Home to Whiskey Creek (Whiskey Creek #4)(32)
Author: Brenda Novak

Eve picked it up and handed it back. “The knife Chief Stacy found should help—if they can figure out who it belongs to.”

Addy refastened the snap that had come open on her wallet and slid it into her purse. “They already know who it belongs to.”

Olivia’s eyes went wide. “They do?”

“That didn’t take long,” Eve said. “Whose is it?”

Addy decided she might as well share the news. It’d circulate through town whether she spoke up or not. “Aaron Amos’s.”

“It’s Aaron’s?” Eve covered her mouth.

“Does Dylan know?” Olivia looked over at their friends before nudging Eve. “Maybe that’s why he and Cheyenne didn’t come this morning.”

“I know Aaron’s been…troubled and Dylan’s been worried about him,” Eve said. “But surely he wouldn’t—”

“No,” Addy assured them. “It wasn’t Aaron. I mean…it was his knife. He admits that much. But he’s not the one who attacked me.”

“You’re sure?”

She was hugging her laptop so tightly it was cutting into her biceps. “Positive. He kept it in his truck. Someone must’ve stolen it.”

Olivia seemed even more shocked. “Wow, I was sort of hoping it was a…a spur-of-the-moment attack. Somehow that’s less frightening than thinking someone, someone we probably know, plotted it all out.”

“Stealing a knife to commit a crime—basically setting someone up—that takes a lot of forethought,” Eve agreed.

Addy rearranged all the stuff in her arms. “It wouldn’t be hard to set Aaron up. His reputation makes him an easy target.”

“Especially if it was possible to get hold of his knife,” Olivia said. “How do you know it wasn’t him?”

“He was with Shania Carpenter.”

Eve stepped back. “Shania? Has she finally given up on Noah?”

“She was after Noah?” Addy asked.

“If she couldn’t have Cody,” Eve told her.

Olivia looked perplexed. “So are Aaron and Shania together now?”

Addy shook her head. “I don’t get that impression.”

“I’m just glad he has an alibi,” Eve said. “And I’m sure Dylan and Cheyenne will be happy about it, too. But…if it wasn’t Aaron who attacked you…who was it?”

“The police are still trying to figure that out.”

At last, the barista turned and set her latte on the counter. “Here you go,” he said with a smile.

“Thank you.” She took it and began to leave, but Olivia blocked her path.

“Hey, why don’t you join us? We’d all love to talk to you. Noah was just saying he’d like to know where you worked before coming here. Maybe you can tell us what you’ve been up to for the past decade or so.”

Her eyes darted back to the group at the table. “Noah wanted to know what?”

Olivia seemed to realize she’d said something she shouldn’t. “We’re all curious about where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing. We’ve missed you.”

Addy cleared her throat. “That’s so nice of you to say. And I—I’d love to join you, but…another time?” She lifted the only arm that had any range of movement to gesture at her clothes. “Look at me. I’ve been jogging and…I need a shower.”

“Oh, right.” Olivia nodded and apparently chose not to mention that she was holding her laptop, which would’ve led anyone to believe she’d planned to stay, at least long enough to check her email. “No problem.”

“How about next week?” Eve pressed. “We come every Friday.”

Addy braced her cup against her body with one arm as she inched closer to the door. “Sure, except…I’ll be helping out at the restaurant by then. That’s why I’m in town. But…I’ll certainly come if I can.”

Pushing the door open with her back, she raised the same arm in what would’ve been a wave if she’d had a free hand and pivoted toward her car. But in her rush to get out, she nearly ran into someone who was coming in from outside.

And when her eyes lifted to the man’s face, she recognized him.

11

Adelaide would’ve known Kevin Colbert anywhere, because he didn’t look that different. He had the same straight black hair, dark eyes and Roman nose. Pockmarks and a heavier shadow of beard growth had replaced the acne he’d struggled with as a teen, but he wasn’t bad-looking. The girls had liked him well enough. According to Noah, Kevin had married petite and curvy Audrey Calhoun, who’d been popular and pretty.

The man she’d long envisioned as a monster was just an older version of the boy she once knew. Although he was thicker—he’d put on at least thirty pounds—he wasn’t any taller. She still had him by two or three inches. She noticed because that night in the mine he’d been so intimidated by her height. She could distinctly remember him saying it didn’t matter that she was taller when he had her on her back.

Cody had thought that the best joke in the world….

She told herself to walk past Kevin without any acknowledgement. She’d prepared herself for this moment. When she decided to return to Whiskey Creek, she’d known she’d have to face him—the others, too—and probably sooner rather than later.

But her feet wouldn’t carry her to her car. They wouldn’t carry her anywhere. Her vision narrowed, and she could hear the blood rushing through her ears.

“Hi.” He blinked at her, startled when he recognized her. Then he reached out to hold the door as any polite person would. In the process his hand grazed her arm, and she jumped back as if he’d burned her, causing her latte to splatter on the ground.

“I’m sorry!” He glanced past her, at everyone who’d just seen her drop her drink. “I—I didn’t mean to knock that out of your hand.”

He hadn’t touched it, and he had to be aware of that, but Adelaide couldn’t draw enough breath to speak.

“Here, let me… I—I’ll buy you a new one.” He bent to pick up her cup, continuing to hold the door as if he expected her to turn around so he could make good on that promise. But she wasn’t about to go anywhere with him.

Without a single word, she circled wide and hurried to her 4-Runner. She could feel him watching her as, hands shaking, she struggled to unlock her SUV. She could feel everyone in Black Gold staring through the windows. But she couldn’t help the flight instinct that had kicked in. All it had taken was one look into Kevin’s eyes and memories of the attack had overwhelmed her.