Chapters (78)
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Acknowledgments
- Discover More
- About the Author
- Also by Owen Laukkanen
“Seem awfully young to be living here by yourself,” she said.
“Old enough for your husband,” Shelby retorted, and it was so obvious that Jess rolled her eyes, and even Shelby seemed to feel embarrassed. “This is my mama’s house,” she continued, and gestured toward the dark hall off the living room. “She doesn’t move around so much these days, since she had the stroke.”
“And your dad?”
“Who knows?” Shelby drained her glass. Reached for the bottle. “Is this really what you came here to talk about?”
“Just trying to get a sense of things,” Jess said.
“Yeah, well, don’t.”
Burke made to say something. Jess raised a hand, stopped him. Shelby watched the exchange, a little smirk on her face. But she didn’t say anything.
“We know Kirby Harwood’s taking deliveries off the ships,” Jess told her. “We know Ty knew about it, and he got hold of one of Kirby’s shipments. Probably stashed it somewhere and tried to work Kirby for some money to return it, and Kirby killed him instead. And I figure Ty wasn’t smart enough to put all this together on his own; he had to have help on the inside.” She met Shelby’s eyes. “And that’s where you come in.”
Shelby sat back, crossed her arms. “Sounds like you got it all figured out.”
Jess hesitated. She hadn’t expected to have her hypothesis confirmed so damn fast. “You know where Ty hid that package?” she asked.
“No, I surely do not.” Shelby laughed, cold. “Lady, if I knew where that package was, I sure wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you. That whole score was supposed to be our ticket out of here.”
“You and Ty.”
“Me and my mama,” Shelby said. “Look, I think you’re overestimating what me and your husband had going on together. No offense, but he wasn’t exactly the missing piece to my puzzle.”
“Why don’t you tell us how you got mixed up in all this in the first place?” Burke. “What the plan was, you and Ty. Maybe we put our heads together and get a lock on that shipment.”
Jess watched how Shelby flinched when Burke spoke. Just a little bit, and recovered fast, but there it was, a break in the girl’s armor.
She’s just a child, Jess thought. And she’s scared shitless, like the rest of us.
“We find that package, you can have it, for all I care,” Jess told Shelby. “I don’t give a damn about the money, and neither does Burke. I’m just concerned with getting Kirby Harwood off my back. After that, I couldn’t care less what happens.”