Page 20 of Into The Rabbit Hole

“It’s home,” she told him on the edge of a breath and brought her knees to her chest as she leaned over onto the cushion. “It’s home,” sherepeated.

She remembered when Wade asked her to move in with him. This house felt like her home since, and leaving again was like leavinghim.

“Sometimes we have to take a break from home, Chloe. Sometimes we have to go away and come back when things arebetter.”

“I feel close to him when I’m here. All his things arehere.”

Wes rested back in the armchair and gazed up at the ceiling. Then he straightened up again and rested his elbows on top of his thighs. “There has to be something we cando.”

“You want to helpWade?”

“No, that oaf can rot…” his voice trailed off when he saw her distress and he rolled his eyes. “Yes, I want to help him, because helping him helps you.” He frowned and bit the inside of hislip.

“I don’t know what to do. Where do we evenbegin?”

“You said Regina told you they looked at all the CCTVs and everything in thearea.”

She nodded. “She said that the same thing happened where there was no recording of the time of the incident. Just like with a lot of the other incidents where we needed a camera.” She hoped that would have been evidence that Wade was set up, but no. The DA said it still wasn’tconnected.

She failed to see how it wasn’t. In light of everything else going on, she couldn’t believe a person could refute the connection. They said it was too circumstantial andassumptive.

Wes looked like he was thinking about it, or an idea. “Do you know if they looked at all thecameras?”

“I guess they must have looked at what they had access to. Plus, they asked people around what theysaw.”

“Did Wade actually tell you what happenedhimself?”

“No.” Because he was just talking about her not being with him. She didn’t want to think about that, it was too sad and painful forher.

His words had held both sentiment and pain at the same time. Wade had told her he’d loved her since he was six years old. Every time she thought about that her heart would ache forhim.

The declaration, she was certain, was intended to eradicate her upset over him not choosing her when they were younger. Her outburst on Tuesday was about him not wanting her and watching him be with one girl afteranother.

The minute he said that, any angst she may have felt over the pastdisappeared.

“It could be useful to hearit.”

That could definitely be useful, but she wasn’t sure how it would help if so many people had already heard his testimony and were investigating but hadn’t come up with anything. According to Regina, Cora was supposed to be seriously amazing at what she did. Granted, it had only been a few days since the murder, so Chloe supposed time was what everyoneneeded.

“We could go,” Wesoffered.

For the first time in days she felt a glimmer of hope. “We?”

He released a slow sigh. “Yeah, we. We can go. It may be helpful to go to the crime scene, too. I know we can’t go inside the house, but I’m more interested in what’s outside thehouse.”

Chloe smiled, the action almost felt foreign to her as that too was something she hadn’t felt in days. Wes was indeed thinking, and while Regina had Cora, who was amazing and everything great, Chloe had Wes. And she didn’t know anyone that was better than him at doing anything technical or thinking outside the box. Like he seemed to benow.

She could see his point, about the outside of the house. “What are youthinking?”

“I’m not sure yet. I may know when I see it. Sometimes things click better when I can see it.” He noddedpensively.

“Thank you, thanks Wes. I appreciate this.” Even if it led nowhere, it was something. They were taking some form of action, as opposed to doingnothing.

“Anytime.”

“Thank you. It means a lot that you’re helping. I know how you feel aboutWade.”

“Sure, he’s my least favorite person, but not even he deservesthis.”