His words made her tense all over. Zach’s name came to her mind again. He was the only person with motive.
But Zach had been with her during many of these incidents. He couldn’t be behind them. Besides, he’d saved her life.
If he really was somehow responsible, he would have let someone go through with the crime. But instead, he’d stopped this person or people time and time again.
But if not Zach then who?
The question was unnerving.
* * *
Three hours later, Madelyn was released from the hospital. She wore some old sweatpants and a T-shirt—not the most flattering outfit. She definitely wasn’t dressed for success, but at least she had been able to wash the bay water out of her hair and felt clean.
Zach helped her to his Bronco, and they climbed inside. Night had already fallen. It was hard to believe that just this morning she’d been in church yearning to be close to God again. It seemed like a week had passed already.
Instead of driving straight to Waterman’s Reach, Zach pulled off the highway a good thirty minutes early. Madelyn didn’t even bother to ask where he was going, but she figured he had a good reason for his actions.
Unless he wanted to kill her.
She shook her head at the thought. A few days ago, she might have believed it. Not anymore.
Finally, he pulled to a stop in front of a sandy beach surrounded by nothing but trees on both sides and put the car in Park.
“What’s this?” Madelyn stared at the land, wishing it wasn’t so dark so she could see more.
“This is...mine.”
She blinked. “Yours? Really?”
He nodded. “I bought it about five years ago when I thought I was going to get married. I thought it would be a nice place to put down roots and build a house one day.” There was a certain melancholy undertone to his voice.
“Then she broke things off? That had to hurt.”
“To add insult to injury, she turned on me. Started doing interviews with the media and claiming that I’d been acting funny lately. Secretive. That was almost worse—being betrayed by someone you love hurt entirely more than being betrayed by people who only wanted a face and name to put the blame on.”
Guilt pounded at her temples. Zach had suffered a great pain at the hands of someone he’d loved. Madelyn was about to betray him also. He didn’t love her, but he was starting to trust her. How could she do this?
“I’m sorry, Zach,” she finally croaked.
“Maybe it was for the best. I’ve learned that setbacks are usually just God’s way of redirecting us.”
“I like that.” Was God redirecting her right now? She’d have to think about that later.
“I don’t talk about this much, but that gang member who was killed in the drug bust? I knew him.”
Her pulse raced. Was this the confession that Paula had hoped for? “Did you?”
“He was paired with me for a mentoring program about two years before that drug bust went down. It was an initiative to make cops seem more like friends and less like enemies. You know, it wanted inner-city kids to make that connection while they were young. Anyway, I was paired with Mario. We’d play basketball together and got together to talk at least once a week.”
“Wow, I’m sorry to hear that.” Her gut twisted. How did that letter fit in?
“I tried to get him to turn from his life of drugs. I saw the path he was headed down. But he wouldn’t listen. He said I was just like every other cop he’d met. That’s what made that whole fiasco even harder.”
So that’s what the letter had been about! She’d known there had to be a good explanation. Zach was innocent all along.
He snapped out of the moment of reflection and turned toward her, a touch of hope in his eyes. “Want to see it?”
“Of course.”
They climbed out and walked across the sandy grass until they reached the shore. A lone park bench sat there. She took a seat and absorbed the moment.
This location was far enough away from the lights of the city that the stars shone brightly above. And the moon hovered high in the sky, reflecting on the glassy water. Waves gently lapped the shoreline with a whooshing sound while insects buzzed from the woods in the distance.
When Madelyn closed her eyes, she couldn’t hear the traffic like she did at home. It seemed...peaceful.
“I think this would be a great place for a house.”
“Me, too. This is where I came when I needed to clear my head. It’s tranquil and makes me feel like I can breathe.” He paused. “I just put it on the market. So someone else will get to use this. Hopefully, it will become a part of their dreams.”
“I’m sorry, Zach.” She squeezed his hand, knowing how hard it was when dreams died.
He shook his head, holding tightly to her hand. “Don’t be sorry. It’s the way life works sometimes.”
“Any reason in particular you wanted me to see this?”
He shifted beside her, closer than she’s realized. She didn’t mind, though. “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t know?”
His eyes mesmerized her, and she couldn’t look away. “Sure, I’d believe it.”
“It’s just that in the craziness of this past week, being around you has been one of the only reprieves I’ve felt. You’ve surprised me. I thought you were going to be this big-city, career-driven reporter who didn’t care about anything or anyone. That you’d be all about your byline, designers’ clothes and getting ahead.”
Her cheeks flushed. She wasn’t done surprising him yet. She needed to tell him the truth. But the words seemed to lodge in her throat.
“You’ve surprised me also,” she finally said. She lingered between being the delight of the moment and the harsh reality of the inevitable time when she’d have to admit the truth. It had been so long since she’d wanted to be swept away. She didn’t want to let that go.
“Madelyn...” he started.
