The Lucky One(89)

She said nothing. As Keith watched her, he drew a long breath. “I also told those men that I didn’t want you to get hurt. I know that might sound like I was being possessive, but I wasn’t. I said it like a brother would have said it. Like Drake would have said it. As in, if you like her, if you respect her, just make sure you treat her that way. That’s all I said to them.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe some of them took it the wrong way because I’m a deputy or because of my last name, but I can’t help those things. Believe me, the last thing I want is for you to be unhappy. It might not have worked out between us, but you’re the mother of my son and you always will be.”

Keith’s gaze fell as he shuffled his feet. “You have every reason to be angry with me. I was wrong.”

“Yes, you were.” Beth remained where she stood, arms crossed.

“Like I said, I’m sorry and it’s never going to happen again.”

She didn’t respond right away. “Okay,” she finally said. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

He flashed a quick, almost defeated smile. “Fair enough.”

“Is that it?” She bent to retrieve three beanbags from the closet floor.

“Actually, I also wanted to talk to you about Logan Thibault. There’s something you should know about him.”

She held up her hands to stop him. “Don’t even go there.”

He wasn’t dissuaded. Instead, he took a step forward, kneading the brim of his hat. “I’m not going to talk to him unless you want me to talk to him. I want to make that clear. Believe me, Beth. This is serious. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t. I’m here because I care about you.”

His chutzpah nearly took her breath away. “Do you honestly expect me to believe you have my best interests at heart after admitting that you’ve been spying on me for years? And that you were responsible for ruining any chance I had of finding a relationship?”

“This has nothing to do with those things.”

“Let me guess . . . you think he’s using drugs, right?”

“I have no idea. But I should warn you that he hasn’t been honest with you.”

“You have no idea whether he’s been honest with me. Now get out. I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want to hear what you have to say—”

“Then ask him yourself,” Clayton interrupted. “Ask him whether he came to Hampton to find you.”

“I’m done,” she declared, moving toward the door. “And if you so much as touch me on the way out, I’m going to scream for help.”

She walked past him, and as she was about to cross the threshold, Keith sighed audibly.

“Ask him about the photograph,” he said.

His comment brought her to a halt. “What?”

Keith’s expression was as serious as she’d ever seen it. “The photograph he got from Drake.”





27

Clayton

Clayton knew by her expression that he had her attention but wasn’t sure she understood the implications.

“He has a photograph of you,” he went on, “and when he first got to town, he flashed it around Decker’s Pool Hall. Tony was there that night and he saw it. Actually, he called me right away because he thought the guy’s story sounded weird, but I didn’t think much of it. Last weekend, though, Tony came by to tell me that he recognized Thibault when he was playing the piano at church.”

Beth could only stare at him.

“I don’t know if Drake gave it to him, or if he took it from Drake. But I figure that’s the only thing that makes sense. Both Drake and Thibault were in the marines, and according to Tony, the picture was an older one, taken a few years ago.”

He hesitated. “I know that what I told you about the way I behaved might make it seem like I’m trying to run him off, but I’m not going to talk to him. I do think that you should, however, and I’m not saying this because I’m your ex-husband. I’m saying this as a deputy sheriff.”

Beth wanted to walk away but couldn’t seem to find the will to move.

“Think about it. He had a picture of you, and based only on that, he walked across the country to find you. I don’t know why, but I can make a pretty good guess. He was obsessed with you even though you’d never met, like someone who gets obsessed with movie stars. And what did he do? He hunted you down, but seeing you from afar—or simply meeting you—wasn’t enough. Instead, he had to become part of your life. That’s what dangerous stalkers do, Beth.”

His tone was calm and professional, which only intensified the dread she’d begun to feel.

“By your expression, I know that all of this is news to you. You’re wondering if I’m telling the truth or if I’m lying, and my track record isn’t perfect. But, please, for Ben’s sake—for your own sake—ask him about it. I can be there if you want me to be there, or I could even send another deputy if you’d prefer that. Or you can call someone else—your friend Melody. I just want you to understand how serious this is. How . . . creepy and weird this is. This is scary stuff, and I can’t impress on you enough how important it is that you take it seriously, too.”

His mouth was set in a straight line as he set the file on a child’s desk beside him. “This is some general information on Logan Thibault. I didn’t have time to dig too deep, and I can get in big trouble for even letting you see this, but since I don’t know what else he hasn’t told you . . .” He trailed off before looking up at her again.