How could I be so careless? Normally, I kept the gate locked, but the moment I set eyes on Carlie, I’d forgotten everything but her. Consequently, I’d allowed someone dangerous onto my property.
Using the app on my phone, I closed and locked the gate, then turned on my security system. I should have splurged and gotten the camera when I had the security installed, but I hadn’t been worried. That was before Carlie had returned.
Was he a random burglar? Someone who saw my open gate and came in to case the place for later? Or was it no coincidence that he’d come the night Carlie was here? Could he be Beth’s killer, nervous that Carlie was back in town? Did he know of her intention to solve her sister’s murder? Was it possible he knew Carlie had found Beth’s journal? No, that seemed unlikely. She hadn’t told anyone but me. Not even her mother knew yet.
Regardless, my gut told me this had something to do with Carlie. He’d followed her and taken advantage of my open gate. The question was this. What had he intended to do here? Did he want to silence Carlie before she learned too much? Had my presence thwarted an attempt or was the man only gathering information? Whatever the answer, Carlie was in danger.
11
Carlie
When Cole returned to the kitchen, the color had faded from his face. He flinched when the teakettle whistled. I turned the burner down. “What’s wrong?”
A muscle in his face twitched. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“Just tell me.” I walked around the island. “Would you rather have me go back to my mom’s?”
Cole let out a breath. “No, no. Nothing like that. I want you to stay.” He leaned his backside against the counter. “When I went to check the door, there was a man in my yard. Just as I spotted him, he ran down my driveway to a car or truck parked on the side of the road and sped away.”
“Oh.” My limbs tingled. I sank onto one of the stools.
“I can’t believe I left the gate open.”
“Do you think it was a burglar? Or someone looking for you? Or me?”
“I don’t know. It could have been random.”
“Or it could be someone purposely following me.” I placed my hands under the backs of my legs to stop them from shaking. “Someone who doesn’t want me poking around about Beth’s murder. I went to see Sheriff Ford this morning—to tell him about the journal. Besides you, that’s the only other person I told.”
“This is still a small town. He may have seen you coming or going from the police station and gotten worried. Even without the knowledge that you found something that might identify him.”
“Maybe he came here to spy on us? See if I knew anything.” I pressed my feet into the rung of the stool. “He might have been the rustle we heard.”
“My thought too. It’s not like people just happen upon my property. One night I leave the gate open and someone gets in. This can’t be a coincidence.”
I felt like my dinner might come up. “This means the killer is still here in Logan Bend. He’s here, Cole.”
“And he doesn’t want you poking around.”
His words terrified me. I started trembling. “Do you think I’m in danger?”
“I hate to say it but I do. I’m worried. I don’t want you out of my sight.”
“I don’t want you involved in this mess, Cole. I’ve already caused you enough harm.”
“None of this is your fault,” he said. “The only guilty party is Beth’s killer.”
“But it was Beth’s behavior that set this in motion. She was sleeping with some other guy while pretending to be in love with Luke. Her deceit caused this.”
“You can’t blame the victim. She didn’t deserve to die just because she was cheating on her high school boyfriend.”
“I still can’t believe she was involved with someone else,” I said. “She was always chaste and innocent. How could she have changed that much? What power did this guy have over her that she lied to her entire family and the boy she supposedly loved?”
“Teenagers have a lot of hormones and feelings. They’re not known for making the best choices. She was young. That’s all she was guilty of.”
My chest hurt. “It’s just that I’m so—” I cut myself off. What was I exactly? “I’m angry at her. She was lying to us all those months. Did I even know her at all? Before I found the journal, I thought her murder was random, like the cops believed. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now I don’t know what to believe, other than me poking around about it all is putting my life in danger. And possibly yours. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”
He placed his hands on each side of my face. “Listen to me. I’m not going to let you or me get hurt. Not after we finally found each other again.”
I pulled my hands out from under my legs and wrapped them around his neck. As he pulled me closer, my anger deflated. His touch softened me and calmed my restless mind. “I just want to be with you and enjoy this, and just like thirty years ago, everything’s wrecked because of what my sister did.”
“Nothing’s wrecked. This time we get to choose to stay together. Nothing and no one’s going to pull us apart again. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, I understand.” I placed my fingers into his thick hair. “Can I sleep with you tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”
“Of course you can. Come on, let’s get ready for bed. It’s late.”
I followed him out of the kitchen, knowing that from this day onward, I would follow him wherever he asked me to go.
