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his
shoes so shiny his grin could be seen in them for miles.
    “No,” she teased back.
    “Liar.” He strolled over,
taking her latte and sipping it, his eyes darting to mine. “Hello, Lainey.”
    “Vince.”
    She narrowed her gaze,
watching him drink her coffee. “Fine, I’ll go get another one.”
    His grin was back
instantly. “I prefer cappuccinos to lattes.”
    She scratched her nose
with her middle finger and walked back inside, leaving us alone.
    “What were you doing for
your dad?”
    His eyes drew down on
mine. “What?” He didn't understand the question.
    “Linds said you weren’t
coming for coffee because you were doing something for your dad.”
    “Not so much for him but
to him.” He paused, making me think he might lie, but he didn't. “I was trying
to get into his vault.”
    “No luck?” I didn't need
to ask. I knew the answer.
    “None. We have the key
but not the code. It’s getting boring actually.”
    “What did you figure out
about the cleaner? Linds said that our dads all know him. What did he do for
them?”
    He swallowed hard,
licking his lips and chuckling softly. “I don't know.” That was an obvious lie.
    “You’re lying.”
    “I can’t tell you.”
    “Why?” Dear God, what did they do?
    “Because,”—he took
another big drink from the latte—“the less you know, the better. We
already have things to worry about. The first being, who the killer is. And will Crimson Cove Inc. be able to sell that last group of
lots now that the real estate here has tanked a bit? Will your dad and
Lindsey’s get into shit for leaving death threats on a dead man’s cell phone?”
    I flinched. “Don't tell
anyone that.”
    “I won’t. But trust me, that old stuff has nothing to do with this. Believe me
when I say, those old secrets are buried so deep they don't stand a chance at
ever walking around again.”
    “That sounds like a
famous line from a horror movie where the bad guys always come back and the
buried secrets rise from the grave.”
    His face lost the humor
it had only moments before. “These secrets won’t ever come back. Whatever and
whoever this is, it’s something else. It’s not tied to Crimson Cove as much as
it is the residents. I think someone brought it here.”
    “You think it’s tied to
Rachel then?”
    “Don't you?”
    “I don't know. The person
who tried to drug Linds and me was wearing exactly what Sierra had been
wearing. So clearly someone was stalking or watching Sierra. Then someone did
stalk Linds in her own yard. We all got the white roses for the funeral. Yes,
it all started with Rachel, but we are all being dragged into it. We’re the
ones possibly being framed for murder.” I looked down. “You saw the photo of
all of us around Rachel and Sage. It looks bad.”
    “Is it possible Rachel
brought this down on us?”
    “Anything is possible.” I
winced. “Except Ashton, he’s innocent. I know that.”
    “I agree. Total subject
change. Now that it’s just you and me and these filthy hippies here, I have to
say that I think it’s comical everyone thinks it’s Jake you’re into.”
    “What?” My mouth started
to go dry. “What do you mean?”
    He leaned in, whispering,
“Oh I know your dirty little secret, Lain, about Ash.”
    “There’s no secret. He’s my
friend’s brother, and I need to clear his name. He’s innocent. It’s the right
thing to do.”
    “So he can come home, and
you can stare at him again from the corners?”
    My heart ached as I
contemplated lying, but it was a nice idea, being able to admit it to one
person. “Maybe.” I sighed. “Stupid, right?” Something clicked as I recalled the
one and only person I had ever confided in about this. “Did Lindsey tell you?”
    “No. She didn't need to.”
    I sighed. “Don't tell
anyone.”
    “I won’t. But he might
notice when you rescue him.”
    “I guess, but I don't
care if he doesn't notice me, and maybe he won’t know that it was me that
helped him.