Page 57 of The Fragile Truth

A nagging feelinggnawed at Ian’s gut. It was growing worse by the hour. From the minute he got out of bed this morning, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. The urge to get to Sadie’s house to make sure she was okay was overwhelming. He called to check on her, but it went to voicemail. Maybe she was in the shower, getting ready. Finally, it was time to go and pick her up.

As he was getting in his truck, his phone buzzed. He answered with a curt, “Hello.”

“Sheriff Russell?” a man said.

“Yes?”

“This is Chief Mortenson.”

“Hey, Hal.”

“Joe Givens, the farmer, went into the Boyd Springs Police Department this morning. His facts check out. He met with the sketch artist to give us a drawing of the man Lina was with at the gas station.”

Ian’s stomach tightened. There was a peculiar catch in Hal’s voice, letting him know that something significant was coming.

“My assistant sent the sketch to your office, but with it being a Sunday, I figured I’d better contact you personally. I just texted you the sketch.”

“Hang on. Let me put you on speaker so I can take a look at it.” He pressed the screen to open the text. When the image popped up, he gasped.

“Recognize that man?” Hal asked with a note of irony.

“Carter Laramie,” Ian said aloud, his brain processing what he was seeing. “So, he’s the one who helped Lina escape. He probably paid the one-million-dollar bail.”

A heightened excitement sounded in Hal’s voice. “We’re sending out teams now to scour the area to see if we can locate the cabin. As soon as I have more information, I’ll be back in touch.”

“I’ll work on getting a warrant for his arrest.”

After they ended the call, Ian sat staring at the image, his mind racing. A second later, he called Judge Halter, telling him what he’d just learned. The judge sounded as startled as Ian had felt when he saw the sketch.

“Have your office send me the information,” Judge Halter said crisply, “and I’ll issue a telephonic warrant. We can process the paperwork tomorrow.” He paused. “Sheriff?”

“Yeah.”

“Make sure everything is done by the book. When this blows, it’s gonna be huge.”

“Yes, sir,” Ian said as he ended the call. Was CarterThe Shadow? Banks had said that the ring was given to him by a friend who’d gotten it from a collector. Maybe Banks was telling the truth. That friend was most likely Carter. He probably lied about getting the ring from a collector. Ian rubbed a hand across his jaw, wishing he would’ve thought to have paid attention to Carter’s reaction when everything was going down the night before. He’d been so focused on Banks that he’d not noticed anyone else. Was that why Banks wanted extra time? To confront Carter?

He started his engine and drove to Sadie’s house. Church would have to wait. He had Carter’s arrest to take care of. While his deputies were capable, Ian needed to handle this himself. He probably should call for backup. First, he needed to talk to Sadie. She needed to know what he’d learned. Also, he wanted to make sure she was okay.

There were still some missing pieces. Was Carter the one who was blackmailing Lina? Had he insisted that she come to the lighthouse? Did he kill Brent? Why would Carter go to the trouble of blackmailing Lina and then rescue her? Was he the one who paid the one-million-dollar bail? He could certainly afford it. And he would know how to cover his tracks.

When Ian got to Sadie’s house, he hurried up to her front door and punched the doorbell. He waited for only a second before knocking. His heart lurched when she didn’t come to the door. He knocked louder. Her car was in the carport. Was she okay?

“Good morning,” a man with a deep voice boomed.

Ian looked next door, recognizing Dave Simmons, his former dentist who was now retired. He was outside, watering his shrubs.

“Good morning,” Ian responded. Dave was wearing a white, sleeveless undershirt and khaki pants that were pulled high over his protruding belly. The pants were cinched with a black belt.

“Are you looking for Sadie?”

“Yes.”

“I saw her leave earlier with a friend.”

Ian frowned. “A friend? What did the friend look like?” As far as Ian knew, the only friend Sadie had in this town was him. Sadie wouldn’t just up and leave, knowing that he was coming to pick her up.

Dave thought for a minute. “She was middle-aged with short red hair that was kind of spiky on top. A pretty woman.”

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