Page 81 of Her Wild Coast Promise

“Where have I heard that name?” Hunter asks at the same time.

“He married Vera Hayes.”

“Zach’s mother?” Brian grips his waist and huffs a hard breath. “Shit.”

Hunter wipes down his face with his palm. “What the hell is Stoll doing with Walsh?”

I eye him, then Brian. “Let’s find out.”

“First, we’re collecting evidence on that wound,” Brian says.

“Seriously?” Then it dawns on me what he has in mind. I glance at the bite marks and torn skin, hoping the rain and the brush with the ocean waves hasn’t washed Kristov’s DNA from the wound already.

“Yeah,” Brian says with a grin. “Right before we get you a tetanus shot.”

Due to thefederal arson investigation being the driving force behind the warrant for Walsh’s arrest, both suspects are taken to the federal building in McKenzie. Though Brian’s team will lead the interviews, thanks to our task force, Hunter and I get to participate.

I ride with Hunter, and at the federal building, Agent Snow meets me to collect whatever evidence she can get from Kristov’s bite. As I watch her work, my eyelids get heavy. I should be home in bed, catching up on the sleep I haven’t had in weeks, but I doubt I’d be able to rest right now. Maybe after we have answers, I’ll be able to relax.

This makes me think of Cora. I should call her, even if it’s just to hear her voice. She’s texted me updates related to the campaign throughout the day, but I haven’t had a chance to reply. I will—as soon as Agent Snow is done with me. I’m torn—I should tell her that I’ll likely be here all night, working this new development, but I hate the thought of letting her down.

While I wait for Agent Snow to assemble her supplies, I put aside the confusing and conflicting thoughts about Cora and think ahead to how Hunter, Brian, and I can coordinate our interrogations. That we have two suspects in the same place means we can play them on each other. I still don’t know how deep Stoll and Walsh run, but because of what Walsh’s been up to, it implicates that Stoll is linked somehow.

The goal with any interview is a full confession. That’s as cut and dry as it gets. If that fails to materialize, then catching a suspect in a lie that contradicts their story can also work, though it’s slower. And in court, it won’t work on its own. We need evidence.

Wearing specialized lenses, lab coat, and latex gloves, Agent Snow scrapes my skin and deposits what she gets into a tube. After repeating this in several places, she then squeezes each puncture until it bleeds, and captures it in separate tubes.

“Think there’s enough?” I ask her.

Her lips twist in a grimace. “It’s worth a shot, right?”

After she cleans me up, she reminds me about the tetanus shot and sends me on my way.

I’m stepping into the stairwell to call Cora when a message from Ambrose fills my screen.

What’s your ETA?

10 min. I need to change into uniform

He replies with a thumbs up, then:

BTF joining. We can update in real time

Good. The rest of the Blackstone Task Force is going to be there. Together, we’re going to push this investigation into hyperdrive.

I’ll make sure the coffee’s strong

With optimism building inside me, I laugh out loud, but the echo sounds harsh and empty. The resulting silence feels thick and oppressive, my feet feeling heavy on the steps.

I’m toggling over to Cora’s contact info to call her when I notice another missed text from her. I must have come in while Agent Snow was digging for DNA in my arm.

The message is so beautifully simple, and yet heartbreaking:

Are you going to be home for dinner?

It might as well tear me in two. Earlier today, I felt so strongly that I could change.

But now, after this day…I’m not so sure.

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