Chapter 9
Anagging feeling settles over me as we walk to my truck. I face him. ”Zane, I need to know the truth. Is there anything you”re not telling me about these murders?”
He looks as though I physically struck him. ”Ava, I”ve told you everything I know. I had nothing to do with this.”
”But the pendants, Rowan”s involvement... it all seems to lead back to you. I want to believe you, but I must follow the evidence.”
His frustration feels like a physical wall between us. ”So, you”re choosing your job over our history? Over what we once had?”
”What we once had wasn”t enough for you eight years ago. I can”t ignore the facts now because of it. A person can change a lot in eight years.”
”They sure can,” he says with a hollow sadness as his eyes bore into mine. ”If you can”t believe in me, then maybe we”re better off going our separate ways. I”ll find the truth on my own.”
He doesn”t even spare me a backward glance as he walks toward the forest.
I grip the steering wheel tightly as I drive off in the opposite direction from Zane. The hurt I”ve buried for years threatens to resurface, and I blink back something that feels suspiciously like tears stinging my eyes. I can”t cry for him again. I can”t let my emotions start driving this investigation, not now, not when there”s a killer on the loose.
I reach for my phone and dial Nora”s number. She picks up on the second ring.
”Hey, Ava. What”s up?” Her voice is warm and familiar, a comfort in the chaos.
”Where are you at?”
”At the station, but I was contemplating lunch.”
”What are you in the mood for?”
”Wings.”
I laugh out loud. ”I should have known. You always want wings. Let”s meet at Joes?”
”Perfect. See you in five.”
The smile helps keep the tears at bay, but it”s still a fight to keep them at bay. Even in front of my closest friend, I can”t let my guard down. I can”t let her know how much seeing Zane has affected me. I must keep my composure or Sebastian will kick me off this case. But as I drive toward Nora”s favorite lunch spot, I know I must stay on this case. The answer is at my fingertips. I can”t turn it over now.
After we both order and find a table near the back, Nora levels a look at me. ”Okay. Spill.”
I consider dodging, but I know I need to talk it out. ”I confronted Zane about Liam”s involvement in the murders,” I say, my voice trembling slightly. ”It brought back a lot of memories, Nora. I thought I was over it, but seeing him again...”
”I know how much he hurt you. But you”re stronger than that. You”ve come so far since then.”
I let her words sink in. She”s right. I can”t let my past with Zane distract me. I have to solve this case.
”I know that. In my head, I agree with you one hundred percent. But my heart—”
”Hearts lead us all into irrational decisions,” Nora murmurs, her voice barely audible, as if speaking from a personal experience.
I can”t help but study her expression, searching for any clue that might reveal a hidden story behind her words. The wisdom in her eyes tells me that she understands the complexities of the heart better than most.
As I consider my swirling emotions involving Zane, I realize that Nora”s insight is spot on. Despite the painful memories of his reaction to my father”s last note where Dad told me my mom had been a human. Despite the undeniable fact that he”s the most viable suspect in these murders. Despite it all, I can”t ignore the magnetic pull drawing me back to him.
I sigh, leaning back against the booth. ”I know you”re right, Nora. But it”s hard to separate my feelings from the case when he”s involved.”
Nora nods, her gaze softening with empathy. ”That”s why regulations make us recuse ourselves when we have personal connections.” Nora gives me a pointed look. ”Just remember, Ava, your heart might be leading you to Zane, but you shouldn”t forget that your intuition and intelligence will ultimately solve this case. If you don”t let your emotions override them.”
”Do you think I should recuse myself?” I have to ask her the question. I can”t let any additional doubts hang over me and this case.
The server arrives just as Nora is about to answer, giving her a few more minutes to consider what she wants to say.
”No. I don”t think you should recuse yourself. If you tried to tell me that this case—investigating Zane and his Pack didn”t affect you, I”d insist on it. But you”re aware of his effect on you.”
Her words resonate within me, providing clarity amidst the chaos. I pause, steeling myself for the challenges ahead.
Nora starts eating her wings, a satisfied smile crossing her face as she eats her favorite food. As prim and proper as she can present herself in most situations, she attacks a plate of wings with such veracity that it always makes me smile. But Nora is right. I can”t let my past with Zane dictate my actions or compromise the investigation. I can”t forget how much I”ve proven myself since moving to Cascade Falls. I”m an excellent investigator. They offered me the opportunity to lead a different unit, but I didn”t want to leave the CIS. I”m not the same girl whose heart shattered at Zane”s rebuke.
I dig into my meal feeling just a little bit lighter. I”ve made a life to be proud of here in Cascade Falls.
”Maybe I needed this opportunity—to really close the door on this part of my past.”
I didn”t even realize I”d said the words aloud until I saw Nora hesitate. ”Maybe,” she pauses, ”But remember, our priority right now is finding the killer. We can”t let anything get in the way of that.”
I nod, even though she can”t see me. ”You”re right. I”ll stay focused.”
Just then, my phone beeps with an incoming call. ”Montgomery.”
”I”ve got the ballistics report on the hunting rifle used in Aiden”s murder,” Dr. Patel says, his voice urgent. ”The rifle was confiscated in a drug raid about six months ago. It”s supposed to be in the evidence locker. I checked the records, there are no records of it being signed out.”
My heart sinks. ”Someone took it from the evidence locker?”
”It looks that way,” Dr. Patel confirms my fear.
”Do you know what case it had been logged in under?”
”That drug dealer who was shanked waiting for transport to the prison. The gun is scheduled to be melted down, but until then there wasn”t any reason for anyone to be looking for this gun.”
”Thanks, Dr. Patel. Keep us posted.”
I fill Nora in on Dr. Patel”s part of the conversation when she asks, ”Whose case was that?”
”I don”t know. Why do you ask?”
”How many people know about a forgotten gun in the evidence locker? No defense attorneys are looking to request tests on that gun; it wasn”t the murder weapon in any case until this one. The family of that prisoner can”t claim ownership or inheritance on it since it was confiscated in the commission of a drug-related crime. Who”d even look for that gun until the department sends our next shipment to be melted down?”