Page 105 of What They'll Say About Us

"No, it's fine." I cleared my throat and sat up, seeing Morgan waking up in the bed next to me. "What's going on?"

"I'm meeting with Sloane at eleven, but I wanted to catch you up on a few things before then. Mr. Delano had surgery and is recovering in the hospital. He has already requested a lawyer. Even without his input, we have a solid financial trail linking him to his associate, Steven Williams. Steven is cooperating, using his knowledge to work his way into some kind of plea deal."

"I hope he won't get away without doing time. He killed Detective Cabot, and he tried to kill me and Morgan."

"Trust me, he will not get away with those crimes. But we also want to take down Garrett."

"What about Professor Hale?"

"After I told him that he was no longer a person of interest in Vincent's murder or the fire at your building, he opened up. He said that Cabot told him he knew about his affair with Paige, but that he believed Paige's death was an accident. Hale asked Cabot to keep the affair out of the investigation since it would do nothing besides tarnish his reputation. Hale swore that he never asked Vincent to compromise his investigation. But I'm not entirely sure I believe him."

"Why did he go to see Cabot the day he was killed?"

"He wanted to know if you'd been there to talk to him, if the affair was going to come out. Vincent told him that he couldn't promise it wouldn't be exposed, that he'd have to work with me, and I was probably going to dig into everyone's life. Which I was going to do."

"I know you were."

"I suggested that he talk to his wife and family because I couldn't stop you or any of Paige's other friends from saying what they'd seen and what they'd heard in regard to his relationship with Paige or any other students. He told me that he'd never crossed a line with anyone but Paige, and that was a mistake, that he never meant for things to go that far."

"Just an innocent man," I said dryly. "I don't believe that for a second."

"I don't, either. But that's his story. Even though I believe I know what happened now, I want to hear Sloane's version of events, and I also want to re-interview some of the key people in this incident. That includes Nate Gardiner, Carrie Dunsmuir, and your ex."

"That makes sense."

"Have you spoken to Liam?"

"No. Besides Morgan and my other partner, Cassidy, I haven't spoken to anyone. What do you think will happen to Sloane?"

"That depends on her story and the rest of our investigation, but I suspect there will be no evidence to prove that she pushed Paige into the lake and killed her. Without any hard evidence, the conclusion will most likely be an accident. The fact that she didn't jump into the cold waters of Lake Michigan after midnight to save her friend will not send her to jail."

"Even if Sloane had managed to pull her out, she might not have survived."

"Sloane might not have survived, either. I don't know how good a swimmer Sloane was, but that could have been a hard rescue, especially since Paige was unconscious. The original report from the medical examiner said the cause of death was blunt force trauma. There were also signs of drowning, but it's probably her collision with the rocks that killed her." He paused. "Sloane should have called 911 when Paige fell in the water, and she should have told Cabot what happened. She obstructed the investigation. My feeling is that if there are charges, they'll be minimal. But that's not my call. How would you feel about Sloane going free?"

"I'm okay with it. I think it happened exactly the way she said. The conversation she related to me sounded like the kind of conversation she would have had with Paige. You'll have to decide for yourself, but I don't believe Sloane pushed Paige into the water. And like you said, she might not have been able to save her, even if she tried. So, I'm not against her going free if she comes clean and tells the truth. I don't think she needs to go to jail for Paige's death, and unless you can prove she knew what her husband was doing, I don't think she should pay for that, either."

"She did bring him into all this," Colton pointed out. "Garrett did everything to save her. If she had told the truth nine years ago, none of this would have happened."

"That's true. She does have some blame. I just don't want to see her daughter grow up without her mother."

"Well, your opinion means a lot to me, because you were there, and you knew them both."

"I think Sloane and Paige really loved each other, and if Paige hadn't been out of her mind, nothing bad would have happened. But Sloane will always have to live with the consequences of that night. That's her jail sentence."

He nodded. "Good point. So, when's the next podcast?"

"Tonight. We want to film from the lake path at the spot where Paige's body was found. We don't need to get into specifics, especially about Garrett and his associate. We'll just focus on Paige and Sloane and what happened that night. Are you okay with that?"

"I am. Mind if I join you, just to keep an eye on you, make sure you're both safe?"

"I wouldn't mind that at all."

"Maybe I can buy you that drink after. And, Morgan, of course," he added somewhat belatedly.

"That sounds good. I'll text you later on when exactly we'll be getting there."

"That's a lot of smiling," Morgan commented as I set down the phone. "How's Colton?"