Page 84 of The Pretender

Harris’s mind scrambled. He rushed to force all the pieces to make sense. “Explain.”

“I joined the chat room, but it wasn’t to hurt her. It was to get to know her.” A gentle pleading moved into Craig’s voice. Stress pulled at his mouth and he used his hands to emphasize every point.

“Nah. I don’t buy that.” Damon shook his head. “You already knew her. You said yourself you were on the island every day.”

“Don’t you understand? I was the guy who delivered things. The help.” Craig’s gaze kept moving until it fell on Gabby. “I wanted... I was really attracted to her but she kept her distance. She put up this barrier. Not because of our backgrounds. Not that, but because she held everyone away from her.”

Harris couldn’t help but look at Gabby. It sounded to him like the sisters suffered from the same affliction when it came to emotional ties. Then his gaze returned to Craig. “You’re saying you had a thing for her.”

“Not at first.” Craig exhaled. “She was sweet and I thought she might be lonely. She talked about the crime stuff, so I made up a username and went online to talk to her. Then I realized everyone on there knew her. She was not a woman hiding on an island in those rooms. She was knowledgeable, the person others went to to discuss ideas and theories. She’d created this world and was a huge star in it, not this lonely person who needed company.”

“She was never that,” Gabby yelled at him.

“But she was lonely, Gabby. She didn’t hide in a closet, but she had learned to use the island as a shield. If she stayed here, she didn’t have to face anything. She could keep living like she had with your parents—protected.” He sat down on the bench near Damon.

“Keep going,” Harris said.

“I liked talking with her and thought she’d be more comfortable confiding in a stranger, if she needed that, than someone she didn’t have to see all the time.”

“And then you fell for her?” The disbelief was obvious in Damon’s voice.

For a second the pain cleared from Craig’s eyes. “She was so enthusiastic and dedicated. In person, so beautiful and a bit mysterious. Young in some ways, but like this bright beam of sunlight. The more I talked with her, the deeper I got sucked in.” Craig hesitated as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “I fell for her.”

“Why use the chat room? Why not come clean and tell her?” Harris asked, but he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

“How she was in the chat room was different from how she was in person.” His words tripped over each other. “That’s not what I mean. It’s that she was more—”

“Approachable.” Harris filled in the blank. “You could pull her out of her shell in the chat room.”

It all made sense to Harris. In her element, talking about a subject that meant so much to her, Tabitha could be the person she might have been if the kidnapping fiasco hadn’t happened.

Something that looked like hope sparked in Craig’s eyes. “Exactly. I thought if I could get her to like me in there, then I could tell her the truth. We talked every single day. For hours each night. Just the two of us. She was the one who suggested the private chat, and in there our conversations went beyond criminal cases.”

“Or, to put it another way, one without the pretty spin. You weaseled your way into her life, and when you finally told her the truth she got pissed and you panicked.” Damon’s summation made it all sound so simple. “Stabbed her.”

“God, no.” Craig’s hands shook. “Don’t you get it? I would never have hurt her.” He looked at Gabby. “You have to believe me. I loved her. I’ve been grieving her in silence for more than a year because I couldn’t tell anyone.”

“Why not?” Gabby asked.

“Because of this. Exactly what’s happening now.” Craig stood up then sat down again. He was a ball of nervous energy, constantly shifting and moving. Looking ready to pop. “If I mentioned I was talking with her, deceiving her, the police would have blamed me for her murder.”

Gabby sighed. “Instead, they blamed me.”

“You’re not the only one on the radar. I’ve been questioned numerous times.Who did I bring to the island? Why did I hate the Wright family? Was this about jealousy?”

Harris believed him. He hated that he did because tagging Craig now would end all of this. Gabby would finally have that closure and her uncle would have to back off. The entire case tied up in a neat bow, which was exactly the problem. Harris couldn’t see Craig throwing Gabby against a wall or burning down the main house. Loving Tabitha wouldn’t cause him to do any of that to Gabby.

Harris reached over and took the hat out of Gabby’s hands and held it up to Craig again. “Where did this come from?”

“I have no idea. It wasn’t on the boat last night.” Craig stood up again and paced in the small amount of open space. “I clean it after every use and at the end of every workday.”

“You stayed here last night, on the island.” It was the first thing Damon had said that wasn’t an accusation.

Craig nodded. “Kramer invited me when he saw the storm coming in. I figured it was safer.”

Damon had mentally cleared Craig. Harris didn’t have to ask for confirmation of that because he could hear it in the change in Damon’s voice. Whatever Craig said must have matched with the documents in Damon’s pocket.

Sure, this could be an unrequited love thing but Harris didn’t see it. Nothing about Craig’s demeanor said “killer.” Some hid it well. Harris had known more than one sociopath. The art world was filled with them. But they had certain personality traits. A brutal ego and need to hear praise. As far as Harris could see, Craig was hardworking, dedicated and apparently mourning in silence.

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