Page 29 of Unforgotten

“It’s not a problem.”

“Well, thanks anyway. I’m really glad I’m not by myself.”

Her words were thoughtful, but there was a note of something new in her tone. She sounded apprehensive. “Hey, Candace, is something bothering you?”

“What do you mean?” Her entire posture had changed. She was wary now.

“Oh, you know,” he murmured. “You’re tired. It’s too hot. You’ve gotten tired of me watching your every move. Or, you’re still worried about the stalker?”

“I don’t know.” She averted her eyes and played with the ends of her hair.

So that was a yes.

“The only way my presence helps is if we’re honest with each other.”

“I’m being honest.”

No, she wasn’t. Maybe he should drop the subject, but something was telling him not to do that. Remembering a few women that he’d worked with in the past, he decided to do a little more digging. “I know what happened to Bethanne, Candace. The chief filled me in. You have a very good reason to be a little more wary around men. Maybe my helpisn’t actually helping you at all?” That was as delicately as he could put it.

Her eyes widened. “This isn’t like that. Peter ... Peter led my cousin to believe he was someone different than she’d believed him to be,” she continued in a rush. “What’s happening to me? I’m worried that I’ve begun to look for the worst in people.”

“But you’ve been genuinely worried.”

“I have, but maybe I’ve let my imagination get carried away? It could just be a guy with too much time on his hands.”

Warning signals blared in his head. “Hmm.”

“Do you not believe me?”

Worry, and maybe even a hint of indignation, laced her voice. He didn’t want to cause her more stress, but he also wanted her to trust him. Trust him to help her. He took time to answer her question with care. “If your question is, do I believe that someone is giving you a hard time and might be stalking you, yes, I believe that. Absolutely.” That was why he was there, after all.

“Then why do you sound so skeptical?”

“Because I think that, at the very least, you might have an idea of who might do something like this.”

Looking increasingly uncomfortable, she mumbled, “I really don’t know why a stranger would do this.”

“Trust me to keep things confidential.”

“I do trust you, and if I see him again, I’ll point him out to you. I just don’t know who he is.”

Unable to keep his frustration with the situation from taking over, he said, “Keeping information to yourself isn’t going to help if you’re wrong. Remember that.”

“I’ll remember.” She looked away.

Ryan felt the knot in his gut tighten. Call it a sixth sense,but he felt Candace was just giving him words. She’d been living in this community her entire life. No one went twentysomething years without making someone angry or upset.

He was going to have to walk an even narrower line. He needed to reinforce her belief that she was in danger without scaring her half to death. He hoped he was up to the task.

11

After her first event at the senior center, Ryan drove Candace north to a recreation center in the little town of Sparta. When the chamber had first mentioned this invitation to her, Candace hadn’t been sure she wanted to go. After all, it was on the other side of the county line. But when she learned that a couple of the local organizations who worked with at-risk kids had invited her to visit, she couldn’t refuse it. The director had asked her to share her experiences in school and her goals, and, of course, encourage everyone to believe that their dreams were possible with prayer and hard work.

As always, Ryan accompanied her inside. Then, after making sure that she was settled and at ease, he spent some time chatting with the kids. He’d probably be surprised, but everyone really liked the new cop on the Marion police force. Not only was he handsome and had a great smile, but he was so different from the boys she’d known all her life. More mature. More reserved. Candace not only felt safe around him, she felt at ease.

After the director introduced Candace, Ryan joined a group of high school students on the bleachers. She really liked thatabout him. He had such an unassuming way that seemed to encourage even the shyest of kids to break out of their shell. He also was warm and friendly. Everyone seemed to want to talk to him—even if it was just to talk about his accent.

In the middle of her talk about her junior and senior years of high school, when she shared how many scholarships she’d applied for, she met his eyes. Ryan seemed to be listening to her intently and soaking in every word.

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