Page 8 of The Fragile Truth

“You must have a close connection with the people who live in your town.”

“I do. Sometimes that can be good.” He paused. “Other times, it can be stifling.”

She nodded in understanding. “I’m sure it gets old to constantly be in the limelight.”

He winced. “Yep, it does. People watch and judge everything I do.” Having grown up in Summerhaven, Ian was used to living in a small town where everybody was in his business 24/7. He’d never minded it that much until all the craziness with Lina had started.

“Do you have a good staff?”

“An excellent staff. Callie, my office manager, is a champ.” He chuckled. “She’s a tiny little thing with short, steel-gray hair—a mother of four grown boys. She keeps me and the deputies on our toes. I’d rather face down a band of hardened criminals rather than be on the receiving end of her wrath.” A wry grin pulled at his lips. “After a few hits with her snake-fangled tongue, even the toughest codger will toe the line from then on. My deputies love her to pieces, and yet, they’re petrified of her.”

“It sounds like you and your group are close.”

“We are.”

Her voice grew contemplative. “You must feel a strong sense of responsibility for your deputies.”

“I do.” A pang of sadness went through him as he thought about Brent. Would he ever find out what happened to him? So many questions haunted him. Why didn’t Brent tell him what was happening with Lina? Why did he agree to go alone with her to the lighthouse that night? Ian and some of the other deputies could have gone along for backup, and Brent might still be alive. Or was he even dead? All of this was according to Lina, and she couldn’t be trusted. Logic would dictate that Brent was gone. He was a solid guy. Not the type to just up and disappear. Then again, Ian had been wrong about Lina. He could be wrong about Brent. There was a time when he thought his judgment was spot-on. Now, he was unsure of everything. Realizing Sadie was studying him, he jerked out of his thoughts.

“Are you okay?” Concern flicked over her features.

He forced a smile as he reached for a napkin and began fiddling with it. “Yeah.”

She eyed him like she wasn’t convinced.

Did he want to open up to Sadie about Brent? Not really. The date was going so well. Ian didn’t want to put a damper on things.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

He released the napkin with a heavy sigh as he compiled his thoughts. “Roughly a year ago, one of my deputies disappeared.”

Her eyes widened. “What happened?”

His mind did a quick sift through of what he could divulge. Oh, who was he kidding? He didn’t know any more than what had been released to the public. “From what I gather, one of the residents of the island was supposedly being blackmailed and asked Brent for help. The blackmailer demanded that the woman go to the Pembrooke Lighthouse at midnight. Brent accompanied her. According to the woman, shots were fired, and Brent went down. The woman escaped by running through the marsh and getting into a boat.”

“How terrible,” Sadie uttered, her hand encircling her neck.

“The woman remained missing for a year. She recently surfaced.”

Understanding dinged on her expression. “You’re talking about Lina Chasing.”

“Yes,” he said flatly.

“I read about her. She was married to Talon Chasing, the manager of The Oliver Hotel.”

He nodded, clenching his teeth.

Sadie continued, “Weren’t Talon and Lina divorced when she disappeared?”

“They were.”

Her expression grew thoughtful, and then she started blinking fast. “The article I read said that Lina had been involved with the local sheriff before marrying Talon Chasing. Are you that sheriff?”

Invisible bands encircled his chest. “I am,” he admitted gruffly. There seemed to be no escaping his association with Lina. Here’s where the date would end, and Sadie would stay as far away from him as she could get.

“Wow,” she uttered. “That must’ve been tough for you when she disappeared. And then to have her resurface and try to kill that girl.”

“Yeah.” He tried to get a read on Sadie’s expression. What was she feeling? Shock? Fear? He hated how dirty his association with Lina made him feel. Ian wasn’t responsible for her actions, and yet, she’d tainted him.