Page 20 of Crossroads of Betrayal
“But how does that explain why this woman’s ID was in your bag?”
The tone of Tucker’s voice set him on edge, but Zeke couldn’t blame him for being suspicious. A nagging voice in the back of his mind told him that finding Tessa’s identification in his bag was something he needed to fess up to now or it’d just make him look even worse. “I think we need to call the police. Lincoln Sawyer’s the name of the officer who talked to Joan last night. He lives here, right? With Brooke?”
“Yeah, just a few cabins over. He’ll want to know about it.”
Tucker fished his phone from the front pocket of his jeans and swung around to give Zeke his back.
Zeke’s pulse raced and he reached for Ruby. The dog’s comforting presence took his anxiety down a few notches, but the hushed tones of Tucker’s muttered words on the phone to the cops wouldn’t allow his nerves to disappear completely.
He just might be the only guest who left Crossroads Mountain Retreat with more problems than when he’d arrived.
* * *
Grace poundedup the porch steps to the little cabin by the lake where Zeke was staying. The wind blew, fierce and cool, as if shouting the news of an impending storm.
But a storm had already arrived—brought to Grace’s attention by the churning rumor mill that spread around the retreat faster than wildfire.
Bursting through the door, she anchored her fists on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Zeke then Tucker before finally settling on Lincoln. “What the hell is going on?”
Lincoln closed his eyes for a beat, as if preparing himself for a battle, before holding up his palms. “Don’t turn this into a big deal.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she snapped, fury pushing aside any lingering bits of logic or level-headedness. “Why are you in Zeke’s cabin, questioning him about Tessa? I already told you, he didn’t have anything to do with her death. I can’t believe you’d believe the gossip going around.”
“And I can’t believe you’d think I was such a shitty officer that I’d base my murder investigation off gossip and hearsay. Come on Grace, you know me better than that.”
“He’s fine,” Zeke cut in from his spot on the couch where a giant German Shepard sat beside him. “I suggested Tucker call him and ask him to come.”
Zeke’s response unlit her fuse. “Why?”
Lincoln extended an evidence bag. “Take a look at what Zeke found in his backpack.”
Crossing the room, she took the bag and squinted to make out what was on the hard piece of plastic inside. “Is this Tessa’s ID?”
Lincoln remained tight-lipped, his stare hard and irritated then took back the bag.
Tucker moved off the wall he’d been leaning against. “Her work ID. Zeke and I brought Ruby’s stuff here, and when he was looking through his pack, he found it in the front pouch. We figured it’d be best to let Lincoln know right away so he could figure out how it got there.”
She crossed her arms over her chest to stop the quaking starting in her chest from spreading through her body. “Someone put it in there.”
A flicker of a smile on Zeke’s handsome face nearly knocked her sidewise.
“That’s what I’m here to figure out,” Lincoln said. “I dusted for prints and took Zeke’s statement.”
“So you know he was with me and Brooke when Joan’s cabin was broken into,” she shot back.
Tucker hooked one brow as he bounced his gaze between the two of them. “Not sure where all this tension’s coming from, but I think it’s time for me to leave.”
She bit back her desire to shout out exactly what had caused all the tension covering the room like a storm cloud—her ex-husband was being looked at as a murderer by everyone at the retreat. But she didn’t want to bring anyone else into this mess, and Tucker had more important things on his plate.
Lincoln glanced down at his smart watch and cringed. “I need to get going, too. Brooke’s waiting for me. More party planning.”
Indignation tightened her throat. “Seriously?”
“Trust me, I’d rather be doing anything else than what she’s got in store for me. But I have everything I need right now, and I’ll shoot this information over to Cruz. He’s working this case just as hard as I am. We’ll get to the bottom of things.”
She wanted to believe him, but the tense set of his shoulders and quick glance he aimed at Zeke before making his way to the door caused chills to erupt on her skin.
When both Tucker and Lincoln were gone, she turned to Zeke, suddenly unsure of her decision to barge inside his temporary home and insert herself in his business.
