Harbour Falls (A Harbour Falls Mystery #1)(82)

When I finally reached the cottage, I was a sweaty mess. I went in, showered, and changed clothes. Adam would be arriving soon, and I had to decide if I was going to share this new development with him. But there really was no choice; he had to be told that J.T. had been on the island burying something. But Adam would surely be upset with me. Not only had I not cooled it with the case, I’d put myself in danger, once again.





Later that evening, as I plated the eggplant Parmesan I’d reheated, the doorbell sounded. Wiping my hands on the apron I’d thrown on over my jeans and sweater, I hurried to the door and let Adam in.



He greeted me with a kiss that started out soft but soon deepened. Leaving me somewhat breathless, he pulled away way too soon for my liking. “Miss me?” Adam asked, his tone soft.

“More than you could imagine,” I replied.

His brow furrowed. “Is everything OK?”

I waved a hand dismissively. “We can talk while we eat,” I said. “Dinner’s on the table, and it will get cold.”

I was biding my time, waiting for an opportune time to bring up the day’s events. Now didn’t feel right.

We sat down to eat, and Adam talked of his business in Boston. He wasn’t pressing me to elaborate on my earlier comment, but he seemed to notice I was preoccupied.

Cutting into a piece of eggplant, he asked, “Maddy, are you with me here? You look like you haven’t heard a single word I’ve said.”

I looked up from my own plate, meeting his questioning gaze. “Um, not really.” I admitted. “It’s just that…”

Adam put down his fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Did something happen while I was away?”

I lifted a glass of water to my lips and took a long drink. Putting the glass down, I nodded. “Yeah, something did happen. When I was hiking down the access road over on the other side of the island, I saw some—”

“Jesus Christ,” Adam interrupted, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “What were you doing over there? You know it’s not safe to be traipsing around on that side of the island. Hell, it’s almost impossible to even get cell service over there.”

“Adam,” I said, huffing in indignation, even though everything he said was true. “Please.”

I rolled my eyes at him, and he replied sharply, “You couldn’t find anything else to occupy your time?”

“What like cooking?” I pushed my plate away, my appetite lost.

“What about writing, Madeleine?” Adam’s voice was harsh, cold. “That is what you’re here to do. Remember?”



Yeah, I remember, I thought, but I didn’t share with Adam all the second thoughts I’d had recently. Instead I said, “Look, I know you want me to take some kind of a break from the case, but I’m not going to sit around here locked up in this cottage all day like some kind of prisoner.”

“You’re hardly a prisoner,” Adam’s voice softened. “It’s just that anything could happen to you in those woods. If you fell or got hurt, we’d have a hell of a time even locating you.” Pausing, he added, “Did you at least tell Max where you were going?”

Uh-oh. He’d just settled down, and now he was going to be pissed all over again. And I hadn’t even gotten to the J.T. part yet.

I shook my head, staring at my plate of unfinished food. “Um, no, I didn’t tell anyone where I was going.”

Adam was silent, so I glanced up. His eyes held, not anger as I expected, but disappointment and sadness. I suddenly felt genuinely bad for being so foolhardy. “I’m sorry,” I said softly.

Adam reached over and covered my hand with his. “Don’t apologize, OK? I just worry when I’m not around to protect you. Next time,”—I was sure those words were killing him, because he knew there’d always be a next time with me—“just please tell Max.”

I took a deep, steadying breath. “I will, Adam, but, uh, there’s more.” He looked weary, so I added, “Promise me you won’t get angry when I tell you what else happened.”

“Just spit it out, Maddy.”

“Ok, uh,” I sputtered, “J.T. O’Brien was there today, in the woods on the other side of the island.” I cringed, dreading Adam’s reaction.

But instead of an angry outburst, he took a small drink of water and leaned back in his chair. “Do you really have so little regard for your own welfare?” He shook his head. In disappointment, I imagined.

“I never expected to see him out there,” I said in my defense. “Besides, he didn’t notice me. He was…preoccupied.”

“With what?”



“Digging, maybe burying something. He was covering the area with leaves, covering something up.” I raised an eyebrow of my own for emphasis. “That’s what I’ve wanted to tell you this whole time. I’m sure whatever J.T. was doing, he was up to no good.” I paused. “And I think we should find out what—”

“We, Madeleine?”

“Well, maybe not we,” I acquiesced. “But someone should check it out.”

“You’re right. O’Brien has no right trespassing over there. He’s well aware that side of the island is completely off-limits,” Adam said, clearly aggravated. “I’ll have Max take a look around. Do you think you could pinpoint the location for him?”