Page 110 of Riptide
Cara's mind raced through a cascade of reactions she couldn't control. Relief—horrible, shameful relief—flooded through her first. The midnight deadline that never came... it would never come now.
Then guilt crashed over her like a wave. A woman was dead. A human being, however terrible, had lost her life. And Cara's first reaction was gratitude.
Then fear. Cold, sharp fear.
No way she could believe this was an accident. Who killed her? And would they think it was Cara?
She must have swayed, because suddenly Wade was there, steadying her elbow, guiding her into a chair. Reagan appeared on her other side, crouching down to meet her eyes.
"Breathe," Reagan said quietly. "Just breathe."
"I feel—" Cara's voice broke. "I'm relieved. She's dead and I'mrelieved. What kind of person does that make me?"
"Human," Gabe said. “Simple as that.”
"She was going to destroy me. And now she's gone and I—" Cara pressed her hand to her mouth, tears burning behind her eyes.
Tom moved closer, and Piper followed. The team circled around her, a protective wall of presence and warmth.
"Can we pray?" Reagan asked softly.
Cara nodded, not trusting her voice.
Reagan bowed her head, and the others followed. Even Gabe, still standing by the stairs, lowered his chin.
"Lord, we're struggling. We're feeling things we don't know how to feel—relief and guilt and fear all tangled together. A woman is dead, and even though she meant us harm, we know her life had value to You." Reagan's voice was steady, grounding. "We ask for Your wisdom in the days ahead. Protect Cara. Protect all of us. Help us find the truth, and help us trust You with the things we can't control. Amen."
"Amen," the others murmured.
Cara exhaled slowly, some of the tightness in her chest easing. Not gone, but lighter. Bearable.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Reagan squeezed her hand and stood.
"I need to know where all of you were last night," Gabe said. His voice was professional, but his eyes found Cara's and held them. "Between nine PM and midnight."
"Here." Tom's voice was flat. "We were all here. Waiting for Blaire to follow through on her threat."
"All of you? The whole time?"
"The whole time." Reagan stepped forward. "We were in this basement until after one in the morning. Waiting for the bomb to drop."
"It never did," Piper added quietly. "We couldn't figure out why."
Gabe nodded slowly, and Cara saw something ease in his shoulders. Relief. He'd been worried about her alibi, and now he had it—multiple witnesses, all corroborating.
"I'm going to need official statements from each of you," he said. "But that can wait until later today."
"Gabe." Cara's voice cracked. "What happened to her? You said she fell—was it an accident?"
He hesitated. That hesitation told her everything.
"We don't know yet. State police are taking over the investigation. Tyler Price—he's a friend of mine. Good cop. Thorough." He paused. "I have to tell him about the blackmail situation, Cara. About the threat she made against you."
Cara's blood went cold. "Gabe?—"
"I have to," he repeated, and there was pain in his voice. "If I don't, and it comes out later, it compromises everything. The investigation, and any case against whoever actually did this." He held her gaze. "But I'm also going to tell him you have alibi witnesses. Multiple people who can confirm you were here when she died."
