wanted to return.” She blew out a breath. “What’s our schedule?” she asked him.
“We’ll head to my parents’ house first. My mother’s expecting us for supper. She was so pleased when I called her this morning and said you were coming. Tomorrow I have to go to the police station to talk with investigators there. I also want to talk to Paul Magill’s parents. After that we’ll drive by your house in Bath and then head back to Whisper Lake Crossing.”
“Can I go with you to all those places?”
“I don’t know if you’ll want to.”
“Of course I want to. This concerns me. We’re in this together.”
He glanced over at her, at the determined to set of her mouth.
“Yes, we are, aren’t we?” he said. He hoped it was true now. He wondered if the two of them had a second chance.
They were quiet for the next few minutes. He wondered what she was thinking.
“Did the police have a chance to look at the invitations yet?” she asked.
They were still being examined in the forensics lab, he told her, but preliminary examinations for both of the invitations revealed that the box and the invitations were free of any kind of fingerprint evidence. Probably whoever had packaged up the invitations wore gloves. Stu had again questioned Marlene and her daughter, Selena, and other patrons in the restaurant that morning, trying to determine the identity of the black-haired man who had dropped off the envelope for Megan. So far they’d had no luck.
Alec continued, “Tonight we’ll have a look at the yearbook, go over our guest list and try to think about who might want to harm us.”
“People with grudges from the past. I can’t think of any.”
“Neither can I.”
He also told her that they had carefully searched the grounds where he’d seen the truck and they could find no gun shells. “I’ve even had a team out on the lake. Steve’s been out there. We can’t find anything.”
She said, “So whoever it was went out and cleaned up after himself.”
“It would seem so.”
She stared straight ahead.
Just outside of Bangor, Megan’s cell phone chirped. She looked down at it. “That’s my ring for a text message.” She played with a few buttons. “My neighbor at Trail’s End wants me to do his Web site, but…” She paused. “I don’t know how he got my cell phone number. Wait.” She looked up at him. “I guess I gave it to Nori and Steve. Maybe that’s how he got it.” She appeared to be thinking. “I wrote down my contact information for him, but just my Web site and the name I use as a designer.”
“What do you mean the name you use?”
“I don’t use the name Megan Brooks on my Web site.”
“Why not?”
“I guess after everything that happened, I just wanted to be anonymous.”
Alec thought about that. “Now I know why I wasn’t able to find you on the Internet.”
“You were trying to find me?”
“When this happened, yes.” Which was a lie. He had been trying to find her for a very long time before that, but on his own. He was afraid that if he looked too much and too hard, he might find her. And he couldn’t risk that. Not after what he’d done.
“Oh.”
After another period of silence, he said, “Megan…when you told me about your…about our son…you said you were in pain, or that you have had enough pain.”
“That’s right.”
“I just wanted to say…I want to apologize. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there when…he was born. That I wasn’t there for you. It must’ve been a difficult time.”
“It was,” she said sharply.
“It was wrong of me. I should’ve been there. And I wasn’t. I was stupid back then,” he said. He shook his head. “I lost the best thing that ever happened to me.”
She surprised him by saying, “We were both stupid. I should’ve let you know about the baby. It’s partly my fault.”
“Megan, you have nothing to apologize for.”
They were at the outskirts of Augusta now. She turned to him. “Why did
“We’ll head to my parents’ house first. My mother’s expecting us for supper. She was so pleased when I called her this morning and said you were coming. Tomorrow I have to go to the police station to talk with investigators there. I also want to talk to Paul Magill’s parents. After that we’ll drive by your house in Bath and then head back to Whisper Lake Crossing.”
“Can I go with you to all those places?”
“I don’t know if you’ll want to.”
“Of course I want to. This concerns me. We’re in this together.”
He glanced over at her, at the determined to set of her mouth.
“Yes, we are, aren’t we?” he said. He hoped it was true now. He wondered if the two of them had a second chance.
They were quiet for the next few minutes. He wondered what she was thinking.
“Did the police have a chance to look at the invitations yet?” she asked.
They were still being examined in the forensics lab, he told her, but preliminary examinations for both of the invitations revealed that the box and the invitations were free of any kind of fingerprint evidence. Probably whoever had packaged up the invitations wore gloves. Stu had again questioned Marlene and her daughter, Selena, and other patrons in the restaurant that morning, trying to determine the identity of the black-haired man who had dropped off the envelope for Megan. So far they’d had no luck.
Alec continued, “Tonight we’ll have a look at the yearbook, go over our guest list and try to think about who might want to harm us.”
“People with grudges from the past. I can’t think of any.”
“Neither can I.”
He also told her that they had carefully searched the grounds where he’d seen the truck and they could find no gun shells. “I’ve even had a team out on the lake. Steve’s been out there. We can’t find anything.”
She said, “So whoever it was went out and cleaned up after himself.”
“It would seem so.”
She stared straight ahead.
Just outside of Bangor, Megan’s cell phone chirped. She looked down at it. “That’s my ring for a text message.” She played with a few buttons. “My neighbor at Trail’s End wants me to do his Web site, but…” She paused. “I don’t know how he got my cell phone number. Wait.” She looked up at him. “I guess I gave it to Nori and Steve. Maybe that’s how he got it.” She appeared to be thinking. “I wrote down my contact information for him, but just my Web site and the name I use as a designer.”
“What do you mean the name you use?”
“I don’t use the name Megan Brooks on my Web site.”
“Why not?”
“I guess after everything that happened, I just wanted to be anonymous.”
Alec thought about that. “Now I know why I wasn’t able to find you on the Internet.”
“You were trying to find me?”
“When this happened, yes.” Which was a lie. He had been trying to find her for a very long time before that, but on his own. He was afraid that if he looked too much and too hard, he might find her. And he couldn’t risk that. Not after what he’d done.
“Oh.”
After another period of silence, he said, “Megan…when you told me about your…about our son…you said you were in pain, or that you have had enough pain.”
“That’s right.”
“I just wanted to say…I want to apologize. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there when…he was born. That I wasn’t there for you. It must’ve been a difficult time.”
“It was,” she said sharply.
“It was wrong of me. I should’ve been there. And I wasn’t. I was stupid back then,” he said. He shook his head. “I lost the best thing that ever happened to me.”
She surprised him by saying, “We were both stupid. I should’ve let you know about the baby. It’s partly my fault.”
“Megan, you have nothing to apologize for.”
They were at the outskirts of Augusta now. She turned to him. “Why did
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