The Eligible Suspect(121)

                Damen had failed as Demarco thought he would. While he’d hoped Damen would survive his bad decisions, it was still difficult to realize he’d never see his brother again. Damen was gone.

                “They asked if we’d go to the coroner’s office to...” She fought back tears. “Identify the body.”

                He nodded. Taking her hands, he held them between their bodies and looked into her eyes. “There’s something else I need to do.”

                Even though he felt stings of anger that Korbin had killed his brother, his course was set. And even though he feared what Gunderman would do to him once he turned in the weapon used in Collette’s murder, he had to do the right thing. From now on, he would do the right thing and not think twice about it.

                “What is it?”

                “Let’s get out of here.” Keeping one of her hands, he led her up the stairs.

                In the car, she asked, “What is it you have to do?”

                “I’ll show you. Let’s go home.”

                For the rest of the ride there, memories of Damen shook him. He and Damen when they were five, blowing out candles together and then playing with the new army toys they’d gotten. Damen laughing. Camping out with their friends. Shooting off illegal fireworks. The innocence. Damen had been good then. Before his first girlfriend. Before animals growled at him whenever he got too close. Before he’d done his first crime.

                And then Demarco had met Cora. He’d fallen so in love. Damen had never found that. At times, he’d watched Demarco and Cora with a glint of resentment. Demarco caught it sometimes. He hadn’t wanted to believe his brother hated him for finding love. If there ever had been a woman Damen had loved, it was the one he’d asked to marry him. Demarco hadn’t seen him look at her the way a man did when he loved her. But he’d claimed he had. And then the woman had found another man. The wedding was called off.

                That had been the turning point for Damen. He began spending time with felons. His group of friends expanded. He’d connected with Korbin, probably the only good man out of the whole bunch. And then a new breed of criminals. Korbin had been smart enough to walk away. Now this.

                Cora pulled into their garage and he preceded her into the house. He went to the guest bedroom closet that they used as storage. He reached up and took down a shoe box.

                Cora stood in the room, watching. He took the box to the bed and set it there. Then he opened the lid. Inside, the gun Damen had used to kill Collette was inside a gallon-sized plastic bag. He felt Cora’s hand squeeze his forearm and only then realized she’d put her hand there.

                “Demo...why didn’t you tell me?”

                “I didn’t want to frighten you. And I wasn’t sure what to do with it.”

                “I-is this...?”

                “Yes.”

                “But...how...?”

                “I saw him.” Replacing the lid on the shoebox, he took her hand. “Come with me. I need to show you something else.”

                “There’s more?”

                Damen had taken his cell phone and had destroyed it so no one could track him. But Demarco had recorded a video of Damen on his own phone, and copied it to his laptop. At his laptop, he opened the file and let Cora sit down to watch. She did, with both hands flattened on the desk. He could see her profile and it grew increasingly horrified. When the video ended with Damen turning from the river, she put her hand to her mouth. He could feel her thoughts. How could Demarco have ever doubted his brother had killed Collette?