Page 28 of Sadie's Guarded Harbor

Melissa Downs gesturedat the two leather bucket seats in front of her huge desk. “Sit, please.”

Tommy let his gaze roam over the books lining the built-in shelves surrounding the window behind the judge’s desk before he sat. “Thanks for seeing us.”

“Yes,” Sadie added. “We hate taking more of your time.”

Melissa settled into her chair and leaned her forearms on the desk, hands folded and face grim. “A necessary thing, I understand. I hope Patsy didn’t hold you up too long.”

Hooking an ankle over his knee, Tommy chuckled. Patsy had been one of his mother’s best friends. It didn’t matter if he ran into her in the grocery store or showed up in her office for a meeting with the judge involving a murder investigation, Patsy always talked his ear off. At least this time she’d given him information to chew on. “She’s a nice woman. I always have a spare minute for her.”

Melissa made a non-committal grunt.

Sadie perched on the edge of her chair. “We’ll get down to it.”

“Perfect. Do you know who killed my husband?” Her hard gaze bore into Sadie, then turned on Tommy.

“We have some leads.” Tommy kept his body language relaxed but his mind sharp. His muscles were still too sore to sit at attention like Sadie, but he stayed tuned to the judge’s every word. “We’d like to know if you have any insight on Shawn’s friendships with Curtis McLane or Mitch Parson.”

The judge’s face remained stony. “Not much. They were friends in high school. Mitch was a pain in the ass as a teenager. And Shawn worked for Curtis at the bar. Beyond that, I don’t have much else to offer. I didn’t start dating Shawn until after high school, so I didn’t get to know either of them much. Do you think one of them had something to do with Shawn’s murder?”

“We’re looking into all angles right now,” Sadie said.

“How close are you to pinning this on one of those guys? I’d like this dealt with quickly.”

“Like Deputy Pennel said, we’re looking into multiple avenues at the moment.” Tommy fought not to react to Melissa’s words. She was a closed book, claiming not to know much about Shawn’s high school friends. Maybe he needed to switch gears. “What about Shawn’s time at college? That’s about the time you two started dating, correct?”

Melissa sighed. “That’s right.”

“Can you tell us a little more about your relationship?” Sadie asked.

Melissa squeezed her brown eyes closed for a bit. When she opened them, they were filled with sadness. “Shawn and I bonded over the loss of our mothers. We understood each other’s pain. He came home from college one weekend, and we decided to give things a try. Until then he’d been seeing some other girl at school, but it wasn’t working. So, two heartbroken kids jumped in with both feet and took a bet on love. We got married fast and separated not long after. For years, I tried to convince him into therapy. Tried to make things work. But the more he turned to the bottle, the less he wanted to do with me.”

“What can you tell us about his trust fund?” Sadie asked, stepping in and changing the path again.

“Can you be a little more specific?” Melissa tightened her jaw.

“Most parents who create a trust for their children do so in preparation for the day when both parents are deceased. Either as a way to protect their assets upon passing and transition funds in an easier manner, or to provide for their children if the parents were to tragically pass when the children are young.”

Melissa raised her brows. “What’s your point?”

“Shawn received an allowance from his trust every month after his mother died until he inherited the entire trust at twenty-five. This isn’t common when one parent is still living. Do you know why the trust was set up in this way?”

A beat of silence passed, the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner echoing off the cherry-paneled walls. Tommy gripped the arms of the chair. The judge never broke eye contact with Sadie, and Tommy had to give it to her, she didn’t flinch.

“Shawn’s mother established the trust. She came from money, and she wanted to make sure Shawn was always taken care of.” Melissa leaned back into her chair. Heat lit her eyes.

She hit a nerve. Tension thickened the air. Tommy straightened. “Were you able to track how Shawn spent the money once it was transferred to him?” He doubted it, but he might as well see if Melissa knew about the payments to Curtis.

“No.” The word came out clipped, hard. “Probably wasted it on alcohol. That’s all he cared about. Now, is there anything else you need to know? Or can I get on with my day? I have a lot of work to do.”

Defensiveness dripped from her pores. No more information would come from her—at least not today.

Tommy shifted his glance to Sadie, who gave an almost imperceptible nod, then rose. “If we have any more questions, we’ll reach out. Thank you for seeing us.”

Melissa nodded then grabbed a file from the corner of her desk, dismissing them like school children from the principal’s office.

Tommy shuffled out the door behind Sadie and waved to Patsy. He didn’t have the time or patience for more chit chat. His heavy boots clunked against the marble floors, but he kept his mouth shut until he stepped outside and drew in a deep breath of fresh air. “That was interesting.”

Sadie ran her palm over the top of her hair then twined the long strands of her ponytail between her fingers. “Yeah. I’m not sure what to make of it. She was so broken up when I saw her yesterday. Today she seemed less sad and more…inconvenienced.”

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