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“Could be. We’ve already sent a patrol down that road. But we’re searching the house for evidence in case the perpetrator left something behind.”

“Forde.” Alice’s husband, DI Paul Young, stepped out of Cameron’s house. His expression was just as grim. “I was going to pay you and Cammie a visit tomorrow because I got a late-night report that Greig Wallace made a confession to an inmate that he didn’t kill all those women by himself.”

My mind whirled, trying to play catch-up in its processing. “What?”

DI Paul was pissed off. “I wasn’t informed of this, but the detectives investigating Greig Wallace found not only Greig’s DNA on one of the victims, but DNA belonging to another unknown male.”

Understanding rocked me to my core. “Did Greig give a name to the inmate?”

“No. But we’re running a check on everyone new to Leth Sholas, to see if any of their previous addresses are listed in Aberdeen and following up on leads⁠—”

His phone rang, cutting him off, and to my frustration he answered. He nodded along to whatever the person on the line said. “He’s not home? And he’s the only one? Okay, do some digging and see where else he could be.” He hung up and I pounced.

“They found someone?”

DI Paul nodded. “I’ll tell you more when I can.”

“No. Fuck, no.” I stepped belligerently toward him. “If there’s someone on this island who is even a tiny bit suspect, I want a name. Now.”

He and his wife shared a look and whatever he saw in her eyes had him sighing and turning to me. “Kenan Reese. The janitor at the Lantern. He’s Aberdonian. We knocked on his door but there’s no answer.”

Fury thrummed through me as that sunk in, flashes of our interactions over the past few months coming back to me. He’d arrived on the island just a month or so before Cameron’s return. He’d seemed to hero-worship me but what if⁠—

“A hut,” I blurted. “He told me he has a fishing hut on the other end of the island. Kinroggan.”

DI Paul nodded abruptly. “That’s nearly two hours away. We need to move. Now!”

51. Cameron

At the sound of the lock or bolt or whatever it was keeping us in this hut, Caoimhe’s eyes slammed shut.

There was the familiar sound of water crashing against coastline in the near distance. I didn’t know if this was an old fishing hut because there were no remnants of fishing gear, but I was confident we were close to the water. But where? We could be anywhere on the coast.

Fear tightened my throat as Kenan stepped inside and shut the door. He hadn’t bothered zipping up his jeans, and I shuddered. Already nauseated from my head wound, I felt close to vomiting at the thought of this dickhead violating me.

“I can see it in your eyes that you think you’ll get out of this.” Kenan was calm, eerily casual as he leaned against the wall, playing with the hilt of the knife. “But I can tell you from experience that this is it for you.”

“Why?”

“Why do women ask that? Every single fucking one of you asks that.” He shook his head on a scoff. “Why does it fucking matter?”

“It matters why a man is choosing to end a woman’s life. It bloody well matters,” I spat.

Kenan considered me. “I can see why he had a thing for you. But I told him … I told him that he played with you for too long and killing you was no longer an option without it leading back to us. And I was right.”

Told him? Told who? Played with me for …

“No.” I gasped as it all clicked together. “Greig?”

“Another ten points for the cheerleader.” Kenan grinned but it didn’t reach his eyes. “For whatever reason, Greig got a bit obsessed with you. You were just supposed to be another kill, but he said choosing the island was a mistake. Too many eyes and ears. I think he liked the idea of prolonging it with you, though. He liked to fuck you knowing at any moment he could kill you if he wanted to.” He trailed the tip of the blade down his crotch. “I’ve never understood why he enjoys sticking his dick in a woman when a knife feels so much better.”

Horror thickened my throat, and I despised him for it. “You’re a sick bastard.”

“See!” He stabbed the knife in the air, his anger flashing out of him in an instant. “You all fucking say that. I’m sick? I’m sick? Women are the evil ones. It was one of you who made me like this. Psych 101.” He chuckled. “I’ve been punishing women ever since. And I love doing it.”

“You … you helped Greig kill all those women?”

He shrugged. “I have to admit, I kind of get it. You’re much smarter than you look. Putting together all the pieces and connecting the murders back to Greig.”