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“If it helps, we had a great time, and I had every intention of asking you out again.”

“Sure you did.” I turn away and study the butterflies.

“How about you give us some actual information,” Ryker demands. “We have two missing weeks and not a lot to go on.”

“I’ve kept the investigation off books because Mr. Prescott said there were people I couldn’t trust in the department. I wouldn’t have believed him at first, but after what happened to Mr. Prescott and then to Miss Swanson, I have to believe something is off. They’ve pinned the entire thing on her. The only reason they haven’t arrested her is because there is no physical evidence.”

“But for what? I don’t even remember anything!” I turn toward them and take a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m tired.”

“No apologies necessary,” Alec says. “I am looking into everyone in Mr. Prescott’s life right now. His friends, family, acquaintances. The only one with anything to gain is his attorney, Leon Smith.”

“Cheap suit?” Ryker asks.

Alec snorts. “Hardly. The guy’s left shoe costs more than my annual salary.”

So it wasn’t him visiting under a fake name.

“What do you have on him so far?” Ryker asks.

“Not much. Guy is untouchable.”

“For now,” Ryker adds. He reaches into his pocket and withdraws a business card. “Keep me updated.”

“Sure.” Alec reaches into his wallet and pulls out a card of his own. “If you do the same.”

“I haven’t decided if I trust you yet,” Ryker replies coldly. “If I decide that I do, then I’ll share.”

Alec chuckles. “Fair enough.” He turns to me. “Dahlia, I really am sorry. It was never my intention to hurt you, and clearly I didn’t do a good job protecting you. I thought you were safe at work, and obviously, I was wrong.”

Since I can’t bring myself to say anything even remotely helpful, I simply nod.

He turns and leaves, so I sit back on the green bench, a million thoughts running through my mind on replay.

Ryker takes a seat beside me, but doesn’t say a word. I can’t even tell him how grateful I am for the silence because I’m genuinely afraid that, if I open my mouth, I’m going to scream.

Chapter 15

Ryker

The moon is high overhead, the night clear as I stand on my back porch, the door open behind me. I’d briefly considered staying in a hotel tonight rather than driving all the way back to Stormwatch Landing, but should anything happen and I need backup, my team is the only one I trust.

Sawyer has been looking into Alec Ford, and so far, the guy is squeaky clean. A little arrogant, but solid in every other way. Good cop who graduated top of his class in the academy before being promoted to detective at the age of twenty-six, two years ago.

His greenness is likely one of the reasons Phillip Prescott chose him to watch over Dahlia.

But why?

That’s the one piece I can’t quite get to fit.

I’m hopeful that our visit to Pine Meadow tomorrow will offer better insight into what happened that night, though after what Parker said, I’m not overly hopeful they’ll give us much. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to arrest her on the spot.

Try being the key word there.

That is, if I even take her. Garrison offered to watch over her tomorrow if I want to leave her here, just in case. And it’s something I plan to discuss with her in the morning. She’d been far too tired tonight, and hadn’t said so much as three words on the drive back.

Something shifts behind me, a subtle movement that has me turning right as Dahlia steps into view, her eyes puffy.

“Hey,” she says.