Page 98 of Tessa's Trust

My jaw dropped. “You did?” I turned my head and then quickly looked back at the snowy road. We were far beyond the other side of Tamarack Lake, and the roads were icy. A deer made to jump in front of my car, and I slowed down.

“What are you doing?” she snapped.

“Watching out for deer,” I said slowly.

I had my seat belt on, and so did she. Ramming a tree wouldn’t do any good and would probably get me shot. I could go for the gun, but that would also likely get me shot. “Louise, I think you have problems, and I want to help you. Why did you shoot at the aquarium?”

She shrugged. “I was trying to make a statement, and then once I realized it didn’t work, I helped you pick up the fish. Okay, I did feel bad about the fish.”

At least that was something. “How about we pile onto that feeling bad?” I murmured, slowing as more deer popped up on the side of the road. “You haven’t hurt anybody yet. You can still get out of this.”

“I just want to find Sadie and get the money,” she said. “We both know she’s hiding out.”

There had to be a way out of this situation. “I think she went to Vegas.” I half-meant it. “That’s what I would’ve done.”

“If she were in Vegas, enough cameras would’ve captured her that we’d know it by now. Believe me, I understand the reach Nick Basanelli has, even if you don’t.”

I understood that Nick had contacts I couldn’t even imagine. Even so, this seemed like a silly waste of time that would probably end in my death. “What makes you think she is even remotely in this direction?”

“It’s the only place close to Timber City. You know Sheriff Franco checked out everything in Gem County. Sadie wouldn’t want to go too far from home. You have to know that this is the only place near Timber City.”

My legs knocked together. “Why would she hide out at all?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet. My best guess is she double-crossed you and wanted to get out of town for a while to figure out her best options.”

I reached over and clicked the button to heat my seat.

“What are you doing?” she asked, focusing on me.

“Trying to warm myself up,” I muttered. “I’m freezing. You could have at least let me put some pants on.”

“Yeah, well, you could have at least not fixed my ex-fiancé up with Kelsey Walker.”

That might be a fair point. “Don’t you want him to be happy?” I tried another tack with her.

“No,” she burst out. “Unless it’s with me. I mean, seriously. The guy has money. He has a farm. He could share it a little bit.”

I was starting to think maybe Louise didn’t care about Bobbo as much as she claimed. “Why is it just about money with you?”

“Shut up, or I’ll shoot you.”

Okay. Time to be quiet. I took another corner onto a barely-there road. “Are you sure this is the right way?”

She looked down at her phone. “Yes. You go about two miles, and then we’ll turn right.”

We were truly at the far end of Tamarack Lake in the middle of nowhere. It probably was a good hiding place, but it was also a great place to hide a body. I shivered. “Did you kill Rudy Brando?” I asked again. The woman seemed capable of it.

She snorted. “No, of course not.”

I looked at her. “Really?”

“Honestly. I didn’t kill him. It wasn’t me. I figured you killed him.”

I jolted. Now, she was messing with my head. She seemed more than capable of killing Rudy, especially now that I could see the anger in her eyes. Had she killed Rudy to keep him away from Sadie? Had she planned to marry Bobbo and somehow end up with all his great-aunt’s money? “You already know I didn’t kill him.”

“You had the most to gain,” she said.

Said who? Sadie had more secrets than I realized. I had no clue she was still acting as a loan shark. “Maybe, but his deed is fraudulent.”

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