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Kate opened her eyes, unsure of the time. She stretched her legs and looked around. The memory of how she’d returned to the sofa was a blur. It was still light outside, but the sun was setting. Her body felt like she’d awakened from a coma.
The realization that Eddie was behind it all washed across her body like cold water. Clarity had shattered the fog she’d been swimming through for the past two weeks. She’d known at the funeral it had been Eddie who’d killed her family, but since then, her mourning process had clouded that reality. The truth about Eddie was evident, despite any proof or witnesses, she knew he was behind it.
A spark stirred deep in her belly. She rose from the floor and paced the entire lower level of her house, as her mind spiraled to a place she’d never been. Her thoughts went back to her first meeting with Eddie. He’d been so charming. She’d been lured by a genuine manipulator. She felt so stupid. So gullible.
And those three guys with him at the funeral? Eddie’s cousin, Sal. She knew him from helping with his condo search. He’d given her the creeps from the first time she’d met him. But the other two ... Marco had talked about them often. She’d met them a couple of times. Even Renzo had met the three of them a time or two. Until the funeral, she’d never given them a second glance.
Could they be the killers? Operating at Eddie’s bidding?
Sal.
Dario.
Tau.
All three had hovered behind Eddie. Their king. Yes, these were the guys. Eddie’s flunkies. Kate bet that they’d do anything he’d ask of them.
Detective Steber had said that the tire had been punctured and that the bullets removed from Marco and Renzo’s bodies came from one gun. One shooter.
Who else would do such a thing?
No one.
Kate knew they were all in on it. All four of them. This new energy turned her in an unexpected direction: from hopelessness to a rage she couldn’t explain.
She grabbed her cell and began scrolling through her recent calls to find Detective Steber’s number. She was about to make the call when she paused. He’d never believe this was even close to a lead and certainly not enough for an arrest.
Kate threw her phone down on the sofa and plopped alongside it, arms folded, thinking. She pinched the bridge of her nose to stop the ache shooting across her eyes.
She spent the next half-hour going back in time, trying to force her memories to the forefront. All of those visits to the restaurant, Eddie’s dinners, his visits to their house. Marco had always seemed in good spirits. Now, she wondered, besides the gun, what else he had kept from her.
She needed to check things out at the restaurant. She needed to see Eddie.
