Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
"How are you doing, Tessa?" Colton asked when we left Sloane's house.
"I'm not sure," I said honestly, looking around the now-empty street, no evidence of the chaos, terror, and heartbreak that had happened here.
If any of the neighbors had come out of their houses, they were gone now, back inside behind closed doors, probably whispering and wondering about Sloane and Garrett.
"I thought I'd feel so good when I got to the truth, but it wasn't what I expected.
The villain isn't who I thought it would be. " I looked at Colton. "It feels wrong."
"That's because this isn't a story," he said, meeting my gaze. "Real life is messy. Sometimes the worst people are not the ones who do the worst things. I don't know exactly what happened between Sloane and Paige, and the truth is, you don't, either."
"Sloane told me everything."
"She told you her story," he corrected. "But no one really knows what happened that night.
They were the only ones there. It's been confirmed multiple times that there were no cameras on that part of the path.
Frankly, Vincent should have worked hard to obtain camera footage from the other places Paige might have gone, but aside from talking to people at McGee's and around her apartment, there was a lack of effort, which has become quite apparent to me as I've looked through the file.
It's clear Vincent was determined to call it an accident and didn't want to find any evidence that would lead to a longer investigation.
At some point, I'd like to find out more about his relationship with Hale and how it might have influenced the investigation.
But I doubt Hale will talk openly, so we may never know exactly what happened. "
"I wish that wasn't true, but I think it is.
I guess we'll only ever have Sloane's story.
For what it's worth, I believe she told me the truth, Colton.
Her facts match what I know about Paige's behavior the last few days of her life.
She was spiraling out of control. She wasn't herself.
She was fueled by emotions and alcohol, and who knows what else? "
"I'm curious, Tessa—why did you come here? What clue did you get that made you want to talk to Sloane?"
"It was a small thing. Nate told me earlier today that Sloane had promised to watch out for Paige while he was out of town.
But Sloane had told Cabot and me that she thought Paige was at Nate's that first night, which was why she didn't call the police.
I remembered what Cabot had said in his personal note that he wondered if Nate had really been in Lake Geneva that Friday.
I didn't know if Nate was lying or if Sloane was. I had to find out."
A gleam of admiration flickered in his gaze. "Small details always trip people up. That was a good catch, Tessa. But coming here to follow up on it was not the smartest decision. You should have told me about this on the phone."
"You were busy with Ray and Hale, and I didn't think Sloane was dangerous. I actually thought that she knew Nate hadn't gone to Lake Geneva on Friday, that he'd left the next morning, and she was trying to protect him because she was in love with him."
"She was in love with him, too?" Colton asked.
"And Paige knew it. I'm not sure Nate did. But Paige threw it in Sloane's face, telling her she was pathetic and a loser. And she didn't want anything to do with her. She just wanted Sloane to leave her alone."
"Well, she got her wish," he said dryly. "Those are fighting words. I thought you were supposed to be the mean one in that group and Paige was the sweetheart."
"She was sweet for most of the time I knew her, but I think the drugs she was using changed her personality, because she hadn't been a cruel person before then.
But everything was going wrong in Paige's life.
The affair with Hale was probably the catalyst to all of it.
Sloane did believe they were sleeping together.
I'd still like to know how that relationship got started and how it played out. "
"Well, Hale isn't talking. He's retained counsel. That may change once he realizes he won't be charged with murder, but his affair with Paige will be coming out from different witnesses to the case. He won't be able to keep the secret."
"What about Ray? What was his story? Why was he so set against the case being reopened?"
"He didn't want to reveal the trouble he'd gotten into back then. He'd been gambling online, and he was very bad at it. He didn't just need some cash from Paige; he needed twenty thousand dollars, or someone was going to break his legs—his words, not mine."
"Seriously? Paige didn't have that kind of money."
