Page 80 of Colton's Last Resort

He hadn’t accepted Captain Crabtree’s orders that Fulton be the one to question them. He’d gone about the task himself with grim determination.

Roger Ferraday would do time. The Coltons’ lawyer, Greg Sumpter, had shown up with Adam on Laura’s behalf to demand that he be brought up on assault charges while Joshua had escorted Laura to the hospital to get checked out.

The younger Ferraday wouldn’t get away from rape accusations this time. Bella, the maid, had changed her mind about not testifying after Adam and Tallulah had spoken to her personally. She was traumatized and scared but had seemed determined to put Dayton away once she found out about the other girls he had assaulted in Connecticut.

Fulton, certain Dayton was Allison’s killer, had Bungalow Three searched, confident fentanyl would be recovered from the scene.

Instead, small quantities of Ecstasy were found in Dayton’s mattress.

When Noah had leaned harder on Roger, the man cracked under the pressure and admitted the reason he had no alibi for the night of Allison’s homicide was he had found the bulk of his son’s drug stash and the two of them had snuck out under the cover of night to dump it on the hiking trails.

By the end of the interview, Noah had wanted to lock Roger up on more than assault. He’d expressed no regret about holding Laura against her will or harming her, and he’d blamed Bella and the other girls for his son’s criminal behavior.

Noah had thought of little more than punching the bastard in the face. But he’d known Crabtree was watching through the two-way glass, anticipating the moment Noah lost his cool.

He’d kept it—but only just.

Now he trudged up the walk to Laura’s place. The door opened before he could get to it and Joshua, Adam, Tallulah and Alexis stepped out together. They stopped talking collectively when they spotted him.

Tallulah reached for his hand. “Laura’s okay. It’s good you’re here. She doesn’t need to be alone tonight.”

The feeling of her hand in his felt foreign, but it was pleasantly warm. “You had dinner with her?”

“You weren’t exactly here to keep her company,” Joshua said in accusation.

Adam surprised Noah when he argued, “Go easy on the man, Josh. I’m sure he has his reasons.”

When the four of them looked at him expectantly, Noah said, “I had to go up to Flagstaff. I got delayed there and didn’t get Laura’s message until she’d left the hospital.”

“That was hours ago,” Joshua pointed out. “Flagstaff’s half an hour away.”

Noah swallowed. “I’m sorry.”

Alexis eyed the bag in his hand. “Do you come bearing gifts?”

He thought of what was in the bag. A blip of panic made him itch for something more—a better offering. “Yes.”

“Good,” Alexis noted. “There’s no concussion, but doctors advised her not to imbibe for the next twenty-four hours.”

“Noted,” he said.

“Good night to you, Noah,” Tallulah murmured before walking away. Alexis followed her. Joshua said nothing as he moved off.

That left Adam. “Anything you have to say to my sister can wait until the morning.”

Noah searched for the right words. “I’d like to see her.”

Adam studied him. “You were good with Bella. You made giving her statement easier.”

“So did you,” Noah said, “and Tallulah.”

“Roland told me what happened at Bungalow Three,” Adam explained. “He told me how Roger had her in a choke hold and how you apprehended him.”

“She got hurt,” Noah noted dully. The scene was on a loop in his mind. Ferraday shoving Laura away to save his own ass, her skidding into the table, knocking her head against it and falling to the floor, bleeding.

“I’ve asked Roland not to reveal your real identity,” Adam pointed out. “Not until your investigation comes to a close.”

“Thank you,” Noah said.

---