Chapter 3 #2
June sighed, pulled a chair closer, and sat. “How are you?”
“Ready to leave,” Lacey said immediately. “I hate it here.”
June chuckled.
“I know you do,” June said. “When do they think they’ll release you?”
“I’ve been told either tomorrow morning,” Lacey replied, “or later this afternoon, depending on the doctor. You know that tyrant of a sister of mine.”
Lacey reached for the remote again, switched off the television, and plopped it on the bed beside her.
“Being here is torture,” Lacey groaned. “And I think that small television screen is ruining my eyesight.”
“Or it could be that you’re nearly sixty and refusing to wear glasses?” June pointed out, shaking her head.
“I work with animals,” Lacey told her. “Wearing glasses will get in the way.”
“Okay, I give up,” June relented and went quiet for a moment. “Lacey, I’ve started working with the police on some legal stuff, getting access to that federal land behind the Hendersons’ farm. I was helping Holt look into your accident. Could I ask you some questions about it?”
Lacey’s expression shifted, her humor fading. She frowned slightly, then nodded.
“Sure,” Lacey agreed. “I’ve actually been waiting for either Tom or Rad to come talk to me.”
“Did you see who or what hit your truck?” June asked.
Lacey stared at the ceiling for a moment, thinking.
“Honestly,” Lacey answered, her eyes moving to meet June’s, “no, not really.”
“Can you talk me through what happened?” June studied Lacey’s expressions.
“Okay. I had left the Hendersons’ farm,” Lacey recounted. “I turned the bend near where I went over. There was an open bottle of water in the cup holder, and it sloshed when I hit a bump.”
June listened, keeping her face neutral as Lacey talked in her own rhythm.
“When I went to grab it,” Lacey continued, “something hit me. Not hard at first, but enough that I jerked the wheel. I’d got the truck under control when I was hit a second time, and that’s when I was spun off the road and rolled down the embankment.”
June’s stomach tightened, and her brows rose in shock.
“You were hit twice?” June asked with a gasp.
Lacey nodded.
“Did you see the vehicle at all?” June’s eyes searched Lacey’s.
Lacey shook her head.
“No.” Lacey frowned in contemplation. “It happened so fast. All I remember was the sound of an engine revving up. Then I was tumbling.”
“How did you manage to call for help?” June remembered Willa saying that Lacey had called in her own accident.
“There was blinding pain and the airbags exploded,” Lacey’s words sent a chill up June’s spine. “But I just kept forcing myself to stay conscious. Then, when the vehicle came to a crunching stop, I managed to reach past the airbags and call emergency services.”
“That took strength,” June said with admiration.
“Or sheer stubbornness.” Lacey smiled. “Or so Lucy seems to think.”
“Well, thank goodness for that,” June told her.
“You know, I remember hearing an engine revving,” Lacey said. “At first, I thought it was me. Like, maybe I had pressed the gas too hard when I got startled, but I don’t think so. I had already slowed down for the bend.”
June let that detail settle.
“Lacey, did you see anyone you knew or a familiar car at the Hendersons’ before you left?” June asked.
Lacey frowned as she thought about the questions for a moment.
“Like who?” Lacey’s frown deepened as she looked questioningly at June.
“Anyone you know from Sandpiper Shores?” June prompted.
“No,” Lacey said, pursing her lips and giving her head a slow shake. “But then again, I wasn’t on the commercial side of the farm. I was in the back, near the stables. There were a couple of workers, but no one I recognized.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
June hesitated. “I just wondered if—” She shrugged.
Lacey lifted her brows as she looked at June suspiciously.
“You were just wondering if I got run off the road by an enemy?” Lacey asked, tapping one of the caramels she’d just unwrapped.
June nodded slowly.
“Yes,” she admitted. “I’m sorry. I know it sounds dramatic.”
"No, not at all,” Lacey grinned. “You sound like an attorney.”
“Sorry.” June laughed.
“No, it’s fine,” Lacey assured her. “It’s good to talk about this, and it gives me practice for when Rad or Tom comes to grill me.”
“I’m sure they’re not going to grill you,” June told her. “This wasn’t your fault.” Her eyebrows rose. “Goodness, someone hit your truck—twice.”
“Or something,” Lacey said, trying to sound hopeful. “I don’t like thinking someone actually hit me.”
June met her gaze.
“All right,” June said, humouring her. “Or something. But I think we both know it was someone.”
Lacey’s jaw tightened. She stared at her hands for a moment.
“Honestly, I’m trying not to think about it,” Lacey admitted. “Because like you said, it’s either someone who accidentally hit me, or…”
“Someone hit you deliberately,” June finished softly. “Twice.”
“If it was deliberate,” Lacey questioned, “Why?” She gestured with her hands after putting her caramel down uneaten. “Why? I don’t think I have any enemies. I mainly deal with animals. And I doubt it was a dog, cat, or other animal behind the wheel of a vehicle.”
“Well…” June teased, trying to lighten the mood, as she saw that Lacey was getting upset. “You never know.”
They fell into a strained silence for a few moments before Lacey sighed and glanced at June.
“Do you really believe someone would deliberately run me off the road?” Lacey’s voice was soft, and disbelief shone in her eyes. “I’ve never harmed anyone in my life. As far as I know, I don’t have any enemies. Really, my circle of friends is not that big.”
“I guess we all have an enemy,” June replied. “Hiding in the dark somewhere. Someone who is jealous or something, or wants what you have…”
“I work nearly around the clock sometimes,” Lacey told June. “I go to remote locations for conservation expeditions, wade through murky swamps with hidden dangers…” Her words trailed off. “I live a busy unglamorous life. Who could possibly want that?”
