Welcome to my world, she thought. “Were you able to speak with my dad?”
“No. It was too crowded before we left and I’d rather not have this conversation over the phone. It’s always better when I can see how a person reacts to a question.”
“Will Mom and Dad be moved to a different location too?” It had still been up in the air when Carter insisted she couldn’t stay on the property any longer.
He glanced at his phone. “Not yet. Jenna will let me know and I’ll keep you informed.”
“Thanks. Mad as I am, I love my parents and right this second it doesn’t really matter how we came to be family.”
He massaged the back of his neck. “Learning the how could be critical to clearing your name.”
She agreed. “Okay so it’s a safe bet I’m adopted, based on pictures and resemblance. I’m guessing Dad had an affair and bargained with my biological mom so that he could have a family with Cora.” The entire situation felt so sordid and she wanted to rinse the bitterness from her mouth. “Maybe that wasn’t the end of the affair?”
“You brought those items from the safe?” Carter asked.
“Yes. I made sure no one saw me,” Paige confirmed.
“Great. I don’t want anyone else to find those items and mess with our investigation before we get started.”
He set up his laptop on the kitchen table, and she opened a window. The winter air was chilly, but the soothing sound of the ocean was worth the effort of pulling on a sweater.
“We’re going to review the surveillance footage, along with the clips and stills from the traffic cameras in the area that my assistant found.”
Resigned, she arranged another chair at the table so that she could sit next to him. Though she did her best, tears welled in her eyes when Melissa dropped to the floor.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I know this hurts. This time I want you to watch the woman, not your friend. Do you recognize anything about her clothing or the way she moves?”
She forced herself to focus. Helping Carter was the most direct route out of this messy situation. She studied the pictures and those few seconds on camera, looking for anything familiar, aside from the physical features. “Can your assistant access previous days of surveillance footage in the kitchen?” Paige asked.
“Can and did,” Carter replied. “This is her first and only appearance. If I watched the video without bias, I would say the woman is behaving compassionately at the end. She doesn’t flee until she’s sure she can’t help Melissa.”
“She’s didn’t wear gloves and she left the gun behind,” Paige added, her mind spinning.
Carter nodded. “Another indicator that she isn’t a pro. The more we’ve studied the video, factoring the additional evidence and other pictures we have, I don’t like the odds that she’s wearing a mask made to implicate you.”
Paige sat back in the chair. She’d had similar thoughts. “You think this woman is my sister.”
“I’m not certain, but yes, that’s my theory. And I think she was in your office last night, possibly conducting a search similar to your own.”
“Do you think she tried to shoot me this morning?”
“No,” he said. “I’m worried the shooter was after her. Again.”
“Again?” Paige echoed. “I need more context.”
He reached over and reset the video to play from the beginning. She was so tired of watching her friend die, but she made herself watch once more while he narrated.
“We never see the woman who looks like you actually fire the gun. We see Melissa turn in that direction and we can see that she is likely shouting. Then she goes down.”
“And my sister rushes into the frame to check on her,” Paige finished.
“Exactly. We won’t know the truth until we find her.”
“How on earth do we find someone I didn’t even know existed before yesterday?”
“It helps that she found you. Give my assistant some time and we’ll find a lead.”
“So we just sit here and wait for a stranger to come forward?” Paige asked.
“We’ll start with what you’ve found. My assistant will keep digging for more records that corroborate your father’s affair and give us better connections to that time in his life.”
Looking for more evidence of her father’s infidelity made her skin crawl. “Am I allowed to go outside at all?”
“I want you to feel at home here. The agency keeps this place stocked with basics. We can order more specific items, whatever makes you feel at home. As for outside, walks to the beach should be safe enough. If you take precautions.”
“What kind of precautions?”
“Disguise yourself a bit. Wear a big floppy hat and sunglasses,” he suggested as if that was the best idea ever. “Until we know why that shooter took aim at you, you should stay out of sight.”
Even moody and scared, she wasn’t rude enough to point out that she hadn’t packed properly for the beach because he’d kept the destination to himself.
The back porch offered an excellent view of the ocean and was sheltered from the street and other neighbors by lush landscaping. Choosing to cooperate, she took a soda from the fridge and went outside, settling into one of the two chairs flanking the small table.
A few minutes later she heard the screen door squeak open and slap closed. Carter set a hat and dark sunglasses on the table.
“You work fast,” she said.
“The partners keep the place stocked,” he said.
She reached over and ran her fingertips over the soft weave of the hat. “So can I go for a walk?”
“Yes. If you stay in sight of the house.”
She could work with that. “Thanks.”
“Would you let me tag along?”
“As bodyguard, investigator, or friend?”
“I can be a little of all three,” he said. “This doesn’t have to be a prison with a view, Paige. And it isn’t permanent. The sudden escalation is concerning, but it could also be a positive. A sign that we’ll get things resolved quickly.”
“I would like it all to just go away,” she admitted. “And yes, I’m aware that’s childish.”
Standing, he gave her a wide, warm smile and a fuzzy little wish bloomed in her heart. He was a man a woman could count on, a man she’d enjoy spending time with. It made her sad that her current dilemma was the only reason they were spending time together. Life really sucked sometimes.
“I bet all of your clients fall in love with you a little bit.” Oh, she hadn’t meant to say that.
“I hope not,” he said with a low chuckle, holding out the hat.
She accepted the hat and then toed off her tennis shoes. “Is there a Mrs. Investigator waiting for you to be done babysitting me?”
His lips twitched. “There is no Mrs. Investigator.”
Why was someone as handsome, kind, and capable as Carter single? She knew why she was currently alone. Rich woman, trust issues, all the typical crap. Her last boyfriend hadn’t even tried to hide his intentions. In less than three months it was clear he was using her for a direct line to the influential Jack Coker.