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The chief straightened. “You know what you have to do. Do your research, make sure this is real.”

Eric nodded. “Yes, sir.” He’d do the double-checking, but he was pretty sure they both knew this was real.

THREE DAYS LATER,Eric watched a squad car pull away from Mayor Jennings’s house with the mayor cuffed in the back seat.

After a lot of digging and double-checking, Eric had built quite a case against him. Though Mayor Jennings had maintained his innocence when first confronted, Eric had done his homework—or rather, Thomas Marshall had.

The man had caught Jennings and Wesley in a shady business deal several years ago. He’d blackmailed the mayor into letting them use his cabin as a drop point while separately blackmailing Wesley into manipulating certain of the city funds. Each timethey acquiesced to his demands, he added the new action to his blackmail files. He’d eventually begun extorting them both as well.

When confronted with the mound of evidence, Jennings finally cracked. His confession filled in most of the blanks they were missing.

He admitted to gaslighting Allye to destroy her credibility in hopes that would satisfy the Marshalls. It had started as a spur-of-the-moment solution when he’d saved her from Bernie that first night. And then when Wesley overheard her conversation with Hailey and how she was afraid she might be starting to hallucinate, the two men had concocted the scheme to break into her house with the green glow.

Because of the high risk of Allye recognizing Wesley’s voice, they’d hired Lenny, already a part of the Marshall brothers’ ring, to pose as Bernie. Wesley had let him in with her spare key, orchestrated the lighting, then locked Allye out—retreating through the back door and replacing her key where it belonged when they were finished.

They thought they’d found the perfect solution to the problem. Until Marco’s body was found, and things quickly began spiraling out of Jennings’s control.

Under pressure from Thomas and Bernie, the mayor was also the one who shot Allye’s camera and sent the threats about her family as a last-ditch effort to keep her quiet. He still claimed he hadn’t been aware of the attempt on her life at his cabin though. They might never know for sure about that.

Once the squad car disappeared from view, Eric started his engine. He was taking the rest of the afternoon off.

He called Allye and let her know he was on the way to pick her up for Wesley’s funeral. Five minutes later, he was opening the passenger door for her to climb in.

“It’s done?” she asked when he was back in the driver’s seat.

“Yeah.” He released a long breath. “He still has to go to trial,but the case against him is solid. Jennings will be going away for a while.”

She sniffled, and Eric squeezed her hand. He knew she had mixed feelings about the mayor.

In a way, Eric did too. Jennings had carried a heavy load for a long time, and by all indications, he truly had tried to protect Allye. But when it came down to it, he was responsible for his actions. And those actions nearly cost Allye her life—hadcost other lives, albeit indirectly.

“I have some other good news. We think we caught the other guy who broke into your house.”

“Really?” Her eyes brightened.

“Yep. We asked the nearby hospitals to keep an eye out for someone with his description and injuries. He showed up at the ER last night, trying to get antibiotics for his shoulder. We were able to get there before he disappeared again.” The man had apparently tried to take care of the wound himself and ended up with a raging infection—but Allye didn’t need to know that detail, and Eric didn’t plan to tell her. Instead, he whispered, “You’re safe now.”

With her hand still clasped in his, he pulled onto the road and headed for the church.

ONLY A FEW CARS WERE IN THE LOTwhen they arrived at the church. Blindsided not only by her husband’s death but by what he’d been involved in, Hailey had requested a semiprivate funeral. Family were gathered here, but few others had been informed of the arrangements.

Allye blinked back tears through the service. Wesley had been friend as much as family, and like with Mayor Jennings, she found her feelings toward him now were a jumbled mess. In the end, he’d tried to do what was right. That didn’t excuse hisprior actions—not by a long shot—but it helped ease the sting a little. She could choose to focus on that.

After the service, they joined the procession to a cemetery just outside of town. As Eric pulled into a parking space and got out to get her door, Allye eyed the small group beginning to take their seats under an awning. Hailey was already in the front row, sitting with shoulders rigid just as she had during the funeral. Allye’s heart broke again for her cousin.

Eric opened her door, and she allowed him to help her out of the car. She wobbled.

“You okay?” He wrapped an arm around her waist to help steady her.

She blew out a frustrated breath. “Yeah, I just need a second.”

“We’ve got time.” He held her until she felt stable, and she relished his nearness. She almost hated to tell him she was ready. But they needed to join the others. He seemed to feel the same, and instead of releasing her, he took her hand in his for the short walk.

Just as the minister began speaking, they slipped into the seats next to her mom. Mom’s gaze fell on their clasped hands. Allye didn’t miss the hint of satisfaction that flickered through the grief clouding her eyes.

After the brief service ended, Eric leaned toward her. “Do you two need some time?”

“Maybe just a few minutes?”