Ben rubbed his unshaven chin. He’d already known about the Impala. While testing his theories in the night, he’d run through the list of vehicles that might have been available to Nicole. Tom claimed the Impala was parked in the garage when he’d taken his Mercedes on his overnight business trip.

  Nicole could’ve driven the Impala. Or, someone else had access. Considering the Tribeaus’ security system, the entire block would’ve known if a stranger had broken in. Whoever returned the car knew the security code.

  All indications led to Nicole and Tom’s oldest son.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Ben’s fingertips dusted over Mia’s thigh beneath the island, out of his partner’s watchful gaze. The electricity of his touch on her skin jolted the urges that had remained dormant while in the hospital. “Can I talk to you in private for a minute?” he whispered.

  She nodded and he stood to pull her stool away from the island. “We’ll be right back,” she told Liz, meeting her friend’s look of concern. After she’d returned home, she’d filled Liz in on her brief affair with Ben. While Liz hadn’t deemed it to be the best idea considering Mia’s circumstances, she had given her approval.

  She caught Ben’s partner giving him a knowing look as they started for the deck. Stepping away from the sliding doors once outside, she pulled Ben aside away from the prying eyes of Liz and Special Agent Diaz. She drew him down to her, covering his mouth with a breathless cry. She’d missed him something awful while in the hospital, and had time to question what she wanted from him. She’d decided she needed him in her life, no matter the consequences or cost. He’d always remained deeply embedded in her heart, even after he’d left all those years ago. She could’ve cried when he reciprocated the kiss, tugging her close against his hard body with firm hands and a hungry mouth.

  An overwhelming sense of love and longing tangled together with the breathless kiss, making her lightheaded. She didn’t know how they’d make a relationship work, but she was ready to do whatever it took to stay in his life. Her heart roared with unrestrained glee. He’d seen her at her absolute worst, when she’d imagined Gavin was still at her side, and he hadn't run. Hadn’t pushed her away and resisted her kiss. Unsure she’d be able to stop herself from ripping his clothes off and taking him right there, she was relieved when he backed away, touching his forehead to hers.

  “I missed you, Ben,” she whispered. “I love you.”

  “Mia,” he rasped her name with a throaty groan, holding her tight against him. “You can’t possibly know how happy it makes me to hear you finally admit it.”

  Remembering what he’d said to her the night they’d finally made love, she repeated his words back to him. “Always have, always will.”

  “I had different reasons for wanting to speak with you alone, but I can’t say I’m disappointed. I’ll come back later…when we can truly be alone.” He bent to plant another deep, lingering kiss on her lips before pressing a soft kiss against her forehead. “When I can show you just how much I missed you.”

  The combination of his hungry lips and the promise for more made her heady with want. “Why’d you call me out here?”

  “You need to call Gwen. Tell her she needs to come home. Make something up.”

  She backed away to look him in the eyes. “What? Why?”

  “There’s something you need to know. I didn’t want to tell you in front of everyone because I knew it’d be upsetting.”

  Lips pressed together, she wound her arms tightly around herself. “Is she okay?”

  “Earlier today, Darrin Tribeau told me he’s sleeping with her.”

  Heat drained from her extremities. Darrin and Gwen? “There’s no way. She would never.”

  “He alleges he was with her the night his mom went missing. He said he dropped her at Heidi’s. He claims they’ve been sneaking around because Gwen didn’t want you, Nicole, or his sister to know they’re together.”

  “Oh god.” Mia gripped his biceps, all at once feeling woozy. It couldn’t be true. “Did you ask him if he knew about her miscarriage?”

  He feathered his fingers across her cheek. “He claimed to be the father.”

  Bile rose in her throat as she shook her head several times. “I installed a tracking app on her phone. She’s been spending time at the Tribeau house. It sounded crazy, but I figured she had somehow befriended Madolyn. I never would’ve dreamt…oh my god.” A rush of tears tumbled from her eyes. “She told me she didn’t think the father of her child even liked her. She said it was a ‘heat-of-the-moment’ situation, and they didn’t have feelings for each other.”