Before he could say anything else, their eyes met. His gaze went to her lips.
Madelyn sucked in a shallow breath, hardly able to breathe. They both seemed to intrinsically lean toward each other. The scent of his woodsy cologne filled her nostrils again, and she wanted to bury herself in the smell.
Tentatively, their lips brushed. She wasn’t sure who initiated it, but neither pulled away.
They paused as if testing how receptive the other was. Madelyn could feel Zach’s heart pounding beneath her hand. Zach’s hand slipped around the back of her neck, and he pulled her toward him.
She could hardly breathe, hardly move, hardly wanted the moment to end.
“On second thought, I know why I brought you here,” he whispered, his face only inches from hers.
“Why’s that?”
“Because when I saw you go in the water today, I couldn’t deny any longer how much I was starting to care about you.”
She had no words. Instead, she leaned in for another kiss. Something about it just felt right.
But she was going to have to tell Zach the truth. Tonight.
That thought made her stomach churn with dread.
TWENTY
Guilt pounded at Madelyn. On their ride home, she hadn’t been able to speak the words she needed to say to Zach. Every time she’d opened her mouth to confess, nothing came out. The truth made her hopes want to crash. Made her want to cry. Made her desperate to turn back time.
All she could think about was how she was ruining something beautiful. Something for which she’d been looking for a long time. That thought made her heart ache.
What if Zach didn’t forgive her? What if he never gazed at her again with the same look of affection in his eyes?
She had some other pressing questions. What was she going to tell Paula? Would s
he have a job after she refused to write this article? If not with East Coast International, where could she work?
She had no support system to fall back on. No family to live with if she ran out of money. No backup plan if she no longer had a paycheck.
There were so many uncertainties that she couldn’t sleep that night. Instead, she tossed and turned. One moment, she replayed their kiss with bliss-like delight. The next minute, she envisioned herself telling Zach the truth, and her very bones ached with dread. In between those thoughts, she relived being pushed into the water. Nothing felt simple or safe.
Finally, bright and early the next morning, she pushed herself out of bed. She had to get this over with. She had to tell Zach the truth.
Lord, I know it’s been a while. But if there’s ever been a time that I’ve needed You, it’s now. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve been selfish. But I want to change. I want to make things right. I desperately need Your wisdom.
Just as Madelyn threw her feet over the edge of the bed, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She glanced at her alarm clock. It was only 7:32 a.m. Who would be texting her at this hour?
Wiping the sleep out of her eyes, she stared at the screen. The text was from another reporter at East Coast International. It simply read, “Good job. This is your moment.”
Good job? Good job with what?
A feeling of anxiety mixed with curiosity. She hurried across the room and pulled out her laptop, the sinking feeling in her stomach growing by the second. Her hands trembled as she typed in the web address for ECI.
There on the home page was the picture she’d sent to Paula. The one of Zach exchanging an envelope with Milton. The headline read, Former Baltimore Detective Takes Hush Money for Drug Trafficking.
No, no, no!
Madelyn quickly scanned the article. Paragraph after paragraph basically accused Zach of taking hush money while allowing heroin to be smuggled up to Baltimore. It also accused Milton of being involved and turning a blind eye to the exchanges down at the docks.
People had been interviewed, including someone from the Baltimore PD who had been quoted as saying Zach had always been out for himself.
Nothing had been left out. According to the exposé, Zach had taken the job in Waterman’s Reach so he could keep a better eye on the operations taking place in the town. He had a secret account where he was funneling his profits until he could make a run for it. Anyone who got in his way was killed. Including Bobby Wilson.
Then her eyes zeroed in on the byline.
Madelyn Sawyer.
She closed her eyes, panic shaking her entire body. How was she going to correct this? How could Paula do something like this?
She had to talk to Paula. Now. Maybe if she could reason with her she’d take the article down before it did any damage. Before anyone saw it. She knew it was a long shot, but she was desperate.
She dialed Paula’s cell. The phone rang and rang and rang.
What? Paula always picked up. She practically had her phone glued to her hand.
Madelyn hung up and tried again. Still no answer.
She had to talk to Zach. Now. Before he saw the article.
Maybe—just maybe—she could make things right.
She threw on some clothes and jumped into her car, no time to waste.
* * *
Zach had awoken early to start his day. He had a lot to do and no time to waste. With every second that ticked past, there was a killer out there and the chances of Madelyn being hurt again only increased. He couldn’t let that happen.
He needed to review all of his notes and try to make a connection between the various crimes that had occurred recently. There was a link—he just had to find it.
He still needed to speak with Levi Watson today. It wouldn’t be pretty. It might even cost him his job. But he had to follow that lead. It was his duty.
No one else was in the office when Zach arrived before the sun rose, and that was fine by him. The quiet would give him more time to himself.
What had he been thinking last night when he kissed Madelyn? He hadn’t planned it. Not really. But he didn’t regret it either.
