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“You most certainly can.”

“Well, I helped Tyler and Mitch take down a suspected drug dealer the other day,” I begin, leaving the rest of the spicy details for another coffee date. Maybe by then I’ll muster the courage to tell him what I’ve been up to romantically. “That was unexpectedly exciting.”

“Wow, you jumped from consulting to crime fighting in the blink of an eye.”

I go on to tell him about the drug trafficking network that’s been wreaking havoc through Frost Valley, but the more I tell him, the less surprised he seems to be. I am compelled to ask why.

“You seem to be aware of all this already. Am I wrong?”

“It used to be the town’s best kept secret until Lucas Riggs took over as sheriff,” Timothy sighs. “I tried to bring it up many times with the previous sheriff, the state troopers. I even took it up with the mayor at every town hall meeting only to get shut down every time. Sent away. Told I was overreacting.”

“Until bodies started dropping?”

“Not just any bodies. No one is going to shed tears over girls like Tanya or Dina. The town started paying attention when Farrah Hanson died two years ago.”

“Who’s that?”

“Mayor Hamilton’s daughter-in-law. They packaged it neatly for the press, calling it a tragic accidental overdose from prescription painkillers after a botched surgery. I never bought it. If you ask the right people, they’ll tell you Farrah’s nose was permanently powdered and her purse was always filled with a variety of pills. The woman and her husband were out of control.”

“Mayor Hamilton’s son, you mean.”

Timothy nods. “Derek Hamilton. MIA since his wife died. They say he moved to Pasadena, but again, I don’t buy it.”

“Either way, thanks for this little morsel of information. It could help me put together some more puzzle pieces.”

“Talk to Lucas and the guys about it too,” he says. “They didn’t seem too sold on her cause of death, either. The body was quickly cremated, and the mortician retired and vanished shortly after. It was a big mess, and somebody went to great lengths to clean it up. I’m telling you about it because you’re so good with puzzles. If anyone can help Lucas save Frost Valley, I dare believe it’s you, kiddo.”

“Wow, you give me way too much credit.”

“I just know what you’re capable of.”

I give him a warm smile then take another bite of my scone. “So I was wondering… the guys and I are getting close. Friendly.”

“Just friendly?” he asks with a sly grin.

“Let’s stick with friendly for now,” I shoot back. “Here’s the thing—they know about my criminal history, what’s in my record, what I was charged with. The reason I did a year in prison before getting into the New Beginnings program.”

“They know, yes.”

“And I’m also aware that you played an instrumental part in their hiring decision.”

Timothy lowers his gaze for a moment, a soft smile testing his lips. “Not a mystery, honey. Never was.”

“But they only know what’s in my record. Don’t you think I should tell them my side of the story? I mean, yes, I pled guilty, but we both know there’s more to it.”

He takes a deep breath and thinks about it for a moment. “Do you really think it’s going to do you any good to keep revisiting the past, to keep explaining yourself to people who have clearly already accepted you, welcomed you, for precisely who you are?”

“Well, when you put it like that…”

Outside, the morning sun shines brightly, rogue rays piercing through the window, basking our table in a warm, golden light. It’s peaceful, almost ethereal. The physical reality is never that gentle, though, never that simple. I know what can live in the shadows, where the sun doesn’t reach.

“Tassia, you’re free to address this with anyone you want to if it makes you feel better. But I will tell you this—the more you dwell on your past, on the injustice that brought you to this place, on the wrongs that may never be righted—the harder it will be for you to truly heal and move forward.”

“You told me once before not to expect any closure after what happened. But I still want it.”

“The only closure you’ll get is the closure you give yourself, the minute you decide to look into the future and stop looking at the past. You need to leave all that behind you, where it belongs.”

“So maybe I should keep the details to myself, at least for now.”