Page 87 of Is Anyone Listening?
I thought about the secret Tyler had shared with me and wondered how to answer Finn's question without breaking that confidence. "He told me she's a friend, someone who doesn't have family to look for her, so he's the one doing it."
"Is that the whole story?" Finn challenged. "There's something about him that bothers me. He's been lurking around town for the past two weeks but never really asking questions, never really stating his concerns, just hovering, eavesdropping, always around but never right in the middle of things."
"He said he was afraid that announcing his intention would only close the channels of communication. The town closes down when outsiders have questions. It's the way I felt, too. That's why we started working together."
"He was there last night when you ran off the road."
"I was on the phone with him when I realized I was being followed. That's how he knew where I was, how he got there so fast."
"Interesting."
There was nothing but suspicion in that short word. "What? You don't trust him?"
"Do you?"
I thought about that. "I guess I don't really trust anyone. But he hasn’t given me any reason to doubt him. And he wants what I want—to find out what happened to Natalie and Jessica."
"Where is he now?"
"He went to Cork Harbor to see if he could find any businesses with security cameras pointed toward the road that Jessica might have walked if she'd climbed away from that boat wreck."
He straightened, a new gleam in his eyes. "So he's in Cork Harbor? Has he been there all day?"
"Uh, I think he's been there a while." I could see by Finn's expression exactly where his mind was going. "You're wondering if he talked to Nathan again."
"You said the two of you went to see Nathan. Maybe he went back."
"He didn't mention it. I just spoke to him on our way over here. I told him about Nathan. He was as shocked as I was. If he'd spoken to Nathan, he would have told me. But I don't think he did because he thought Nathan was a dead end."
Finn nodded. "You're probably right. But be careful around that guy, Cassidy."
I couldn't help but smile. "I will, but you should know that he said the same thing about you."
He tipped his head in acknowledgement. "I guess I can't blame him for that. Until we know what happened, no one is above suspicion."
On that note, he turned and got into his SUV, and after a moment, I slid behind the wheel of my grandmother's car and followed him out of the parking lot. We parted ways at the first intersection, as I headed to the inn, and he went to find his sister.
It felt odd to see him disappear down another road. But it was for the best. I needed to think for myself. And I couldn't discount the possibility that both Finn and Tyler had hidden agendas. I'd kept my own secrets. I couldn't afford to think they didn't have secrets of their own. The only people I could really trust were Morgan and Tessa, and I owed them both a call.
I called Tessa first. Aside from everything else, I needed to know that she was healing and starting to feel better.
"Hey," Tessa said groggily. "I was just napping."
"That's good. How are you feeling? Are you still in pain?"
"It's not as bad as it was, but it's still there. The bad news is that I was spiking a fever last night, but the antibiotics seemed to have knocked that out."
"A fever? Is there an infection?" I asked with concern.
"Maybe, but the doctor was here a while ago and seemed to think the medication was taking care of that. But he wants to keep me here until Friday."
"That's only two days away."
"I know. And it's fine, because I need to feel a little stronger before I make the trek home. I guess we don't have a car anymore."
"No. We'll have to rent one. Or maybe we should fly. That might be easier on you."
"Probably."
