Page 121 of Redemption Ridge Vol II

“It was her sweet sixteen birthday gift from her parents,” Seth said.

Abbott shuffled the stack of pictures until he came to another one. “Is that Cynthia?”

Seth forced himself to look. Sure enough, another group photo captured the car in the background, with Cynthia walking toward it with a thunderous expression on her face. “Yeah, that’s her.”

“In twenty-five years, investigators had talked to Cynthia only twice. She’d been too distraught on their first interview to give much information and only wanted to point the blame toward Ryan Ulrich during the second. The investigators hadn’t viewed her as a viable suspect or a reliable witness, and they never circled back to her like they had with everyone else. You and I both know how consistent the interviewees have been over the years. We’ve had a few that could no longer remember things, but Cynthia is the only one we caught in a lie.”

“Why would she kill Nat?”

“Let’s go find out,” Abbott said.

Phaedra greeted them with a warm smile when they entered the prosecutor’s office. When Seth couldn’t return her enthusiasm, she shifted her gaze between the two men. Seth made a quick introduction that did nothing to smooth her furrowed brow.

“Tony is in court,” Phaedra said.

“We’re here to talk to Cynthia,” Seth replied. Phaedra lifted her phone to call Cynthia, but Seth asked her to stop. “Please just open the door.”

Phaedra held his gaze for a few seconds before she returned the phone to the cradle and buzzed them in.

Seth thanked the receptionist and opened the door.

“Hopefully she won’t tip Cynthia off,” Abbott whispered as he followed Seth down the hallway.

“There’s really no place for her to run to,” Seth said.

Cynthia was in her office, studying something on her desk so intently she didn’t realize they stood in the open doorway. Seth rapped his knuckles against the doorframe, and she snapped her head up. Cynthia looked exhausted, but she attempted to smile until she saw Seth’s expression. She stood up so fast her chair flew back and hit the wall. “What’s wrong?”

Seth stepped into the office and gestured to Abbott, who followed him into the cramped space. “Cyn, this is Agent Shayne Abbott. He’s reinvestigating Natalie’s murder and has some questions for you. I’m just tagging along as a courtesy.”

“Oh,” Cynthia said. She started to sit and nearly fell when her chair wasn’t where she expected it to be.

Seth rushed forward and steadied her before she fell. Cynthia latched onto his arms and didn’t let go. She trembled from head to toe, and when she finally met his gaze, Seth knew Abbott’s suspicions were right. He’d held out hope for a valid explanation for her lie, but the sudden sobs racking Cynthia’s body told him everything he needed to know. His heart broke all over again, just as acute as the day they’d discovered Natalie’s body. This reality was unfathomable to him. Cynthia? Natalie’s sister from another mister or whatever they used to say? A stronger emotion simmered in his gut, and he needed to get it under control or risk breaking his promise to Abbott. He didn’t know how long they stood there staring into one another’s eyes, a silent communication transmitting between them. Cynthia wanted forgiveness, and Seth needed answers. He helped her sit down in her chair, but she wouldn’t release her hold on his arms.

“Why, Cyn?”

She wailed louder, and several of her coworkers rushed to her office, pausing when they took in the scene. Abbott flashed his badge and shut the door, but Seth knew it wouldn’t help. They’d overhear what Cynthia was about to confess, and the news would be all over town before they left the building. He wanted to break the news to his family instead of letting them find out through the rumor mill.

“Cynthia, maybe we should talk at the station,” Seth suggested. “We’d have more privacy.”

She snuffled. “Everyone is going to know what I did.” She gripped him tight enough that her fingernails would have dug into his skin if not for his long sleeves. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I just…lost it. I was so fucking mad at Nat.”

“Wait a minute,” Abbott said gently. “We need to go through some proper channels.” He Mirandized Cynthia and asked if she wanted to call an attorney.

Seth freed himself from her grasp and stepped back. If he wanted to maintain his professionalism, he probably should keep his cousin’s killer out of arm’s reach. Seth eased back around to the front of her desk. There was only one chair, and he sat down in it to make eye contact easier. Abbott remained in front of the door with his arms crossed over his chest.

Cynthia swiped her arm over her face to wipe her runny nose. All traces of the professional woman Seth knew were gone. “The truth has eaten me alive and destroyed every relationship I’ve ever had. It’s time.”

“Do you have any weapons in your desk or on your person I should know about?” Seth asked.

Cynthia swallowed hard and shook her head. “I haven’t so much as hurt a fly since that day.” She raised her chin and met Seth’s gaze. Tears poured down her cheeks, and he slid the box of tissues to her. She snatched two and began wiping her face. “I mean it, Seth. I never intended to hurt her. But she…” Cynthia balled the tissues in her fist and emitted a fierce growl. “She wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Tell me why you were so mad in the first place.”

A hot flush stole across her cheeks, as if the memory might still infuriate her. Then, Cynthia raised her head and met Seth’s gaze again. Misery shimmered in her eyes, and he saw remorse instead of fury.

“We had a huge fight about Ryan.” Cynthia shook her head. “No, that’s not fair. Ryan was just the final straw.”

“How so?” Seth asked.