Chapter 8
EIGHT
Annie closed the door on the massive walk-in fridge that’d cost her a fortune to purchase and have installed.
She didn’t think there was enough bleach in the world to clean it after keeping a dead body inside.
But what else could they do? They’d wrapped Kayla in a sheet, and then a tarp, duct-taping it closed to preserve whatever evidence they could.
She pressed her back against the cold metal door and let out a shaky breath. Despite their history, the finality of that closing door hit harder than she’d expected. Kayla had been vain, selfish, and cruel, but she’d also been human. Had dreams. A life. Family who would grieve her.
“Are you okay?” Tate watched her from across the room.
She nodded. “Yeah. This just wasn’t on my bingo card for the year, you know?
” She pressed her finger to the keypad, and the locks snicked closed.
A red light glowed on the control panel.
She faced him. “And it’s selfish to be worried about this, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at this fridge the same way again. ”
“Yeah.” Tate’s face was grim. He gestured to the keypad. “Mind if I verify my fingerprint will unlock it?”
“Not at all.” Annie had reprogrammed the lock to accept only her and Tate’s credentials.
He stepped forward and pressed his index finger to the keypad. The locks clicked open, and the light turned green. He waited a second and then locked the fridge again.
It’d taken two hours to process the crime scene, but Annie was grateful for Tate’s thoroughness. And his presence. He was active-duty law enforcement, which meant the chain of custody would hold up in court.
Tate followed her out of the top-of-the-line kitchen into the dining area. He gestured around the room. “You did a great job with this.”
“Thanks. The kitchen in the main lodge comes in handy, but we outgrew it after our first summer camp session.” She rubbed her arms. It’d started raining while they were processing the crime scene, and her clothes were damp.
Sleet now pounded against the roof of the mess hall.
The weather would delay repairs on the bridge.
Her stomach hollowed at the thought of spending the night trapped with a killer. “Do you think Preston murdered Kayla?”
“Caleb does.”
Annie winced, thinking about the earlier argument. “Caleb has been in love with Kayla since middle school. He and Preston never got along.”
“How did Kayla feel about Caleb?”
“She used Caleb. She knew about his feelings and strung him along to get things from him. He did ninety percent of her homework. I’m also pretty sure Kayla was responsible for talking Caleb into letting Preston cheat off him on the AP History final.
That decision cost Caleb his college scholarship.
” Annie unwound her messy bun and ran her hands through her hair, careful of the lump near her temple.
A headache was brewing along the back of her skull.
“You’d think he’d hate her after that, but nope. ”
Tate frowned. “I remember hearing the rumor about Caleb losing his scholarship…Hold on, if Preston cheated off Caleb, why was Caleb the only one who got in trouble?”
“Preston’s dad was the mayor. He and Preston accused Caleb of being the one who cheated, and the school principal took their side.
” Annie had always despised that part of living in a small town.
It was one thing to look out for one another.
It was quite another to allow politics and favoritism to interfere with doing the right thing.
“The principal allowed Caleb to retake the exam, but his scholarship had an academic integrity clause. Any cheating violation and it was automatically revoked—no appeals, no second chances. Like me, Caleb came from a single-parent family. His mom worked as a janitor. She didn’t have the money to pay for college once the scholarship was gone.
Instead, he went to trade school and became an electrician. ”
“Sounds like Caleb has good reason to be furious with Kayla and Preston.”
“Except he never blamed Kayla.” She fiddled with the scrunchie from her hair. “He was blind when it came to her.”
“It’s been twenty years. Maybe he sees things differently now.”
Annie concede Tate had a point. Still, she had a hard time imagining Caleb attacking and killing Kayla. “And Preston? He was alone with her, and they had a screaming argument that ended with a bottle being thrown against the wall.”
Tate’s gaze settled on hers. “Are you under the impression that I’ve removed Preston from the suspect list?”
“You were pretty chummy with him back at the crime scene.”
“Because I needed to get information out of him, not because I believe he’s telling me the truth.”
