What Lies in the Woods(97)

He was Cody Benham. He’d protected me all my life. There had to be an explanation.

“Could you show me?” he asked. He looked at me, imploring. “Could you take me to her? I need to see her.”

I did not want to be afraid of Cody, but I was. “I don’t know if…” I let the thought trail off.

“It’s near where I found you, right?” Cody asked. “Near where you were attacked. That’s why you were out there?” A nod. He started the car. “It’s not far, then.”

I gripped the door handle. “You want to go now?”

“If we’re going to go, it has to be now,” he said. He was already backing up. I could jump out of the car, but then what? There was no one out here. We were alone. And there had to be an explanation. I knew Jim had hired Jessup Consulting. If they’d given Jim the phone, and he’d given it to Cody—but why would he?

“Once you talk to the police, they’re going to block it off. They’re going to gather her up and take her away. I want to see her before then, Naomi.”

“Right,” I said, and it was too late now. We were in motion, tires hissing on the wet asphalt. I reached into my pocket and held down the power button on my phone. I had no idea if it turned on. If it had any battery left.

Cody pulled off the road not at the trailhead, but at a small pullout. The trees shielded the car from the road, keeping it hidden from casual observers. But that wasn’t why he’d parked here, I told myself. He parked there because it was the closest place to where I’d been attacked. He knew these woods as well as I did.

Not quite as well, maybe.

We got out of the car. The rain had let up some, but the air still had a bite to it. My dress did little to protect me from the chill.

“Which way?” Cody asked.

I stared at him. I didn’t want to believe that he would do anything to me. But the dread in my chest made every breath ache.

I oriented myself. “This way,” I said. I angled toward the pond trail. If I could get there, there was at least a chance there would be another human being nearby. And even the chance of it might be some protection.

I still couldn’t bring myself to believe I needed protecting from Cody. Not really. “You and Jessi were close?” I asked.

“We were. You remind me a lot of her, actually,” he said. “That blend of wounded and untouchable. She didn’t have much in the way of support. Her parents were checked out. Her sister had her own kid to worry about, so Jessi was left on her own. And she was managing. But it was messy.”

“I can see why I remind you of that,” I said. The woods had gone silent with the intrusion of our voices. I wanted to reach into my pocket and check the phone, but Cody was right next to me. “Oscar said that he thought you two might have a thing.”

“I certainly would have jumped at the chance. But Jessi wasn’t interested.”

“I can’t imagine choosing Big Jim over you.”

“I wasn’t such a catch back then,” he said with a pained shake of the head. “There was a reason Oscar and I were friends. I spent every weekend drunk off my ass. Most of the week, too. Trust me, I wasn’t boyfriend material. If it hadn’t been for you, I don’t know if I ever could have gotten Gabriella to give me as much as a second glance.”

“What did I have to do with it?” I asked.

“I always wanted to protect you,” he said. “You were like the little sister I always wanted. Seeing you there, all torn up, and then realizing that you were still breathing—it was like something in me broke and then came back together whole all in the same moment. I promised myself I’d keep looking after you, as much as I could.”

The boulder was just up ahead. Another few steps and it would be in sight. “Is that why you asked Big Jim to have Ethan Schreiber investigated?” I asked. He halted, rocking his weight back. I stopped, arms crossed against the chill, and half turned to face him.

“I thought he was just using you to get a story. I didn’t imagine he would end up being Stahl’s son.”

“Then you knew about that.”

“I heard, yeah,” he said.

“Why have Big Jim hire them? Why not handle it yourself?” I asked. “You’ve got to have resources, with your work.”

“I didn’t want to get directly involved,” he said, sounding—embarrassed? “It’s sort of like meeting your little sister’s boyfriend on the steps with the shotgun, isn’t it?”

“Were you having me followed?” I asked. I waited for him to deny it. His mouth opened, shut.

“Why would I have you followed?” he asked at last, unconvincing.

“Someone from Jessup Consulting broke into my hotel room. He stole the data cards out of my camera and took my phone. Not to mention almost breaking my nose.”

“I would never send someone to hurt you, Naomi,” Cody said, shaking his head. He approached me, step by step, and I held my ground. “If I get my hands on that guy—”

“You’ll do to him what you did to Oscar?” I asked, head tilted, looking up at him. He had always protected me. Always. “What about the woods? The first night I was in town. After we had dinner, someone was in the woods watching me.”

“You’re sounding completely paranoid,” Cody said. “Listen to yourself. Why would I do any of the things you’re saying? What reason could I possibly have?”