“It’s fine,” Brooke said. “I’ll tell him.” She kept her tone even as she described the attack—the figure in darkclothes, the ski mask and dark glasses, the fighting, the hikers, everything.
“Can you describe the attacker’s build?” he asked.
“Tall. Maybe six feet? Big, strong.”
“Did he say anything? Make any sounds?”
“Nothing. Complete silence the entire time.”
“Where was Tyler Gillis today?”
“Really?” Steph shook her head.
Brooke blinked. “What? Why?”
“Tyler Gillis. Where was he?”
“At work. Why would you—”
“Someone attacks you on a trail, and you don’t think it’s relevant that you’ve been dating a man accused of murder?”
“That’s seriously inappropriate.” Steph’s voice held a note of warning.
Adam ignored her, his eyes fixed on Brooke. “You’ve been spending time together.”
“That’s not—” Brooke stopped herself.Stay calm. Stay polite. Don’t engage.“Tyler didn’t attack me. He was at work.”
“You sure about that? Because from where I’m standing, this looks like a pattern. Tyler’s connected to two dead women, one of them his own wife, and now someone attacks you right after you start dating him.”
“So we’re back to this again?” Brooke asked.
Steph took a step forward. “Deputy Boverman, I think you need to leave. Brooke’s been through enough without you making accusations.”
“I’m not making accusations. I’m doing my job.” Adam’s jaw was tight as he kept his focus on Brooke. “Someone attacked you. Don’t you want to know who?Don’t you want to consider the possibility that the man you’re defending isn’t who you think he is?”
Brooke looked at him, at the intensity in his eyes, the certainty. She was foolish to think he’d moved on from accusing Tyler. He sincerely believed he was dangerous, that he was somehow behind what happened today.
“Tyler didn’t do this.” She pressed her fingers to her temples.
“How do you know?”
“Because I know him.”
“You thought you knew Kelsey too.”
The room went silent. Even Steph looked shocked at the low blow.
Brooke felt something cold settle in her chest. “That’s not fair.”
“Fair?” Adam’s voice rose. “What’s not fair is that I’m trying to protect you and you won’t listen. What’s not fair is watching you make the same mistakes over and over—”
Steph stepped between Brooke and Adam. “This is inappropriate.”
“Doing my job is not inappropriate.”
“Let’s see what the sheriff thinks about the manner in which you are doing your job.”
Adam stared at Brooke for another long moment, then turned and left.
