“Talk to us,” Freddie said. “Tell us what happened. Maybe we can help.”
“I just want my money, so I can get out of this place. I can’t even think about Lyssa. I can’t even…” He raked his hand through his spiky hair while shaking his head.
I looked him over quickly. His jeans were torn and he was covered in dirt. He also looked half starved and dehydrated. “Have you been in Otter Lake this whole time?” I asked. “Where have you been staying?”
He nodded quickly. “Different places. I found an abandoned lodge in the woods, but the police came. I slept on the ground one night.”
“Why are you hiding from them?” Freddie asked. “What did you do?”
“They’re going to think I did it! Because of what Lyssa and I did. But we didn’t do anything wrong! It’s not illegal.” He was gesturing a little too wildly for my liking. “But don’t you get it? It’s going to look like I cut her out of the deal. I just want the money, and I’ll go. Start a new life. Start the life Lyssa and I wanted.”
“We’re not following,” Freddie said. “What did you two do?”
“Nothing,” he said, voice tightening with emotion. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. That guy knew why she was with him.”
“What guy?” I asked.
“The guy who gave her the money!” Justin grabbed his hair with his free hand. “That’s how it works. She gives him companionship. He gives her gifts and money. She never slept with him. But I looked out for her, you know? She—”
“Some guy gave Lyssa forty thousand dollars to hang out with him?” I asked.
“Forty thousand…?” He took a step back and pointed the rolling pin at us. “No. It was only a couple of grand. Enough for us to get down to the Keys. Lyssa said we could get jobs at one of those tiki bars. Maybe run our own one day. Why did you say forty—”
Suddenly there was a loud bang at the door. “Open up—Police!”
Justin dropped the rolling pin. “No, man. No, don’t let them in.” He clutched his head.
“It’s okay, Justin,” I said, holding out a hand. “I think … I think you might have an alibi.”
He was rocking now. “What are you talking about?”
“The guy you punched. He can maybe tell the police you weren’t with Lyssa at the gazebo when she died.” I didn’t know if that was true or not, but I needed to keep him calm. Sheriff Bigly was right. He was not stable.
Freddie was inching his way toward the hallway.
“But I went back!” Justin yelled. “She wasn’t there. I couldn’t find her. She was probably in the water.” He fell to his knees. “I could’ve saved her. If I’d known she was in the water, I could have saved her.”
Freddie made a run for the door, but Justin was beyond hearing him now. He was sobbing.
A moment later, Sheriff Bigly and Amos rushed in the room. Handcuffs at the ready.
This was awful. I didn’t know why exactly, but part of me believed Justin’s story. He was just so desperate and miserable.
“Sheriff, I know this sounds crazy,” I said quickly, “but I don’t think he did it. He—”
She looked up at me from under her brow. “It’s all right, Erica. You don’t need to worry about that.”
I took a step toward them. “But he seems genuinely confused about the money and—”
She kept her gaze leveled on me. “We’ll find out the truth back at the station. You two have done your part.”
“Done our part?”
“You’ve been watching my house,” Freddie said, coming to stand beside me. “You’ve been watching us.”
Sheriff Bigly and Amos pulled Justin up to his feet. He looked so done. He wasn’t crying anymore, but … he just looked done. “Well, I didn’t want you sabotaging our plan again, so I thought we might as well piggyback on yours. We would have gotten to your door sooner, but…” She shot a look at Amos. He was covered in dirt. It was hard running through the woods at night.
I shook my head. I don’t know why I was so upset. Maybe it was how pathetic Justin looked … or the pain emanating from him.
“Listen,” Sherriff Bigly said almost gently, “I don’t know what he said to you, but one of the first things you learn early on in this business is that people lie. They just do.” She looked at Amos and nodded. They turned Justin to leave. “Come by tomorrow to give your statements.”
“You have to talk to Tommy too,” I called out after them. “He might be able to give him an alibi. He followed him—”
“Erica,” Sheriff Bigly said almost kindly. “Get some sleep.”
“But—”
“You two look like you could use it.”