Page 14 of When You're Gone

"Why would you do that?"Amelia's question cut through the tension in the room.

"I wanted to help hersucceed," Liam replied, his voice tinged with regret. "I neverthought..."

Finn's skepticism was palpable ashe interrupted, "You were trying to help by putting her in danger?"

Liam seemed genuinely distraughtnow, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "No! I didn't know...I didn't think anyone would..."

Amelia intervened gently, her tonereassuring yet firm. "No one is accusing you of anything."

Tears welled up in Liam's eyes ashe struggled to compose himself. "Do you think they knew she was comingthere? That they were waiting for her..."

Amelia's response was measured andcalm. "We're still making inquiries into all possibilities, Liam."

Overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow,Liam broke down completely, his shoulders shaking with emotion.

Amelia placed a comforting hand onhis shoulder. "We will catch whoever did this, Liam. You have ourword."

As Amelia offered solace to thegrieving man before them, Finn couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that therewas more to Liam's actions than mere misguided attempts at promotion. Histhoughts painted a darker picture than they had anticipated, but they hadn’tcoalesced into a theory.

Amelia looked at Finn, putting awayher notebook.

"Thank you for your time, Mr.Holden," Amelia said with a respectful nod as they prepared to leaveLiam's cluttered apartment.

“I’m sorry…” Liam sobbed.

“You’ll get through this,” Finnadded. “But call us if you think of anything.” He patted the man on theshoulder and left the room.

Stepping outside, the night haddescended like a heavy curtain, casting shadows that danced in the glow ofstreetlights.

"We should call it aday," Amelia suggested, her breath misting in the chilly evening air."We'll start fresh tomorrow by looking into Lucas Henshaw's life andquestioning this Tim Nolan about his potential involvement."

Finn glanced at her thoughtfullybefore offering, "You could crash at my cottage tonight; it's closer thanyour new apartment."

Amelia hesitated for a momentbefore gently declining. "I appreciate it, Finn, but... I'd be worriedwhat might happen if I did.”

“Would that be so bad a thing?”Finn smiled, touching her cheek.

“I’ve never seen anyone else sincemy fiancé passed away. I need some time."

“You shouldn’t feel guilt aboutthat, Amelia,” Finn offered. “I’m sure he would…”

“He would want me to move on,”Amelia said with a sigh. “He was a good man… And so are you.”

Understanding her unspoken requestfor space, Finn nodded quietly. "I don't want to push you into anythingyou're not ready for."

“I do want to be with you,” Ameliasaid. “Just…”

“Not yet,” Finn grinned. “I getit.”

They stood under the dim glow of anearby lamppost, their breath mingling with the crisp night air as theyexchanged a silent understanding.

"Goodnight, Amelia," Finnsaid softly. “You know where I am if you change your mind.”

"Goodnight, Finn," shereplied before turning to head towards her car parked down the street.

CHAPTER SIX

The darkness of the night clung toFinn as he made his way towards his quaint cottage in Great Amwell, the gravelcrunching beneath his boots like a whispered warning. A heavy silence hung inthe air, disturbed only by the haunting hoot of an owl in the distance. As hedrew closer to his front door, a patrol car sat ominously nearby, its red andblue lights painting the surrounding trees with an ethereal glow.

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