A lump settled in Paige’s throat as she thought about Seth. She’d let frustration get the best of her yesterday, and once again her conversation with him ended on a sour note. And despite it all he was still concerned about her.
Lord, help me to be more gracious when it comes to Seth.
“And, from what Seth told me, I’m inclined to agree with him,” Brett continued, folding his arms over his chest. “The best idea would be for you to head back home and hang low for a while.”
Raw emotions bubbled up inside her, flowing through her veins like molten lava. Her brother’s life was at stake. Didn’t anyone get that? “Brett, I can’t do that.”
Brett had been supportive after her brother’s arrest. He’d been a close friend of Trey’s. Even after she’d left town, he made an effort to call and check in with her. If anyone should understand her motives to stay, he should.
Paige straightened, tossing her bedraggled curls over her shoulders. “Brett, everyone seems to agree that my life is in danger. Isn’t that enough to raise suspicion that maybe Madison’s killer is still out there? And open up a new avenue in her murder investi—”
“That’s not my call,” Brett snapped before she could finish. “We can’t assume anything until there’s concrete evidence to back it up. But be assured the Watauga County Sheriff’s Department has a strong team of detectives. They’ll dig into this. And the best thing for you to do in the meantime is go home to Durham.”
Of course he’d think that. Paige blew out an impatient breath. She’d hoped, but never directly asked, if Brett thought her brother was innocent. The one advocate she thought she had.
“I appreciate your concern, Brett,” she said, forcing a warm smile. “But I’ve learned my lesson. I plan to keep my cell phone close and my doors locked. I’ll keep an eye on my surroundings, and at the first sign of trouble I’ll call for help.”
Brett’s thick blond brows knit above his prominent nose. “I wish you’d let this go, Paige, and let the courts handle it.”
Perfect cop lingo. Easy advice for someone with nothing to lose. “Thank you, Brett. And you’ll keep me posted on any progress on my case?”
Brett tilted his head and tightened his arms. “There’s no convincing you, is there?”
She hesitated a long moment and then shook her head. “No, sorry.” She managed another small grin. “But, about the investigation...”
Brett unfolded his arms and rested his hands on his waist. “I already have people searching county records for the make and model of the pickup that was seen yesterday. We’ll be looking closely at the owners and their possible connection to the Cramer family. If I find out anything, I’ll let you know.”
She felt better already. With a steadying breath, she went with Brett to the door, locking it after he walked out. She slumped down at the table in the kitchen, the dash of hope, the determination she’d brought along with her to Boone, starting to wane.
She’d expected Seth to balk at the idea that her would-be killer was also the same person who killed Madison, but even Brett brushed off her theory.
Which only brought the truth into razor-sharp focus.
Cops thrived on hard facts. Gut feelings weren’t enough.
Right now, all she had was her gut.
* * *
Seth jerked awake, his heart racing and his body covered in sweat. Again. This had been going on all night long. Falling asleep only to be woken within the hour, his acid-drenched stomach clenched in knots as his foggy brain struggled against nightmarish images—flashbacks of a horrific crime scene the night Madison was murdered.
The scene was like Seth remembered. A dimly lit room. The hum of anguished sobs nearly drowned out by the wail of police sirens outside the house. Trey Becker cowering beside a lifeless body, a ring of blood pooled around her. In his nightmare, every detail was eerily consistent to Madison’s murder—except the victim was Paige Becker.
A sick feeling chilled Seth to the bone, even as he continued to remind himself it was only a dream.
Fighting a groan, he rolled to his side and glanced at the red numbers on the bedside clock, sighing when he read nine o’clock. He’d slept in and still felt exhausted.
Flopping onto his back, he scrubbed his face with his hands as if he was able to scrub the horrible image out of his brain. During his career as a navy SEAL, he’d witnessed countless vicious events and battled his share of nightmares because of it.
But the feeling of foreboding that accompanied this dream he couldn’t shake. If anything ever happened to Paige, he’d—
Stop it! Seth sat up in bed. He wasn’t responsible for keeping Paige safe, he coached himself firmly. She didn’t need his help. Didn’t want his help.
He always felt better after a dose of levelheaded rationale.
But not today.
Seth blew out a frustrated breath, jaw clenching as he snagged his cell off the bedside table. Worrying about Paige was unproductive.
As he scrolled through his emails, he mentally prioritized the messages in order of importance and tried to stay focused. But thoughts of Paige kept tumbling back, and along with those thoughts came several nagging questions.
If someone was trying to hurt her, who was it? One of Madison’s family members? An angry neighbor? A friend? Even more important, what was Brett’s plan to protect Paige?
Last night Seth had left a message for Brett about Paige’s parking deck scare. Brett texted him a quick thank-you, but Seth had hoped for a call back. It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith in Brett’s ability as a detective, but he’d feel better knowing the details for Brett’s strategy on solving Paige’s case.
Seth eyed the list of messages again. Maybe Brett had called and he’d missed it. He scrolled one more time down the page to the end. Nada.
A heavy sigh escaped him as he tossed the phone on the bed. Brett didn’t have any obligation to keep him in the loop. Not that Seth blamed him. Paige didn’t want him around. Brett probably knew that.
For the next minute, Seth just sat there, jaw clenched, the ceiling fan whirring lazily overhead as he ordered himself to get a grip. He needed to forget about the case. Period.
This was going to be a long couple weeks. Groaning under his breath, he got up and pulled on some jeans. If nothing else, he could satisfy his growling stomach.
He stopped midstride on his way to the kitchen as a thought came to him. Nothing said he couldn’t call and check in on a friend. If nothing else, that’s what Paige was. A friend. He hoped she thought the same of him.
Without further speculation, Seth pivoted back and grabbed his phone. He punched in Paige’s number, surprised at how quickly it came back to him. Which meant nothing, he told himself, other than his navy-ingrained memory skills were still sharply intact.
Three...four...five...
Seth counted the rings, about to hang up, when Paige finally picked up.
“Hello.”
Relief flowed, and Seth sank down on the edge of the bed. “Good morning, Paige.”
For a long moment, taut silence stretched across the line. Finally she said, “Seth? Is that you?”
He heard a degree of trepidation in her voice. “Yes. I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No—no, I was awake.”
Seth paused, giving her a moment to say more. Instead more awkward silence hung on the line.