think again.”

That prompted a grin. “I know what I’ve gotten myself into.”

He didn’t. But arguing wasted time. “I have no family. And friends are hard to make when you travel all the time.”

“Sounds lonely.”

“I do just fine.” There were times I’d envied families with a strong connection. But I never related to what they felt. The closest I came to that feeling was satisfaction when I finished an article.

“Cabin life still agreeing with you?” he asked.

“My phone is an extension of my right hand. Feels a bit like I’m missing an appendage.”

He chuckled. He was attractive. Dark hair, square jaw, and eyes that missed little. He loved the work as much as I did. He could have been retired on a fishing boat. But he was here eating pizza with me, trying to wrap up a case no one cared about. I suspected he was a strong believer in right and wrong. Black and white. Me, I checked ethics and embraced the gray.

Grant leaned forward a fraction. “You’re looking at me like I’m a suspect.” He wasn’t annoyed. In fact, I thought he was enjoying my scrutiny.

“Randomness happens. But circumstances can be manipulated to direct the randomness.”

“Meaning I manipulated all this? I intentionally met you at the conference, slept with you, and found you here for a reason?”

“Did you target me?”

He paused. “I did. I knew Colton was on the verge of getting out of prison, and you were also investigating the Mountain Music Festival. Your past articles were effective. For the record, the sex wasn’t part of the plan.”

I wasn’t offended. Like me, he had an agenda and went after it. “Happy accident. Fair enough. How goes my interview request with Colton?”

“He’s dragging his feet.”

“Why would he rush? He holds the cards. And he likes the game. Likes teasing everyone. The kills were thrilling, but this endless game of ‘Where are the girls?’ is far more fun. Colton’s silence keeps us all imprisoned in some way.”

“Interesting way of looking at it.”

I reached for another slice of pizza. This was the first time I’d been hungry all day.

“What did Colton do with the bodies?” he asked. “How did he transport them?”

“One of the trailers. And he had help.”