God never planned for us to shoulder the burdens of life alone.
Chapter 8
Trevor led her toward the beach in silence. She stooped to kick off her sandals, picked them up, and carried them in her free hand. As they strolled along the water’s edge, she realized that the man was avoiding instigating a conversation. Had she ever met a man so considerate? He deserved to know about his niece, and Melanie hoped it would not send him running for the hills.
“Two nights ago, Chrissy and I had three men abduct us from the apartment. We were drugged and thrown into body bags inside the trunk of my car. I came to at the river, and while waiting for an opportunity to escape, the woman in the other bag – whom I can only assume was Chrissy – awoke and ticked off one of the men with her groaning. He shot her, and the voice silenced.”
Trevor stopped and stared at Melanie.
“I’m sorry, but you asked as to your niece’s whereabouts, and I’m telling you.” She gulped a deep breath of courage and continued. “After my bag was thrown into the water, I escaped, fought the current, and landed further up the shoreline out of sight. I raced through the woods, almost got recaptured, and finally disappeared to safety around a bend in the road. The assailant heard someone tripping in the bush, but he had no idea it was me or that I’d slipped away. I believe they thought I was dead, and their secret was safe.”
Trevor’s eyes misted. Her heart went out to the broken man upon whom she’d just dumped the worse news. His weakened fingers lost the grip on her hand. “Are you saying Chrissy is dead?”
“It only makes sense that she was the other woman in the trunk – at least as much as my fuzz-induced brain could comprehend in the moment. I overhead the men arguing, which landed one of them in the river with us. They claimed my trunk partner had refused to tell them anything and implied that I knew nothing to begin with. Obviously, we were both dispensable.”
“You’ve suffered a kidnapping but you sit casually in the dining room as if nothing happened?”
The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She sensed condemnation in his tone. “I am investigating a kidnapping, and if I recall, it is you who showed up in town today to hinder my plan in play. I took you up on the dinner invitation to get rid of you for the time being and because I haven’t eaten a decent meal in far too long. I knew you wouldn’t go home until you saw Chrissy, so here we are, Mr. Knight.” She fired her most intimidating glare his way. “Chrissy is the main reason I agreed to come and sit casual-like, to let you in on what I know, which isn’t much.”
Trevor groped for her hand again, but she pulled it back. “Melanie, you’ve misunderstood my reaction. I immediately feared for Chrissy’s wellbeing and snapped at you. I apologize.”
“Oh, yes, I almost forgot: you’re her guardian – an absentee one – which allowed my roommate and friend every opportunity to become involved in…who knows what horror.” Melanie’s voice reached a high pitch. She spun around and marched down the beach.
“Please, Melanie, forgive me,” he said once he’d caught up. “We need to work together.”
“You are a lawyer not a detective.”
“But I have one of those on my payroll. My job involves digging deeper into cases, most times to unravel the truth and determine the best way to defend my clients.”
“Really? A lawyer who cares that justice is served and not simply that his bank balance increases?”
“That should sound prejudiced, even to you,” Trevor said, casting a disapproving frown her way.
Melanie bit her lip and lifted her head to face his rebuke. “What could your man do to help?”
“The same as us – investigate whether it’s Chrissy at the bottom of the river, and if so, find her killers.”
Melanie’s shoulder’s sagged, reluctant to admit that she was too close to the case. A third-party expert would probably have better results.
“Besides, if you go strutting around town and the wrong people see you, who’s to say you won’t end up back in the river for the final time?” Trevor said.
“That thought did cross my mind.”
“It pains you to ask for help, doesn’t it?” Trevor asked.
“My father would love to know that I can’t make it on my own. He’d love for me to come crawling back home in defeat.”
“That is a story for another time, Melanie. Please, let me keep you safe,” Trevor said. He squeezed her hand and pleaded openly with his eyes.
Isn’t that what she’d hoped would happen? It unraveled her to gaze into his concerned face, and she wondered if the effects of his proximity were more than that for which she had bargained. Also, there was Drew to consider. She hated that her betraying brother still factored into her decisions.
“I need to think about it,” Melanie said. “I’ll phone the hotel in the morning. Give us both time to sleep on it.”
“You’re not staying at the apartment, are you?” Trevor asked.
“No. I’ll call you in the morning. Good night, Trevor.” She turned back and walked toward the brightly lit Inglis Hotel, pulling out her cell phone to call a cab for the fourth time in one long day.
While sitting on a chair at the cheap motel window, Melanie pulled back the curtain to peer outside. The stars lit up
