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There was a thread of desperation in his voice. Under the table, his leg was jittering. Claire kept her expression nonjudgmental. “Why did you lie to us?”
“I panicked. You said Faye’s murder was connected to Stephanie’s disappearance.” He racked a hand through his hair. “There were some rumors, right after Stephanie left town, that I’d possibly killed her. It’s not true. But Faye suspected me. I could tell from the questions she asked when we spoke last.”
“If you didn’t hurt Stephanie, then what do you have to worry about?”
He scoffed. “You’re kidding, right? Sheriff, you grew up here. You know this town. My grandmother Jane raised me, and she’s an amazing person, but my parents have a bad reputation. Drugs, in and out of jail. I started down the same path as they did, but saw the error of my ways when my grandmother had a bout with cancer. I got my life together for her. It took me years to rebuild my good name. People are finally respecting me. Another turn in the rumor mill would destroy everything I’ve worked hard to build.”
Claire remembered the minor arrests for drug possession on Alex’s criminal record. The last one had been two years ago. It was in the same time frame that Stephanie disappeared. Could he have killed her while under the influence? Had Faye figured that out? It was possible.
She needed to be careful with her questions. Claire needed Alex to feel they were on the same side. It was the only way he’d continue talking. “Rumors can cause damage. I don’t blame you for being worried, especially since you and Stephanie had several public arguments.”
Alex’s leg bounced faster. “I regret those. I was using at the time and…I wasn’t always a nice guy to Stephanie. But I never hurt her.”
“Faye said you got aggressive in the bakery. She was scared you’d hit her.”
“I know. I came back days later and apologized for my behavior. She encouraged me to seek help.” Alex blinked rapidly, as if holding back tears. “Faye was…special. One of the few people in town who treated me kindly even when I didn’t deserve it.”
Claire couldn’t tell if his emotions were genuine. Alex had lied to them once. There was nothing to prevent him from doing it again. “What did you and Stephanie argue about?”
“That day, I was upset because I’d heard a rumor she was dating someone else. We’d had an on-again, off-again relationship for years. I loved her, but Stephanie made it clear she wouldn’t stay with someone on drugs.” He twisted the soda can in his hands. “She was right, of course, but I couldn’t see it at the time.”
“Who was she dating?”
“I don’t know. Stephanie wouldn’t tell me, but the relationship was serious. That’s why I flipped out. She said we were done for good and she was moving on, happy.” He bit his lip. “When she left town, I assumed it was with the guy she’d been seeing. Then Faye came around, asking questions…she believed Stephanie was dead. Then Faye was killed. It scared me. I didn’t want to be a suspect.”
But he was. Alex could’ve killed Stephanie in a jealous rage and then murdered Faye because she was getting close to the truth. Claire’s stomach churned at the thought. It took every ounce of training to keep her expression neutral. “Where were you on the night Stephanie disappeared?”
“Home. Alone.” Alex met her gaze again. “I promise you, Sheriff. I had nothing to do with Faye’s murder or Stephanie’s—”
A knock interrupted his statement. Claire nearly growled at the interruption. She pushed a pad of paper toward Alex. “Help me prove you had nothing to do with this. I want you to write everywhere you’ve been and everything you’ve done for the last three days.”
Confusion flickered across his face. “Three days?”
“Yes.” Whoever had killed Faye was also attempting to murder Claire. That was the one niggle working in the back of her mind. Alex might have a motive for killing Faye if he’d hurt Stephanie, but why get rid of Claire? He had no sway over who the next sheriff would be.
Then again, he could simply be hoping Claire’s replacement would bungle the investigation by not bothering to look for Stephanie.
Another knock came on the door. Claire handed Alex a pen. “The last three days. Everything.”
She turned and marched to the door, ready to give whoever was on the other side a piece of her mind for interrupting the interview. Claire swung open the door and the angry words died on her lips. Gavin stood in the hall. His expression was grave, his dark eyes haunted.
This was bad.
“Is it Jacob?” Her heart battered against her rib cage.
“No. No, Claire. Jacob’s fine.” Gavin placed a hand on her arm, but the haunted look never left his eyes. “I’ve received a call from the divers searching the lake. They’ve found Stephanie’s car. There’s a body inside.”
Gavin poured a cup of coffee, exhaustion seeping into his bones. The long days and sleepless nights were catching up to him. Nearly drowning less than twenty-four hours ago—had it only been last night?—exacerbated the situation. And today…today had been incredibly difficult. The body pulled from the passenger side of Stephanie’s vehicle had been bound hand and foot. The case was classified as a homicide. Ryker attended the autopsy and was heading back to update Gavin and Claire.
The evening news filtered from the living room television. Claire’s parents were nestled on the couch together. Gavin didn’t want to intrude on their quiet moment. He leaned against the counter and sipped his coffee. Claire was getting Jacob ready for bed. She’d be down soon.
Moments later, the patter of feet proceeded Jacob into the kitchen. The little boy wore footed pajamas with a cartoon pattern. His hair, still damp from the bath, was combed away from his face. “Mr. Gavin, I have a surprise for you.”
Claire appeared in the doorway. She’d shed her police uniform earlier in the evening, exchanging it for sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. Her hair flowed down her back in a golden wave. She offered Gavin a brilliant smile that made his toes curl. Her eyes twinkled with amusement. The thirty minutes she’d spent with Jacob had done her a world of good.
Gavin set his coffee mug on the counter and dropped to Jacob’s level. “A surprise? For me?”
Jacob nodded. He whipped out a piece of paper from behind his back and thrust it in Gavin’s direction. It was a drawing. Streaks of green and blue formed the earth and sky. Several crayon figures of different sizes stood on opposite ends of the paper.