Since Madelyn had come into town, his life had been turned upside down. He couldn’t stop thinking about her smile, her touch, her inquisitiveness. He hadn’t felt like this since Julia. And if he was honest, he hadn’t even felt quite this strongly about Julia. The two of them had had a lot of fun together, but when the going got tough, it had proven that their relationship was just fun.
It felt different with Madelyn. So different that he didn’t want it to end. There was a certain depth to their conversations. A certain connection on a deeper level.
He realized, however, that she had to go back home soon. He didn’t know what that would mean for their relationship, but he hoped they could figure it out together.
He rubbed his eyes and turned away from his notes for a moment. He needed to look at his emails and see if any new leads had come in.
The first subject line he spotted made him pause. “You have to see this article.”
He squinted. It was from Chris, his friend with the Coast Guard.
As he clicked on the link his friend shared, his gut tightened with anticipation. What could this be about?
His eyes widened when he saw his picture. He was giving an envelope to Milton Johnson. The headline read “Former Baltimore Detective Takes Hush Money for Drug Trafficking.”
His eyes traveled down the page.
The byline read Madelyn Sawyer. Had she been here in Waterman’s Reach to scope him out this whole time? Had the travel article just been a cover story? That’s how it appeared.
Just as he finished reading the article, he heard a gasp behind him.
“I can explain,” someone said. “Please.”
Madelyn. How dare she show her face around here after writing this article?
Zach rose from his seat, a mix of accusation and hurt in his eyes. “Is this why you really came to Waterman’s Reach?”
“Zach, I didn’t write that article.” Her voice sounded desperate, high-pitched.
He scowled, a steel guard coming down around him. He’d been wrong to trust her. “Let me guess—you didn’t take that picture either.”
She nibbled on her lip a moment before frowning. “I did, but—”
He stepped closer, righteous indignation rushing through him. “That’s what this was all about all along, wasn’t it? You wanted to get close to me in order to dig up dirt, write the story of your career and bring me down. I fell for it hook, line and sinker.”
“Please, I can explain.”
He glowered down at her. “You have one minute.”
“Originally, I was sent here to find out information about you. But I couldn’t do it, Zach. I didn’t think you were guilty.”
He didn’t move, didn’t give any indication he believed her or even wanted to believe her. There were too many holes in her story. “How’d that article get published then?”
“My editor must have done it—”
“And used your byline?” His gaze seared into hers.
She nodded and lowered her head. “I don’t know why she did it. She’s not answering her phone.”
He shook his head. “Madelyn, I trusted you. I wanted to see where the future might go with you as a part of it. But now I can see that was a mistake.”
“Zach—”
He sliced his hand through the air. “I have nothing else to say. This would probably be a good time for you to get out of town. I’m sure I’ll be following soon, after Mayor Alan and everyone else in town sees this piece.”
She reached for him. “Zach, I never meant for any of this to happen. Please. You’ve got to believe me.”
He turned his back. “Goodbye,
Madelyn.”
* * *
Madelyn felt her shoulders sagging as she walked back into the bed-and-breakfast. That couldn’t have gone any worse. She’d made an absolute disaster of things. And, other than the fact that she didn’t write that article, she couldn’t blame Zach for being upset.
As soon as she spotted Eva, Madelyn knew she’d seen the article, too. There was no denying the anger in her gaze, in the set of her shoulders, in her stiff movements.
“How could you?” she demanded.
Madelyn shook her head, knowing she deserved whatever came her way. “I’m sorry, Eva.”
“Do you have any idea what was in that envelope?”
“I don’t.”
“Money. Zach was paying out of his own pocket for your stay here. He knew we were struggling to make ends meet and wanted to help out.”
The guilt hit her even harder. Her own preconceived notions had led to her undoing. “I had no idea.”
“All you had to do was ask and we would have told you, even if it wasn’t your business. The chief is a good man. I don’t know who you think you are, coming in here and fooling everyone in town.”
“I never intended for things to happen this way. I’ll get my stuff and leave.” Sadness crushed her heart. “I truly am sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t good enough right now. People are going to think my husband has something to do with drug running. Any hopes we had of making something of this bed-and-breakfast are ruined.”
“I’ll make things right.”
Eva shook her head. “The only way you can make things right is by getting out of here. I don’t think anyone in town will want to see your face again.”
Madelyn wanted to argue, but Eva was probably right. Madelyn had done irreparable harm to the lives of more than one person.
Once she left, maybe all the crime would go with her. Maybe she’d truly been the source of all of these problems. But the trouble wouldn’t end for Zach, would it? He’d probably lose his job. Would an investigation open up on him again? Would he be able to find a new town and work there as law enforcement?
Her head pounded at the thoughts. How could she make things right? How could she undo all of the wrongs she’d done?
Dark Harbor Page 16
