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“I am innocent. I didn’t start that fire,” she hissed quietly.
“I know, I know, of course you didn’t. This is just Becky being a bitch. But…”
“But…?”
“Reid is literally in the perfect position to clear this up and it sounds like he hasn’t. Maybe he’s not the guy you think he is and maybe…” Pausing, she shrugged. “Maybe you should be the one to pull the plug on this relationship first.”
“Ave’s look, I love you, but you’re wrong. Reid and I haven’t talked a whole lot about this because we both know it’s bogus.” Even to her own ears, she sounded confident and completely at ease with that statement, but in her heart, she was having her doubts.
Especially about Reid not helping her.
She could make all the excuses in the world for him, but the bottom line was that she was really hurt by his refusal to take a stand for her.
“I hope I am, Ash. I really do. The last thing I want is to see you get hurt. Leo asked me not to get involved and this is the first time I’ve lied to him. I told him I’d keep my mouth shut and not tell you about their conversation, but…I couldn’t. And if he gets mad, so be it. You’re my best friend and I’m here for you.”
At least someone was willing to risk something for her.
She just seriously wished it had been Reid.
His double shift was coming to an end and Reid was practically ready to drop. There had been multiple calls over the last twenty-four hours and he had gotten very little sleep. He was grabbing his duffel bag when his co-worker Keith came strolling over.
“Hey, Reid,” he said with a grin.
“Keith,” he replied as he continued to gather his things.
“Rumor has it that the chief and the inspector spent some time with your girlfriend yesterday. I heard they’re getting ready to close the case.” There was something a little smarmy about his tone, and when Reid looked up, he noticed Keith’s grin was a little less than friendly.
Straightening, he hefted his duffel bag over his shoulder. “Good. The sooner they clear Ashlynn’s name, the better.”
“Dude, come on. You can’t be serious.” Stepping in closer, Keith lowered his voice. “Reid, you can’t be this clueless. It’s obvious they’re going to charge her. Everyone’s talking about it.”
His heart kicked hard in his chest.
“Look, you’re a nice guy and it’s admirable that you’ve stood by her these last few weeks, but…when the shit hits the fan—and it’s going to real soon—do you really want to be right there? I mean…I’m sure they’re all wondering if you helped her. After all, you’re her alibi.”
“What the hell…where did you hear any of this?”
Keith moved and put a little distance between them. “I couldn’t sleep last night and overheard the two of them talking.” He shrugged. “If I were you, I’d take the next two days and either lay low or get out of town. Go visit your folks or something.”
It shamed him that he was even considering it.
“Thanks for the advice, but I’m not going anywhere. This whole situation has gotten out of control and I have every faith that the real person who’s responsible is going to be found.”
Keith rested a hand on Reid’s shoulder. “It was nice working with ya,” he said before turning and walking away.
Shit.
For a moment, he simply stood where he was and tried to reason why Ashlynn hadn’t called him to let him know anyone had come to talk to her. Sure he was working, but she could have just sent a text to give him a heads-up so he wasn’t blindsided like this.
As tired as he was, he knew he was going to have to go right to her place and talk to her.
Luckily, she was only a flight of stairs away from his place.
“Baylor!” the chief called out, and Reid hung his head.
Like a man walking to his own execution, he went to Bob’s office and stood in the doorway. “You wanted to see me?”
And there was the inspector standing in the corner.