“I don’t know,” June lied, even though she had a pretty good idea that if someone had targeted Lacey, it was more a case of mistaken identity.
“I keep replaying it,” Lacey admitted. “The accident. Over and over in my head, and I keep thinking, if I had not reached for the water, would it still have happened? Would I have had better control?”
June leaned forward slightly. “Lacey,” June said gently, “don’t do that to yourself.”
Lacey’s eyes flashed.
“I can’t help it,” Lacey said quietly. “It’s what my brain does. It tries to find the moment where I could have changed it.”
June nodded, understanding more than she wanted to. “I know. In times like these, it’s what our brain does to try and find a reason for what happened.”
That’s exactly what had happened to June after her accident.
Before June could reply, her phone bleeped. She reached for her bag, pulling it out, and was unable to stop the way her heart lurched when she saw a message from Holt.
Can you come into the office?
June chewed her lip, trying not to wonder if Victoria had been with him all this time. But she pushed the thought from her mind and answered him.
I’m at the clinic visiting Lacey. I’ll be there in ten to fifteen minutes.
Her heart jolted again when she saw the dots dance as Holt answered almost immediately.
Great. I’ll see you then.
June stared at the screen for half a second, then slipped her phone back into her bag.
“I’m so sorry,” June told Lacey, as she looked up at her and was already pushing her chair back. “I have to go.”
“Is everything all right?” Lacey asked with a worried frown.
June forced a small smile.
“It’s just work with the police station,” June replied. “I’m helping with the legal side of the fire at the Henderson farm.”
“Oh!” Lacey’s brows shot up. “So much for you relaxing?” She gave a soft laugh. “You’ve now got two jobs.”
“I know,” June said, rolling her eyes. “But to be honest, not doing anything was driving me crazy.”
“I can understand that,” Lacey concurred. “Go, I’ll call you when they finally let me out of here.”
June leaned forward and squeezed her hand gently.
“As soon as you’re out of here, you must come for dinner at Willa’s,” June invited. “We’ll make a family thing out of it. Bring Noah, Ginny, and your delightful granddaughters.”
Lacey’s eyes warmed. “I would like that.”
June nodded.
“Now get some rest and don’t eat all those candies,” June warned, raising her eyebrows. “Oh, I almost forgot. I ran into Dean Parker. He’s in town and sends his regards and hopes you get well quickly.”
“Dean’s in town?” Lacey asked, her eyes widening, and June couldn’t help but notice the slight flush of her cheeks. “I thought he wasn’t due until the day before the memorial.”
“He came early,” June informed her, hiding a smile.
She remembered the memorial last year, when Dean and Lacey had been seen going out to lunch and dinner a few times.
But they had both suggested it was nothing more than friendship and that Dean was helping her with the wildlife around the forests. “I must go.”
They said their goodbyes, and June left the room.
The moment she stepped back into the hallway, the air felt different, as if the clinic had absorbed her calm and left her with the weight of everything else.
June moved quickly, heading toward the exit, her mind replayed Lacey’s description of her accident, the two impacts, and the engine revving.
It did not sound like a simple accident.
June pushed through the automatic doors and stepped out into the warm sunlight.
She was halfway down the road walking toward the police department when a smooth voice cut across the parking lot.
“June.”
June stopped, turning slowly, and her stomach dropped.
Victoria stood behind her, as if she’d been following her. She looked perfectly composed, hair immaculate, sunglasses perched on her head. She held herself like the queen of Sandpiper Shores.
June forced her face into neutrality.
“Victoria,” June drawled, eyeing the woman wearily. “Were you following me?”
“I saw you from the store across the road,” Victoria told her. “I thought I’d catch you and save myself the time of having to hunt you down or get your phone number.”
June forced herself not to react to her hunt you down quip and stood her ground.
“Is there something you wanted?” June asked.
Victoria took a step closer. She lowered her voice, just enough that it felt intimate without being friendly. “Yes,” Victoria said. “There is.”
“Okay…” June said carefully, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“Let me be very clear,” Victoria said, tilting her head and still smiling faintly. “Don’t try and come between Holt and me.”
June felt heat rise behind her eyes, but she kept her voice controlled.
“Holt and I are working together,” June said. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
Victoria’s smile stayed fixed.
“Of course you are,” Victoria said. “And I’m sure you are telling yourself it’s purely professional.”
June’s fingers curled around the strap of her purse.
“What is your point?” June asked, gritting her teeth. “I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to stand here being analyzed by you.”
Victoria’s eyes sharpened.
“Just don’t get any ideas of rekindling your failed romance with Holt,” Victoria warned. “I’d hate for you to get hurt.”
June’s breath caught.
“Are you threatening me?” June’s eyebrows rose as she gaped at the venomous woman.
Victoria’s eyes widened slightly, and she let out a small, delicate laugh.
“No,” Victoria said with a soft shake of her head. “I'm giving you a piece of friendly advice.”
June’s voice stayed calm, though her pulse pounded. “I don’t need your advice,” June said.
“But I’m giving it anyway,” Victoria drawled. “So my conscience is clear if you end up getting hurt.” She gave June a snide smile. “Have a good day, June.”
With that, Victoria spun around and walked off, leaving June feeling like she'd been slapped.
June pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady her racing heart.
Victoria's message had been crystal clear: stay away from Holt or face the consequences.
The casual cruelty in her voice, the way she'd smiled while delivering the threat—it was like being back in high school with the mean girls, except the stakes felt so much higher now.
Victoria had just made it clear that she would fight dirty to keep Holt, and June wasn't sure she had the strength for that kind of battle.