“Right.” Conflicting emotions knotted inside her. She understood the technique, had used it herself on suspects. But understanding it didn’t make it any less painful to watch Tate slip back into that easy camaraderie with the same people who’d made her life miserable.
Annie started for the door. “We should talk to Caleb and then check Preston’s alibi.”
Tate caught up with her and stepped into her path. “Annie…wait.” He paused, working up to something. “You can trust me.”
She debated, then decided to be honest. “I’m trying.
It’s hard to know what you’re thinking. I understand befriending Preston to learn the truth.
But there’s a history here. You’ve been one way with me and then another when I wasn’t looking.
You’re a chameleon, Tate, morphing into who you need to be in the moment. It makes it hard to know what’s real.”
The hurt in his eyes tugged at her heartstrings. But she didn’t take the words back. They were honest, and he should know where she stood if they were going to be working together.
He sighed. “You’re right. There is a history between us, but I’m not the same person I used to be. If you want to know what I’m thinking, just ask.” His dimple winked. “Preferably not in front of a suspect though.”
A laugh bubbled up. He joined in, his deep chuckle vibrating through her. Suddenly Annie became all too aware of how closely they were standing. Her gaze lifted to his of its own accord. The gold flecks in his brown eyes transfixed her. Her breath caught.
The smile eased from his face as he lifted a hand. Tate hesitated and then brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. The touch went through her like heat, and right behind it came every alarm she owned. Annie stepped back out of reach. “We should go.”
She zipped up her jacket and stepped out of the building onto the covered walkway.
Sleet beat against the tin roof, and the damp air hit her heated cheeks like a wet cloth.
Tate joined her, and Annie hated the way she seemed in tune with his movements.
It had always been like this between them—the pull, the awareness, the impossibility of simple friendship.
Even back in high school, tutoring sessions had crackled with something neither of them had been ready to name.
Evan had been right to warn her. She needed to be careful.
Falling for Tate all over again…well, that would be disastrous.
Especially given the current circumstances.
Until the bridge was repaired and the killer caught, they needed to work together.
Romantic feelings would only complicate an already fraught alliance.
And deep down, Annie wasn’t convinced she could trust him. He’d promised to be honest with her, but she wasn’t ready to rely on his word. She’d need proof.
The warmth of the main lodge enveloped her as she stepped inside.
Her fingers and toes began to thaw. She stepped aside to let Tate in and then shucked her coat and gloves.
The fire was going and the Christmas tree still twinkled in the corner — the same room she’d stood in just last night, complaining to Brooke about hosting a reunion.
Nothing about it felt the same. Her former classmates gathered in small groups. Voices were hushed.
Brooke rose from where she’d been sitting with a cluster of guests, including Preston. She crossed to the lobby. Her eyes were red from crying, but she mustered a smile anyway. “Hey, you guys must be starving. Lunch is available in the dining room.”
The air smelled of roasted chicken. Annie’s stomach growled. She’d skipped breakfast. “How’s everyone holding up?”
“About as well as can be expected. Most people are still in shock, I think.” She hugged herself. “I’ve been keeping up with the weather report. Things have shifted and will probably get worse before they get better. It looks like we may be stuck here for a few days.”
Annie had also checked the weather and come to the same conclusion. “How are we on food?”
“I ordered plenty, so we’ll be fine. Some guests have decided they don’t want to stay in the cabins, so people are doubling up on rooms here in the main lodge.
Worst case scenario, we throw some air mattresses down and have a group sleepover.
” Guilt pulled at her mouth. “I was wondering…can we clean out Kayla’s room? We could use the bed.”
It was a practical request. One Annie hadn’t even considered. Thank goodness she had Brooke here to help. “Sure.” She glanced at Tate. “Unless you have an objection.”
“I’d like to go through her things first, but we can pack them up after that so the room is usable.
