Page 26 of Control

Laughter spilled out of me. “I’m not sure I’d know what that would look like. I’ve never been questioned by the police, so I don’t have any experience with how they conduct them. Thatsaid, I think I’ve come up with a plan for this, since I’m not going to be working on this through the news station.”

The way Ty’s expression changed told me he was instantly intrigued. “Oh?”

Nodding, even though he wasn’t paying attention to my body movements, I shared, “I think I’m just going to go and tell them that I’m an independent journalist who is looking to do a piece on Annette Sanders. I want to give them the impression that I’m not in any way threatening and that I’m merely someone who wants to highlight the best parts of a selfless woman’s life.”

Ty had pulled to the red stoplight and immediately looked over at me. “That’s a great idea.”

I beamed at him. “Thanks. I figure that there’re so many people who loved Annie, I’m bound to have some success in gathering information the police will never be given. If nobody suspects that I’m trying to figure out what happened to her, I’m sure they’re going to be much more willing to collaborate. I mean, there would probably be some who would do what they could if I was upfront with them about it, but if my goal is to be successful in finding her murderer, then I think this is the best way.”

“I agree. And it’ll be easy considering the group of people you intend to talk to over the next few days. Whether from an organization she was involved with or people in her day-to-day life, there isn’t anyone who didn’t have sustained regular contact with her.”

Having worked as a reporter for so many years, I’d gained significant confidence in my field and my ability to do my job well. Of course, not every case went according to plan, and I didn’t always get the answers I was hoping for in some scenarios, but I thought I was good at my job.

The way Dale had just ripped this story out from under me was devastating. I’d felt hopeless, and perhaps a bit lost.Bringing Ty into the mix, asking him to be my bodyguard, was turning out to be even better than I had imagined or hoped for.

Truthfully, I’d only ever expected him to look out for my safety—and maybe be a sounding board. Somebody had to know what I was doing.

But as it turned out, Ty was more than just that. He worked where he did, had resources I didn’t, and he didn’t try to stifle me. It seemed he trusted in my judgment. And while he gave his opinion on some things, he allowed me to take full control of the investigative research.

“I’m not sure if I’ve told you this enough yet, but I’m really glad I met you, Ty,” I said. “Maybe our meeting wasn’t exactly under the best of circumstances, but I don’t regret it happening. It’s nice to have someone to talk through all of this with as I go along.”

In a move I hadn’t been expecting, Ty reached over and curled his fingers around my forearm, the reassuring touch and gentle squeeze sending what felt like electricity shooting up my arm and through my body. “I’m really glad I met you, too, Alana. And like I’ve already mentioned several times before, whatever I can do to help, I’m more than prepared.”

“Thanks.”

That single word came out strained, an involuntary reaction to having his soft touch on my arm.

Whether Ty noticed the effect he’d had on me or not, I didn’t know, but he pulled his hand away and returned it to the steering wheel as we continued the drive.

Our first stop was going to be at Steel Ridge Rec, a facility that provided after-school and summer programs for boys and girls in the community. Annie had been a long-time supporter of the foundation, and what made it so special was that, as far as I’d been able to discern, it was the first place she’d focused her charitable efforts.

Ty pulled into the parking lot and found a spot. Just as I was getting out of the car, he met me on my side and closed my door for me. Part of me wondered if that was part of his bodyguard duties, or if he did it because he was a gentleman. I didn’t know why I had to look at everything he did as being something that had an ulterior motive. I’d hired him—Ty was just doing his job.

When we walked in the front door, the two of us didn’t get very far. Evidently, they took security very seriously here, because the most we were able to do was walk up to a glass window inside the very small entrance area. There were doors off to either side—one for boys, the other for girls—but neither could be accessed without a key card. There was another door directly in front of us, off to the left of the glass window.

I stepped up to the glass window, Ty just a step behind me, and smiled at the woman sitting at the desk there.

“Hi, how can I help you?” she greeted me.

“Hello. My name is Alana, and I’m an independent journalist. I was hoping to speak with the director for the center, if that’s possible.”

“Sure, I can check to see if he’s available. What can I tell him this is in regard to?”

I sent a sympathetic look her way. “It’s about a story I’m doing on Annette Sanders.”

Immediately, the woman’s expression changed. Sadness washed over her. “Oh, we miss Annie terribly. Let me check and see if Carl has some time to speak with you.”

Sending an appreciative smile her way, I replied, “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

The woman took off, and while I waited, I returned my attention to Ty. He was watching me intently, and I couldn’t read the look in his stare. “What does that look mean?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just enjoying watching you work.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve barely done anything yet.”

Shrugging, he reasoned, “The last couple of weeks at work have been rather boring security system installations, so this is far more interesting and enjoyable.”

---