could have powered all of Ohio’s nuclear power plants for an entire year, if not longer.
‘At least let me get you a blanket,’ Templeton persisted, huge puffs of foggy breath issuing from his mouth as he spoke. ‘It’s fucking freezing out here.’
Dana shook her head. Like she’d noted earlier, the cold couldn’t touch her now. Nothing could touch her now. And she was sorry to say that she didn’t give a shit what anybody else was feeling at the moment, including Gary Templeton. Whatever petty problems they had – including something as insignificant as being cold – couldn’t compare to her problems right now. ‘I said I’m fine, Gary,’ Dana snapped, not even attempting to keep the sharp knife-edge of irritation out of her voice.
Templeton lifted up his eyebrows on his forehead, no doubt remembering Dana’s promise from earlier in the day to keep things professional between them from here on out. ‘Whoa, take it easy, Dana,’ he said, holding up his hands with his palms facing her in a placating matter. ‘What’s wrong? Other than these two dead bodies here, I mean. Is everything else OK, though? You’re acting really fucking aggressive right now.’
Dana took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. No matter how hard it was for her to accomplish, she couldn’t let Templeton suspect what had really happened to her here tonight. This shit was personal now. She didn’t need anybody getting in the way of her revenge. ‘I’m sorry, Gary,’ she said, shaking her head and dropping her gaze to the pavement. ‘It’s just that…’
The words died in Dana’s throat when her gaze landed on the gold hoop earring that was lying on the ground near Templeton’s feet. Her heart stopped beating dead in her chest. Her mouth flooded with stomach acid.
Templeton followed Dana’s stare down to the ground but didn’t notice the earring lying there. Thank God for small favours. Lifting up his gaze again to meet hers, he asked, ‘What?’
Dana held Templeton’s stare and forced herself to not look down at the earring again. If everything went well for her, the earring was one piece of evidence that would never make it into the official record. ‘It’s nothing, Gary. I’m just completely fucking exhausted right now. It’s been a really long day and an even longer night. Can’t I just give you my statement and go home? I really need to sleep.’
Templeton pursed his lips, looking annoyed. Luckily, though, he didn’t push the issue. Something in Dana’s eyes must have told him that it would have been the wrong move at this point. ‘Of course,’ Templeton said, removing a pen and notebook from the pocket of his trench coat to record her statement. ‘So, what happened here, anyway? What did you see?’
Dana relayed the lie she’d mentally rehearsed while waiting for the cops to arrive. Lying to people was something she seemed to be getting awfully good at lately. First Dr Spinks, and now Templeton. But sometimes the truth hurt too much to share with others. Sometimes honesty wasn’t the best policy. Sometime honesty could just go to hell, for all she cared.
And right now was definitely one of those times.
‘I came out of the coroner’s office and these two men were lying dead in the snow with their throats slashed open,’ Dana told the Cleveland cop, gesturing to the rapists, who were now being photographed on their red-and-white background by Doug Freeman, the forensic photographer who’d also worked with Dana on the Cleveland Slasher case. Hell, it was starting to look like a regular class reunion around here. All they needed to do now was to dig her brother’s dead body out of the frozen ground and they’d be halfway home to reassembling the original cast of characters. ‘I called you guys right away when I saw them,’ Dana went on, returning her stare to Templeton. ‘I canvassed the area for any possible suspects at that point but I didn’t see anybody. Then I waited for you guys to arrive – a little bit longer than I cared to, to be perfectly honest. Anyway, now I’m talking to you guys. That’s the whole story. That’s all I’ve got for you.’
Templeton flashed Dana a sympathetic look, but he still had a job he needed to do. ‘You didn’t see anybody when you came out of the building?’ he asked. ‘Nobody leaving the scene? Do you remember any cars exiting the parking lot when you came out of the coroner’s office?’