Page 260 of Good Boys Don’t Bite

Neither believed that. Elliot closed the blind. Ronan immediately called Vance. This time Elliot didn’t object. Vance arrived at 1:16 A.M. with two officers. The patrol cruiser remained out front. Another vehicle parked near the main house. Rebecca’s bedroom light came on. Great. Their mother would be over within ten minutes. Vance examined the photograph. Then the bedroom. Then the tree. One officer went outside with a flashlight. Elliot stood beside Ronan near the bedroom door. No touching. Not because they didn’t want to. Because Vance knew enough already. She looked at the bed. Then them.

“Thursday?”

Ronan said, “Yeah.”

“Were you both asleep the whole night?”

“Yes.”

“Anything unusual?”

“No.”

Vance looked at Elliot. He shook his head.

“No.”

“Any noises outside?”

“No.”

The officer returned.

“There are marks on the branch.”

Elliot’s satisfaction came too quickly. Vance noticed.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Ronan almost laughed. Vance ignored both.

“Footwear?”

“Possible. Need photos.”

The officer left again. Vance turned toward Elliot.

“Did you receive the earlier stalking messages before or after you began killing?”

Silence. Ronan went still. Elliot stared. There it was. Not accusation. Knowledge? No. She couldn’t know. Ronan reacted first.

“What the fuck?”

Vance looked at him.

“I’m asking whether the sender may be connected to behavior Elliot hasn’t disclosed.”

That was different. Careful. Ronan’s entire body tightened. Elliot could feel the lie waiting. Ronan said:

“He hasn’t killed anyone.”

Elliot looked at him. Vance did too. There. Third lie. This one bigger. Direct. Not omission. Not interpretation. A statement. Elliot’s chest tightened painfully. Vance watched Ronan for several seconds. Then looked at Elliot.

“Is that true?”

Everything inside Elliot screamed. Say yes. He looked at Ronan. Ronan’s face gave nothing away. But his eyes did. Don’t make this worse. Elliot understood.