Chapter 26

Trevor reflectedon what he knew.

Sadie had been seen arguing with a man who, according to Larchmont, had said he’d come to town to kayak. That man had later turned up dead.

When Trevor had found Sadie, she’d had blood on her hands.

The dead man had been stabbed.

There had to be more to this story—but they may not ever know the rest until Sadie’s memory returned.

Trevor turned his attention back to Bennett, curious as to what the man knew. From the sounds of it, Larchmont was several steps ahead of the detective in this investigation.

“Has the murder weapon been found?” Trevor asked.

“Not yet,” Bennett said. “We’re still looking.”

“Do you know this man’s identity?” Trevor continued.

“No, unfortunately he’s another mystery. His fingerprints haven’t turned up anything. We just released his image to the press earlier. Then when we realized his image matched that of a man seen arguing with Ms. Carrington . . .”

A twinge of guilt filled Trevor when he realized he already knew the man’s name. Larchmont had been able to find out.

But Trevor kept that information to himself for now. If Trevor admitted how much he knew, it could raise suspicions.

“Are you arresting me?” Sadie asked.

“Because you were seen arguing with our dead man?” Bennett raised his brow again. “Unfortunately, there’s not enough evidence to hold you.”

“Unfortunately?” Trevor’s gaze narrowed.

What an odd word choice. It was almost as if the detective wanted to arrest Sadie. Otherwise, why would he say that?

Bennett rubbed the back of his neck, appearing exhausted. “We’re examining every possibility as we try to figure out what’s going on.”

“You think I killed that man?” Sadie’s voice sounded raspy with fear.

Bennett dropped his hand from the back of his neck and locked gazes with her. “It is strange that the same day you were hit and lost your memory, this man turned up dead approximately two miles away.”

“That doesn’t mean she had anything to do with it.” Protectiveness rose in Trevor’s voice.

“No, it doesn’t.” But the detective didn’t sound convinced.

He was looking for answers. No doubt the people above him were pressing the man for answers. Citizens were probably scared.

“Is that all you need?” As far as Trevor was concerned, this conversation was over.

“For now.” But Bennett’s brow rippled, promising he would have more questions as he continued to dig deeper.

Trevor stood and motioned for Sadie to follow. If she talked any more, she’d need a lawyer present.

There were clearly parts of Sadie’s life he wasn’t aware of.

It made sense. He and Sadie hadn’t known each other that long.

He had secrets due to his line of work.

But she also had secrets of her own. Big secrets. Dangerous secrets.

What was she hiding? Whatever it was, she’d had parts of her life she’d kept from him. Parts of her life that maybe she didn’t want him to know, possibly for less-than-honorable reasons.

He crossed his arms as they left the office. He didn’t like the thought of that.

Who was Sadie Carrington? Who was she really?

Certainly, the police had run all the background checks on her.

Had they figured out she was living under a false identity? Trevor didn’t think so. If they knew that, Bennett showed no signs of it.

Things just didn’t add up in his mind, and Trevor needed to figure out what to do about it.

He and Sadie climbed back into his truck and sat there a moment. Trevor gave her the chance to speak without worrying about whether the detective or another officer might overhear.

“I’m ready to go back to the hotel.” Her voice sounded soft—almost strained—as she said the words.

He understood. It had been a long day, and that meeting with Bennett had been a doozy.

“Just because you may have been seen arguing with that man who died doesn’t mean you had anything to do with his death.”

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t either,” she muttered.

“We’ll figure this out.”

A smile fluttered across her lips. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

Before he could put his truck into Reverse, her phone rang again. She glanced at the screen and frowned.

“Everything okay?” Trevor asked.

“It’s Guy. He’s called a couple of times, but I haven’t answered. Is that terrible?”

“No, it’s your choice. Do you want to talk to him now?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged, but her voice sounded listless.

“You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. You have a lot of healing to do, and you need to do things on your terms. Don’t let other people dictate how you handle this.”

She glanced over and offered a tight smile as if his words had brought a small measure of relief. “Thanks. You always seem to know what to say.”

“Not always. But I try. I really can’t imagine what I’d do in your shoes. How are you holding up? Really?”

“My thoughts are like a jumbled ball of yarn. Every once in a while I feel like I get one knot out, but there are still hundreds waiting for me. Then while I’m trying to get another knot worked out, the first knot somehow materializes again.”

What did that mean? Had she had a memory she hadn’t shared with him?

Trevor knew he couldn’t press her. Sadie would share any realizations with him on her terms.

Plus, he needed to figure out what he would tell her if she did regain her memories. How would he explain his deceit?

The truth was, there was nothing he could say to make the situation right. There was no good excuse for his deception, none that Sadie would accept—or even that she should accept.

Following Larchmont’s orders had sealed the fate of their relationship. No solid foundation could be built upon secrets and lies.

Even if she understood why he’d done what he had, Trevor wondered if he’d even want a relationship with Sadie. She’d also been deceiving him, and he had no idea why.

But he was determined to find out, and that meant staying close.

He cleared his throat as he turned back to Sadie. “Whatever I can do to help, you just let me know.”

“Thank you. I do appreciate that.” She offered a faint smile.

With those words, he backed out of the lot and headed to the hotel.

This was going to be his toughest investigation yet.

* * *

Sadie and Trevor arrived back at the hotel.

Kai would guard her door tonight while Trevor slept in the other room. They’d asked her permission to leave the door between the rooms open for security purposes.

She had agreed.

Sadie took a quick shower, craving some warm water to help her relax. Then she’d turned off the light beside her bed and crawled under the covers. Kai sat in a chair by the door. Apparently, he had gotten some rest earlier.

Knowing he was there made her feel better.

And Trevor . . . she frowned as his image filled her mind.

Could she trust him? Strange memories kept trying to materialize in her mind.

It was almost as if the two of them had known each other before her accident.

Sometimes it seemed as if Trevor cared about her as a person, not just as a job.

But if that were true, why would he lie to her?

Only one reason made sense—he had ulterior motives.

He knew something he wasn’t telling her. But what?

She frowned as she sank farther into bed while a sick feeling roiled in her gut.

What if she’d been trusting the wrong person this whole time? What if Guy was the one on her side and she’d chosen her ally incorrectly?

Her thoughts continued to race.

Should she confront Trevor? Demand he tell her the truth?

Something about that scenario didn’t feel right.

Besides, if he was lying to her, he would only keep denying the truth. She’d only be showing her hand.

No, maybe keeping him close was a better idea.

Sadie needed to know what he knew. She had to be smart about this.

If she approached this situation correctly, maybe she could find the answers she needed.

That was her prayer as she tried to get some rest.