Read Online Tin God by Stacy Green - Free Book Online Page B

theory.”
    “We don’t have much.”
    “Nope.”
    “He’s not going to take it seriously.”
    “Probably not.”
    Nick twisted to face Cage. He tapped his fingers on the chair. “We need more proof before we go to Charles.”
    “Like what?”
    “Royce Newton’s a big-shot family attorney, right? He and Rebecca moved down here about five years ago?”
    “Yeah.” Cage tapped his fingers on his forehead, eyes closed, mouth puckered. “They spent two years restoring Evaline. He’s about twenty years older than Rebecca. Kept to himself, but Rebecca was pretty well known in town. People liked her.”
    Nick sat his glass on the table. “Lana was a social worker for family court. She could have easily dealt with Royce on a case.”
    “Could have.”
    “I need to talk to him.”
    “Hold on,” Cage said. “Royce is a natural suspect in his wife’s murder. But Lana’s? You’ve got no proof.”
    “That’s why I need to talk to him, find out if he knew her. Before we go to the police.”
    Cage’s mouth twisted into a grimace as he drained the last of the bourbon from his glass. “And if Royce did kill Lana, he’s not volunteering any information. You know that.”
    “Cage, I’ve spent the last several years dealing with liars. I’ve infiltrated a drug ring, spent weeks earning their trust and getting close to their top guy. Getting information out of people is what I do best.”
    “It’s all you do.” Rigid and glaring into the darkness, Cage drummed his knuckles on the arm of the chair, a sharp staccato that grew louder with each rap. The humid night air dripped with tension.
    “You’re busy.” Cage’s tone boiled with the kind of contempt a man has just before jumping headfirst into a fight. “You’re busy. Always have been, even when Lana was alive.”
    Nick swallowed the retort brewing on his lips. No point in fighting with Cage. They needed to work together. “I can get more out of Newton than the cops can.”
    Cage’s fist came down on the plastic chair, the crack reverberating through the night. The sparrows gorging on the bird feeder took off, and even the cicadas paused as though sensing the climate shift. Cage shot to his feet, heavy boots thudding against the wooden deck.
    “She was your wife, Goddammit. Did you ever stop working long enough to miss her? Or did you jump onto the next big story?”
    So they were going to do this now. He sighed and then faced the inevitable. Best get it out of the way. “Work is the only thing keeping me sane.”
    “Bullshit. You were always about the job. You don’t think Lana told me that?” Cage had worked up to it, angry eyes gleaming against the now dark night sky. Spittle bubbled in the corners of his mouth. “She’d call at least once a week, upset because you were out late on a story, had missed something special, didn’t call. Just didn’t show up. She was miserable. You know that, Nick? My sister was miserable when she died!”
    Nick stood too. Guilt and self-loathing lashed against his chest. “I wasn’t the only one working too much. Lana put everything into her cases. She’d come home in tears because of some kid being taken away from his family or a mother was losing her baby thanks to a drug habit. Every day, it was something. She made herself miserable.”
    “She cared. That was her biggest fault,” Cage said. “She cared about everyone, even lost causes.”
    “I may have been a lousy husband, but I did love her. I still do, and I miss her every damned day.”
    “You should have been there.” Cage’s voice cracked. He picked up his empty shot glass, tipped it back and sucked hard, hoping for a last drop. “That night, you didn’t show up.”
    “You think I’ve forgotten that?” The pain took over, shooting down Nick’s spine and into his toes. His whole body went limp. He sagged against the round table, hand splayed on the glass for support.
    Of course he should have been there, and not just that night, but every