Page 85 of Estranged Heart
“Aren’t you supposed to be letting us handle this case, Mr. Pena?”
“Yes, but you also said to call if I saw Hank again or with anything else that could help the case, so that’s what I’m doing. Stacey Adams paid someone to tell my husband to call Hank when he was looking for suggestions for a romantic date on the lake. She led Landon to that boat and now her husband has his heart.”
“That’s quite the accusation you have there,” he says gruffly.
“I heard her admit it outside my restaurant.”
“And you just happened to be standing there when she gave her confession,” he says pointedly.
“She was arguing with Hank about the customer she paid showing back up and asking about Landon. She was worried about the accident being traced back to her.”
“I see. I still find it odd you were there. Were you also working with them, and now you’re selling them out before they can do the same to you?” he accuses, his tone ugly. I really don’t like this asshole.
“No. Of course not. These people killed my husband and you’re wasting time with your stupid questions. They stopped at Luke’s Funeral Home off Broader Street and who knows what they went there to do. What if they have someone else?”
He sighs loudly, sounding bored. “Alright, alright. I’ll send someone to check it out. But for now, go home and wait for us to call you. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes, I will, but I really need someone to go there now in case another life is in danger. They were up to something. Talking about jobs being half assed and him taking the rap for it.”
“And we’ll check it out. I’m sending a car now and I’ll also go there myself. Don’t worry, Mr. Pena. Whatever’s happening at the funeral home we’ll get to the bottom of it, but we do need you to stay out of the way while we do.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Good,” he says curtly. “I’ll be in touch again as soon as we talk to both parties.” The line clicks before I can respond again, and I toss my phone on the passenger seat, cursing under my breath.
When I reach the house, I storm through the door, not sure how to approach Silas at first. I want to believe he’s innocent in all this but what if he’s not? What if I ask him about it and he lies to me? It’s not like I’ve known him for very long. For all I know, he’s been pretending to be someone he isn’t this whole time to throw me off. Either way, Landon had to die so he could live. He didn’t only pull me from a dark place, he was the reason I landed there to begin with.
Taking deep breaths, I urge myself to calm down. To remain level-headed. It isn’t until I walk into the kitchen and see him wearing Landon’s robe that anger burns hotter through my veins.
“There you are. I was starting to think you got lost somewhere.” He strolls my way, smiling softly, and I grit my teeth.
“Who said you could wear that?”
His brow rises and he looks down at his body, tugging on one of the ties. “Oh, I left my stuff in your car and got cold. I thought it was yours.” He swallows hard, his face paling. “Is it . . . Oh Elijah, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize . . .” He tugs at the front of the robe. “I should have asked first. I’ll take it off.” His eyes are sincere as he shrugs off the robe, his hands shaking.
“Did you know?” I jump straight to the number one question hammering at the front of my mind.
“I . . . huh? I told you I thought it was yours and—”
“Not about the damn robe. Did you know that your wife had my husband killed?”
“What?” His face contorts. “What are you talking about?”
“Did you know it’s his heart in your chest?”
He grabs at his throat, his features strained. “I . . . I considered he might have been a donor and after the accident—”
My hand makes a loud thumping sound when it crashes against the countertop. “There was no accident. He was kidnapped and murdered by organ traffickers. Your wife works for them. What even was this to you? Why did you keep showing up everywhere I was? Were you purposely stalking me to see what I knew?”
“Elijah, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Was this some game? Were you hoping to find out what a horrible husband Landon was so you could feel better aboutyourself?” I was going off the rails and could no longer stay on one track, jumping from one to the next.
“Stacey would never do something like that, and I don’t even know if it’s Landon’s heart I have. It could be someone else’s for all we know.” His voice croaks.
“And you know your wife so well, right?” I feel like I’m cracking on the inside and I can’t stop the words from rushing past my lips. “Why else do you think you like the same things he does? Why do you think we connected so quickly? I’m not sure anything between us was ever real.”
“Of course it’s real.” He reaches for my hand and I slap him away. “Please. Let’s just sit and talk about all this. Did something happen at the restaurant? Did you run into Stacey?”
