Page 43 of Tangled Past
Chapter Fifteen
The world outside the SUV blurred into streaks of frost and gray sky as they left the municipal complex. Not quite snow. Not quite rain. The kind of weather that made everything look washed out. Like a memory losing its edges.
JT and Rachel drove ahead of them now with Will behind, keeping a careful watch in the rearview mirror.
Maya was grateful to have Asa seated next to her. She didn’t know when she’d started measuring safety by proximity to him, but right now—if someone told her she had to get through the next hour without hearing his voice—she wasn’t sure she could. She pressed her forearm against the cold window and stared out of it. “Someone erased me. Not just my file. My whole origin story.”
“We’ll find out who,” Asa said, his voice full of conviction.
She looked his way. “You sound so sure.”
“I am,” he said simply. “Because whoever did this left threads behind. They always do. People hide things, but they’re terrible at erasing them.”
Vanessa Warren. Her mother. It hurt to think she’d probably never get to know her. What were her dreams? Had sheloved Maya’s father? She’d never get to hear her mother say “I love you” again.
Asa’s fingers closed around hers, warm and firm, grounding her. The SUV hummed around them. Maya stared at their joined hands. She hadn’t held someone’s hand in years. A tremor ran through her—not fear, exactly, but something more dangerous. Hope.
Will’s voice pulled her attention away from the tender moment. “We have a possible lead.”
Asa’s brows shot up. “What’s the name?”
“Troy Malbern.”
“Malbern? Where have I heard that name before?” Asa asked
“He used to own the Hardesty farm before they bought it from him when he was broke,” Will told them. “According to the Hardesty children, who now own the property jointly since their parents’ deaths, Malbern tried to buy it back, but they didn’t want to sell. Apparently, he’d show up at the property from time to time. They’d see him walking around like he still owned the place. The son told me their father called Raymond to handle it. He escorted Malbern off the property several times.”
“So, there was no official report on the incidents?” Asa asked.
“Apparently not.”
“That’s strange,” Maya said. “Does he still live here on the island?”
Will confirmed he did. “On his boat. He’s a fisherman. The guy has a bad temper. Always complaining about some injustice. My officers have had more than one run-in with him through the years.”
Maya stiffened. “You think he was involved?”
“We’re not sure,” Will said, “but it’s possible he knows something.”
Asa squeezed her hand. “This doesn’t mean anything definitive. It’s just a lead.”
Right. A lead. A coincidence that made her stomach coil.
Once they reached the station, Will led them into the briefing room. The space felt too bright, too sharp after the grayness outside. He stepped away to speak with one of his officers, then joined them. “We may have a new piece of the puzzle.” He peeled off his gloves. “My officer was able to track down the old dispatcher from Raymond Dutton’s years. Margaret Cormier is living in Alaska.”
Rachel blinked. “Is she willing to talk?”
“The officer said she sounded nervous,” Will admitted. “But she agreed to a call. She said she remembers something.”
Asa shifted in his seat beside Maya. “What kind of something?”
Will exhaled. “Something about the night Raymond made his final distress call and something about a woman and child hidden on the Hardesty property.”
The room went silent. Everyone turned toward Maya. Her pulse slammed against her ribs.
Asa leaned closer. He must have sensed her distress.
“Ready?” Will asked Maya.
