Chapter 10

An hour later,Trevor’s backup arrived, and Larchmont disappeared.

Kai Kaleo, part California boy and part Polynesian. He and Trevor had worked together for the past few years, and Trevor knew he could depend on him.

Sadie needed to rest. The best way to heal from some of the trauma her body had been through was by getting some sleep.

He told Sadie goodbye, and then he gave Kai the rundown on the situation. Then, knowing Sadie was in good hands, he headed out.

He needed to do his own research and find some answers.

He left the hospital, glancing at everything as he passed. He halfway expected trouble to be lurking in the shadows.

But he didn’t see anything that raised any alarms.

He climbed into his truck, made a couple of phone calls, and then typed an address into his GPS.

Trevor had already looked up Guy Merchant on his phone. He knew where the man lived. If no one was home, Trevor planned on sneaking inside. If Guy was home, Trevor planned on watching him.

He would find some answers.

He headed down the street, making several turns. Fifteen minutes later, he spotted Guy’s house. It was a dark red-brick ranch home with a neatly kept yard and decent-sized lot.

He parked down the road, far enough away not to be seen, but close enough to keep an eye on the place.

He’d already had Larchmont look into Guy, but nothing suspicious had turned up.

The man really did work at the elevator company. He was thirty-five. Divorced. No children.

But something about him gave Trevor a bad feeling.

Could that reaction be born of jealousy? Maybe.

When Trevor had met Sadie, she’d told him she hadn’t dated in three years, not since she and her fiancé had broken up. She’d seemed so sincere as she’d told him about that prior relationship and how she’d needed time to recover.

So what was all this “boyfriend” business about?

Nothing made sense.

Trevor settled back in his seat and stared at Guy’s Mercedes in the driveway.

The man must have taken the rest of the day off work, and Trevor planned on staying here for as long as necessary to watch for anything suspicious.

* * *

An hour later, Guy stepped out the front door, glanced around, and then hurried to his car.

Trevor waited until the man had pulled out of the driveway before putting his truck in Drive and pulling out behind him. He kept a safe distance behind the man, curious to see where he was headed.

They wove through the streets of Traverse City, toward the downtown area.

A few minutes later, Guy pulled into the parking lot of a local Italian restaurant.

This could make things more complicated. But this could also be Trevor’s chance to find out more information.

He pulled onto the side of the road and waited. Then he saw Guy walk toward the front door and meet another man there.

Trevor snapped a picture. Maybe he could identify this guy.

Then he slipped inside the restaurant.

Before the hostess could address him, he peered across the dining area and saw Guy seated at a booth. Beside the table was a wooden partition that stretched only halfway to the ceiling.

If Trevor could get a seat on the other side, maybe he could hear what these guys were talking about. Thankfully, this place wasn’t too busy.

“Can I help you?” the hostess asked. “Just one?”

Trevor kept his head low so Guy wouldn’t spot him. “I was wondering if I might get a booth. Maybe over there out of the flow of traffic?”

“Sure, we have some booths open in that section.” She grabbed a laminated menu.

“Perfect.”

Still keeping his head low, Trevor walked toward the booth. The scent of garlic and pasta filled the air, making his stomach grumble. He was hungrier than he’d thought.

He slipped into the seat on the same side as Guy. He had a better chance of not being spotted here. Thankfully, the partition was high enough that Guy shouldn’t see him either.

As the waitress handed him a menu, Trevor forced a smile and tried to look casual. But instead of studying tonight’s specials, his ear tuned to the conversation beside him.

It was just some local sports talk right now.

Which seemed like an interesting choice considering that Guy’s supposed girlfriend had almost been killed.

He tuned them out a moment and ordered some spaghetti and garlic bread.

As he closed the menu, he glanced around at the other patrons in the restaurant. No one suspicious caught his eye.

Then he spotted a police officer walking toward him.

Trevor’s muscles tensed. Was the man coming to arrest him? To bring him to the station?

Instead, the officer continued past and slid into the booth behind him.

Trevor released his breath.

Trevor had seen a twentysomething woman sitting there.

“Hey,” the woman said. “You’re late.”

“I was working on a case.”

Trevor wondered if this guy was referring to Sadie’s case.

Then the man said, “You’ll never believe this. But we found a dead body in the woods not far from the sand dunes.”

Trevor’s lungs froze.

A dead body?

He remembered the blood he’d found on Sadie’s arm and hands.

But he refused to think those two things were connected.

Sadie wasn’t a killer, and no one could convince him otherwise.