Secrets Never Die (Morgan Dane #5)(63)

“Thanks.” Sadness and despair built in Evan’s chest. “I really liked Paul.” The hitch in his voice embarrassed him.

Her expression softened. “I know you did. What I don’t understand is why they think you’re guilty.”

“Because it was a cop who did it. A detective. He had a badge on his belt.”

“Shit. No wonder you don’t want to be found.”

Rylee checked the time on her phone. “I have to get home. My brother has been a real hard-ass about curfew because some asshole neighbor keeps calling CPS for no reason.” She reached for her door handle. “But my brother did set me up with an emergency road kit in my trunk. Let me see what’s in there.”

Evan closed his eyes. Just talking to her made him feel better. Someone believed him. Someone was on his side. Someone he could trust.

She got out of the car and went around to open the trunk. A minute later, she returned with a small black duffel bag in her hand. Closing the car door, she handed the bag over the seat. “There’s a few bottles of water, a space blanket, and a couple of protein bars. If that will get you through the night, I can bring you more supplies tomorrow evening. If I try and sneak out later tonight, my brother will get suspicious. I’ll have to come while he’s at work.”

“Thanks. I knew I could count on you.”

“Dude, you’d do the same for me.”

Evan nodded.

Rylee looked up. “Shit. There’s a cop here. Not a regular police car but an unmarked one. That’s weird.”

Evan lifted his chin to peer over the seat. A dark sedan had stopped at the entrance to the lot. It looked like the same car that he’d seen the night of Paul’s murder. It must be the killer’s car. Terror clenched his throat. “I have to get away.”

Rylee leaned on her steering wheel, her face scrunched in confusion. “He’s just sitting there. Why isn’t he running everyone off the beach?”

“Because he’s looking for me.” Evan’s breathing quickened. “I can’t let him find me.”

“Where are you going to be?”

“There’s a small cave in the ravine on the other side of the falls. It’s hard to see from the top. I’m going to hide there. If you go to the overlook and whistle real loud, I’ll hear you.”

“OK.” Rylee stared through the windshield. “Hold on. A man in a suit just got out of the car. I’ll tell you when he’s not looking.” She popped the plastic cover off the dome light and unscrewed the bulb. “Kids are scattering.”

Evan eased himself onto the seat, bending double to stay out of sight.

“Now,” Rylee said.

Evan slipped out of the car, duffel bag in hand. Adrenaline gave him an energy boost as he weaved his way through the parked cars. Dozens of kids were scattering on the beach. Evan went the other direction, toward the woods. He stumbled into the trees. Hiding behind the trunk of a big pine, he peered around it. The cop was busy asking questions.

He squinted at the man. Was that the man who had killed Paul? He was too far away, and it was too dark to tell. He was too afraid to get any closer, especially since it seemed that he’d gotten away without being seen.

Turning around, he lugged the bag back to the falls. At the crossing, he slung the handles of the duffel bag over his good shoulder and began placing each foot with extreme care. He tested the placement of each foot before transferring his weight. On the third boulder, water gushed over the top. He lost his footing and slipped. He threw his hands forward. His wound went white-hot with agony. He went down on one knee, pain exploding through the bone as it landed on solid rock.

He breathed through the pain. Next to the rock he knelt on, a swirling eddy made a sucking sound, and he was grateful he hadn’t slipped into it.

Evan made the rest of the crossing without incident. When he reached the safety of the cave, he crawled to the rear and curled up in a fetal position. As the blackness took over, he closed his eyes and hoped he didn’t die overnight.





Chapter Twenty-Five

Morgan faced the sheriff over his messy desk, a cup of cold coffee in her hand. “Does the finger belong to Brian Springer?”

At her side, Lance fidgeted, clearly annoyed at being called to Colgate’s office. It was late, and they’d missed bedtime with the kids. Again. Morgan was equally as irritated.

They’d already spent several hours being questioned by the Warren County sheriff, who’d insisted on a summary of their whole case. He’d threatened to lock them up on trespassing charges if they didn’t cooperate. Morgan had argued them out of a breaking and entering charge, but the trespassing was harder. Since they’d discovered body parts, it seemed wiser and more expedient to comply. Neither she nor Lance wanted to spend the evening sitting in a holding cell. Now Colgate wanted them to rehash the entire case.

She was running out of patience. She and Lance were, once again, making up for the inadequacies of his department. The sheriff’s department was understaffed, and Colgate didn’t have the mental or physical energy for an investigation of this magnitude. He looked thoroughly worn out. Unfortunately, Stella had been right about his stubbornness and his pride. His chin was up, and his posture was stiff.

He would never admit his investigation was lacking. Instead, he’d get angry that they’d found a lead in his case.