Harbour Falls (A Harbour Falls Mystery #1)(97)

Adam had been so aggressive before, and I really liked that version of him. I wanted him to be that way again, but ever since my meltdown following the night Julian had stayed, it felt as if Adam was holding back. Did he think I was too fragile? That I wanted space? He couldn’t have been more wrong. Because with everything going on, the one thing I craved was to feel even closer to him.



Feeling defeated, I didn’t even bother to change into my pajamas. Instead I tugged at the comforter beneath me, cocooning it around me as I scooted back to lie among the sea of pillows. That was me, adrift in Adam’s bed. How had things gotten so crazy? Jimmy murdered in cold blood; Ami vanishing without a trace. And I was linked to both.

It was only a matter of time before the police would seek me out to discuss Ami’s sudden disappearance. I mean, come on, who had she been on her way to visit? Only the prime suspect in the murder of a local bartender. Not a good position to find oneself in.

I buried my face in a pillow, suppressing a scream of frustration. Choking back a sob, my thoughts turned to the interrogation I’d undergone in Harbourtown. Detective Mitchell didn’t seem as if he really believed I was capable of murdering Jimmy. But he surely suspected—correctly—that I was withholding information. On the other hand, Detective Crowley was all set to send me up the river. I imagined him, at this very moment, working overtime to build a case against me. Maybe he liked and respected my dad, but he sure as hell didn’t care for me.

I knew the thing my father had said about being honest with the detectives was sound advice, but I was resistant to confessing all I was hiding. Sure I could come clean and tell the detectives everything I’d discovered, thus far, in my own private investigation of Chelsea Hannigan’s disappearance. But that would mean I’d have to give up my search for the truth. I’d never find out who was in that photograph. The one Jimmy had ended up dying for. And Adam’s name might never be cleared. This case had been in the hands of two local police departments for years, and it still hadn’t been solved. So no, I wasn’t going to tell the police all I knew. Not quite yet. Not until I had the answer I was so close to discovering.



And as I drifted off to sleep, I prayed that in the meantime no one else would turn up missing…or dead.





The next morning, I woke up fully clothed, still wrapped in my comforter cocoon. From the impression in the pillow next to mine, it was apparent Adam had slept in here with me. I mentally kicked myself for sleeping so soundly. No wonder our physical relationship was stalled. I was just as much to blame—missed opportunities and all that.

Reluctantly emerging from my cocoon, I reached up to the side of the headboard and pushed one of several buttons. The heavy curtains covering the large windows began to pull back, revealing a mass of storm clouds darkening the horizon. The big storm that had been forecasted was on its way, the island blanketed in near darkness.

I snatched up the remote control and turned on the television. The same local news channel was on, and new reports were being broadcast. Ami’s white SUV flashed up on the screen. I turned up the volume. Her abandoned vehicle had been found at a small convenience store in Cove Beach. The same place Chelsea had last been seen. Weird. But, unlike that case, the vehicle was parked out of the range of the surveillance camera. I wondered if that had been done purposely. But why? Why would Ami park her vehicle out of sight? Or had someone else, knowing the camera’s range, parked it there?

But what had happened to Ami? The report made no mention of her stopping in the store to buy anything. So why had she been there? That store wasn’t far from the dock, so had she walked to the ferry? Had she still been planning on taking the ferry and meeting up with me? If J.T. were to be believed, he hadn’t seen her. Or, had he?

The news update ended, and I flipped the television off. One thing that had changed overnight—despite it still being less than forty-eight hours since Ami’s disappearance—was that the police were now involved. The missing person’s report on last night’s news had ensured it. Sean had Adam to thank for that.



After showering and dressing, I went downstairs. Adam was sitting at the breakfast table, drinking a cup of coffee, and pecking away on a laptop. He wore jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt, so I assumed he was working from home today. I spent an extra minute admiring how good he looked, his hair still wet from his shower and blacker than ever, but then I grabbed some coffee for myself and sat down across from him at the long breakfast bar.

“Have you seen the news reports?” I asked.

Adam looked up from whatever he was working on. “Yeah, I have.”

Knowing that Adam had inside sources—such as Max—I asked him if the police knew more than what was being reported. He said no, they knew nothing more. And then, seeing the troubled look on my face, he tried to comfort me by telling me he truly believed Ami would surely turn up soon—alive and well.

In that moment I realized just how much Ami’s mental diagnosis tended to color Adam’s opinion of her. He saw her as a victim. But not of foul play. No, Adam seemed to view Ami as a victim of her own mind. I heard the pity in his tone and suddenly knew why he’d kept her on as his employee for so many years. Sure she was competent enough to perform her job duties, but it was more than that. Adam felt sorry for her. Maybe even to the point of obligation. Ami probably sensed that. I supposed that was why she had so fervently defended Adam the first day I’d traveled with her over to the island. I just hoped she wasn’t in some way taking advantage of Adam’s kindness toward her.