Page 10 of Persuasion (Temptation 2)

“I… I…”

“Answer me,” I ordered. “Five seconds…” I inched closer, tightening my grip.

“I’m a friend of Claire’s!” he shouted, face scrunching up, eyes closed, fully preparing himself for the first hit. “And I think I may know why she was murdered!”

I blinked, his statement taking me by surprise. But I didn’t relax my posture. Not until I had more answers. Not until I knew this wasn’t a ploy.

“But she committed suicide,” I stated, playing devil’s advocate.

He slowly opened one eye, then the other, relaxing slightly when I didn’t advance. “Come on.” He gave me a knowing look. “You don’t believe that. I heard about your arrest. How you punched a detective because they refused to look into her death, insisting it was suicide.”

“The police made their determination,” I argued noncommittally.

I had my reasons for knowing Claire would never take her own life. But what about this person I’d never heard my sister mention? How could I believe he actually knew her?

Then again, we didn’t exactly talk that much in the months before her death. Not like we once did. I had no idea what was going on in her life.

“If it were a suicide, why would they confiscate her laptop and cell phone?” Ethan interjected.

I relaxed my grip on the bat, yet kept it in my hands. I’d been wondering the same thing.

“It’s because she didn’t kill herself,” he continued. “And because the police knew she was on to something.”

“Like what?”

“Something for the podcast.”

I blinked repeatedly. “What podcast?”

“Your sister’s podcast.” His brows furrowed in confusion. “She never told you about it?”

“I… No, she didn’t.” A weight settled on my chest as renewed feelings of guilt washed over me.

I thought we had a good relationship. Once cancer took our mum from us just weeks after Claire graduated high school, we were all each other had.

Now I feared I didn’t know my sister like I thought I did. That I’d allowed my anger to come between me and the only family I had left.

And now she was gone.

“She probably just figured you were so busy with your career you wouldn’t care about her podcast.”

“I was never too busy for Claire,” I murmured, although my voice lacked conviction.

Ethan offered me a half-smile. Even this complete stranger probably sensed I was full of crap.

The truth was, even if I weren’t too busy, I didn’t exactly let her know that. Particularly these past few months when I avoided her phone calls, my only communication in the form of a quick text telling her I was busy and that we’d catch up soon.

That day never came.

All because I didn’t want to admit she may have been right.

Didn’t want to consider the possibility that the person who broke into my home and assaulted Piper was still out there.

“What kind of podcast?” I asked past the lump in my throat.

“True crime.”

I laughed to myself. I should have known.