William, thank you so much for having him call.”
“Sure thing. You take care.”
“You, too.”
Julie ended the call and glanced up into Morgan’s amazing eyes.
“It was Andy. He’s okay.”
“Then what’s bothering you?” he asked as they rejoined the group.
“Something in his voice sounded off. He asked where I was and when I’m coming back. I’m worried, Morgan.”
“One thing at a time. Let’s get back to town and go over your files again. The sooner we puzzle through this, the sooner you’ll be safe, and be able to return to Seattle and your kids.”
As she sat across the desk from him, Morgan sensed Julie was a tangle of nerves. She’d been spooked on the island and he’d managed to calm her down. Yet he couldn’t take any chances, and asked Deputy Chief Scott Finnegan to go through fishing permits to see if he could track down who was driving the motorboat they’d heard.
Morgan doubted her stalker would go to the trouble of renting a boat and following her out there on the off chance he’d get her alone. Yet by wandering off she’d been isolated, making herself an easier target than when she was surrounded by family and friends in Port Whisper.
She wasn’t thinking clearly, thanks to the ghosts of her past. Morgan wished he could say the right words to help her release the guilt about Suzy, but he knew that kind of absolution had to come from inside a person’s heart.
One thing was for sure, her raw emotions triggered by the past were affecting her judgment. Which meant he’d have to think for the both of them in order to keep her safe.
An image of what could have happened on the island if it had, in fact, been her stalker, flashed across his mind. When he’d found her she’d been completely vulnerable, lying on the ground looking…
Dead.
His adrenaline had spiked big-time when he’d first caught sight of her motionless body.
Morgan rolled his neck and refocused on the papers in front of him. Did no good to go to that dark place again. As long as Julie was either at Dad’s house or surrounded by people, Morgan was pretty sure she’d be okay. Besides, there was no evidence that her stalker knew she’d temporarily relocated to Port Whisper. As long as they kept her location a secret, they were good.
“What are we looking for?” she asked.
“Connections to anything unusual or dangerous. Tell me about Dane, the boy who was abducted. What was his family like? Does he have any brothers? What’s his background in general?”
“High-school dropout, but a very smart boy. I encouraged him to get his GED, but no luck so far.”
“Parents? Siblings?”
“Two brothers, younger, in foster care. His dad lost his job due to his drinking, and he’s been in and out of jail for minor stuff. His mom abandoned them when Dane was twelve.” Julie’s gaze shot up to meet Morgan’s. “Sorry.”
“For what?”
“His mom, your mom. I mean, if it brings back bad memories.”
“I’ve moved on, Jules. I won’t lie, Mom’s leaving affected my entire life, but it’s pointless to hold on to the anger.”
She glanced back at her paperwork. “Lecture alert.”
“I wouldn’t dare. I remember how I hated lectures when we were kids.”
Julie snapped her eyes up to meet his. “But we’re not kids anymore, are we?”
It felt as if she’d punched him in the gut. She never missed a chance to remind him that their past was way behind them and it was irrelevant to the present.
Too bad, she’d never convince him. Her life choices were born from events of her past, as were Morgan’s. You couldn’tdeny the past; you had to learn from it. Somehow he’d make her understand that.
As he strategized ways to soften her to the idea, he realized she was still staring at him with those golden eyes. He fought the urge to reach out and place his hand over hers, comfort her, let her know it would all be okay.
And that he’d forgiven her.
He snapped his gaze from hers and refocused
“Sure thing. You take care.”
“You, too.”
Julie ended the call and glanced up into Morgan’s amazing eyes.
“It was Andy. He’s okay.”
“Then what’s bothering you?” he asked as they rejoined the group.
“Something in his voice sounded off. He asked where I was and when I’m coming back. I’m worried, Morgan.”
“One thing at a time. Let’s get back to town and go over your files again. The sooner we puzzle through this, the sooner you’ll be safe, and be able to return to Seattle and your kids.”
As she sat across the desk from him, Morgan sensed Julie was a tangle of nerves. She’d been spooked on the island and he’d managed to calm her down. Yet he couldn’t take any chances, and asked Deputy Chief Scott Finnegan to go through fishing permits to see if he could track down who was driving the motorboat they’d heard.
Morgan doubted her stalker would go to the trouble of renting a boat and following her out there on the off chance he’d get her alone. Yet by wandering off she’d been isolated, making herself an easier target than when she was surrounded by family and friends in Port Whisper.
She wasn’t thinking clearly, thanks to the ghosts of her past. Morgan wished he could say the right words to help her release the guilt about Suzy, but he knew that kind of absolution had to come from inside a person’s heart.
One thing was for sure, her raw emotions triggered by the past were affecting her judgment. Which meant he’d have to think for the both of them in order to keep her safe.
An image of what could have happened on the island if it had, in fact, been her stalker, flashed across his mind. When he’d found her she’d been completely vulnerable, lying on the ground looking…
Dead.
His adrenaline had spiked big-time when he’d first caught sight of her motionless body.
Morgan rolled his neck and refocused on the papers in front of him. Did no good to go to that dark place again. As long as Julie was either at Dad’s house or surrounded by people, Morgan was pretty sure she’d be okay. Besides, there was no evidence that her stalker knew she’d temporarily relocated to Port Whisper. As long as they kept her location a secret, they were good.
“What are we looking for?” she asked.
“Connections to anything unusual or dangerous. Tell me about Dane, the boy who was abducted. What was his family like? Does he have any brothers? What’s his background in general?”
“High-school dropout, but a very smart boy. I encouraged him to get his GED, but no luck so far.”
“Parents? Siblings?”
“Two brothers, younger, in foster care. His dad lost his job due to his drinking, and he’s been in and out of jail for minor stuff. His mom abandoned them when Dane was twelve.” Julie’s gaze shot up to meet Morgan’s. “Sorry.”
“For what?”
“His mom, your mom. I mean, if it brings back bad memories.”
“I’ve moved on, Jules. I won’t lie, Mom’s leaving affected my entire life, but it’s pointless to hold on to the anger.”
She glanced back at her paperwork. “Lecture alert.”
“I wouldn’t dare. I remember how I hated lectures when we were kids.”
Julie snapped her eyes up to meet his. “But we’re not kids anymore, are we?”
It felt as if she’d punched him in the gut. She never missed a chance to remind him that their past was way behind them and it was irrelevant to the present.
Too bad, she’d never convince him. Her life choices were born from events of her past, as were Morgan’s. You couldn’tdeny the past; you had to learn from it. Somehow he’d make her understand that.
As he strategized ways to soften her to the idea, he realized she was still staring at him with those golden eyes. He fought the urge to reach out and place his hand over hers, comfort her, let her know it would all be okay.
And that he’d forgiven her.
He snapped his gaze from hers and refocused
Similar Books
