CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Izzy sat next to Aiden on the couch while Jay sat across from them in one of the large chairs. She wanted to talk to both of them even though Piper told her she probably shouldn’t. But Izzy wasn’t focused on just the legal case. She wanted to make sure she was doing everything she could to protect the two men who meant so much to her.
Jay had changed her life in immeasurable ways, and she’d never loved anyone like she loved Aiden. She didn’t know if it would be possible to love anyone else like that again.
She had to get them up to speed. “Thanks for getting together tonight. Both of you know I had my second interview this morning with Arlington PD.”
Aiden took her hand. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you.”
“It wouldn’t have worked, given the circumstances, but I know you always have my back. Both of you.” She breathed in deeply, considering her next words very carefully.
“You know we do,” Jay added.
“And that’s why we’re here. The line of questioning they went through made me think that either one or both of you could also be questioned by the police.”
Neither man seemed surprised.
“You expected that?” she asked.
Jay nodded. “I did. Given my interaction with the sergeant, I figured they would check me out, and now, with your relationship with Aiden, he’s also in the mix. They wouldn’t be very good cops if they let all of that slide.”
That wasn’t the way she was looking at it. Everyone was talking about how the sergeant deserved justice, but she still hadn’t accepted that and probably never would. She couldn’t have them wrongfully caught up in her mess. “Jay, I dragged you into this to begin with. Let me help you.”
Jay smiled. “Izzy, you didn’t drag me anywhere, and I wouldn’t change a single thing about how I acted.”
“Maybe we’re all just being paranoid,” Aiden said. “I haven’t been contacted by anyone yet.”
Izzy looked at him. “It’s just a matter of time. There’s something else too.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts. She knew they were not going to like what she’d learned. “I found out that the sergeant had been following me. He had pictures of me at his house.”
Aiden’s eyes flashed with anger. “No way.”
“Unfortunately, yes,” she said softly.
“Izzy, I hate to say this, but that only makes your situation more difficult,” Jay said.
“You sound like my lawyer.”
“The bigger question here is who did kill him,” Jay said. “We know it wasn’t one of us.”
“He was an officer for many years. Probably made his fair share of enemies,” Izzy said. “But would that be enough for murder?”
Aiden took her hand. “Let’s have a little more faith in Arlington PD here. Give them a chance to do their jobs. This is all very personal for us, but I want to believe that they will get this right, and the culprit will be brought to justice.”
She didn’t share his sunny viewpoint on the topic. “You’re more optimistic about that than I am. Something about the way the detective scrutinized me gave me pause. Which brings me to my next point.”
“Yes?” Aiden squeezed her hand.
“I’m going to do some investigating of my own.”
“Whoa. That can’t be a good idea.” Aiden turned toward his dad. “Talk some sense into her.”
Jay let out a big sigh. “I agree with Aiden on this one, but I don’t think you’re going to listen to us, so if you do decide to start snooping around, you don’t need to do it alone. We don’t know exactly what’s going on here, and there’s no way to know whether it’s bigger than the sergeant’s death. I’m going to head home and leave you two to talk,” he said. “Izzy, you know you can call me at any time.”
“I do know. Thank you, Jay. For everything.” He’d been a source of strength and stability, and she thanked God for bringing him into her life. She stood and gave him a hug. A piece of her wondered if she’d be able to call him Dad one day, but she couldn’t get ahead of herself where Aiden was concerned.
Once Jay had left, she focused on Aiden.
“You know I just don’t want any more harm and pain to come to you, Izzy, but if you’re dead set on conducting your own operation, then you can count me in. Where do you want to start?” Aiden asked her.
“I don’t think there’s a blueprint for this, but as much as I’d like not to, we start with the sergeant. We do a deep dive on social media, background, anything we can find.” The prospect of coming face-to-face with more of the sergeant’s secrets was disturbing but unavoidable. She needed to do this.
“Which means we have to start asking questions,” Aiden said. “That could raise eyebrows. Are you really sure you want to do this?”
She was, because there was no other choice in her mind. “If word hasn’t already gotten out that the detectives talked to me, believe me, it will. I can handle the heat. I came clean with Marco, and he was very supportive, including offering me any time off I needed to deal with this, which I accepted. My head isn’t in the work game at the moment. The truth is the most important thing to me right now, and making sure we’re all in the clear.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me, but are you ready for what you might find?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if the answers out there are difficult to handle?”
“I don’t think we’re going to find evidence of the sergeant’s sterling reputation. In fact, I think it’s going to be just the opposite. He had an obsession with me, but I doubt I’m the first or only woman
