Page 18 of Secrets Along the Shore

“I tried.” Reuben shrugged, retrieved the mug and dumped the contents into the sink.

“Do you have some tea?” Chamomile, peppermint, English breakfast, peach . . . anything would be better than the mud he’d served me.

Reuben gave me a blank look. “I have water.”

“That’ll work.” Even water with an edge of city-chlorination was better than French roast.

Reuben filled a glass and gave it to me.

I turned it in my hands.

He leaned his forearms on the countertop and latched his eyes on me. “Well?”

I took a drink.

He waited.

I set the glass down and itclankedagainst the granite countertop.

“Why were you at the lake?” Reuben’s question was pointed this time. Expectant of an answer.

“There were two of them.”

His eyebrows rose.

All I could see was Sophia flashing two fingers as her killer drowned her, face down in the water.

“Two of what?” Reuben pressed.

I took another sip. I really needed to think before I spoke. “I-I’m not sure.”

“There’s a time and place for riddles, Noa, but this isn’t it.”

“I know.” I snapped with more force than I intended. I was beginning to feel trapped. Like a mouse backed into a corner by a cat, and it wasn’t sure what its next move should be. The cat was smarter, quicker, and it was hungry. Not unlike Detective Reuben Walker. It was apparent he wanted to tie this case to my cold case with everything in him. The fact he had such an obsession with it was another topic for me to explore another day—if I cared to. But for now, he stared me down with a dark glower that would intimidate the worst felon.

“I think there were two killers.” I finally managed to spit it out and retreated to taking another unnecessary drink.

“Why do you think this?”

That was a great question. I couldn’t exactly say Sophia had told me. He’d have me sent away for a psyche eval. Not to mention, I wasn’t even sure that was what Sophia had meant.

My gut clenched.

Wow.Isounded a tad nuts even to myself. I was interpreting a hallucination as a message from her directly, and, to be frank, I didn’t believe in communication from the dead. I didn’t imagine that seeing a vision of their murder was somehow going to crack open a case.

“Why two killers?” Reuben prodded.

“Because there aren’t enough similarities between my attempted murder and the murder of Sophia Bergstrom.” Maybe that was what Sophia had meant. Two killers. Hers and mine. Two separate cases.

“You had to drive to Stillwater Lake to draw that conclusion?” Reuben’s question was laced with skepticism.

“I wanted to see it for myself,” I said. “Because I know youwantSophia’s death to be connected to what happened to me.”

Silence.

Reuben cleared his throat. “You make me sound rather single-minded.”

“Because you are.” I met his gaze with a frank one of my own. “And Sophia’s death has nothing to do with what happened ten years ago.”