Page 40 of The Fragile Truth
In essence, killing Vince out of rage caused her to become the very thing she loathed. Yes, Vince was gone and could no longer hurt the innocent. But killing him was like pulling out a single weed and hoping that a dozen more wouldn’t grow back the next day. While Sadie was rotting in prison, Brent died. Had she been free, she could have helped him.
The last time Sadie saw Brent was when he came to visit her in prison. They spoke through a glass partition using telephones. Both shed tears. Brent told Sadie that while he couldn’t condone her actions, he understood what prompted her to do it. She told him she was proud of the man he’d become. Brent mentioned that he was working on something that could put him on the map. When she pressed him for details, he gave her an ambiguous smile saying that all would be revealed in time.
I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.
Her hands were aching. She looked down at her lap, realizing it was because she was clasping them so tightly. She released her grip, willing herself to relax as she glanced at the closed door of Talon’s office. Ian had left her sitting in a chair in the hall while he went in to talk to Talon. Ian wanted to present the idea of her coming onboard to Talon first rather than her going into the office with him.
As Sadie and Ian were taking the ferry over to the island, Callie called to let Ian know that Sadie’s story checked out. Ian settled down a bit after that, but Sadie could tell that he didn’t trust her. She couldn’t blame him. Ian had been betrayed by Lina Chasing, and now he felt like Sadie had betrayed him also. She’d not meant to hurt Ian. She had no way of knowing, initially, that Ian was innocent. Even now, she had no proof that he wasn’tThe Shadow. All she had to go on was her intuition. Ian was a good man. She trusted him. Her biggest wish was that he could find it in himself to extend the same courtesy to her. He had to know deep down that her intentions were good.
Sadie never meant to fall for Ian. And yet, it happened. A smile tipped her lips as an image of Ian’s piercing blue eyes flashed through her brain. How could she not fall for him?
More than anything, Sadie wanted to leave the ugliness of the past behind. Reading in the Bible about how Simon became Peter to denote his spiritual transformation gave Robyn the impetus to become Sadie Thomas. She no longer thought of herself as Robyn, but as Sadie. Robyn took the life of another and became filled with hatred and regret. Sadie had a clean slate with the potential to build a new life.
And yet, the past had caught up with her. Ian no longer looked at her through eyes of tenderness but with suspicion. Sadie had calculated the risk of coming here to uncover the mystery behind Brent’s death. A part of her had been tempted to just walk away, but she couldn’t. She owed it to Brent to find out what happened to him. Only then would she truly be free to live her life.
Sadie startled when the door opened and Ian stuck his head out, motioning for her to come inside. She arose and went into the office.
Talon was sitting behind a handsome wood desk. “Have a seat,” he directed.
Sadie sat down in the chair adjacent to the wall as Ian took the seat beside her. She scooted to the edge of the chair with her back straight.
“Thank you again for saving Effie. Ian explained how he brought you in on a special assignment.” His voice caught. “Had you not been nearby today …” He furrowed his brows, shaking his head.
“Talon is on board with our plan,” Ian inserted, his voice brusque and businesslike.
“Good,” Sadie answered in a tone that matched his.
“Here’s how it will work,” Ian continued. “Effie is living at the hotel during the renovation. Talon has hired a private security team to watch her around the clock, so there will be no need to enlist the help of my deputies. There’s no way to keep the bodyguards from attracting attention. You, however, will pose as Banks and Madeline’s personal chef. This cover will allow you to move about freely and to see things that the bodyguards may not. The idea is that you will be able to keep a pulse on the happenings of the island, keeping us apprised of any information that could lead to Lina’s capture.”
“Got it,” Sadie clipped. What Ian wasn’t disclosing to Talon was that Sadie was also going to investigate the Chasings and the Laramies to see if they had any connections to The Gorham Treasure. Even Talon would be under scrutiny, although Ian felt sure that he was innocent. From what Sadie could tell, she concurred. Talon seemed like a good guy whose primary interest was keeping Effie safe. “When do I start?”
“Today.” Talon reached for the headset of his office phone. “As soon as I convince my mother and father to let you work for them.”
Sadie felt her eyes widen. “Do you think they’ll go for it?”
“I guess we’re about to find out,” Talon said and then turned his attention to the phone call. “Hey, Mom. Sheriff Russell is here. We’ve come up with a plan to keep Effie safe. I’d like to meet in the conference room to discuss it.” He frowned. “Is that really necessary?” Annoyance flashed over his face. “Fine. Let’s meet in fifteen minutes. I’ll call Effie and have her join us.”
“Everything okay?” Ian asked when Talon hung up the phone.
Talon pushed out a breath. “Yeah, my grandmother was in Mom’s office. She’ll be joining us.”
The pained look on Ian’s face caused a startled giggle to rise in Sadie’s throat. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Yes!” both Ian and Talon exclaimed simultaneously.
“O—kay,” Sadie said, not sure what to think.
“My grandmother could make an assassin cry,” Talon explained.
“He’s not kidding,” Ian muttered.
Thirty-five minutes later, Sadie understood exactly what Ian and Talon were talking about.
The veins in Josette Chasing’s neck protruded from her papery skin like roots of a tree as she fixed Sadie with an icy glare. “Just what makes you think you have the qualifications to keep Effie safe?”
Sadie swallowed as she looked to Ian for help. She had no idea how much of her background she should divulge.
“Sadie has a long history in law enforcement,” Ian said in a controlled, authoritative tone. “She’s highly skilled in detective work, which is why I brought her in.”