A Broken Bone (Widow's Island #6) - Melinda Leigh Page 0,23
full dark soon.”
“I’ll be right back.” Logan turned to the trail. “I have to make sure his campfire is out.”
“Already done.” Jerry appeared out of nowhere.
“Where were you?” Logan asked.
“Hiding. I’m no dummy.” Jerry grinned and nodded at Carl. “I could fix his anxiety with a nice bag of prime product.”
Tessa sighed. “We’re not going to medicate him with pot, Jerry.”
Jerry shrugged. “Let’s go, then.”
They trekked down the trail the way they’d come. The descent was slow in the fading light. Jerry led the way with a flashlight. Tessa brought Carl behind him. Logan brought up the rear, keeping a close eye on Carl. But he seemed subdued.
It was completely dark by the time they reached their vehicles. Tessa’s legs ached. She loaded Carl into the back of the Range Rover. She was hungry and thirsty, but she wasn’t going to eat or drink until she could feed Carl. And she wasn’t removing his handcuffs until he was in a secure place. He was too unpredictable. Logan’s vehicle wasn’t equipped with a cage, so she turned in her seat and watched Carl while Logan drove.
At Logan’s cabin, she transferred Carl to her vehicle. Logan rode shotgun. She stopped at the deli. Logan ran inside for three subs; then they drove to the station. Inside the tiny building, Tessa removed one of Carl’s handcuffs and snapped it to a ring mounted on the wall just for that purpose. Then she opened a bottle of water and handed it to him, along with a turkey sub. They ate in silence. Tessa felt better with food in her belly. She hoped Carl did also.
She turned a chair to face Carl, staying just out of reach. He looked more settled, but she wouldn’t trust a man who’d tried to squash her with boulders. “Where are you from?”
Carl picked at his shirt. “Seattle.”
Logan perched on the corner of the desk. “What did you do in Seattle?”
He drank some water. “I used to be a car mechanic.”
Tessa asked, “When did you stop being a mechanic?”
“I don’t know.” He seemed confused.
Tessa tried asking him about something more recent. “When did you come to Widow’s Island?”
“A few weeks ago. I left Seattle a long time ago. I’ve been walking since.”
“Why did you choose Widow’s?” Logan asked.
Carl shrugged. “I just got on the ferry. I didn’t know where it was going.” He looked up. “But I like it here. It’s quiet. I like quiet. I just want to be left alone. I don’t like people.”
She pointed to the plastic bag with Carl’s personal possessions on her desk. “You have a cell phone?”
Carl nodded. “Battery has been dead for two weeks. I was charging it every other day at the library, but I haven’t been to town since . . .”
“What happened?” Tessa asked. “Why did you stop going to town?”
Carl’s gaze drifted away.
Tessa changed the subject. “Do you know Gavin Edwards?”
Carl shook his head. “I never heard that name before.”
Tessa folded her hands on her knees. “Have you ever been to a house on Mimosa Street?”
“I don’t know.” Carl picked dried mud off his pants. “I’ve been to a lot of places.”
Tessa turned to her desk. She picked up a photo of Gavin and showed it to Carl. “This is Gavin.”
Fear widened Carl’s eyes. He cringed backward and turned his face away from the picture. “Stop. Stop it!” he yelled.
“What’s wrong, Carl?” Tessa set down the photo. “You do know Gavin, don’t you?”
He shuddered. “I didn’t know his name.”
“But you killed him,” Logan said.
Carl’s head snapped up. “I didn’t kill anybody.”
“But Gavin is dead,” Tessa pointed out. “You know that, right?”
Carl hung his head and cried softly.
Logan leaned closer. “Where’s your gun, Carl?”
“I don’t have one.” He sniffed.
If he had a gun, why would he throw rocks? Tessa studied him for a minute. He was weird. No doubt about it, and his behavior in the state park had been violent. Was he unpredictable? Did he not remember killing Gavin? She would have to arrest him and refer him for a psych eval.
Tessa softened her voice. “Why did you throw rocks at us?”
He stared at the floor. “I thought you were him.”
“Who?” she asked.
“The one who killed that boy.” Lifting his gaze, Carl nodded at the photo of Gavin. “I saw him do it.”
Tessa sat back, trying to decide if he was mentally ill or an excellent liar. “Tell me what happened.”
Carl took a deep breath. “I’d been camping around the island, but I was tired of being outside. I