Harbour Falls (A Harbour Falls Mystery #1)(63)

I thought about the folder containing the stock trade information and the old, yellowed newspaper clipping outlining the SEC investigation of Adam. Had he truly forgotten to lock that drawer? Or had he wanted to share his secrets with me, and that was the only way he knew how? We’d gone back and forth on the trust issue. Had he been testing me? Had I failed miserably, or had I actually, in some crazy way, passed? After all, he hadn’t kicked me off his island. No, it appeared Adam wanted me to know, wanted to keep me close. The phrase “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” came to mind. The only thing was that I was not the enemy. And I hope Adam knew that.

The doorbell sounded, and I raced to answer it. It was a little after seven, but I’d been up for two hours, waiting for Adam to arrive.

And now he was here, all dressed for business in black tailored pants, a crisp white dress shirt, dark tie, and black shoes. “You look nice,” I said lamely as I stepped aside so he could come in.

Adam’s eyes traveled over the charcoal-gray leggings, black tunic-style sweater, and Chucks I’d thrown on after showering. “And you look…comfortable,” he replied. A smile played at the corners of his mouth, and I started to believe we might just be able to work this out. Maybe he’d forgive me after all.

We walked into the living room, but neither of us sat. Adam spoke first, “There’s no point in pretending, Maddy. We both know what you found in that drawer.”

I dared to meet his gaze, expecting fury, but instead he just looked tired. He sighed. “No more games, OK? There’s one thing you have yet to ask. So just get it over with, ask me.”

“Are you serious?” My voice was incredulous. I hadn’t expected this.

Adam’s eyes, dark as cobalt today, met mine. “Deadly,” he replied coolly.

“OK.” I drew in a deep, calming breath. “Did you trade on insider information?”

“Yes, I did.”

My heart skipped a beat. Good Lord, what other illegal things had Adam done? He does have that gun.

I shook away those thoughts and spoke quickly, “And Chelsea somehow found out about it? That was what she was using to blackmail you, right?”

He nodded. “Yes, that was it.”

“But I don’t understand,” I said. “Why would you ever trust someone like her with something so important?”

“I didn’t tell her, Madeleine,” Adam replied, irritation creeping into his voice. “Chelsea was the one who gave me the insider information.”

“You’re kidding,” I murmured, astounded. “How did someone like her come across information like that?”

Adam loosened his tie and sat down on the arm of the sofa. “Chelsea overheard her father talking on the phone to a business associate about the impending buyout. I have no idea how he’d obtained that kind of information, but I can only imagine. Anyway Mr. Hannigan, wisely, never acted on the tip.”

“But you did.”



“Yes, Maddy, I did. I made a f*ckload of money in a very short time. But I also brought a lot of unwanted attention to myself. I regretted it, but it was too late to undo it.”

“Did she encourage you to make that trade, Adam?” I asked, taking a hesitant step closer to him. I longed to comfort him in some way. But would my overture be welcome?

Adam closed his eyes, his beautiful features pained. “It doesn’t matter. I ultimately made my own decision.”

“Why would she use it to blackmail you though?”

“My relationship with her had degraded into one of habit, I guess. We certainly didn’t love one another anymore, but every time I tried to break up with her, she threatened me. It seemed the more I didn’t want her, the more she held on.” Adam was quiet for a moment—reflective, maybe—and then he continued, “When I caught her with J.T. O’Brien, I told her that was the final straw. But she said she’d never let me go. She said she’d rather see me in prison than with someone else. She wanted to get engaged, and she threatened to go to the SEC and offer her testimony against me if I refused.”

“God, Adam, I’m sorry.” I reached for his hand.

Adam caught my hand and lifted it to his lips. “Don’t feel sorry for me.” He ghosted a single kiss across my knuckles. “My mistake was in listening to her in the first place.”

I squeezed his hand to reassure him, but his face grew somber. “The irony is that Chelsea may not have sent me to jail, but after she was gone, I ended up in a different kind of prison—one with walls of suspicion and doubt.”

“Oh, Adam,” I whispered, my voice pained.

“It doesn’t bother you?” His eyes searched mine. “Knowing these things about me?”

I wasn’t about to hold something he’d done years earlier against him. Chelsea had tempted him with the prospect of easy money, and he’d been young and rash. I secretly wondered if she’d done it on purpose in an effort to trap him. After all, he had ended up paying a high price for his actions.

Adam cleared his throat. “Maddy?” he asked, awaiting my response.



“No,” I answered honestly. “It doesn’t bother me.”

It didn’t seem possible, but his expression grew even more somber. With a grave tone, he stated, “This is a one-time discussion. It’s not something I ever speak of, and I expect it to stay that way.”