  “I’m worried there might be something more going on with her, Mia. The sneaking around, unusual behaviors…she seems a little…detached. Maybe she’s not dealing well with her brother’s death, either. You should take her in to see someone other than Liz…just to be sure.”

  Absently, Mia nodded. “Liz has been telling me to get her into a therapist ever since he died.” Guilt squeezed her chest. Maybe if she’d taken her in sooner, she wouldn’t have hooked up with Darrin. “I kept putting it off, thinking she was being paranoid. Turns out I was the paranoid one.”

  Empathy shone in his warm gaze. “Were you aware she’d spent any time with Darrin in the past?”

  “She has always despised Darrin.”

  “I can see why. I didn’t get a great impression of him. Matter of fact, he’s become the lead suspect in my investigation.”

  “What?” Feeling dizzy, she reached out to dig her fingers into his firm biceps. “You’re telling me he’s sleeping with my daughter, and you think he killed his own mother? Matt and that poor girl too?”

  “I don’t know. But I think it would be a good idea if you’d keep her away from him until I find out.”

  Mia had never felt more disoriented as she pulled her phone from her shorts pocket, praying Ben was wrong, but sensing deep down he was right.

  As soon as Ben backed the rental down Mia’s driveway, Eva turned to him and asked, “Have you deemed Mia as innocent because you’re sleeping with her?”

  For the first time since they’d been partnered, he was irritated by her keen awareness. He knew she’d see right through any lies he could’ve procured, so he didn’t bother to deny it. “No. It goes beyond that.” In that moment, he felt the full weight of his decision to be with Mia. It had been a rookie mistake to act on feelings for a potential witness, even if she was an old friend with a complicated past. Yet he couldn’t have possibly known she’d become so deeply intertwined in his investigation. He flexed his jaw. “Are you going to report me to the bureau?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped, waving both hands around. “I’m not going to risk having you kicked out so they can pair me with some kid wet behind the ears. I just hope you don’t let your dick get in the way of uncovering the truth.”

  “I won’t. You have my word.”

  The remainder of the afternoon, Eva combed through all the case files, including those on the three unsolved abductions, and created a timeline chart that she taped to the motel wall. She wasn’t as convinced Darrin Tribeau was their unsub, mostly because it seemed plausible Alyssa and Nicole’s murders were linked to Bella and the other missing women. But she admitted he showed potential, and agreed they might be able to get a judge to issue a warrant to search Darrin’s car and bedroom for anything that would link him to the murders.

  Just an hour after they’d left Mia’s, she’d sent a text saying Gwen was home, although holed up in her room, and he’d reminded her to keep a watchful eye on her window. He would’ve given anything to sneak away and be with her, knowing she was likely still upset after learning her brain had altered her reality for so long. At least Liz had volunteered to stay with her until she seemed stronger.

  Ben and Eva grabbed burgers from Key Largo next door, and worked late into the night, testing out different theories based on what Mia believed to have seen on Pelican’s Pass. Around the time he was ready to call it a night and text Mia to see if he could come over, he discovered a banner on his phone’s screen announcing an email from Mia@ShadyOaks. The subject line read: I’M SORRY. Before he even clicked on the message, tremors wracked his body and spread across his skull. His intuition rattled him down to his core. Something was seriously amiss.

  * * *

  Ben,

  The memory of what happened to Bella finally returned to me while I was in therapy. I haven’t told anyone, and I didn’t know how to tell you in person.

  Matt made a lifetime of mistakes, starting with how he felt about my sister. I was jealous, and couldn’t stand the thought of them together. I didn’t mean to kill her. I swear to you. We were near Matt’s father’s old boathouse in the woods when I confronted her. Before I realized what was happening, my fingers were around her neck. I squeezed until the light went out of her eyes. There was no question she was dead after she collapsed and her head split open on a boulder. I stashed her inside the boathouse until a few days later when the police were gone, and it was safe to move her to her final resting place at the bottom of the lake.

