Page 32 of Critical Doubt

"I have to. The bells are in my head, no one else's. It's my deal. And I'm beginning to be sorry I told you."

"Well, don't worry, I'm not going to offer to help you."

He was both relieved and a little surprised. "Why not?"

"Because it would be a waste of time. You pushed your family and friends away; I don't think you'll listen to me. But you should, because I'm very smart."

He liked the confident smile that curved her lips. "I have no doubt about that, but I have to handle this my way."

"I have a feeling you only ever handle things your way," she said dryly.

"It's worked so far."

"Has it?"

Thankfully, he didn't have to answer that question since they'd reached the spot where Todd's car had been pulled out of the river. The vehicle was gone now. So were the police. "They got the car out of here fast," he commented.

"I'm sure they want to preserve whatever evidence might be inside. I don't like Chief Tanner, but I'm confident he'll examine the car carefully. However, I'm not confident he'll find anything, unless the brakes were tampered with, or there's clear evidence of a mechanical failure."

"I agree."

"There might be a clue on Todd's phone," she suggested. "According to Dale, he was on it a lot Saturday night. Maybe whoever he was talking to could tell us about his state of mind, what their conversation was about."

"I'm sure he had his phone on him when he went into the river."

"His text history could be on his computer. Did you notice a computer in the house?"

"I didn't pay attention. There might have been one there."

"We should check it out, maybe go through the house more thoroughly, see if we can find anything that would be helpful."

"We can do that." He was happy to have a plan, even if it seemed a bit pointless. "But if Todd drove into the river on impulse, or if it was truly an accident, then there won't be any clues. The only scenario that might leave a trail would be if Todd had planned to take his own life, and that isn't something I want to consider."

"Well, we can do nothing. Just wait and hope that Todd is found alive."

He didn't like that idea, either. "I'm not good at waiting."

"Neither am I," she said, as they got into the car.

"Let's go back to Todd's house and look for a computer or any other clue that might be helpful."

She pulled away from the curb, and for a few minutes, there was nothing but silence. He felt an odd need to break the quiet, which was very unusual. But as he glanced at her beautiful profile, he found himself becoming increasingly more curious about her.

She turned her gaze to meet his, raising a questioning brow. "Something on your mind?"

"You."

"What do you want to know?"

He wanted to know everything.But what was the point of that? In fact, why had he even told her he was thinking about her?He couldn't get involved with her.As soon as Todd was found, he'd be on his way back to the bay, to his boat, and to his very solitary life.

"It doesn't sound like you want to know anything," she said, when he remained silent.

"I want to know a lot, but it doesn't seem like a good idea. I'll be leaving soon, so will you."

"Our paths probably won't cross again," she agreed. "But we can still talk now. What's on your mind?"

He really should not say what was on his mind, but somehow the words came out of his mouth. "When I remember you and our night together, three things stand out. How I couldn't catch my breath when I was with you. How easily you smiled and laughed. And how perfectly we fit together."