Page 26 of The Fragile Truth

“Nah, I just happened to see the movement out of the corner of my eye.”

A couple of hours later, they sat on a picnic blanket, eating the dinner that Sadie had assembled for them. A pleasant breeze ruffled their hair and clothes. Out here on the beach, Ian’s problems faded into the background, getting swept away by the roar of the waves. Ian finished off the last of his sandwich. “That was pretty good,” he said casually. “It doesn’t hold a candle to your lasagna, but it hit the spot.”

Pleasure overtook her features, polishing her cheekbones and brightening her chocolate eyes to warm toffee. “Thank you.” She took the last bite of her sandwich and crumpled her napkin. Ian helped her place the empty containers, paper plates, plastic silverware, and empty water bottles back into the basket.

He reclined back, propping himself up on his elbow. She did the same, angling to face him.

Being out here with Sadie was utter contentment. He was grateful that she enjoyed coming to the beach as much as he did. A memory surfaced of him and Lina. He took her to the beach, and all she did was complain about sand getting into her clothes and shoes. There were plenty of signs that should have alerted Ian to the fact that he and Lina were incompatible. His mother tried to warn him, as did Callie. However, Ian was too captivated by Lina to listen to anyone. He wondered what his mother and Callie would think of Sadie. They would like her, he decided.

“About your day, is everything okay?” The corners of her mouth turned down in concern. “I’m sure it was tough for you with Lina’s escape.”

He bunched his brows. “You don’t know the half of it. Remember how I told you that I met with the Chasings today?”

She nodded.

“It was dicey. Banks’s mother, Josette, placed the blame at my feet for letting Lina escape.” He heard the outrage in his own voice as the frustration of the morning pummeled over him.

“So, who is Banks?”

“Banks is the patriarch of the Chasing family. It was his father, Oliver Chasing, that started the hotel. Josette is Banks’s eighty-something-year-old mother. She was married to Oliver.”

A giggle bubbled in her throat. “Come on, Sheriff, it couldn’t have been all that bad to get a tongue-lashing from an old woman.” She gave his arm a playful jab. “Surely you’re tough enough to handle that.”

“You don’t know Josette,” he mumbled. “She’s a tough old woman. Meaner than a wet panther.”

Her eyes rounded. “Oh, wow. I guess you have had a rough day so far.” There wasn’t the slightest trace of guile in her voice.

“At least Madeline, Banks, and Talon Chasing could see the situation for what it is. They have enough sense to realize that Lina wasn’t in my custody. The judge put her on house arrest in Wilmington. Her escape falls on the head of Chief Mortenson and his crew.”

“Who’s Madeline?”

“She’s married to Banks. Madeline carries a lot of clout on the island. She runs the hotel along with Talon, who’s the manager.”

“And Talon was married to Lina?”

“Yes,” he said tonelessly. For so long, he’d viewed Talon as the enemy. Today, however, he felt a kinship with Talon. The man was a victim of Lina’s deceit, just as Ian was.

“Sorry to get you off track. You were talking about your meeting,” Sadie prompted.

“Oh, yeah.” He went ahead and gave her more backstory, so she could get the full scope of what had happened. “Lina and Talon were divorced when she disappeared.”

“Yes, I read about that in the article I mentioned. Also, we talked a little about it that night at the pizza place.”

“That’s right. Did you know that Talon fell in love with the interior designer who’s overseeing the hotel renovations?”

“Yes, I read that too. Her name is Effie Romeo. She’s the one Lina tried to murder.”

He chuckled. “You do know a lot about this.”

She grinned. “Like I told you, I researched the island before I moved here. News about the Chasings and Lina took centerstage. I mostly read about Talon, Effie, and Lina. That’s why I didn’t know who Talon’s parents were.”

“The Chasings are worried about Effie’s safety, now that Lina’s on the loose.”

“Makes sense. Lina was arrested for attempting to kill Effie.” She made a face. “Although one would think that Lina’s self-preservation would outweigh her need for revenge … or whatever motivation that caused her to go after Effie in the first place. If Lina were smart, she’d go someplace where no one could ever find her.”

“Yeah, one would think. But with Lina, you never know what she’ll do. The Chasings want me to provide around-the-clock protection for Effie.”

She made a face. “Do you have the resources for that?”