Obsessed (The Lizzy Gardner Series) by T.R. Ragan

Madeline would never do something so deceitful.
    “She asked me to call in. I didn’t want to do it. We’ve been friends since college. I was only helping a friend.”
    “Shut up. Just shut up.”
    Water dripped down Seth’s face. Getting to his feet, he circled the area, trying to assess the damage to the car. He needed to think.
    If Westlake was telling the truth, it didn’t matter. He couldn’t let him go now. It would only be a matter of time before Westlake brought the police to the area and they found Chris Porter’s grave. He walked back to where the lawyer lay in the mud.
    “I’ll give you money, anything you want,” Westlake said. “Please.”
    Seth blinked several times, took a breath. “I’m going to let you go.”
    Westlake took a deep breath of his own, even closed his eyes, so didn’t see Seth raise his gun and fire a bullet into his brain.
    He wasn’t a killer. He didn’t want the man to suffer. It was self-defense. He couldn’t spend his life in jail for being a hero. He only wanted to save Madeline.
    “Madeline.”
    He squeezed his eyes shut. He wasn’t ready to think about Madeline. Not yet. Not now.
    A small river had formed in the middle of the dirt road. His plan to drive farther away from the highway was out of the question now. Working fast, he removed his coat and his shirt and tossed them both into the backseat. He grabbed the shovel from the trunk, took it deeper into the woods, and started digging.
    Every muscle ached as he dragged the body toward the hole.
    Minutes felt like hours as he refilled the hole with dirt. He was glad when he could no longer see the body. With that done, he rinsed off in the rain before putting on his shirt.
    Once he was in the car again, he realized getting rid of the body might have been easier than finding a resting place for the car would be. It was slow going, but he headed up the road. His plan was to ditch the car, maybe fill out a police report and say it had been stolen.
    He rubbed his forehead.
    That wouldn’t work. He needed to give this more thought.
    The tires whirred, unable to grab hold of the soft terrain. When he’d looked at a map of the area on the Internet, he’d seen a lake. But when he got there, he realized it would never work. There wasn’t a steep enough slope to send the car down into the water.
    Shit. Shit. Shit.
    It wasn’t easy, but he managed to turn the car around. For a moment, he merely peered into the darkness. Should he leave the car in the woods and try to cover it with bark and leaves? That was ridiculous. Exhausted, he laid his head against the steering wheel. Westlake’s words were like a barrage of shells assaulting his mind. Could it be true? Had Madeline made up the story about having a stalker? No. No. No.
    He refused to believe it. The man had called in to the show and said disgusting things. Of course Westlake would lie about what he did. He had his reputation to worry about.
    Seth’s breathing calmed. He would take it one day at a time, listen to her show as he always did. He would give her the benefit of the doubt. But if she talked about any more messages or gifts being left at her house, then he would know she was lying.
    Decision made, he took his foot off the brake, headed back down the way he’d come, slow and steady. Time to go home. Tomorrow he would take the car into a body shop and have the front end fixed.

CHAPTER 16
    Hayley turned off the engine, looked at Kitally and said, “Leave your bag in the car.”
    Kitally did as Hayley asked but she didn’t look happy about it. Hayley didn’t care. After the B&E and machete business at Kat McBane’s place, she wasn’t taking any chances.
    Walking side by side, they approached a beautiful two-story home that belonged to Robin Santos. Her husband hadn’t been seen in three months. “I’ll do the talking,” Hayley said before knocking. “We’re here to ask a few questions, then we’re leaving.”
    The short middle-aged woman who answered