Chapter 6 #3
Before he could mention that to Evie, he caught sight of a car coming up behind him. A police car. The red-and-blue lights were not flashing, but the way the vehicle settled in behind them, keeping pace, made him think the cop was following them.
On purpose.
Because of him? Had Rueger told his officers to keep an eye on Cam?
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. This treating him as a cold-blooded murder suspect was getting old. He’d done nothing to warrant this behavior.
Quite the opposite. He’d fully cooperated with the police investigation.
“What’s wrong?” Evie picked up on his tension, twisting in her seat to look behind them. Her jaw dropped, but then she seemed to pull herself together. “Should we pull over?”
He shook his head. “He’d put his lights on if that was necessary.”
“Turn right at the next intersection,” Evie suggested. “If he follows, then we might want to pull over anyway.”
It grated on his nerves, but he went along with the plan. When he used his right-hand turn signal, he was surprised the officer behind him didn’t do the same. After making the turn, the police car slowed briefly, then picked up speed, continuing straight on the road that would head into town.
Even though the police car was no longer behind him, he pulled over to the side of the road and stopped.
He shifted into park, then scrubbed his hands over his face.
“I don’t like this.” He turned in his seat to look at her.
“I have a feeling the police are going to be out in force, watching our every move.”
She lifted a shoulder. “So what? Maybe we’ll lead the police straight to the real murderer.”
He almost smiled. “That would be nice. But seriously, I’m worried they’ll hamper our investigation.”
“Don’t be.” She reached for his hand. His fingers curled around hers. “I’m sure the Grand Haven police simply want to make their presence known in general. It won’t take long for word of another dead body to ripple through town. Murder is bound to put a serious dent in tourism.”
“Maybe. Still, it feels personal.” Because it was personal. He was the suspect here, not Evie.
“Try not to worry.” A faint smile creased her features as her fingers tightened around his. “Let’s stay focused on the plan. I highly doubt Rueger or any of the police officers are planning to buy snorkeling gear to join you in the river.”
“They might if they knew that was our goal.” He took a deep breath and tried to relax. Evie was right. There was no reason to think the worst. The cop driving behind them for a few miles didn’t mean anything. “Okay, thanks. I guess I just panicked there for a moment.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about.” She didn’t release his hand, and he was struck by how badly he wanted to pull her into his arms. To hold her close.
To kiss her the way he’d longed to do back when they were teenagers working as lifeguards at the lakefront.
Talk about rotten timing. He hadn’t considered he’d ever see Evie again, and now that he had, he was the prime suspect in a brutal murder.
“You’re innocent, Cam.” Evie’s earnest voice broke into his tumultuous thoughts. “And we’re going to prove it.”
“Or die trying.” His attempt at humor fell flat. He sighed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound cavalier. This is serious stuff, and I don’t like knowing some killer is walking free while the police remain focused on me.”
“If Rueger is smart, which I’m not necessarily saying he is, he’ll make sure to consider all possible suspects.” Again, Evie’s staunch belief in his innocence touched his heart. “Not just you.”
He nodded slowly. “Like Dan Johnson.”
“And anyone else who’s been in the area for the past fourteen years,” Evie agreed. “I could be wrong, since Grand Rapids isn’t that far away, but I think the killer is someone who’s lived here all this time. Maybe he started with locals, then moved onto tourists.”
“Yeah.” He forced a smile and released her hand to start the car. Sitting around and ruminating over his situation wasn’t going to help solve this.
They needed to find other suspects, along with locating Skye’s car.
After making a Y-turn in the road, he headed back into town toward the super store that would likely have snorkeling equipment.
As he slowed to pull into the parking lot, he caught a glimpse of the police cruiser coming toward them.
He considered waiting for the vehicle to pass, but there was plenty of time to make the left-hand turn.
He did so, heading down one of the aisles that were filled on both sides with parked cars.
Stunned, he stared as the police car had turned into the parking lot too. But the cop didn’t follow him up and down the aisles as he searched for an empty parking spot.
No, the officer positioned his squad near the parking lot entryway and remained there, the engine idling.
Now he knew for sure he hadn’t imagined the cop following him earlier. Whether the officer was Kyle Abernathy or someone else, there was no doubt he was going to wait there until they left.
Cam pulled into an empty space. His gut clenched at the likelihood the cops intended to watch his every move, just waiting for the moment the warrant was issued for his arrest so they could toss him behind bars for the rest of his life.