Shallow Water by Amanda J. Clay

Author:Amanda J. Clay [Clay, Amanda J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-24T16:00:00+00:00

31

The next day my resolve crumbled. I shifted my phone back and forth between my palms, and before I could talk myself out of it, I typed a message to Sean.

I think they’re hiding something.

Sean wrote back: Meet me at the bar in 10.

“Don’t you think you’re getting a little paranoid, Clara?” Sean asked, filling up two beers from the taps. He set down one in front of me where I sat at the far end of the bar.

I took a long sip, swishing the hops around in my mouth, then shook my head.

“No, I don’t. I know it sounds a little crazy, but it’s not like the police would be willing to just share all their evidence with us, right? No matter how much they say they ‘want our help.’ I call stinky bullshit.”

Sean ran his finger around the mouth of the glass absentmindedly.

“So, if you had to guess, what are they hiding?”

“Evidence against me.”

Sean’s brow went up. “Why would you think that?”

“Gut feeling. I don’t know…I hear it in Lindsey’s voice. Suspicion, accusatory. It’s like he thinks I had something to do with Ruthi too.”

“That’s insane. How could they think you would ever hurt Ruthi?”

I bit back the sting of salt to my eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t know how anyone could have hurt her, but I would have rather died.”

He took my hand from across the bar, calming me.

“I know that, Clara. They’re idiots if they can’t see that.”

I pulled my hand away and focused on my beer. Focused on the swirling dark malts. Anything to not meet Sean’s icy gaze. Anything not to think about his lips on mine--salt and saliva and whiskey intermingling.

“Who the hell is doing this?” Sean asked.

“I’ll assume that’s rhetorical. I haven’t the slightest idea. This town has some serious weirdos, but a crazed killer?” I shook my head.

“What do you want to do about it, then?”

“I want to know what they have on me—what they think they have on me.”

Sean laughed a little dubiously. “Okay, and how do we get that?”

“Break into the police station, I guess.”

Sean blinked, his expression warring between shock and incredulity. “Look, Nancy Drew, let’s take a step back from that. That’s a pretty serious crime.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve bent a few rules,” I grinned.

“That’s not a bend, that’s a solid break. As in breaking and entering.”

“Oh, when did you get so self-righteous? Tabby have you walking the pin-point straight and narrow?”

I regretted the words instantly. He lowered his eyes and didn’t answer.

“Sorry,” I said.

“It’s fine. But yeah, she’s pretty up and up. I’m not a reckless teenager anymore, Clara. And you shouldn’t be, either. We can’t just break into places.”

I sighed. “Know any computer geniuses that could hack in?”

We both laughed at that.

“It’s not like we’re going to steal anything,” I went on. “Just take a peek. How else are we going to know what we’re up against here?”

“Clara—”

“There is a madman out there, targeting young girls, terrorizing me, and the police think I’m involved.

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