Page 95 of The Moments You Were Mine

“We hope to have the person in custody by then,” she told him with a surety I knew she felt far from.

I heard the murmur just as she did, a whispered voice that said, “Yeah, but what if it’s you?”

How the fuck had anyone already heard about Wylee’s accusation? And why the hell would anyone who knew Fallon believe it?

I stepped closer, reaching for Fallon’s hand, but she batted it away. “I see some of you have been listening to ugly rumors. This land is mine. It’s been mine since I was a teenager. Mom and Dad may have helped me shape it, but it’s my legacy. Anyone who believes I’d do anything to hurt this place or the people who work here can resign today. No hard feelings. I’ll give you a nice severance package and a reference, but I won’t have you working here if you don’t believe in me and mine.”

Movement at the back of the crowd had my eyes jumping to Chuck. He was fidgeting, face as white as snow. Sweat glistenedon his brow. Every instinct in my body leaped to attention.The kid knew something.

He tugged at his baseball cap, kicked the dirt, and then headed into the barn.

Fallon answered a few more questions before handing over the logistics to Andie. As she stepped down, I grabbed Fallon’s hand and hauled her toward the barn.

She protested, but I ignored her, determined to find Chuck before he disappeared.

Theo’s giggle and Teddy’s deep laugh from the stall with the puppies greeted us, and guilt hit me square in the chest again—for giving Theo so little of my time in the last few days, for dragging him to a place where people were getting shot. I couldn’t solve it at the moment, but somehow, I’d have to do better. For all of us.

Movement near Daisy’s stall drew my gaze. Chuck was petting the horse over her stall door. I made a beeline for him, and Fallon followed with a whispered, “What’s going on, Parker?”

I didn’t touch the kid, but I shifted into his space enough that unease had him taking a step back. His eyes darted behind me to Fallon.

“H-how are you feeling, Ms. Har—Fallon?” he asked.

“She’s got a concussion, and the sheriff thinks she’s responsible for all this bullshit. How do you think she’s feeling?” I demanded.

“Parker!”

I ignored her indignant exclamation.

“How about you tell me why you look like a kid caught with his hand in the till?” I growled.

Chuck started crying, shoulders shaking.

“Damnit, Parker, you scared the bejesus out of him,” she said. She pushed me to the side and grabbed Chuck’s arm, leading him toward Kevin’s office stall. She made him sit on a stool and grabbed a cup of water from the dispenser.

The kid took a few sips and then looked up at us with scared eyes. “No one was supposed to get hurt.”

My stomach clenched. Goddamnit.

“I-I… Hetold me he was working for you the first time we met. He said you thought someone was s-stealing. N-no one could know he was investigating, or you wouldn’t catch them in the act. I swear I w-wouldn’t have h-helped him otherwise. I wouldn’t have! This place is the first place I’ve ever felt at h-home. As if I b-belonged.” He shook his head fiercely, but his eyes were frightened.

Fallon squatted and grabbed his hand, squeezing. “I know, Chuck. It’s clear as day to me and everyone else that you were meant to work here. You’re a natural with the horses and the guests. Just tell us what you know.”

“He asked me for the security codes…”

Fallon frowned. “How did you have them?”

Chuck flushed and looked away. “I’m… I’ve always been sort of invisible. I can get in and out of places. People hardly see me. I caught Kevin punching in a code here and there. And one of the security guards never even tries to hide it.”

The security guard was fired. I’d let Kevin go too, but I thought Fallon might fight me on that one.

“And this man…he knew you had the codes?” I demanded.

“He said he’d been watching me and that I was a s-suspect because of my shoplifting and how I was able to get into places I shouldn’t have been. He said the time I’d been spending up in the caves made it seem like I was hiding stuff there, and if I didn’t h-help him, it would prove I was the one s-stealing.” I snorted, and the kid’s chin went up. “I thought I was helping!”

“Don’t worry about Parker, Chuck. Just keep talking,” Fallon said gently. “When was this?”

“The first day you came back from San Diego. But I’d seen him before. When I was here training over spring break, I saw him talking to some of the guests and just thought he was one of them.”