“Yeah, they could, but they don’t. It belongs to Matteo. I know it,” I pushed. “What I don’t know is how did it end up here in your yard.”
“I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Oh, come on, Billy. You know something. Just tell me.” When he didn’t immediately answer, I started hammering him with more questions. “Did you know him? Did you do something to him? Hurt him? Did it have something to do with DeLuca?”
“Everleigh.”
“Just tell me!”
“You shouldn’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to.”
“Oh, God,” I gasped. “You did! You hurt him!”
I didn’t give him a chance to answer. I just ran. I ran as fast as I could, and I didn’t look back—not even when Billy called out to me over and over again. “Everleigh!”
I just kept running.
Even when my wounds started to ache, I kept running.
I was too distraught to stop. I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do when I got there, but I had to get away from him. I needed a minute to think and clear my head, but that didn’t happen. Before I could even reach the front steps, Billy had caught up to me and had a hold of my arm, pulling me back. “Hold on a damn minute.”
“Why? So, you can kill me, too?”
“You got it all wrong.”
“Does that mean you didn’t kill Matteo?”
“No, as a matter of fact, I didn’t.”
I jerked my arm away from him as I spat, “Then how did his necklace end up in your yard?”
“It’s complicated.”
“It’s only complicated because you’re making it complicated. It’s very simple. Either you killed him, or you didn’t.”
“I’m not a murderer, Everleigh.”
“Then what are you?”
He inhaled a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “I’m a cleaner.”
“A cleaner?” I took a step back and let his words resonate for a moment. At first, his response seemed absolutely ludicrous, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it actually made. It not only explained his unorthodox behavior and his unusual basement, but it also explained how he’d found me. “You’re like the guy in the movies? You get rid of bodies and clean away all the evidence of blood so the cops won’t find it?”
“It’s a bit more complex than that, but yeah. That’s about right.” He clenched his fists nervously at his side as he added, “But you need to understand something. These aren’t good people that I’m taking care of. They’re all criminals.”
“What about me? I’m not a criminal.” Billy looked like I’d punched him in the gut when I said, “Just how many innocent people have ended up in your hands?”
“You’re the first.”
“Are you sure about that?”
He didn’t answer, but I could tell by the expression on his face that I’d hit a nerve. It seemed warranted since he’d struck one with me. I had my suspicions, but I had to ask, “So, what about Matteo? Is he okay or...”
His face twisted into a grimace, and I knew I had my answer. Tears started streaming down my face as I cried, “Oh, God. He’s dead, isn’t he?”
Billy didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. I knew I was right. I could see it in his eyes. “But how? What happened to him? Was it DeLuca?”
I didn’t give him a chance to reply. I just kept rambling. It was the only way I could keep myself from having a complete breakdown. “He was such a sweet kid. He had his whole life ahead of him, and it was ripped away from him. I can’t believe DeLuca did this. Wait... if Matteo is dead and his necklace is here, that means you gotta be DeLuca’s cleaner.”