Page 65 of Sadie's Guarded Harbor

“Nothing is crazy. This case has had us all over the place, nothing is quite what it seems.” She gave his hands a gentle squeeze. “Linking the dates is natural. And it’s something weshould keep in mind. But like you told me earlier, we need hospital records before we can make any concrete connections.”

He rose and rubbed at his temples, pacing across the tile floor. “You’re right. We need those records. I don’t think I can wait until morning.”

“I can ask Jenna Simon to take a look. She’s been volunteering at the shelter, and we’ve connected a bit. She might be willing to help.”

“Good idea. You call and get that pizza.” He palmed his phone. “I should talk to Owen and Katherine. And my dad. He’d know what evidence they still have. We should send it in to see if any fabrics or DNA were found on the car that match the crime scene from my mom.”

Sadie shook her head. “Let’s not get them involved until we have more details. I’m sure the hospitals will provide multiple injuries that could relate to Shawn’s accident. Even if Shawn had something to do with your mom’s accident, it doesn’t make sense that he was murdered.”

“You’re right.” His insides shook as the idea took hold in his mind.

“Let me call Jenna.”

He hung his head. Questions spun in circles in his mind until he thought he might explode.

She scrolled through her contact list and pressed the speaker button. She eyed him with raised brows. “We both listen. Only I talk. Deal?”

He wanted to smile, but he couldn’t make his face cooperate. Not when years of unanswered questions and a flood of emotions held him down. “Deal.”

A few seconds passed before the line picked up. “Hey, Sadie. Is everything okay?” Jenna’s cheerful voice chirped through the line.

“Not really. I need a favor. Tommy and I have calls in to all the hospitals in the tri-county area. We need records from years ago of all emergency room cases consistent with injuries from a car accident.” She kept her gaze on Tommy as she spoke.

His stomach churned.

“As in the victim was involved in a car crash?” Jenna asked.

“Yes, or even hit by a car.”

Tommy closed his eyes and tightened his muscles as her words hit him like a boxer’s right hook.

“Okay. It might take a while to get those files. Especially since the administrative staff won’t be in until the morning.”

“I understand, but this is urgent. It’s related to the Downs case. If there’s any way for you to use some pull to get answers tonight, we’d really appreciate it.”

“I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises. What are the dates?” Wariness slowed Jenna’s words.

Sadie gave her the dates, and Tommy tried to steady the rapid rhythm of his heart. “You can call me or Tommy with any information.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Jenna clicked off the line and bile sloshed in Tommy’s stomach. Sadie’d been right. This case had taken so many twists and turns, and the latest one might lead him straight to his mother’s killer.

Three-quarters of a pizzaTommy had ordered stared up at Sadie from the coffee table. The television blared in the background, but she had no clue what was playing. Her mind spun in a million different directions, each time landing directly on Tommy’s mom. So many different parts of their investigationpointed toward something bigger happening around them. Could the hit and run that had killed Mrs. Wells really be at the center of it all?

Yes, the murder of a Water’s Edge resident was a big deal. But nothing had been cut and dry about the entire case. Someone had come after her and Tommy, a break-in at her home resulted in the cold case files being stolen, and another murder had been committed as a set-up to blame Shawn’s death on the wrong person.

Someone in town had a secret, and they’d do anything to keep it buried.

Tommy sat beside her. He’d laid his half-eaten piece of pizza beside the open box. His phone rested on his lap. His gaze dropped to the screen every few minutes.

“Staring at your phone won’t make it ring, ya know. Jenna said she probably wouldn’t get any information tonight.” Her heart ached for Tommy. He hadn’t stopped fidgeting with anything near him—the blanket draped over the back of the couch, a loose thread on the throw pillow beside him, rubbing the pad of his thumb on the top of his thigh over and over again—since they’d sat to pick at the pizza neither of them really wanted.

He sighed. “I just can’t stop thinking about it. All this energy is zipping around my body, demanding I spring into action, and there’s not a damn thing I can do.”

She pushed her hair behind her ear, wincing when her fingers brushed against the tender spot where the stitches held her skin together. “We need to talk to Melissa Downs in the morning. See if she has any information about what happened to Shawn’s car. He would have gotten in an accident around the time they started spending time together.”

Tommy hooked an arm on the back of the couch, his fingers resting on her shoulder. “Agree, and I’d like a solid reason why the two never split. I’m tired of all these damn secrets.”

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