Page 21 of The Fragile Truth
“I knew it was a mistake for that judge to let Lina out on house arrest,” Banks growled.
“Amen,” Ian muttered.
Surprise flickered over Banks’s face, and he looked at Ian with a trace of understanding.
“You said someone disabled Lina’s ankle monitor,” Talon inserted, “meaning that someone helped Lina escape.” He cast a worried glance at Effie. The tenderness passing between them cut at Ian. Talon was smart to be concerned about Effie’s safety. Lina would be out for blood. Or maybe not. Maybe she would flee to some remote part of the world and live out the rest of her life in obscurity. That’s what any sane person would do that had the law breathing down their neck. Then again, Lina wasn’t sane. She was a psychopath.
Ian jerked, realizing all eyes were on him, expecting an answer. He scrambled to remember what point Talon had brought up. It was about someone helping Lina escape. This thing with Lina was personal. His brain was muddled, but he needed to sharpen it so he could be at the top of his game. More than anything, he needed time to sort through everything so he could devise a plan to keep Effie safe. “Yes, from what the detectives can gather, Lina would have had help. It would be someone who has a knowledge of how ankle monitors work. It’s a sophisticated set-up, not something that’s easily disabled.”
Banks spoke, “Possibly the same person who paid her million-dollar bail.”
“That’s my theory,” Ian answered, looking Banks in the eye. “Were you ever able to trace the origin of the money?”
Banks’s lips compressed into tight lines. “No,” he muttered. “The trail led to a dummy corp. Someone is good at covering tracks.”
Everything that Banks was saying was what Ian had already heard through the grapevine. Having disappeared once, Lina was deemed a flight risk, which is why her bail was set at one million dollars. In the judge’s defense, it’s possible that he figured no one would come forward with that amount of money. Due to Lina’s history, no company would post a bail bond. Then, a man by the name of Roger Smith came forward and paid the entire one-million-dollar bail. Banks Chasing hired a detective to investigate. Roger Smith disappeared, and it was discovered that the money was tied to a dummy corp.
“The important question here is … how do you plan to fix this mess?” Josette asserted in a scratchy voice.
The frog in Josette’s throat prompted Ian to clear his own. “As much as I would like to hunt Lina down, there are limits to my authority. As sheriff, my main priority must be to keep the citizens of Summerhaven and Honeysuckle Island safe from any threats.”
“My main concern is keeping Effie safe,” Talon interjected, sliding an arm around Effie’s shoulders.
“Exactly,” Ian agreed. “We’ll put Effie on around-the-clock protection until Lina is caught.” With the recent cutbacks, it would be hard to pull deputies from their regular assignments and have them watch Effie 24/7, but Ian was willing to go to any lengths to protect this family from Lina.
Talon nodded. “Good idea.”
“No,” Effie blurted.
All eyes turned to her in surprise.
She lifted her chin, her dark eyes blazing as she looked around the table. “My family is in town for my birthday. I plan on spending as much time with them as I can. We’re going to church together this morning, and then Talon and I are taking them on a tour of the island.” Her gaze settled on Talon. “Lina has done enough damage to you to last ten lifetimes. She tried to kill me.” Her voice quivered with intensity. “I’ll not have her ruin this time with my family. There’s strength in numbers. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“I get where you’re coming from,” Talon countered, “but we’re dealing with a cold-blooded murderer here.” His eyes widened. “Like you just said, Lina tried to kill you once. Who’s to say she won’t try again?”
“My brother, Ramsey, will be here through Wednesday.” Effie turned her attention to Ian as she explained, “He’s a retired Navy SEAL and works in personal security. Ramsey is perfectly capable of protecting me while he’s on the island. After that, we can revisit the topic of me having police protection.”
“Not just revisit the topic,” Talon argued. “The minute Ramsey leaves the island, Effie will need protection.” He cocked his head as he turned to Effie. “Here’s a thought. Maybe you could talk Ramsey into staying longer.”
“No, I couldn’t ask him to do that. It was a big sacrifice for Ramsey, Hartley, and Cash to break away from the tour and come here for my birthday. They have to keep up with their tour schedule.”
Ian had no idea who Ramsey was … or any of the other people Effie was talking about. It must’ve shown on his face because Talon jumped in to explain. “Effie’s brother is Cash Romeo.”
“You mean Cash Romeo, the country music singer?” Ian asked, his jaw dropping.
“Yes,” Talon answered.
“Oh, wow. I had no idea you were related to Cash Romeo.” His brain raced to put the pieces together. “You’re telling me that Cash Romeo and Hartley Raines are here on the island?” Of all the times for Lina to escape! Having celebrities here would add another layer of difficulty to an already tense situation. It was a powder keg, waiting to blow. Ian was sure to get the blame for anything that went wrong.
“They’re staying at the hotel,” Madeline supplied. “Effie’s family flew in for her birthday. We had a celebration last night.” She gave Ian a pointed look. “I don’t have to tell you the importance of keeping this under wraps. We don’t want a horde of crazed fans storming the hotel.”
“Understood,” Ian clipped, mildly offended that Madeline felt the need to admonish him to keep quiet about Cash and Hartley’s presence on the island. Ian was a professional, after all. His job depended on him keeping a tight lid on confidential information.
“Why don’t we just hire Effie a bodyguard?” Madeline suggested. “I’m sure Casey will have suggestions for someone we can trust.”
Banks frowned. “Speaking of Casey. Where is he? He should be in this meeting.”
Casey Wilcock was head of security for The Oliver Hotel. Ian had never been overly impressed with the middle-aged, balding man. Casey struck him as aYes Manwho had gotten comfortable drawing a fat check rather than taking all the necessary precautions to ensure that The Oliver had topnotch security. However, Madeline Chasing seemed to think the man was the be-all and end-all. Maybe Casey Wilcock did more behind the scenes than Ian realized.