One of Those Faces (52)

“I honestly haven’t even seen him since the whole police station thing you told me about. And I haven’t wanted to. I want him far away from you. I’m glad the police are keeping an eye on him.” He stood beside me. “Do you want me to stay tonight? I don’t want to leave you upset like this.” His arms wrapped behind my back, and I melted into him, resting my head against his shoulder.

Make him stay. “No, I’ll be fine. I think I just need to sleep.” Maybe now that I’d told him about what Erin had said, I could finally rest.

He brushed a strand of hair from my face and kissed my forehead. “I can come back after the library if you want.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded, smiling down at me. “Of course.” He stooped to pick up his backpack. “Please lock the door after I leave, okay?”

“Yeah, I will.”

He glanced at me over his shoulder. “Are you really okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Really.”

He gave me a weak smile and walked out the door, closing it softly behind himself.

I listened to his footsteps retreat before pouncing on the lock. I lay down on the bed, hoping my mind would calm now that I’d resolved everything with Iann, but it still raced with questions. There were little ones, like what did Wilder think Jeremy was up to at the clinic? And was Jeremy’s appearance at the studio the night of Holly’s murder just a coincidence? But the biggest and most unsettling question weighing on my mind ate away at the very foundation of this case. Did Jeremy have something to do with Sarah’s murder too?





CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX


I’d called him before 7:00 a.m., but he’d still managed to put himself together in a pressed shirt and khakis before I arrived. Sam stared at me in that same strange way, and I wondered for a moment if he remembered who I was or if he just saw Sarah.

“Hi,” I said carefully. “Is now still a good time to talk?”

“Yeah, of course.” He nodded, opening the door and beckoning for me to follow him inside. The hallway was a mess of little girl shoes and coats. “I just got Anna on the bus,” he said, closing the door. “Do you want something to drink?” He led the way to the kitchen, and in the light streaming from the enormous picture window, I saw the deep shadows etched under his eyes.

“No, I’m good. I don’t want to keep you, but . . . I felt like I had to talk to you.” After seeing him face to face, I wondered if he could handle it.

He poured coffee into a mug. “You said it’s about Sarah’s case?” He took a sip and flinched before setting it down on the counter.

I pulled out my phone, unlocked it, and opened the photo I’d saved from Jeremy’s Facebook. “Do you recognize this man?” I slid it across the counter so Sam could see.

He looked down at it for several silent seconds. “I don’t think so.” His tone grew agitated. “Who is this? Is this—”

“There’s nothing certain, really,” I said quickly, taking my phone back. “It’s just someone the police were looking into in Holly’s case. They didn’t have enough evidence, though. I was hoping maybe he was somehow connected to Sarah too.” I glanced up. His expression had darkened, his fist clenching. “I’m so sorry, Sam. I shouldn’t have come. I was . . . I wanted to help, that’s all. But clearly—”

“No, I’m glad you told me,” he said. “I’m thinking . . . I don’t know who this is, but Sarah thought someone was following her a couple of times. It was months before her death, but she told me that a guy came up to her and called her by a different name. It really creeped her out.”

My chest tightened. “What name?”

He shook his head. “She never told me, or if she did, I forgot. It didn’t seem important at the time. It only happened once or twice and only when she was in Wicker Park.”

Could Jeremy have been looking for Holly and found Sarah instead? “You’re sure it wasn’t ‘Holly’?”

“No. It could’ve been, but I honestly don’t remember her even telling me that part.” His lips were pressed in a thin line.

“Why didn’t you mention this to the police?”

“I did. I told Detective Wilder, and he took note of it, but he said it was a pretty weak lead.” He pointed to my phone. “You’re thinking that guy might’ve mistaken Sarah for Holly?”

“I don’t know.” It was my best guess, but there was one other option I could think of. “Did Sarah ever go to Advocate Medical Center for any reason?”

“No. Never.” Sam took a step toward me. I suddenly realized how much bigger he was than me. “What’s that guy’s name?”

I slid my phone into my jacket pocket. It had been a mistake coming here. The look in his eyes was one of desperation—he was willing to latch on to any possible explanation. There was no telling what he’d do with a name. “Sam, I don’t think I can tell you. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

He held my gaze. “I don’t think you understand how infuriating it is to have something like this dangled in front of me just to lead nowhere.”

“I know, I’m sorry. There’s no reason to believe Holly’s investigation is even related to Sarah’s.” At least, according to the police. “I was hoping that if a link existed, I could find it. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”