"Apparently, she had it in a trust account from a grandparent that she could access for school. But a withdrawal that big would be risky and Paige didn't want to do it. He threatened to reveal her affair with Hale if she didn't."
"That's low."
"And that's the part he wanted to keep hidden from his parents, which is why he wanted you to drop the case. They knew about his debts, because they helped pay them off. But they didn't know that he'd tried to blackmail Paige into helping him."
I let out a sigh. "No wonder Paige was spiraling.
Her brother was blackmailing her. The professor she idolized either talked her into sleeping with him or she got into bed with him to get the part she desperately wanted.
Either way, she felt dirty and used by both of them.
She didn't think she got that part on her own merit, and it ate away at her.
I didn't help by continually pointing out that I was better than her. "
"She definitely had a lot on her plate, but how she handled her problems was what killed her."
"I want to talk to Hale again. I still think he has a lot to answer for. I don't care if she came on to him. He never should have crossed the line with her. And God knows, how many other students he did that with. That man needs to be interrogated."
"And he will be, but not by you, Tessa. You need to take a break," Colton said with a smile. "There's a lot more talking to be done and more investigation to complete. But Hale didn't kill Paige or Cabot. He also didn't burn your apartment building down. That was Garrett and his hired gun."
"I'm sorry if I'm glossing over the part where Garrett had your mentor killed."
Colton's face tightened at that reminder. "He will pay for that, but Cabot wasn't completely innocent, either. I don't know that I'll ever understand why he let his friendship with Hale influence that investigation."
"Don't you wonder if Hale had something on him?"
"Sure," he said with a nod. "That's a consideration. I doubt Hale will tell me if he did. So, like I said I might never know what went into his decision-making on that case."
"It's ironic how many people didn't act when they had the chance to be heroic. Sloane didn't jump into the lake. And Cabot refused to ask questions that he didn't want to know the answer to."
"That's true, but you were different from everyone else. You acted," Colton said.
"Nine years after she died and only because Alina asked me to get involved."
"But then you jumped into everything. You asked all the probing questions you could come up with. You shook everyone up. And you didn't let anyone scare you away."
"People used to call me Hurricane Tessa, and not in a good way. They said I left a wake of destruction in my path. They weren't totally wrong."
"Maybe back then, but not now. And it doesn't matter what other people say, Tessa."
"What people say can hurt."
"Only if their words are just confirming what you already think."
I thought about that. "You might be right. You're a smart guy, Colton Barclay. And you saved my life today. How can I ever pay you back?"
He shrugged. "No payback required. But it might be nice to have a drink when this is all over."
"I could use one. You arrived in the nick of time.
My hand was slipping. My body felt so heavy.
" My stomach clenched at the memory. "I was going to die like Paige had died, with only two people knowing what happened and probably not telling anyone.
Although, Sloane might have cracked eventually.
She did try to save me." I paused. "What's going to happen to her? "
"I know you want all the answers now, Tessa, but we need to finish the investigation. And I need to hear her story for myself. I just hope I haven't made a mistake in letting her stay here tonight."
"You haven't," I said confidently. "She won't run again.
What Garrett did was too much for her to bear.
She'd already been living with nine years of guilt for freezing when Paige tumbled into the water.
She should have tried to save her or call for help.
She was wrong about that. But the truth is not as black and white as I expected it to be. "
"It never is. Go back to the hotel, Tessa. Get some food. Some rest. We'll talk tomorrow."
As he turned to leave, I said, "Wait."
He gave me a questioning look.
"I just want to say thank you again. And I wanted to ask if I could give you a hug?"
He opened up his arms, and I walked into his solid and comforting embrace, giving him a hug that I needed more than he did. "Thanks," I said as I pulled away and gazed into his eyes. "For everything."
"You're welcome. And for future reference, you never have to ask." He smiled, then headed to his car.
I got into my aunt's vehicle, my own smile widening when I realized he wasn't going to leave first. He was going to follow me down the street, and that felt almost as good as the hug.