Page 216 of Secrets Hidden In The Glass

“I think you were a little girl who saw or heard something terrible.”

“I didn’t.” She blinked as her eyes filled. “I don’t know, Nate. If I did, I would certainly tell you.” She turned to walk away.

“Wait.” He pulled her back. “Don’t shut me out. Tell me what you’re thinking—what you’re feeling.”

She lost control of her tenuous composure, sucking in a shuddering breath. “I feel like I’m sick and scared and angry.”

His brow furrowed. “Angry?”

“At you. For bringing me here.” She dashed at her cheeks. “It’s not your fault. I know that. I know you need my help. I want to help…”

“I needed to see if coming here triggered something.”

“I don’t know what happened here. If anything happened at all.” She stared down at the ground before she met his eyes, studying the dark circles bruising his skin. “This is getting to be too much. I think we should stop with this—you should stop with this for a while.”

“This is an active investigation. A possible homicide.”

She shook her head, not wanting to believe what was most likely true.

“I hate saying that, but we can’t pretend it’s not the most logical explanation. Samantha Fletcher ceased to exist shortly after her arrival on Carter Island. She had plans for the two of you—a life she was trying to build. She was only supposed to be gone for a couple of days; her best friend has never heard from her again.”

How could she argue with his logic? How could she possibly express to him her agony—her desperate need for answers, yet stand here and not see the effect all of this was having on him—on both of them? “If someone hurt her, I want them found. I want to know why they did what they did, but I also want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. You don’t laugh anymore. You don’t sleep.”

He sighed as he grabbed hold of her jacket and tugged her closer.

“Take a break,” she pleaded as she touched the skin beneath his eyes.

“I can’t,” he said quietly. “Not until I figure this out.”

“And what if you don’t? What if you and Detective Sanchez can’t?”

“I have to believe we will.”

“At what cost?”

“I promised I would help you.”

“No,” she said as she shook her head. “I never asked for this—for help like this. I recognize that my case has turned into something more. I understand that it’s complicated and there are all kinds of aspects to investigative work that I don’t understand, but you’re allowed to breathe—to stop and find your bearings. You’ll be sorry if you don’t. Trust me on that, Nate. I don’t want you to feel the way I felt for such a long time.”

He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I can’t ignore leads. There were some kids staying out here right around the time Samantha disappeared. I have to look into that.”

“I’m not asking you to ignore new developments, but you can’t ignore you either.”

“So I’ll take it down a notch—” His cell phone interrupted their conversation. “It’s Sanchez,” he said, glancing at his screen. “Hello?” He covered his ear as he walked away. “I can barely hear you. Let me get back into town and I’ll call you then. Okay.” He put his phone away. “We should get going.”

She stared at him, wondering if he’d taken in a word she’d said.

He stopped. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“I’ll drop you off by your truck. Then I should get over to the office.”

“Do you know how long you’ll be?”