Dirty Deeds Read online

  “And Leon never left the church on his bicycle, despite the statements some of you gave to the contrary. The timeline was just too tight for what had to be accomplished. He was ushered right out the back doors and directly into the courtyard where he was told to meet someone. You killed him and left.

  “He never even rode his bike to services that day. He played dominoes every day at the café. He’d leave his bike there and walk to Mass. And then he’d walk back to the café for more dominoes until it was time to leave for dinner. The only thing you didn’t anticipate was that Father DeCosta would be so quick to call Joe before you could tell him. And you sure didn’t plan on Joe bringing us in on the matter.”

  “So what?” Will asked, sitting next to his father. “What can you do?”

  “Not a thing,” Jack asked. “You’ll probably be overrun with several government officials from several countries wanting to verify Leon’s identity. And if all goes according to plan, you’ll get the reward money and be able to pay off Sunshine, Inc. This isn’t my battle to fight. It’s not me Leon or any of you have to answer to.

  “A life was taken. And I don’t care whose life it was, how horrible he was, or if he deserved it. Taking a life is something that weighs on the soul forever. And no amount of prayers or confessions will make you forget it. Now if you’ll excuse me, my wife and I are going to salvage what’s left of our trip.”

  Epilogue

  It was a bittersweet exit from the island. Sometimes the bad guys did get away with it. And sometimes the really bad guys got what they deserved. Jack and I agreed on both accounts.

  We watched the island get smaller as the boat took us toward the mainland so we could catch an early flight. It was still dark and the water was choppy. Jack sat still and silent next to me. He hadn’t said much of anything since the gathering at the church the day before, but he took my hand and squeezed it.

  “Some honeymoon, huh?” I said over the engine.

  “Very memorable. What do you say we extend it for another couple of weeks?”

  “You can do that?”

  “Honey, I have so much vacation time saved up we could honeymoon until you walked like John Wayne.”

  “Very romantic, Lawson.”

  “Thank you. The department is in good hands, and I’m not quite ready to share you with everyone once we get back home. We didn’t get the relaxing vacation we’d hoped for.”

  “Parts of it were very relaxing,” I said, winking. “You don’t owe me anything, Jack. I didn’t miss out on anything. And with the exception of the dead man and the dozens of people that conspired to kill him, it was the most perfect trip I’ve ever had.”

  Jack laughed softly and squeezed my hand again. “It is what it is. And it was never ours to begin with. I’ve accepted that. It’s always the ethical cases that are the toughest. And I get questions from cops all the time. Why isn’t it okay to kill the child molester ourselves instead of making a clean arrest? And I know the cops that ask those questions will never last. They don’t have the spine for the job or the strength of character it takes to do what we’re sworn to do. I don’t have to agree with the law or my own wishes to uphold it.”

  Jack might have accepted the outcome of Doctor Hizumi getting away with murder, but I knew it would be one of those things that weighed heavy on his heart for the rest of his life.

  I squeezed his hand and held on tight. “Where do you want to go?” I asked on impulse.

  I wasn’t ready for our time together to be over either—to go back to the funeral home and serving the dead. To the erratic and sometimes long hours.

  “How about a cabin in the mountains?” he said. “And this time I say we lock ourselves in until it’s time to fly back home. The only adventures I want are the ones happening in our bedroom.”

  “You make a convincing argument, Sheriff Lawson. You can count me in.”

  “I always do, Doc. I always do.”

  He twined his fingers with mine and I leaned against him for the rest of the ride. Our adventures were just beginning.

  About the Author

  Liliana Hart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than a thirty books. She lives in Texas in a big rambling house with her laptop and cats, and she spends way too much time on Twitter. She loves hearing from her readers.

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  Links to My Other Books

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  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Links to My Other Books