Page 133 of Slack Tide Kill

"Right. And I hated it. I have nightmares about it all the time. You in my arms, so damn cold." He paused. "I couldn't face losing another partner. I couldn't handle the thought of watching you die. It fucking terrifies me. In that situation, I'd much rather be you than me."

Sally shivered. Her mouth opened then closed. This was something different, something far darker than she could have guessed.

"I had no idea. I'm sorry for all of that, Liam. I can't imagine… But... But I will try, OK? I am trying, to listen. To hold back sometimes."

"Maybe that's not the lesson, though." His voice suddenly sounded very distant. "Maybe the lesson is that your way works, and I should do it too."

Sally crushed the phone closer to her ear. It hurt but she needed to be here for this. "I don't think that's right, Liam. I don't think-"

"Don't worry about it. Let's just get back to the case."

Sally didn't want to do that. She wanted to talk more. "You can't just drop that on me, Liam. It's serious. And after the last three months, they've been–"

"You want to solve this or not, Sally?" he snapped. "Let's stop wasting time and get back on the ball."

There was a silence. Sally struggled to get her thoughts in order, a jumble ticking over in the back of her mind. Old ideas. New ones. Maybe, on some level, Liam was right? Maybe now was the time to focus on the job and figure out the rest later. Or maybe doing anything else just seemed too hard?

"OK. Fine. But this is not done."

"Whatever."

She let a moment pass, letting the air clear. "OK. So, you're saying Mayhew, everyone, they're still focused on Bledd and Mensah?"

"Exclusively."

Now things got clearer. The case felt safe next to the rest of it. "Well, I think that's a mistake. I don't think Bledd's the killer."

"I'm listening."

58 ONE TRUE PATH

"Couple of reasons," Sally began. "First, we met Bledd, Liam. He was out at Scots Float doing his drainage thing. He dived into the sewer to get that shotgun. He flew the damn drone. If all that was him pretending, playing us, then he's a brilliant actor."

"Fair point." Liam paused. "But maybe he is a great actor. And for a smart killer? All those things serve double duty. Bledd's inoculating himself. Earning our trust, so we never see it coming."

"Maybe. But–"

"What else?" he prompted.

"OK. Just everything about that boat, his history and his investment. I don't see him as this guy broken by Heraclitus. I think Bledd found his answer a long time ago, and it was a blend of the marsh and the people in it. He straddled both. That was his life's work."

A few seconds passed. "That's subjective. Persuasive, maybe. He doesn't match the mindset. But if we think he's an actor, again, it's all double-edged."

"All we've got is subjective, Liam."

"Well, maybe not. Here's something for you."

"Go on."

"If it was Bledd, why use his own boat to dump Harrow's body?" He paused. "That thing was unique. Tanks, skiff, rear platform. Easily recognizable to Jerome Rook, even at night. If it was Bledd, why not just come in the punt, or steal a marsh boat from someone else?"

That got Sally thinking. Stealing a marsh boat would make sense. Except…

"He disabled the reactor CCTV, though. He didn't think anyone was watching, so it didn't matter how he arrived."

"Someone disabled the CCTV," Liam corrected. "But who had access?"

"The Rooks."