” He rocked back on his heels. “Truth be told, Annie, you should probably think about staying here in the main lodge too. We don’t know who is responsible for Kayla’s murder, and there’s safety in numbers. ”
She agreed, but they were running low on space. “We can figure that out later.”
“No, Tate’s right,” Brooke interjected. “Annie, you should take Kayla’s room. Most people will balk at sleeping there anyway.”
“But you just said you need the bed—”
She waved away Annie’s words. “I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry. You’ve got enough on your plate as it is.” She shooed them off. “Go have lunch.”
“We should actually talk to Caleb—”
“He’s not going anywhere,” Tate interrupted. “And we’re both starving.” He gave her a pointed look. “Fueling up will help us think.”
Annie nodded. She was feeling lightheaded, and her headache was becoming more painful. Food would help. “Okay, let’s eat first.”
Tate started across the lobby toward the dining room.
Annie lingered, sensing her friend was barely holding it together. She placed a hand on Brooke’s arm. “I’m sorry about Kayla.”
Fresh tears welled in Brooke’s eyes. “I can’t believe she’s gone.
I keep expecting her to stroll in the door and make some kind of complaint about the rain and how boring we’re being.
” She gathered herself and squared her shoulders, offering Annie a watery smile.
“There’ll be a time to fall apart and grieve. Now isn’t it.”
“If you need to talk, I’m always here.”
“I know that. And I appreciate it. I know you and Kayla didn’t always get along.”
“No, but I’m still sad. Remember that time we had a sleepover at her house and went swimming in the pool at midnight? I thought her dad was going to have a heart attack when he heard us.”
Brooke laughed, swiping at her cheeks. “How about when she convinced us to dye our hair with spray paint?”
“Ugh, I had orange hair for a week.”
They dissolved into hushed laughter that mingled into tears, the memories bringing a grief Annie hadn’t expected. She hugged Brooke. “We’ll get through this.”
“I know.” Brooke drew back.
Annie nodded toward Preston. “How is he doing?”
“He’s upset, but mostly about the fight between him and Caleb. I can’t tell if it’s a defense mechanism or not. Sometimes people focus on something stupid to avoid dealing with their real feelings.”
Or maybe Preston was worried about what Caleb saw. Or knew. But Annie didn’t see any point in sharing her doubts with Brooke. Instead she asked, “Where is Caleb?”
“He and Evan were watching a football game in the media room, but then Caleb fell asleep.” Brooke looked around the seating area. “Evan was hanging out here with us, but maybe he went back to watch the rest of the game.”
“Okay. I’m gonna grab some lunch. We’ll talk more later.”
The dining room held five tables with benches, a holdover from the property’s cattle ranch days.
A long buffet, overloaded with food, lined one wall.
Tate had already piled his plate high. Annie followed suit and joined him near a window overlooking the grounds.
The sleet was still falling, blurring the view of the stables and the woods beyond.
Tate smiled warmly. “Should we say grace?”
“Yes, please.” Annie bowed her head.
“Lord, we thank You for the food we are about to eat, and ask You to bless the hands that prepared it. We also pray for Kayla’s family and loved ones, that they may know Your comfort and peace in this difficult time. Protect us and help us find justice and truth. Amen.”
Annie echoed the “Amen” and lifted her head to meet Tate’s eyes.
A familiar softness slid through her. This.
This was the Tate she’d come to know as a teen.
His kindness, his steadiness, and his faith drew her in.
It wasn’t a side he showed to everyone, and there’d been a time she’d felt special to be privy to it.
Later, after the prom, she’d wondered if any of it had been real.
Only time would reveal who Tate was now. Somehow, she had to get to know him again without letting her guard down. She’d forgiven him, and yes, she was open to trusting him, but she wouldn’t allow her heart to overrule her head. It would be a delicate balance.
Evan entered the dining room, a worried frown creasing his features. His gaze found her.
She stiffened. “What’s wrong?”
He came to a stop at their table. “Caleb’s missing. I left him in the media room an hour ago, and sometime after that he disappeared. No one has seen him since.”