Page 21 of Sinister Secrets

“What’s that mean exactly in terms of what’s going on?”

“That I won’t be able to work this case anymore.”

“But you have to.”

My heart beats hard inside my chest. It’s the same thing I’ve been telling myself all day, but I never expected to hear it from him.

Taking my hand, he says, “Cassie, this is too important. You could be in danger. We can’t trust just anyone to get to the bottom of this. We need the best, and that’s you. I know it’s a lot to ask, but isn’t there a way that you can stay on a bit longer? Just until we figure out what’s going on here?”

I nod, swallowing hard, because I’ve already thought this through, although it’s not my safety that’s led me to this decision but his. “There is.”

“What is it?”

“I can take the position the Miami field office has offered me. Assuming the offer still stands. But…”

“What?”

“I mean, if I take the job, I won’t be able to pick and choose my duties. Or my hours. It means I’ll have to be all in, at least as long as this investigation lasts.”

“Could you quit afterward? If you wanted to, that is?”

“Yes.”

“Then why not give it a try?”

“What about the animals?”

“The trailer’s almost done, isn’t it?”

I think about the mobile home on the far corner of the property. The one that Butch used to let students from the veterinary college stay in for free in exchange for helping care for the animals and getting hands-on experience. The one I’d recently replaced thanks to a generous donation from Jake’s firm.

“All we’re waiting for is the contractor to install a new septic tank.”

It’s an unexpected but necessary expense, one that’s put the plans to find a couple of tenants on hold for the time being.

“How long will that take?”

“Once the crew gets out here, he said it would only take a day, maybe two if they run into issues with the leach field. The problem is pinning him down on a start date. Since the trailer isn’t inhabited yet, it keeps getting pushed to the back of the line.”

“Let me handle that,” Jake says. “I’ll make a call from work tomorrow. Sometimes seeing a law firm’s name pop up on your caller ID is all it takes to get properly motivated.”

“You already have enough going on at work. You shouldn’t have to take on my tasks as well.”

“Cassie.” He wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a hug. “We’re in this together.”

I nod against his chest, the anxiety that’s kept my nerves buzzing all day finally easing.

“Go ahead and put the ad up at the veterinary college as soon as you get a chance.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow. But it might take a while to find the right person,” I warn.

“Until then, we’ll find a way to make it work.”

“If you’re sure.”

He pulls back enough so I can see the smile he’s giving me. “I’m positive. This is a good thing. It’ll be a relief to not have this hanging over us anymore.”

It feels like a fist just punched through my chest, ripping out my heart. Like my dead partner’s eyes just fixed me in an accusatory stare. I had no idea that this had been haunting Jake as much as me. This is something I need to fix—I owe him that much.