Page 66 of Sadie's Guarded Harbor

Mittens leapt on the sofa and nestled between them. Sadie rubbed his favorite spot behind his ears. “The biggest question is what does the car have to do with the murder? It could be completely unrelated. If Shawn did commit some crime, how does that lead to his killer?”

Tommy shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Curtis is the most likely one to have had dirt on Shawn,” Sadie said, recalling the despicable files the bar owner kept regarding all the gossip he’d uncovered for so many people in town. “But he’s dead, and the person who killed Shawn is probably the same person who killed Curtis.”

“Could Curtis have told someone what happened?” Tommy grabbed his water from the coffee table and took a large gulp. “And why would they care? Curtis was already blackmailing Shawn. We didn’t find any reason to believe anyone else was involved.”

“Mitch Parson is still at large. He could be responsible, and the car is just a dead end.”

He raised a shoulder. “Who knows. This case has taken us down one path just to make us turn around and find another. The car feels like something, though. I trust my gut. We just need to figure out what it can tell us.”

“I trust your gut, too.” She smiled and warm, fuzzy bursts of happiness tingled through her. “I trust you.” The admission was a huge leap of faith on her part. They hadn’t discussed what their physical relationship meant—if they’d try to make a go out of a relationship or not. But damn, she wanted it more than anything. The admission excited and terrified her. Especially since she wasn’t sure where Tommy’s heart was.

Or how he felt about taking on a package deal. Tommy was great with Amelia, but that didn’t mean he wanted to take on a bigger role in her daughter’s life. And if he didn’t want a bigger role in Amelia’s life, he had no place in hers.

He cupped her cheek with his palm. “That means a lot. I know trust doesn’t come easy for you.”

She waited a beat, wanting to hear more, but he offered nothing else. She fought the sting of disappointment. Besides, she might not know where his heart was but she knew for sure where his head was—circling every detail he remembered about his mom’s accident.

“How are you feeling?” He narrowed his eyes, as if he stared hard enough he could make sure she told the truth.

The earlier pounding against her skull had dimmed to a faint ache. “I’m fine. Just tired.” Even before they’d left the hospital, fatigue had pulled at her eyelids.

“You should sleep.”

She glanced at the clock. “I can’t remember the last time I was in bed before 9:00 p.m., but nothing sounds better.”

“We’ll get a good night’s rest and wake up refreshed and ready to tackle everything on your new to-do list.” He grinned.

She swatted his chest. “Don’t knock the list.”

The buzz of a call vibrated the coffee table. Straightening, Tommy swiped his phone and glanced at the screen. He frowned. “It’s my dad.” He answered and his frown turned into a hard scowl as he listened to the words she strained her ears to hear. “I’ll be right there.”

All ideas of sleep fled her mind at the serious set of Tommy’s mouth. As soon as he disconnected, she pounced. “What’s wrong? Where are we going?”

He rose and stuffed his phone in his pocket. “I’m going uptown. You’re staying here and going to bed.”

She shot to her feet, the quick motion making her head swim. But she couldn’t show any sign of weakness. Not if she wanted to go wherever the hell the sheriff wanted them. “Like hell I am. I go where you go.”

“Not after the day you had. A freaking bullet?—”

She held up her hand and gave him her best don’t-say-another-word scowl—the one that always worked when Amelia tried to nag her into a new toy at the store. “I know what happened today. I’m fine. Now tell me. What happened?”

“Someone set fire to Town Tavern. The place was full, and everything is crazy. All hands on deck.”

She mentally blocked out all the pain and fatigue. Another act of arson. Whoever was terrorizing this town was escalating, and she wouldn’t let anything get in her way of putting a stop to it.

25

Red and blue lights slashed across the clear night sky. Flames waved wildly from the top of Town Tavern. Firetrucks clogged the street, police cruisers and ambulances scattered around. Tommy parked as close as he could get to the bar. Citizens milled about, mouths open and eyes wide as they watched the inferno burn through the historic brick building.

He switched off the engine and turned toward Sadie. “You can stay in the car if you aren’t feeling up to dealing with this. No one would give it a second thought.”

Everyone at the station had learned of Sadie’s injury. A night off—even in the midst of an extreme act of arson—was more than acceptable. Not to mention it would lessen his concern over her wellbeing, leaving him to focus entirely on helping with the injured patrons and complete chaos in front of them.

“I told you. I’m fine.” She pushed out the passenger door.

Frustration pulsed against his neck. If she wanted to be stubborn, so be it. He jogged to her side, and stuck close as they dodged through the crowded sidewalk. Thick smoke bloomed around the singed bar.

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