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“That prick.” Luna’s uncharacteristically coarse language made Sophie laugh.
“My thoughts, too.” Although she’d been more sad than angry when he’d made that declaration. “And that was just part of the shitshow that was yesterday. The vision boards, Owen’s…whatever, and then I found out that someone I trusted betrayed me.”
She still couldn’t quite fathom that Jude would do that to her. He’d always pushed her to be her best. He’d taught her patience, made sure she was ready to tell the story before putting anything down on paper. He had been overly cautious about Wilson and the drug ring, but she’d just assumed that he had her and the newspaper’s best interest at heart. It had seemed normal and natural that he wouldn’t allow her to publish something that couldn’t be substantiated. Now—except for a handful of people, including Luna, Helen, Micky, and Julia—she wondered how she was ever supposed to trust anyone again.
“I’m sorry about that, too,” Luna said. “You knowI’vealways got your back.”
“I do know that.” Luna had been there for her since they were eighteen.
“And if you need me to kick someone’s butt, all you have to do is ask. Should I start with Owen?” Luna pointed behind her into the cabin. “I can find some creative way of making him suffer.”
Sophie managed another laugh then. It was a weak one, but it felt good. “I’ll let you know if butt-kicking becomes necessary.”
“I can do one thing. Get you away from Owen,” Luna said. “The other cabins are empty now. I’ll make sure one gets cleaned today, so you don’t have to share space with him any longer.”
“It would have to be one near this one,” Sophie said. For security reasons, she was sure that Owen wouldn’t let her be far from him until this was over. She could count on him in that way at least.
After Luna left, Sophie sat on the porch in the cool morning air for a few more minutes. She’d go inside and face Owen soon, but she wouldn’t do that until she had full control of herself. No more crying. It didn’t help. What she needed to do was see this investigation through to the end. And for that, she needed Owen’s assistance.
She stood, gathered herself, and went inside to figure out her next move.
“Hey,” Owen said, putting his phone down as she entered. “I was just going to come find you. I’ve got a plan to run past you.”
“Okay, what is it?” She kept her voice carefully neutral.
“I’ve talked to Ethan and Joe about the evidence in the newspaper’s archive room. We agree that the safest way to retrieve it is for me to meet Micky and go in with him.”
“And I’m just going to sit here and wait for you to return?” She didn’t want to be sidelined in her own investigation.
“No, I’m going to drop you off at the police station. It’s time to involve the police. You can use the time to fill them in.”
She agreed with that, but she suspected an ulterior motive. “You want the police to babysit me?”
“You’ll be safe there. And once we get the knife back and can turn it over, the police can start moving forward with their investigation into Razor’s murder. Joe’s going to arrange for an attorney to meet you there. He’s a former SEAL. I don’t know him, but Joe trusts him and that’s good enough for me. All I have to do is text Joe and put that in motion.”
“What if the police don’t believe me?”
“They’ll have to when they see the evidence, and the lawyer will help you share what you should without getting yourself in legal trouble. You’ll get the story started while Micky and I get the knife.”
“We’ll have to run that by Micky,” she cautioned.
“Already done. He’s onboard.”
“You move quickly,” she commented. Owen’s plan was solid, and she had to agree that it was time to loop in the authorities before something awful—more awful—occurred. She believed that they now had enough information that the police couldn’t just ignore them, no matter how close a friend the police chief was with Wilson. “All right. We’ll do it. Do whatever you have to do to put this in motion.”
“Got it.” Just as he lifted his phone, another phone rang with an incoming call. “What was that?”
“Mason’s cell.” She dug in her bag and pulled it out. In all the time they’d had it, no one had ever called. She made an instant decision and answered. “Hello.”
“Listen and listen carefully,” a woman’s voice said. “My name’s Quinn, and I think you know who I am.” Sophie’s eyes widened, and she hit speaker so Owen could hear.
“You’re Wilson’s fixer,” Sophie said.
“Very good. I need to fix something and you’re going to help me.”
“Why would I help you?” She couldn’t think of a single reason.
“Because I’ve got someone you want.” There was a rustling sound before Quinn spoke again. “Say hi, Micky.”
