Read If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense for Free Online Page A

just didn’t sit right. Nia just couldn’t buy it.
    That
was why she was here.
    It didn’t matter that she didn’t belong here. It didn’t matter that they had told her that her cousin’s killer was dead. It didn’t matter that everybody else insisted that things fit—that it was over.
    It didn’t
fit
for her. Nia liked it when things fit into a certain order and for some reason, these things didn’t fit into the order they were supposed to fit, and
damn
it, she wasn’t going to get whatever closure she needed until those pieces fit.
    It was just … too easy, she guessed. Something that was too easy didn’t settle right with her.
    Besides that, her instincts were humming. Nia trusted her instincts. Even though right now, she knew it might be grief pushing her to cling to something … anything.
    But she didn’t think that was the case.
    As she started toward the sheriff’s office, something shivered down her spine and her instincts went from a hum to a scream. Casually, she reached into her hip pocket and tugged her iPhone, pulled it out. Pretending to study it, she lowered her head. Using the phone as camouflage, she looked around without moving her head, tried to isolate just where that feeling was coming from.
    Somebody was watching her. Staring at her
—hard
. She could all but feel the heavy intensity of that stare. But try as she might, she couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.
    “Sheriff.”
    Ezra still had to fight the urge to flinch when she said it in that tone of voice. He kept expecting Ms. Tuttle to throw him out on his ass for being an impostor. And honestly, he felt like one.
    Plastering what was most likely a very false-looking smile on his face, he met her bright, impossibly vivid green eyes and said, “Good morning, Ms. Tuttle. How are you doing?”
    “Not running late, as you obviously were.”
    A dull red blush crept up his cheeks—he hadn’t been late.
    His hours were typically from eight in the morning until five and he had been in this damn seat by 7:53. Normally, he was here at 7:30, the same time as Ms. Tuttle, because she terrified him. But that morning … well, Lena had slipped into the shower with him. He had lost track of time.
    Without looking away, he said, “I was attending to an important personal matter.”
    For a split second, he thought he saw what might have been a smile tugging at her stern mouth. But then it was gone—gone before he could be sure. “Hmph. I’m sure you were. Well, I hope it was very important. Now … I assume you’re ready to handle
business
matters, Sheriff. There’s a young lady here to speak with you. Claims she knew Sheriff … Sheriff Nielson.”
    Ms. Tuttle’s eyes gleamed brightly for a second, too brightly, and she looked away. To give her a moment, Ezra frowned and pretended to study the ruthlessly organized calendar she always provided for him.
    “I don’t see anybody on my schedule.”
    “Hmph. Like you would know what to do with that schedule if I didn’t
give
it to you,” she muttered. Then she sighed and reached up, patted her hair. “She’s not on the schedule, Sheriff King. Her name is Nia Hollister—”
    Ezra looked up. “Hollister.”
    “Yes.”
    Their eyes locked, bright and snapping green with dark, deep forest green. Ezra looked away first.
    That name would echo through this county for decades. None of them knew the woman who had died here. Died in their town. But none of them would ever forget her either.
    “Nia,” he murmured. “That would be Jolene’s—the victim’s—cousin.”
    “Yes. Do you have time to speak to her?”
    Although it was a question, it was asked in such a way that Ezra knew if he said no, he might as well hold out his knuckles to get them rapped. Not that he’d planned on saying
no
, anyway.
    Still, he couldn’t let her think she had him completely cowed. Right?
    He folded his face into stern lines and met her gaze somberly. “I’ll make time. But we need to