The Things We Couldn't Forget

Chapter 35.

By late afternoon Kelsea has called everyone to the kitchen for food. I don't know if you'd call this a late lunch or an early dinner, but everyone is happy to settle at the little kitchen table.

Everyone but Dallas.

He instead sits on the counter just inside the door, his bowl of spaghetti in his lap.

"We got lab results back." Mayfield tells me around a huge bite of garlic bread.

"What kind of results?" I quiz him, putting my fork down with a clatter to stare at him.

"We found some fingerprints at two of the scenes." He tells me. "We've been waiting to get matches back."

My full stomach drops.

I instantly regret scarfing down my bowl of pasta. I'd not been remotely hungry but knew I needed to eat so I'd forced myself to make quick work of the task, itching to get away from everyone and have some time to really think on Aries's messages.

"Aries?" I ask softly, bracing myself for the blow I know he's about to give me.

I'm surprised though when he shakes his head while he takes a huge gulp of water.

"No." He says when he swallows. "His prints didn't match the ones we found. It's someone not in the system."

"We were hoping we'd get the unknown ones back with some results we could actually use." Davenport frowns. "Now we really need to find that truck."

"So you still believe he's not working alone?" Dallas asks from the counter, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

"Has to be." Davenport agrees. "Whoever it is has stayed clean thus far though. We are still following traffic cams and any other surveillances hoping he got sloppy and got caught with a window down or getting out of the vehicle at some point. Without Carter we may never find this other person."

So even if Aries does get locked up and convicted for all of this, we aren't any safer than we were before. If he's working with someone, how easy would it already have been for them to get clear out of town without direction?

"Let's maybe talk about something else for once." Kelsea offers. "Like how good this meal you're all having is."

Everyone takes her bait to mutter appreciation for the food, but then it falls silent again.

Without Aries and the murders to talk about, what else is there between this odd group of five?

"Do you have any games?" Kelsea throws out and I scrunch my features.

"Games?" I repeat.

"We are trying to track down a crazed murderer and you wanna what? Play Monopoly?" Dallas groans in annoyance.

Kelsea whips her head around, braids flying at my face that I have to dodge.

"No, actually, I hate monopoly." She snaps at him. "I just think we need to get our minds off of everything for a little while."

"That's the opposite of what we should be doing." Dallas throws back. "We need to be figuring this out, not ignoring it."

"I'm not suggesting ignoring it." She huffs loudly. "I'm suggesting giving Missy a break from all of the doom and gloom for once."

"She can relax when he's locked up," he tells her. "We need to be doing something."

"Like sitting on the back porch?" I snap at him. "Stop being so mean all the time. You haven't even been a part of this, so your opinion on what we should be doing isn't really of your concern."