Page 12 of Defend Me

I have no idea who Charlotte is.

“And what did she say?”

“That people were looking for Caden. That the police were at his house.”

How the hell did this Charlotte know that? I’ll have to talk to her myself.

“Then Noah called,” Isla continues.

“Called you?”

She nods. “Caden’s phone wasn’t working.”

“Why not?”

“It got water damage when he jumped into the bay the night of the party.”

I frown. “Why did he do that?”

“To save my shoe.”

I open my mouth then decide to let that one go. It’s not relevant and from Isla’s deepening blush, it’s something personal that I don’t need (or want) to know about.

“Okay, so Noah called you,” I say.

She nods. “I told him Caden was with me. He said Caden needed to get home right away. He said he didn’t know all the details. I said I couldn’t drive him because my car was still at the lodge, where I’d left it parked for the party. So Noah said he would come get us.”

“And what time did he pick you up?” I ask.

She scratches the back of her neck. “I think it was maybe only like ten minutes later.”

So he had to be close by. I’ve never been to Noah’s house. I should find out the driving time from his place to Isla’s. And from his house to our estate. Start to establish a timeline.

Isla plates her own biscuit, her expression sad. “We thought itwas something to do with Alistair,” she says mournfully. “We had no idea…”

“What?” I ask, too sharply. “What are you talking about?”

She looks up. “Didn’t Caden tell you about the argument I overheard at the party?”

I’m instantly on alert. “What argument?”

“I heard your mother arguing with someone. I got lost trying to find…Caden.” She blushes again. “Um, anyway, I was walking past a door that was ajar and I heard your mom saying something like, you need to stop, it’s not appropriate. Then she came out and looked upset. I saw a door open on the other side of the room, like whoever else was with her had just left.”

My skin buzzes. “Could you hear the voice of the other person in the room?”

“Definitely male,” Isla says. “I thought it was someone my age, but maybe that’s just because I assumed it was Alistair? I didn’t hear the voice clearly enough to recognize it or anything. I really only heard your mom’s side of the conversation. But after everything that’s come to light—those letters…”

“Yeah,” I say. So Mom’s stalker was at the party. That motherfucker. Why didn’t Mom tell anyone? Me, Caden, Dad,someone. He was right there and none of us knew. My throat tightens.

Why, Mom?I think.Why didn’t you trust us enough to tell us? Why didn’t you trust me?

I can’t help feeling like I failed her. There’s a prickle at the corner of my eye, that hateful swell of traitorous tears. I will not cry. The next thing I know, a tissue is pushed across the island toward me. I glance up and Isla is very studiously pretending like she didn’t just do that, busying herself at the stove again.

I dab my eyes and crumple the tissue.

“Why didn’t Caden tell me this?” I ask.

“He told Alistair,” Isla says. Telling Alistair something important is like telling a sieve. The information is gone as quickly asthe next party arrives. I’ll need to talk to Caden and find out everything else he knows that he hasn’t told me yet.

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