  Although her death was a tragic mistake, Matt continued to disappoint me. I couldn’t live with the man I loved sleeping with every young woman to cross his path. Patricia, Terri, Alyssa, they were all casualties of his affairs. I believed they marked the end of his infidelities until the night of my accident, when I discovered he’d been screwing Nicole on and off ever since we were teenagers. I was so distraught that I ran my car off Pelican’s Pass. My dear son became yet another casualty of Matt’s affair. I had to make them both pay. Nicole was a crass little bitch, and needed to atone for her sins, including whoring around with my husband. And Matt, well, was being Matt. Maybe he’ll finally be at peace. I will soon be too.

  Your friend always,

  Mia

  * * *

  The words blurred before Ben’s eyes when he took a faltering breath. He wasn’t sure whether or not his heart was still beating. The message was a lie. It had to be. The tone of the message didn’t line up with her demeanor when he’d left her hours earlier.

  As he read the confession a second time with more caution, his grip clutched his phone hard enough to crack the screen. He’d forgotten about Dr. Martin’s old boathouse on the edge of their multi-acre lot, and couldn’t imagine Mia would’ve remembered it either. A new one had been built closer to his house when they were young. The last time he could recall going anywhere near the old one, they were possibly in first or second grade, playing a game of hide-and-go-seek.

  He gave the message yet another glance, dissecting it line-by-line. The flow of words didn’t sound like they’d been written by her, and the facts didn’t add up. Mia had been living in New York at the time of Patricia Foster’s death. And from their conversation, he didn’t believe she had ever truly loved Matt.

  Most importantly, he remained firm in his belief that she wasn’t a killer. She’d adored Bella, and never would’ve done anything to hurt her. He’d bet his life on it.

  Then, with startling clarity, he remembered that Mia had received an email right before her mother’s death from someone claiming to have known what had happened to Bella. The email had come from the exact same domain.

  The message wasn’t a confession.

  Heart twisting with a hollow ache, he swiped his rental’s keys off the table and charged toward the door. “Call Sheriff Perkins,” he told Eva. “Tell him to meet me at Mia Hughes’s cottage. Tell him it’s an emergency.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  As he glanced back at her over his shoulder, he could hardly get his voice to utter the words. “I think the killer’s going after her.”

  Mia wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting on the deck, staring out at the lake with thoughts of both Ben and Gavin, when the whoosh of the door sliding interrupted her wayward thoughts. “Liz is taking me to get snacks and mint ice cream for our movie marathon,” Gwen announced. “Any requests?”

  Turning in her seat, Mia motioned to her daughter to join her. “Come sit with me for a second, sweetie. I want to talk to you about something.”

  Gwen gave her a hesitant look as she stepped out onto the deck. “Okay…”

  Inhaling a deep breath, Mia braced herself on her bare knees as Gwen took the chair beside her. “I know you’ve been spending time with Darrin Tribeau. I’m sorry for violating our relationship, babe, but I put an app on your phone that allowed me to track you. And while I was using your phone to install the app, I happened to see your texts.”

  Gwen’s green eyes dulled, and her lips straightened. “That was a shitty thing to do.”

  “I know, but you’ve been acting so strange lately.” Her eyes brimmed with an onset of tears, and her voice trembled with emotion. “And you didn’t tell me when you first discovered you were pregnant. I was terrified you were getting in over your head.” She paused to lick her parched lips. “I was disturbed by a message someone sent you, saying ‘they’d found the bitch’. Was the message from Darrin?”

  On a forced breath, Gwen’s shoulders dropped. “Yeah, it was. He despised his mother. He told me she never cared about him or his siblings, only how good they made her look. Like, she’d punish all of them whenever one of them embarrassed her. You have no idea how mean she was to them, Mom. He was glad she was dead. After what he told me, I was glad for him.”

