“Yes. At first, Isaac thought they could make her seem crazy,” Esposito explained. “He hacked into the router and whispered nasty things to her through her game console. But Isaac and Chase must have decided they needed a clean slate. Justin was losing his shit. He’d become a risk. Haley might have been remembering that night. If Haley and Justin were both dead, there would be no witnesses.”

“But Justin wasn’t dead,” Morgan said.

“They didn’t know that,” Esposito said. “As for incriminating evidence, Justin said their clothes only had a little bit of Noah’s blood on them. Isaac’s final stab wound was the only one that had bled heavily. They’d managed to keep their shoes out of it. They’d disposed of their clothes and gloves by burning them in a barrel behind Isaac’s house. The black dog hair you pointed out on the forensics report belongs to a coonhound. Chase’s father happens to own several, including a black-and-tan dog that he uses for hunting. And we found Haley’s medical alert bracelet in Isaac’s house. He’d kept an earring that belonged to Adele and a scarf that belonged to Shannon. Trophies of his crimes, I guess.” The ADA shrugged. “We’re hoping he starts talking once he learns that Justin has turned on him.”

“Who shot Justin?” Morgan asked.

“Chase,” Esposito said. “He and Isaac knew Justin was near the breaking point. Justin had talked on the phone to Chase a half hour before you showed up at his door. He admits he was freaking out and telling them he couldn’t keep lying. The guilt was too much for him.”

“But not for Isaac and Chase.” Lance tossed his empty cup into the trash can.

“No.” Esposito’s phone beeped. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the display. “They had no remorse. Isaac still doesn’t.”

“Psychopaths.” Lance glanced at Sharp, then turned back to Esposito. “Have the police found Adam?”

“Actually, yes.” Esposito’s phone beeped again. “He was hiding out in the woods about two miles from Eliza’s house. A friend had fixed him up with a tent and camping gear. But he didn’t have a computer, so that’s why he hadn’t sent any more threatening emails. He has some emotional issues. He admitted to making that GIF of Morgan being hit by McFarland and throwing the rock through your windshield. He will be spending some time in jail.”

“Good to know.” Lance nodded.

“Have the charges against Haley been dropped?” Morgan asked. Eliza and Haley were sharing a room on the third floor of the hospital. Eliza was being treated for smoke inhalation. Haley had several deep cuts on the bottoms of her feet. But they would both recover—physically, anyway. Haley would no doubt have lingering emotional issues.

“Yes.” Esposito nodded. “She is free to go.”

The knot in Morgan’s belly finally unraveled. Haley was not going to prison. Morgan and Lance were all right. Hopefully, Sharp would recover from his wounds.

Morgan would have questions about the case for Esposito in a day or two. But she’d heard enough for now. She couldn’t take in any more information.

“You’re not going to admit that Morgan proved your case wrong?” Lance asked.

Esposito shrugged. “Since we didn’t go to court, no one won or lost. I’ll still get credit for Isaac’s and Justin’s convictions. I’ll let you know if I need any paperwork signed.” Esposito turned and left.

Lance watched him leave. “I guess it’s too much to ask that he acknowledge that you kept another innocent person out of prison when he was happy to railroad her into it.”

“I don’t expect acknowledgment or accolades.” Morgan ate another cookie. “And at least we now know that he’s not evil.”

“No. Not evil. But he’s still an asshole.”

“He went into a burning building with you,” she said in a really? tone.

“I still don’t like him. All he cares about is his reputation, not seeing justice done.” Lance wrapped a hand around the back of his neck. “Speaking of people I don’t like and justice not being served, remind me to have a bonfire with Kieran Hart’s photos tomorrow. I wish there was something we could do to him.”

“He hasn’t broken any laws, just the trust of the women he dated. Think of it this way. Even with all his money, women see through him, and he is still alone.” She offered him a cookie. This time he took one and crunched it down in three bites. “Does that make you feel better?”

“A little.” He reached for another cookie and froze. “Sharp’s waking up.”

Morgan turned to see Sharp’s body shifting ever so slightly on the bed. His eyelids fluttered.

Calling for the nurse, Lance bolted into the room.

Chapter Forty-Six

Sharp cracked an eyelid. Bright light stabbed his eyeballs, and he squeezed his lids shut again. Was he dead? If he was, then the bright light and tunnel weren’t all bullshit.

But if he was dead, why did his stomach feel like someone had parked a train on it?

Maybe he hadn’t gone to heaven.

He squirmed, sending bolts of pain through him that made him think about letting the darkness suck him under again.

A familiar voice broke through the haze of agony. “Sharp.”

He opened his eyes. Everything was blurry. Lance?

He’d intended to say the word, but his throat felt like it was filled with ash, and all that came out was a rasping choke. He blinked until his vision cleared. Lance hovered over him, his blue eyes filled with worry.

“Can he have some water?” Lance asked someone.

A minute later, a straw found his lips, and Sharp sucked a tiny amount of water into his mouth. He held it there and savored it before swallowing. With his mouth moist, he had one question to ask. “Haley?”

“She’s OK.” Lance set the cup and straw on the rolling tray next to the bed. “Eliza too. But Eric didn’t make it.”

Sharp nodded as images of the explosion rushed back at him. He whispered, “Close to the explosion.”

“Isaac shot a hole in the propane tank.”

“Isaac?” Sharp had wondered who had been in league with Justin.

“Isaac, Chase, and Justin were all in on it together.”

Sharp couldn’t wrap his brain around Lance’s revelation. His thoughts were mush. Drugs, probably. He tried to reach for his cup of water, but all he managed to do was make his fingers twitch. Still the movement was enough for pain to slice him in half.

Lance gave him another sip of water. “I’ll give you the details another day. Right now, you look like you need your pain assessed.”

“OK,” Sharp agreed. Breathing shallowly, he waited while the nurse and doctor reviewed his vitals, shined lights into his eyes, and then injected some blessed morphine into his IV line.

He curled his fingers at Lance, who leaned closer. “Haley didn’t imagine those voices. They hacked her game console. Little bastards. Tell her.”

“She knows. Justin confessed.” Lance straightened. Sharp didn’t catch the rest of what he said. He floated away on a comfortably numb sea.

Sharp napped. When he woke in the afternoon, Eliza was in the chair next to his bed, and the pain was only a knife blade through his gut instead of a chain saw. Eliza looked worn-out, but her eyes looked brighter than he’d seen them since she’d first come to his office to ask for his help.

“Haley’s OK?” His voice was not quite as raspy.

Eliza hesitated. “She’s going to be. I won’t lie. She’s going to need some serious therapy after what was done to her, but at least now she knows what happened. She knows she’s not crazy. She didn’t harm anyone. Thank you. For everything.”

Sharp reached for his water. He really wanted to do it himself, but he gave up when he could barely lift his hand an inch off the bed. Any movement sent waves of pain rolling over him like tsunamis.

“Let me.” Eliza held it to his lips.

God, he wanted to brush his teeth. He had a beautiful woman tending to him, and his mouth tasted like ass.

He drank more water. As his head cleared, he blurted out an apology that had been building for decades. “I’m sorry.”