“Aly, we thought you’d know best how to approach them,” Sam said, her voice soft.She still hadn’t looked up.“What would feel like an ambush.Who she’d be the most comfortable confiding in.Maybe you could ask Jill?”
Aly flicked a glance at Landon.She clearly didn’t want to mention that Jill hadn’t been responding to her calls or texts.
“I think… I think the answer is obvious.”
Landon braced himself for Aly suggesting herself, alone, and he’d be damned ifthatwas going to happen.But she surprised him.“Cal.”
*
Cal shifted inhis seat.Yeah, he’d had a bad feeling that was where Aly would land.He had a bad feeling it was the only real answer.
Glenda still probably wouldn’t confess anything she didn’t want to, but if she was going to… for whatever reason, she seemed to let him in more than anyone.No matter how much he wished she wouldn’t.
Before Cal could decide what to say, Nate was charging into the conversation, like he had a say.
“Not alone,” Nate said.“Not with these threats against him.Cal’s got to have someone with him at all times.Me or… Jake.”He added the last name on with a grimace.“Which one’s best?”
“Wait.I’m on that list too,” Sam said.
For the first time, she looked up to glare at Nate.She finally looked like… well, Sam, instead of that fragile version that had been masquerading as her since Cal and Jake had met Nate and Sam at Honor’s Edge.
It was almost a relief.“One of the investigators or the detective should go with him.I’m in that group.”She looked stubbornly at Aly.“Cal plus me, Nate, or Jake.What do you think?”
Aly surveyed the three people.She was clearly taking the question very seriously and certainly taking her time.Cal took a big drink of the coffee even though it had gone cold.
He hadn’t slept.By the time they’d gotten back, Nate and Sam had been waiting with Sam’s news.They’d all decided to come out here together.He felt revved, wired, but certainly not clear-headed enough to face down Glenda.
Too bad, he supposed.
“I… think Sam would be the best option,” Aly said after really taking her time to consider it.
Nate made a rude noise.
“It’s just… definitely not Detective Hayes, I’m sorry,” Aly said, throwing the apology toward Jake.“When you questioned her over the trial, she didn’t give anything, really, until Cal was involved.”
“He’ll be involved now,” Jake pointed out.
Aly nodded.“Yes, but… I think you’d be too intimidating.You could arrest people if it came to that, and hopefully it doesn’t, but it should be Nate or Sam, and if we’re going by people she’s said things to… Sam edges out Nate.”
“Why?”Nate demanded.
“Because at the wedding, she told Sam some secrets were sacred.It was admitting therearesecrets.It’s closer than most of us have gotten.”
“It was more warning than admission,” Sam muttered.
“And we didn’t take the warning, did we?”Aly replied.
Chapter Thirty
The Harrington Cabin
It was early,still dark out, but Jill couldn’t seem to fall back asleep.
She was going to have to deal with Aly today.She was going to have to… do something.Bring Sam and Nate up here to talk to Grandma?Involve the detective?Of course, no crime had been committed.
Well, that sheknewof.That was the problem.She didn’t want to keep pressing, but she knew something had to break, some truth had to emerge.Maybe Grandma spoke a few words now, but these secrets were keeping her locked in some kind of mental cage.Maybe she was too afraid to break out of it, but Jill thought the only way to heal was to do exactly that.
Sometimes things had to break to mend.
