Page 56 of Hard Evidence
“What do you think happened?”Violet asked.
“Honestly?”Ari glanced at Justin, then shook her head slowly.“Honestly, I’m not sure we want to find out.”
I was on my way to the car with Shiro’s leash in one hand and a sheaf of posters in the other when Ari beckoned me toward her.
“You visited Sophy with Justin, didn’t you?”
“Uh, yes?”
“Will you come with me to speak with her again?Better for her to see a familiar face.”
“What about Justin?”
“Sometimes, a woman will be more open with other women.”
That did make sense.My time with Ridge had taught me that finding a safe man was like closing your eyes and trying to pick a guava out of a pile of live hand grenades.Saylor was the only person I’d ever felt comfortable sharing my secrets with.
“Then I’ll come.Should I put up the posters first, or…?”
“This is more important.Based on what we’ve found out so far, Sophy was the closest person to Amie in recent weeks, and even if she doesn’t think she knows anything useful, there might be an important clue locked away inside her mind.”
“And you’re the key?”
Ari smiled at me.“I hope so.”
“Sophy might be working this afternoon.She’s a server at the Waffle Factory.”
“I heard from a reliable source that she’s home.”
She had a spy watching Sophy’s movements?The thought made me shudder.The police might be reluctant to look for a missing woman, but what if one of Ridge’s shady PI friends was here in Virginia right now?Should I be going out at all?Fear almost sent me running back into the house, but then I thought of Amie, on her own and dealing with challenges every bit as big as mine.
“Ready?”Justin asked from behind me.
My chest tightened, and too late, I realised my mistake.I’d promised to go with Ari.Me.Alone.And I hadn’t checked with Justin first whether that was okay.Saylor said I was a people-pleaser, that I agreed to anything to avoid the consequences of saying “no.”
“Uh…” I started.
“She’s coming with me,” Ari told him.“We’re going to speak with Sophy again.”
I took a step back, waiting for the fireworks, remembering the way Ridge had exploded when Saylor showed up for an unapproved lunch date.Perhaps I should apologise?Explain that I could put up posters right after I got back from visiting with Sophy, and…
“Good luck.You want me to take the dog?”
…and if they allocated each person an area, I could make sure to do my share later.But what about lunch?If I picked up the fixings for sandwiches, then… Wait.Why was everyone looking at me?
“You want Justin to walk Shiro?”Ari asked.
“I…I…”
“I’ll keep him on the leash,” Justin said.“Seems a shame for him to stay at home if we’re all going out.”
He was offering to…help?With Shiro?Was it a trick?I wanted to tell him I had things under control, but I couldn’t speak around the lump in my throat.So I just nodded, then swallowed hard as he kissed me on the cheek and took the leash and the posters out of my hands.Shiro began sniffing Justin’s pockets.
“Yeah, buddy.I have snacks.Do you want to ride in the truck?Do you?”
Shiro pranced along behind him, which did nothing to calm my emotions and everything to make my heart beat faster.And as I climbed into the passenger side of Ari’s car, two thoughts hit me.Firstly, I’d been in Virginia for a week, and even with all the worries over Amie’s disappearance, I already felt more comfortable here than I ever had with Ridge.Life in Biddeford had been like a video game.Score the points and earn the prizes without accidentally stepping on a landmine.
Justin reacted in unexpected ways, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
