Ten met a spirit who felt that way about their violent death.
“At peace?” Ronan grimaced. “If someone murdered me, I’d be out for justice until I got it.”
Ten turned to look at his husband. As handsome and cocky as ever was his Ronan. “Remember last week when you were going to lunch with Kevin, and you were rushing around and banged your shoulder against the door jamb?”
Ronan shot Ten a look of disbelief. “What does my accident have to do with me being out for justice?”
“You were angry that you’d hurt yourself. How long did that anger last?” Ten offered a shit-eating grin of his own.
“It’s not the same thing, Ten.” Ronan rolled his eyes and reached for one of Ten’s chips.
“Sure it is, just on a different scale. You were angry for five minutes. It’s hard to be angry. To find the energy needed to fuel the anger. It would be the same thing if you were murdered. You’d need to find the energy to keep up the fight, and, eventually, the exhaustion would get you. Maybe not the first year or even the second, but at some point, you’d realize it was time to move on.”
“Maybe,” Ronan agreed, grudgingly. “I’ll admit thirty-five years is a long time to be angry.”
“You have to be like Elsa, and let it go.” Ten snickered.
“Oh, Christ, not that again. I swear if I have to sit through that movie one more time.” Ronan wore a stern face.
“Cut the shit, Ronan.” Cisco grinned. “We all know how much you love watching that movie with Everly. Hell, even I love watching her antics and the way she sings along.”
Ronan’s face softened. “Okay, fine. I love all of it.”
Ten patted the side of Ronan’s face. “Anyway, Cisco, what do you think about talking to the Washingtons about the possibility the killer could be closer than they think?”
All the wind passed out of Cisco’s sales. He deflated in front of them. “Have you spoken to the brother and sister yet?”
“I’ve left messages for each of them, but neither has called me back.” Ronan pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen.
“Start there. Go to their houses and places of work if you have to. Also finish interviewing the friends. I don’t want to take this idea to Muriel and Butch until it’s our only choice.”
“Are you sure you want us to do that? Interview the friends, I mean? Jennifer Blake was murdered only hours after she came in and spoke to us. If I were the other two women, I’d avoid us like the plague.”
“So then use your charm, Ronan. I’m sure you can get these ladies to spare you a little time.” Cisco waggled his eyebrows. “Same goes for the brother and sister. Work your magic on them.” He sighed, sounding as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. “I don’t want to go back to the parents until we have all the facts, or at least a suspicion rooted in fact. And you,” Cisco pointed to Ten, “Try to get back in touch with Skye. We need her cooperation. Use every gun in your arsenal to get her to reveal her killer.”
Ten nodded. It wouldn’t be easy, but he would do his best.
25
Ronan
Ronan wasn’t a fan of stalking potential witnesses, but at the moment, it was working.
After lunch, he’d called the siblings and the two remaining friends and gotten voicemails four times over. Ronan decided it was time to take off the kid gloves and get some answers.
Heidi Lucas lived near Dead Horse Beach, just before the bridge to Beverly. She wasn’t as well off as Jennifer Baldwin Blake. The Mustang was parked outside a simple ranch house, worn with age. Ronan wasn’t psychic, but he had a feeling the woman who lived here was going to be in a similar condition. Older than her years and world-weary.
“Here she comes,” Ten whispered. A beat-up looking Oldsmobile turned into the driveway.
“Christ, that car has to be at least twenty. Oldsmobile went out of business in 2004. If that was the last year of cars to roll off the lot, then it’s sixteen years old.” Ronan shook his head. “It matches the state of the house.
“And the woman who owns it.” Ten pointed across the street at the paper-thin woman getting out of the car.
Ronan reached for the door handle. Ten setting a hand on his arm stopped him.
“Go easy, Ronan. She looks like she’s lived a rough life.” Empathy