Page 69 of Dead Man's Alibi

And she could keep that to herself.He didn’t need her analyzing him.

But… well, the truth had a way of unlocking locks that didn’t serve a person anymore.She knew that from dealing with her grandmother.So she went for it, even if it might make him mad.

“Did you ever consider that you only want to reason it away because it might be something good, and you’re very afraid of anything good?”

“I have a therapist, Jill,” he said it with a hint of chastisement, but it wasn’t mean.

She knew, because when Cal wanted to be mean, he was sharp and to the point.

“Maybe you should bring that one up next time you talk to her.”

He let out a huff of breath,almosta laugh.“Yeah, maybe I will.”He shook his head.“Come on.Let’s go.Sam said she wasn’t going to do anything stupid, but I’m not sure that’s going to hold up now that she knows that report got deleted.”

Jill nodded.Because she could tell him all sorts of truths about what she thought of him, but his brother was still in jail, and he was tasked with somehow fixing that.Whatever little blip had happened here could wait.It would have to.

Then he held out his hand.And she didn’t know what else to do but put hers in his.

His fingers entwined with hers, and he pulled her out of the building.

Because somehow, no matter what happened, they were all in this big mess together.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Outside Honor’s Edge Investigations Office

Jake didn’t considerparking his car along the street a few buildings down from Honor’s Edge as crossing any lines.Everything he was doing was part of trying to understand this case.He’d done his due diligence by collecting enough evidence to get a warrant for an arrest.

That didn’t mean his job was over.A trial was still going to happen, and he needed to ensure that the prosecution had everything they needed to put a murderer behind bars for good.

That was the job, and he was damn good at his job.

So good, he certainly wasn’t wasting any time entertaining what Cal had said the other day about refusing to admit he was wrong.How many cases had he had to keep an open mind, change theories on the fly, investigate, learn, observe.

Not decide.Not blame or interpret.He dealt infacts.

Sure, he was a little frustrated he’d wasted his time with Sam the other day, and that was feeling more than fact.There wasn’t going to be any getting through to her, though part of him was still looking for some angle.Some point of purchase.

She probably just needed time.Time to calm down.Time to realize.

Bennet would show his true colors eventually.Just like Benjamin Bennet had.

Not because sons had to pay for their father’s shitty behavior.Just because it made sense that if a person grew up with something, it wasnaturalthat it might influence them.Like alcoholism or drug use or a lack of respect for the law.

Surely Sam was bright enough to see through him once the trial laid it out.Jake just had to be patient.Pushing her wasn’t patient.Though the desire to do so was a persistent, frustrating itch just out of reach.

If he could convince her, then he could relax into beingcertain.Not that hewasn’t.It was just something about the case ate at him, but that didn’t mean he had to spend a lot of time quantifyingwhatthat was or why.Or wonder if he waswrong.He just needed to investigate.

So he watched the storefront of Honor’s Edge.He was disappointed in Sam for closing it down, for staying up at the Bennet Ranch.He’d thought her stronger than all that.

Black-and-white cop thinking.

Jake gritted his teeth and pushed Cal Bennet’s voice out of his fucking consciousness.

If Sam did come and open Honor’s Edge, he wouldn’t go in there.He was just taking stock of who came and went.The Bennets thought there was some way to turn this around on him, which normally would be so ludicrous he wouldn’t even concern himself with it.

But Cal Bennet and Sam Price were two hallmarks of tenacity.

And Jake Hayes was not a perfect man.