Page 75 of Defending You

“Is there cell service,” Cici asked.

“Yup.” He wiggled the phone, urging her to take it. “Let’s start with the detective and get that over with.”

“Me?” Her stomach twisted. “Why me? They think I’m a murderer. Maybe you?—”

“That’s why you should make the call. You need to show them that you have nothing to hide.”

Reluctantly, she took the phone, seeing that Asher had already tapped in the number. “What should I say?”

“Tell them everything that happened and what we’ve learned, including Wendall Gagnon’s name.”

“But not where we are.”

“Right. But do tell them that you’re returning Forbes’s necklace to him, and you plan to turn over everything else as soon as you’re in Shadow Cove.”

Cici sank to the edge of the bed, breathing a silent prayer for help, then dialed and put the phone on speaker.

“Detective Harris.” The woman’s voice was sharp and professional.

“My name is Cecilia Wright. I called Friday afternoon to report?—”

“I know who you are, Ms. Wright. Thank you for reaching out.”

“I’ve been on the run since then.”

She made a noncommittalhmm.“You and a friend?” By the way she asked, she knew about Asher.

“He’s a bodyguard who’s getting me safely back to Maine, where I live. You’re on speaker, and he’s listening.”

“His name?”

Seated in the hard-back chair, Asher gave her a go-ahead nod, so she said, “Asher Rhodes. He works for GBPA out of Boston.”

“You always travel with bodyguards?”

“No. I just said he was hired?—”

“Why did you think you needed a bodyguard?”

“Because I witnessed a murder.” Cici kept her voice level, though her blood pressure shot higher than the cabin’s low ceiling.

Asher leaned forward, eyebrows hiked.

She guessed he wanted to say something. “Go ahead,” she said.

“Detective Harris, I was hired Friday afternoon by Forbes Ballentine to protect Cici and get her back to Maine. Do you want to know what we’ve learned or not?”

“Learned about what?”

“The men who killed Mr. Delvecchio and burned down his store.”

“Okay, shoot.” She sounded skeptical, but at least she was willing to listen.

Asher nodded to Cici.

She took a breath and began. “There were two men in the store Friday afternoon. We haven’t ID’d one, but the man who I think was in charge is named Wendall Gagnon. He’s a majority shareholder in a tech company in Philadelphia.” She shared how they’d gotten the information and what they knew about him, including his connection to Leo Taggart, one of the people who murdered Forbes’s parents.

“You’re saying what happened Friday night is related to the Ballentine murders?” Harris sounded as if she found their investigation amusing.