Chapter 7 #3
He studied her face for a moment, and she wondered what he saw there. Was it the worry she was trying to hide about his surgery? The questions about the bracelet that she couldn’t stop turning over in her mind? Or the confusion about Robert’s sudden appearance and what it all meant?
“Jewel—”
“I’ll see you at your mom’s in a couple of hours. Drive safe,” she said, cutting him off before he could ask questions she didn’t want to answer.
He seemed like he wanted to say more, but Beckett was already demanding his attention, asking if they could stop for ice cream on the way, and the moment quickly passed.
She watched them drive away, his truck kicking up dust as it disappeared down the driveway, and felt the familiar weight of worry settle in her chest.
She grabbed her purse, with the bracelet still wrapped in cloth, and climbed into her car.
The drive to town took twenty minutes, with the road winding through stands of pine trees. The storm clouds were gathering more quickly now, and the air felt heavy with the promise of rain. But her mind wouldn’t stop spinning.
The bracelet had been in that office, hidden behind a loose board, wrapped in dark cloth, as if someone wanted to preserve it, as if they wanted it found but not damaged.
Conrad had been in that office all morning and hadn’t seen it. Which meant it had been placed there after he left. Someone had been there between the time Conrad left and when she started looking for Della’s bags.
Who had access to the barn office during that time? Cole was out leading a trail ride. Susan was at the house. Conrad and Sylvie were inside. That left a few hours when anyone could’ve slipped into the barn, planted the bracelet, and left unnoticed.
Robert might’ve been in town by then. He had the time and opportunity.
But did he have the bracelet?
That was the question that kept coming back.
How would Robert have gotten something that belonged to Vivian?
Something she wore regularly, something so personal.
Unless someone had given it to him. Maybe someone who knew about Vivian’s disappearance and wanted Cole to look guilty had provided him with exactly what he needed to drive a wedge between her and Cole.
But who? And why now, after all this time?
She turned onto Main Street, gripping the steering wheel tightly. The town was quiet, with only a few people walking along the sidewalks and a couple of cars parked outside the general store.
Her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
Hope you’re being careful out there. Small towns can be dangerous for people who don’t belong there. -R
She deleted it immediately and added the number to her block list. That was the fourth number Robert had texted from. He was clearly buying burner phones, finding ways around her attempts to cut off contact.
The manipulation was obvious—the hidden threat was meant to make her feel insecure and doubt her decision to stay in Otter Creek. But it was also working. She did feel unsafe. She felt like she was missing something, like pieces were moving on a board she couldn’t see.
She parked on Main Street, checking her phone. Two forty-five. She was early, which was fine. She could wander the shops, clear her head, and organize her thoughts before meeting Ashley.
The afternoon air grew cooler as the storm clouds thickened, bringing the smell of rain and ozone. She strolled past the antique shop, the bookstore, and the small gallery that showcased local art.
Her mind kept drifting to tomorrow. To Cole on the operating table. To Susan, fighting for her life, and to Beckett, waiting with Conrad and Sylvie, not understanding why the adults around him were so scared.
What if something went wrong? What if Cole didn’t wake up? What if she never got the chance to tell him?
Tell him what? That she was falling for him despite having every reason not to? That she wanted to believe he was innocent? That the thought of losing him made her chest tighten with a fear she didn’t want to examine too closely?
She pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand—the bracelet, Ashley, and finding answers.
And then, while she was trying to calm her racing thoughts and focus on what questions to ask and how to approach the conversation, she saw them.
Ashley was standing just outside the coffee shop where they were supposed to meet, but she wasn’t alone.
She was talking to Robert.
She stopped mid-step, her heart pounding against her ribs. They were too far away for her to hear what they were saying, but their body language was clear. Familiar. Like two people who knew each other, who had talked before.
Not like strangers making polite conversation. Like friends. Or co-conspirators.
Ashley laughed at something he said, touching his arm in that casual way people do when they’re comfortable with each other and have history.
He handed her what appeared to be a business card, and she slipped it into her purse with a smile. Not a polite, professional smile, but an authentic one. Warm and genuine.
Then he walked away, heading toward his BMW parked down the street, and Ashley pulled out her phone to check the time.
She stood frozen on the sidewalk, her mind trying to make sense of what she’d just seen.