On the bench, Jo scooted away a few inches. Understandable. She’d struggled with trust issues, and he hadn’t made it easy for her to trust him, even after saving her life today. The color returned to her cheeks and lips. Good, at least her outrage at his sudden unexplained appearance was causing the blood to flow.
“Were youfollowingme?” Fire erupted in her eyes. Fire and fear. “Because I had the feeling I was being followed. I mean, I know I get that a lot. But you know why.”
Seeing the pure confusion in her eyes cut through him. He wanted to reassure her, but he couldn’t have this conversation in front of witnesses, some with their camera phones out. “Some privacy, please?” He glared at the onlookers.
“No, Jo.” He lowered his voice so only she could hear. “It’s not like that. I wasn’t following you as in stalking you.”
Then he turned her away from the cameras, and they both faced the windows looking out over the water. Her eyes grew even wider as though she finally got it. “Cameras. Oh no...”
Exactly. What if the videos went viral? What if the wrong person saw them? She’d been hiding at Cedar Trails Lodge in Hidden Bay for years now.
Shivering, she hung her head. “I shouldn’t have come here.”
And that was the whole reasonhewas here. He’d come to try to end her need to hide, if she would allow that. “Let’s get you out of here and just get through what comes next as quickly as possible. I promise, I’ll explain everything.”I just have to figure out how.
“I haven’t seen you in months, and you just show up...”
To pull her from a sinking car.
Again, he leaned in, whispering in her ear. “I can’t stress how important it is to keep your head down and not say too much in front of the world.”
Because right now, the world was watching as the images filled up social media and either died or grew viral or appeared on the evening news. With her wet hair, pale features, and dark circles under her eyes, she didn’t look like herself right now. Good. That could work to her advantage. At some point, her name would be attached to the images. Maybe even her current address.
Cole hoped that Jo wouldn’t push him away before he got the chance to explain. In the meantime, they watched through the window as theChimacumslowed on approach to the ferry terminal. Law enforcement vehicles were already waiting. He wasn’t sure what jurisdiction this murder on a ferry would fall under in the tangle of law enforcement entities—Coast Guard, Washington State Police, King County or Seattle PD, or Harbor Patrol—none of this was good for a woman who’d been hiding from danger.
His insides twisted up at the thought of Jo having to answer their questions. Exposing the truth of who she was andwhereshe was hiding to even one more person was dangerous for her.
Cole tugged her closer to keep her warm and was relievedwhen she didn’t pull away. Honestly, he needed that extra heat too. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be all right.”
But he feared the opposite was true. Regardless, he would do everything in his power to protect her.
Her lack of response troubled him. What was she thinking? What wouldanyonethink after what she’d just been through?
The ferry docked, and authorities from the Washington State Police confined everyone to the vessel. Passengers were upset but understanding. A murderer needed to be caught. Evidence gathered. Passengers questioned. What a nightmare to be kept on a ferry because of someone else’s crimes when you had places to go and people to see.
Jo and, fortunately, Cole—because she’d insisted—were transported to the state police offices in Seattle. She’d also insisted that someone retrieve her cell phone from her vehicle. They’d been questioned separately, and Cole had explained to Detective Hargrove his reasons for being in the boat chasing after the ferry. Hiding anything would only create suspicion and ignite questions later, and he hoped to secure an ally—someone he could work with in protecting Jo. She might not realize it yet, but hiding in Hidden Bay, working at the Cedar Trails Lodge, was no longer good enough.
Three hours later, an officer took Cole and Jo back to Cole’s rented vehicle—a black Yukon—parked at the ferry station. Her vehicle had been offloaded from the ferry and remained at the Bremerton ferry station. Offloading it here would have been too complicated. She’d need to pick it up at Bremerton. That had been the destination to begin with.
“I know you don’t want to talk about this anymore,” he said. “But I don’t know what happened.” She hadn’t shared the details on the ferry because too many people werewatching, then she’d been separated from Cole to give her statement to the detective. “And I need the details.”
He expected her to ask why, but she started right in. “I saw him standing over the guy, the body was ... um ... it slid down the car...” Her voice grew thick with emotion as she shared the entire sordid story, even the part he knew. It was surreal hearing his rescue from her point of view.
“I didn’t get a look at his face,” she said, “but I drew the eyes for them.”
She showed him a copy of the image. “I get it now, from the other side.”
“The other side?”
“When victims of a crime are asked to describe their attacker, sometimes they can’t remember much, but they always remember the eyes.” She turned away and swiped at her cheek.
Oh,Jo.His heart ached for her. He looked at the sketch. Dark eyes that were filled with hatred. Just so much detail. How could she have seen so much and yet missed the rest of his face? The sketch of eyes peering out from beneath a rain jacket hood. He suspected that, in that moment of desperation, believing she was going to die, that image had etched into her mind forever.
He could barely swallow as he took in the sketch. Cole had seen a lot in his life, so his reaction to this surprised him, but then again, this had happened to Jo. The images bombarded him again. The sinking car, then Jo’s face and hands pressed against the window as the cab filled with water.
She blinked, clearing the unshed tears. “If you hadn’t been there, I probably would have died. You saved my life, Cole. Thank you.”
His heart beat a little faster at her gratitude. “I guess that makes us even. You saved my life on the beach that day.”
