Page 131 of The House Beyond the Dunes

“I saw your badge.”

“It’s from back in the day. It looked official enough, so I pulled it out when you asked to see it.”

“You said the medical examiner ruled Kyle’s deathundetermined.”

“I have buddies in the sheriff’s department. I told them what I thought about Kyle and asked for a few more days.”

“So, Kyle’s death was not ruledundetermined.”

“It was. If I hadn’t cracked this, the sheriff’s office would have been paying you a visit.”

“Do you think Stevie pushed him?” I’m speaking about myself in the third person.

“What I think is that Kyle wanted to kill you. With you—and Stevie—gone, there’d be no one asking questions about Nikki again. And whatever he did to Stevie would be erased.”

“But you think I got to him first. That’s what all this was about?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know what happened, Lane. I truly don’t.”

I sip my coffee, taking a moment to think. “Kyle wanted to have sex.” As I speak, he stiffens. “I should’ve been fine with it. I knew that was the purpose of the weekend. But when he touched me so intimately, I panicked. I ran out of the bedroom. He was right behind me and caught up to me at the top of the stairs.”

“What do you remember?”

“I remember him facing me. I was yelling at him. He was trying to calm me. He kept acting like my worries were all my fault.” I close my eyes. “Kyle knew Reece was across the street and likely watching. He didn’t want a problem because he feared Reece would turn him in.” Though I realize now that Reece, if put to the test, likely wouldn’t have betrayed Kyle.

I tread carefully now. Becker might be an ex-cop, but we’re now talking about homicide.

Those last seconds at the top of the stairs come into focus. Kyle’s back is to the stairs. I’m so upset my body is trembling.You need to calm down, Lane. Nothing has happened. You’re overreacting.

But it had felt so wrong. Even dirty. “I needed to put distance between us. I wanted him away from me.”

I placed my hands on his chest. He was breathing fast. The next move was reflex. No different from a hand violently jerking away from a hot stove. But instead of pulling away, I shoved my hands hard into his chest. The sudden move caught him off guard. He stumbled backward. Lost his footing and grabbed me.

Color drains from my face as I realize what I’ve done. I can’t blame that moment on Stevie. It was all Lane, reacting to a trauma she didn’t even know existed.

I clear my throat and meet his gaze.

Becker stares at me a long moment, as if his mind has been trailing mine all along. “Kyle Iverson lost his footing, grabbed you to stop his fall, and you both went down. His death was a freak accident.”

“Devon said she saw me shove Kyle.”

“The woman who tried to kill you? The woman who knew Kyle killed Nikki?” He shakes his head. “She has no proof, so she’ll sound vengeful.”

“What about Stevie’s diary?”

“The only copies that exist now are on your phone. I destroyed the original.”

“There were printouts in my overnight bag.”

“Not anymore.”

“Why are you doing this for me?” I ask.

A slight shrug raises his shoulder. “It’s time to close this. You’ve suffered enough.”

If all this is true, terrible things have happened to me. “But I didn’t absorb the suffering, Stevie did.”

“You suffered plenty.”

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