Page 6 of Deadly Sins: Lust

“The police commissioner just called. A couple of officers found her.”

His voice cracked as he spoke. My “Oh Shit” radar was officially up.

“Where? Is she okay?”

“Facedown in a lagoon, Sloane. She’s dead.”

CHAPTER 5

Dead. A word I hadn’t expected. It didn’t seem real, and yet it was. Nick was at the airport, waiting to board a plane to Sydney, which would then transfer him to Cairns.

“What can I do?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Nick said. “There’s nothing anyone can do for her now.”

The line went silent. He was gone. I put the phone down and glanced at Cade. “Nick’s wife is dead.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t think he knows much yet. The police told him they found her in the lagoon.”

“Drowned?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. He didn’t say.”

I did a search of the lagoon on my phone. “Says here it’s only five feet deep at its deepest. Even if she’d been drinking, she would have been able to keep her head above water, right? Without more details, it’s hard to know what happened.”

“You should go.”

“What?”

Cade ran a hand along his jawline. “I have an idea of how Nick is feelin’ right now. He’s a mess, Sloane. Probably will be for some time. He’ll need a friend.”

Cade was the most trusting, compassionate man I’d ever known. Sometimes I felt unworthy of him. “Are you sure you don’t mind me leaving?”

“You haven’t taken a case for months. It’ll be good for you. When you get back, I’ll be here, and we can talk about where we want to go.”

“Where we want togo?”

“I received an offer on the house this mornin’. It’s a good one. I’d like to accept it, if you don’t have any objections.”

“It’s your house, Cade. You should do whatever you think is best.”

“It’sourhouse. Your opinion matters.”

“I’m fine with accepting the offer if you are.”

“Good. I’ll get the ball rollin’.”

We’d discussed where we might want to relocate once the house sold, but we never settled on anything. The plates of my life were all spinning. In a few short hours, everything had changed.

CHAPTER 6

I decided to video chat with my closest friend Maddie, medical examiner and fellow friend of Nick’s.

When the video connected, she said, “Wow, you look different. I like the caramel highlights in your hair.”

I didn’t look different. Not really. I’d added a few simple chunks of color. Otherwise, my hair was still the same short, dark pixie cut I’d had for years, but recently I’d ditched the curling iron, replacing it with a soft, wavy, not-so-perfect, natural look. It accentuated my oversized doe eyes nicely.