Her Eyes

Chapter 47: THE LONG GRIFT

A feeling of dread washed over Alex as he stepped into the station. There was so much going on he wasn't really sure how to deal with it. The Bradley Martin case wasn't just going to go away. It had only been a few days since they discovered her body; it was too soon to call it a cold case. But there wasn't any evidence and Alex sure wasn't going to go look for some. It was unlike him not to going searching for answers, but he had the answer. Norman killed Bradley—there was no denying it.

Alex was finishing up some paperwork when Babbit walked in. She stood in front of his desk, crossing her arms. "Where is he?" she demanded.

He glanced up from the desk. "Who?"

She rolled her eyes impatiently. "Bob Paris. We've been searching for him for over a month. I know you know where he is. And I'm not afraid to take the necessary measures to find him. I hope I'm making myself very clear." She sent him a glare.

Which he gladly returned. "You're not getting anywhere by trying to intimidate me. I told you before I don't know where Bob is."

"What were you doing at the boatyard?" He furrowed his brow at her question. "You were at the boatyard the night Bob disappeared. Why were you there?"

His heart began to beat ferociously in its cage. He was trapped. He didn't know who he was anymore. Years ago, Alex would have never let a woman control his life this much. She changed him from the moment they met. They didn't just meet. This was fate. And now here he was spiraling down in disaster. This is what she does. She doesn't mean to hurt the ones she loves. She doesn't mean to hurt herself. She's trapped. We're all trapped.

"Sheriff?" She unfolded her arms and pressed her palms into the desk, leaning closer to him. "Why were you there?"

Why was he there? He was there because he needed to prove that he was still himself—that he was still Sheriff Romero the big daddy of White Pine Bay. He was there because he can't control himself—because he doesn't control himself. Everything he does—every decision he makes revolves around her. It was always only her. He was there because she silently asked him to. Because she knew that he'd do anything for her. Because he had to have her. Because he'd die without her. But in the back of his head he knew that the main reason he was there was because her son was a murderer, and no one else in the world could know that but them. "I was looking for someone else."

Confusion filled her face. He'd given her something new. "Someone else?"

He sighed, looking back down at the desk. It was story time. "My friend's son ran away that night. She gets really worried about him. He has some medical issues. I left to go find him."

She stood straight up, looking down at him. He was unreadable. "Then how do you explain the gun shots?"

He stared back at her calmly. "White Pine Bay isn't exactly the safest town. Gun shots ring out...people normally don't think twice about it."

She nodded and moved towards the window, gazing out at the scene. "And you thought finding the boy was more important than finding a criminal? One that you claimed killed two women?"

Alex gritted his teeth. She'd never give up. She'd die fighting. "Like I said he has some medical issues."

"What kind of medical issues?" She moved behind the seat across from his desk, placing her hands lightly on the frame.

He leaned back in his chair. "I don't know. His mother's pretty adamant on keeping things in the family."

She raised an eyebrow. "Then why did she tell you he ran away?"