Chapter 12

TWELVE

“About time.”

Jack rose from where he sat in the lobby of the Duck Lake sheriff’s department, having been released thanks to Elton’s admission of swinging at him.

Or maybe thanks to that moment in the back seat of the cruiser, before Jenna and her partner got in, when Jack had suggested that he might be willing to drop his charges if Elton dropped his accusation of assault.

Done. Now he’d have to deal with the B drive away . But I couldn’t move Ty from the driver’s seat, and that’s when the guy rounded back and grabbed me. I got ahold of Ty’s keys and held on to them even when I was thrown into the trunk. When we got to Loon Lake, I remembered what Ty had said about his blue icehouse. I got away, hid, then made my way out here and hunkered down.”

“Why on earth did you stay out here?”

“Because I knew the guy was looking for me, on an ATV, more than once. I figured, at the very least, there’d be people here over the weekend.” Her face turned wan. “At least, I hoped so.”

Harper couldn’t help but reach back, take Penelope’s hand. “You’re safe now.”

“Maybe. Because as soon as my podcast drops and I give all the reasons why it’s not Holden, then there is only one person left.”

“Who? Who killed Sarah Livingston?”

She met Harper’s gaze. “The same man who killed my sister’s fiancé.”

A beat.

“Derek Swindle.”

“What? Who—wait. Walsh’s partner ? Why? How?”

“The only thing the police had linking Walsh to Sarah that night was his car, caught on camera in her apartment parking lot after the gala. The time stamp has him there the same time that the man was seen fleeing her house. My guess is that it was planted there by Swindle.”

“So Walsh is being framed.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I think it has to do with information on Sarah’s stolen laptop.”

“Why did you never mention that in your podcast?”

“I was waiting until I found out what’s on it. Which would lead me to why. And hopefully, to the intruder in her house that night, the actual killer.” She looked away, out into the night, a look of determination on her face. “I don’t know why Swindle wanted Sarah dead, but I’m going to figure it out.”

Right. There was a story to tell, and Penelope wanted to be the one telling it.

They’d entered the town of Duck Lake. “Where to?” Jack asked.

“The sheriff,” said Harper.

“The wedding rehearsal,” said Penelope.

“Great,” Jack said. “Fine. Wedding rehearsal, just so we can put Boo’s mind at ease, then to the sheriff’s office.” His jaw flexed then, and he looked over at Harper.

And she didn’t know if he was kidding or not when he said, “You owe me a hundred bucks.”