Page 50 of Over the Edge

Dara stared at Chad.

That was news too.

His gaze swung toward her. “I have to keep tabs on him, Dara. I usually run down on my lunch hour and give him a few bucks outside the soup kitchen where he eats. Or I stopby the encampment on the river after work. The last two Sundays, I’ve taken him to Al’s early for a decent breakfast. I never told you any of this because I didn’t want you to worry about me being in a dicey area of town.”

Dicey area of town.

Could that be where he’d gotten the bruise on his upper arm? The one he’d tried to hide from her?

Tempted as she was to ask that question, she clamped her lips together. Voicing it in the presence of law enforcement wouldn’t do her husband any favors.

The detective tapped his pen against his notebook. Regarded them both for a moment. Rose. “That’s all I need for today. I may be back in touch as the case progresses.”

She and Chad stood too.

“I’ll show you out.” Dara walked over to the door in silence, closing it behind the detective after he exited. Then she turned and faced her husband. If he wanted her trust from this stage forward, he had to be honest. Stop keeping secrets. “How did you get the bruise on your arm?”

He blinked—but didn’t respond.

“I heard you tossing on the couch one night and came in to check on you.” She positioned herself behind the side chair the detective had occupied, wrapped her fingers around the top of the back, and held her breath.

A mix of indecision and fear flared in Chad’s eyes, but in the end he answered her question. “The morning of the Robertson murder, I went down to the encampment early. Someone must have seen me slip Pop a few dollars, because while I was walking back to my car, a guy jumped me. I guess he assumed I had more cash on hand. I managed to fight him off, but I fell on the concrete. I would have told you about it, except the timing with the murder stunk. I was afraid you might think I got injured in a fight with the dead guy.”

The very possibility that had crossed her mind.

But there was no point in admitting that to Chad. Not if she believed his story.

And she did.

The police, however, would be less likely to accept his explanation. So keeping the bruise secret was smart.

As for the fact that he’d been jumped, if it had happened once, it could happen again.

That was almost as scary as his circumstantial implication in the murder.

She came out from behind the chair and walked over to him. Wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “I know you care about this man, Chad, but you could have been killed that day. Isn’t there a safer way to keep in touch with him?”

“I gave him a throwaway phone today. That will let me set up future meetings at the diner instead of looking for him at the encampment or soup kitchen. I’ll be careful, Dara. But I can’t cut him off.”

“Couldn’t you convince him to leave that life behind, like you did?”

“I’ve tried, but it’s the only world he’s known for too many years.” He buried his face in her hair. “I’m sorry I’ve shut you out. But I was afraid you’d ...” His voice rasped, and he swallowed. “I don’t want to lose you, Dara. These past months with you have been the happiest of my life. They’ve felt so much like a dream that I keep expecting to wake up and discover that everything’s fallen apart, like it always has.”

“That was then, Chad. This is now. You’ve turned a corner. We’ll get through this together as long as you keep talking to me. And loving me.”

“I’ll always love you. No matter what.” He squeezed her tight.

She squeezed back.

But that “no matter what” caveat didn’t leave her feeling warm and fuzzy. Nor had he promised to keep talking to her.

Was there more he hadn’t told her?

Possibly.

Yet wrapped in his embrace, it was hard to nurture doubts. In his strong arms, she felt safe and hopeful and encouraged.

Whether that mood would last remained to be seen. The detective may have left for today, but until the Robertson case was solved, Chad would remain in his sights. And unless the police identified the person who’d passed that bracelet on to Pop, supposedly on her husband’s behalf, a former street person who’d been working at the scene of the murder would stay at the top of their prime suspect list.

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