“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.