  “But do you think—”

  “No,” Gwen said in a cool, hard tone. “Darrin talks a lot of smack, but he’s too much of a coward to have done anything to Nicole.”

  “Are you sure? How well do you really know him, Gwen?”

  Gwen shrugged. “Well enough.”

  “Were you with him the night you found Alyssa’s body?”

  “Yeah. I lied about who I was with because I knew you’d freak if you knew I was sleeping with Nicole and Tom’s son.”

  “You’re sure you don’t feel anything for him? I won’t be mad if you do. I’m just trying to understand what’s going on with you.” Her tears finally spilled. “You’re all I have left.”

  One of Gwen’s eyebrows lifted. “What about that hot FBI agent?”

  “Whatever’s going on with us is still pretty new.” Mia’s cheeks heated. Until recently, she’d had a hard time keeping secrets from her daughter. It felt good to confide in her again. “We haven’t exactly had time to talk about what happens next. But you’ll always be my first priority.” She found her daughter’s hand, and squeezed. “I’m sorry about your father, kiddo. I wish I could’ve been there for you the way you needed. I know what it’s like to unexpectedly lose a parent, and it sucks. I think maybe you should talk to someone about your feelings. Someone more neutral than Liz.”

  From the other side of the cottage, Liz honked her crossover’s horn. On a noisy sigh, Gwen pecked her lips against her mother’s cheek and stood. “You worry too much, weirdo. We’ll be back shortly.”

  “I love you!” Mia called after her.

  Sipping on a glass of sweet tea, she watched the moon and stars reflect on the still water. She suddenly hated being alone where her thoughts were free to wander. Would she ever enjoy the solitude of her backyard again? Every sound nature uttered was magnified, every shadow elongated. Her surroundings had never sounded so alive, even though she couldn’t see any of its inhabitants. She reminded herself that she wasn’t really being watched, nor had she been before Matt’s murder. It had only been her mind playing tricks after she’d gone off her medications. Still, a nagging unease sloshed inside her belly.

  The movie marathon had been her idea. She doubted she’d be able to sleep with the knowledge that her daughter may have been impregnated by a killer, and hoped Gwen would fall asleep for the night tucked away at her side. She wanted to believe what her daughter had said about Darrin, but she’d lied to her countless times already.

  She craved the comfort of Ben’s presence. She needed to feel his arms around her, feel his hot breath mixed with hers, feel the hard friction of his body. It had been impossible to settle her libido down after his promise to stop by later. She knew he had to work late, and hoped she’d be able to slip away from the marathon long enough to satisfy the craving that wouldn’t subside. With a flush spreading over her, she decided it might be kind of hot to have sex with him in his rental SUV. She began to type the idea to Ben in a text.

  * * *

  You. Me. Inside your SUV. Please hurry. I need you.

  * * *

  The sliding door opened behind her.

  “That was crazy fast,” she said, glancing down to finish the message. “I’m guessing you forgot something?”

  Before she could send the text, sharp pain radiated through her skull.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The SUV shuddered with the same ferocity as Ben’s heart as he raced toward Mia’s. The cherry light he’d thrown on the roof shone through the darkness and cut through the ancient oak trees, bearing an eerie similarity to the night of Bella’s disappearance just down the road. He’d tried calling Mia half a dozen times since he’d left the motel, but she wouldn’t answer, and her phone started going straight to voicemail. He finally got a hold of Liz.

  “Are you with Mia?” he barked.

  “No, but we’re on our way back. Gwen and I ran to the grocery store. Why do you sound like that?”

  “Don’t go back inside the house. Sheriff Perkins is on his way.”

  “Oh god, Ben. Don’t tell me something happened to her.”

  “I don’t know for sure, but I think she’s in danger. Someone sent me a bogus confession, pretending to be her. I think whoever killed Nicole and Matt is going after her next.”

  “Oh, God, no!” Liz whimpered in a small cry. “You can’t let anything happen to her, Ben!”