Page 12 of Tessa's Trust

“Yes,” I blurted. “That still counts with some people.” I believed with my whole heart that it had counted with Sadie. “I don’t know what happened earlier, and I don’t know what happened with Rudy, but he did not have a valid deed to that restaurant.”

“It’s right here.” The sheriff pointed to it again.

None of this made any sense. “Take another look,” I argued. “Because I don’t believe Sadie double-crossed me.”

“Then where is she?” Nick asked, obviously tired of waiting by the door. He strolled forward and grasped my arm, gently pulling me away from the sheriff’s desk. “Is Tessa under arrest?”

“No,” the sheriff said. “Although I searched Rudy’s place and found notes about Tessa’s different interactions with Sadie in a very detailed notebook. It looks like he’d been following you for a while, and it’s possible he spoke with you?”

Even I had to admit I had a pretty good motive for killing Rudy. “I didn’t know Rudy existed until he barged into Silver Sadie’s right after I signed the contract. I have no clue where Rudy was even staying.”

“We’re keeping that confidential for now,” the sheriff said.

Nick’s eyebrows rose. “You sure got a quick search warrant, didn’t you?”

“I did,” the sheriff countered. “Got the judge up, got the papers signed, and sent the deputies out.”

“Where’d they find the deed?” Nick asked. “Was it just sitting right on the table for you to find easily?”

The sheriff shook his head. “I don’t have to share any information with you at the moment, Basanelli. You might want to remember that you work for the state.”

“Actually, I’m a witness in this case,” Nick said smoothly. “And I don’t work for any of you right now. Come on, Tessa.”

He slipped an arm around my shoulders and propelled me out of the room. I went, my mind reeling. Just how screwed up had my life become where the guy who’d tried to prosecute me mere months before was now attempting to protect me?

“This is unbelievable,” I muttered.

Nick scoffed. “I think you’re a lot more like Anna than any of us realized.”

I sighed. Even though I absolutely adored my younger sister, that was not a compliment. Trouble followed her wherever she went.

Chapter 5

We drove behind a snowplow for several miles through the mountain pass, the harsh wind blowing snow sideways against Nick’s SUV. The interior of the vehicle was warm, and I snuggled into the heated seat, trying not to notice how well he drove. After a while, he finally passed the snowplow and kept the Jeep steady on the icy road, maneuvering almost gracefully through the storm.

Everything he did, he seemed to do well.

His hands were big and broad on the steering wheel, and he’d shoved his long-sleeved shirt up to reveal sinewy forearms. The windshield wipers kept a steady rhythm against the weather as he drove, cocooning us from the frozen tundra and lending a feeling of intimacy to the cab.

I was warm and sleepy, yet even so, I tried to study him from beneath my lashes. In profile, his features were sharp and cut. Even in the darkness, I saw the tawny glow of his eyes as he watched the road.

“Did you have fun at speed dating tonight?” he asked.

“I did,” I admitted, hiding a yawn. “Until we found the dead body.”

Part of me was still in shock about that, and another part had settled into the warmth of the vehicle and the sleepiness from the prosecco as my mind tried to ignore the reality of finding Rudy’s body. Who could’ve killed him like that? Why was he in my basement? I just couldn’t figure out what had gone so horribly wrong.

Nick glanced at me and then turned back to the road as we twisted around the mountain. “You had no idea about that quitclaim deed?”

“No,” I said honestly. “Also, I don’t think Sadie would’ve lied to me.”

Nick lifted a shoulder. “I have no idea if she did or not.”

My hackles rose. “I may not have a million degrees like you do, but I can read people. She was telling me the truth.” In fact, reading people was one of my skills, and I’d learned it from my Nana O’Shea. In the olden days, people would’ve thought her touched. But these days, I just figured she could interpret facial expressions and body language better than a trained FBI agent.

Nick glanced at me longer this time. “What’s that about, Contessa?”

“Don’t call me that.” It was rare that anybody used my full name. It didn’t fit me.

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