“This could be your In Cold Blood except even better, cause I mean you don’t have to interview the murderer… it’s you!”

“Daniel, I didn’t fucking kill—” I grit my teeth. What isn’t he getting?

“I can picture it now, you doing press junkets from your cell, signing autographs at visitation sessions. Hmm, I’ll have to figure out how the hell they’ll let you go on a promotional tour but… wait… I got it! We can let them move you in a prison van with cops and everything, put you in an orange jumpsuit. Oh, the press would be fucking fantastic—”

“Daniel! I didn’t fucking do it, okay. Listen to me, goddammit!”

“Geez, bud, relax. I know you didn’t fucking do it. I mean you can be a ballbuster sometimes, but a killer? Hell, you couldn’t hurt a fly. But regardless of how this turns out, the people don’t need to know that. The way I see it is this; if you did kill her—”

“Which I didn’t,” I repeat. This fucking guy! Even at a time like this, his mind is always on making money. That’s what makes him such a good agent, but also such a shit person. “I don’t know, Daniel, I’m not really interested in being a would-be murderer when I didn’t do anything.”

“Look, you and I both know you’ve needed a spark for years now and then boom! This falls right in your lap. All I’m saying is, don’t ignore it. You wanna send me some pages on it, I’ll read ’em. If not, well… you can get back to finishing that ‘next great American novel’ I’ve been hearing about for the last half a decade. Up to you.”

“Yeah, sure. Maybe.”

“That’s the spirit. Hang in there, kid. We’ll grab lunch soon.” Click goes the line.

I set the phone down and sink back into my seat, bringing the scotch to my lips. He’s not wrong. This is a great story, and it’s my story to tell. I know I didn’t do this, but I can figure out who did. A whole true crime mystery for me to tell the world. A guaranteed New York Times bestseller. But what would I call it?

In Warm Blood… It Wasn’t Me.

Fuck, I’m rusty. I take a pad of paper and a pen from the coffee table and start writing down everything that’s happened, starting from the very beginning.

33. Sarah Morgan

33

Sarah Morgan