Page 47 of The Fragile Truth

“Believe it or not, I understand why you did what you did—both about shooting Vince and pretending to be someone else.” He paused. “And I do forgive you,” he added quietly. His eyes snapped with a rigid determination. “But that doesn’t mean that I trust you.”

She thrust out her chin, his voice ringing hollow in her ears. It didn’t matter that she’d changed her name or that she was trying to reshape her life into something better. In Ian’s eyes, she would always be damaged goods. A river of rage and regret stormed through her, making her tremble all over. “I wasn’t talking about forgiving me.” She paused, noting the surprise that flashed over him. “I was talking about forgiving yourself.”

He pressed his lips together, his voice dull when he spoke. “We need to talk about the car you saw. I’ll need to question the neighbors. Get one of my deputies over here to keep watch over—”

“Don’t bother,” she cut in. A wall of tears pressed against her eyes. It would be a matter of minutes before they came gushing out. She didn’t want Ian to see her fall apart. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Her throat closed as she coughed. “I did in prison, and I can do so now.”

“Sadie,” he began, his voice beseeching.

She held up a hand. “Don’t! You know your way out.” The last thing she wanted was his pity.

They locked eyes as several seconds crawled by. Then, Ian’s shoulders sagged. His jaw hard, he nodded as he strode out, slamming the door behind him.

“I guess that’s that,” Sadie harrumphed as she broke into tears.

14

Aweek and a day later, Ian was sitting at his desk when Callie came rushing in. “Boss, Chief Mortenson’s assistant just called. They got a bite on the hotline. A farmer called in, claiming to have seen a woman he believes to be Lina. Get this, the guy saw Lina and her companion at a gas station. As he was pumping gas, he noticed that their back tire was low, so he mentioned it to the guy. The farmer was visiting relatives in Tennessee and happened to see a news report offering a fifty-thousand-dollar reward for information on Lina, so he called in.”

Adrenaline buzzed through Ian as he sat up in his seat. “Is it a viable lead?” Whenever an award was offered, droves of bogus tips came in. The hard part was sifting through the garbage to determine if there were any nuggets of truth.

“According to Viola, the chief’s assistant, the farmer is a reputable man. Tomorrow, when he gets back from his trip, they’re asking him to report to the nearest police department so he can work with a sketch artist.”

“Why are they waiting a day? Why not go ahead and get him to go to an office in Tennessee?”

“The guy’s on the road today, heading back with his family.” Callie tipped her head. “Also, it would make sense for him to report to an office close to where he spotted Lina.”

“Where’s the farmer from?”

She gave him a meaningful look. “Boyd Springs, North Carolina.”

His breath caught. “So, Lina never left North Carolina.”

“That’s the assumption.”

“The day the farmer claims to have seen Lina is the day after she escaped. There was a heavy rainstorm. The farmer mentioned it.” She paused, her next words carrying significance. “It’s possible that Lina and her companion were headed to a cabin in the woods.”

Ian picked up a pencil and tapped the eraser absently against his desk. “There are lots of places to hide in those hills.”

“The US Marshalls and the local law enforcement in Boyd Springs are gearing up for the search. They want the farmer to come in for questioning and work with the sketch artist before they pull the trigger. Resources are valuable, and they can’t run the risk of following a bogus tip.”

“I understand that.”

Callie folded into one of the chairs in front of Ian’s desk. She studied him with shrewd eyes. “How are things with you and your lady?”

His spine went ramrod straight. “Sadie is not my lady.”

A knowing smile curved her lips. “You can deny it all you want, but you’ve been moping around here like a butt-whipped dog all week.” She raised an eyebrow. “You want my advice?”

“Not really,” he grunted.

She ignored him, pushing forward. “There are no perfect people in this world. But if you’re lucky, you can find the perfect person for you.”

“Sadie Thomas is not that person.”

“Maybe not, but Robyn Allen certainly seems to be.” Her eyes sparked with intensity. “I read up on her. She was a good detective. Closed lots of cases.” Disgust wrapped Callie’s features. “Vince Romano was the worst sort of criminal. I would have shot him myself if I’d been in her shoes.”

Ian put the pencil down and sat back in his seat. “Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I can’t afford to be wrong. If Sadie had come forward from the beginning and told me the truth, then maybe we could—”