Page 188 of The Darkest Chase

“I can’t play around, Janelle. I have one chance to catch him,” I tell her. “Him, and a lot of others. We’ve looked the other way for years. Pretended it was just moonshining up in those hills because we couldn’t prove anything else. But you know it’s not moonshine, don’t you? And you know your husband is in deep.”

Her hands tremble.

She swallows hard.

“What do you want from me?” Her voice shakes.

“To know where the hell he goes when he disappears.” I hesitate before reaching across the counter to rest a hand on her shoulder. “Look, I know whatever he’s involved in, it’s not your fault. But if you’re willing to speak up, you could help a whole lot of folks tonight.”

“I… I…”

“Janelle, what are you afraid of?”

“Him!” she flares, her open eyes brimming with tears as she looks up at me. “Clarence, he’s… he’s not the man I married. Or maybe the man I married was a lie, but it’s like there’s a stranger behind his eyes. God, I thought he was having an affair for years, but…”

Carefully, I squeeze her shoulder, trying to be reassuring.

“But what?” I prompt softly. My heart drums, and I don’t want to make this harder for her by pressing her too cruelly. “Janelle, please. I won’t let him hurt you. I just need to know where he goes, if you have any clue.”

She presses her quivering lips together, just staring at me for a long time.

I can feel her pain hanging in the balance, this painful decision to betray the man she thought she loved. To admit he was never who she thought he was out loud.

If this were me and Talia, I’d want her to give me up in a heartbeat, as long as it meant doing what was right.

She’d have a better chance at happiness by moving on.

And I hope, when this is over, Janelle can find happiness, too.

After several rough breaths, she jerks her head away, lowering her eyes.

“Mariposa Cove,” she whispers. “When I thought he was having an affair, I snuck a tracker app on his phone. He had no idea. About once a week, sometimes more, he goes to Mariposa Cove. I don’t know what he does there, but I don’t think he’s meeting other women.”

Mariposa Cove.

I know the name.

It’s a tiny waterfront town about an hour and a half away from here on the Atlantic Coast. Hell, it’s barely a town, just a dock and a terminal with a few buildings clustered around it.

A shipping dock favored by people running all sorts of clandestine operations.

If a ship’s coming in tonight as part of the Arrendell/Jacobin drug ring, that’s a mighty good place for it to land.

“Thank you,” I say breathlessly. If there wasn’t a counter between us, I’d hug her. “Thank you. You did the right thing, Janelle. Let me find out what’s happening and end it.”

She lifts her head, looking at me mournfully, hot tears gathered in her eyes.

“Go,” she whispers. “Don’t make me regret this. I’m so sick of living a lie. I’m tired of all the secrets in this town, all the heartbreak… and tired being part of them. Fix it, Micah. Please.”

“I will, ma’am,” I promise.

I may not be able to fix breaking Talia’s heart, but I can still manage this.

Not alone, though.

It’s time to call in reinforcements.

I’m stunned at how fast the Redhaven PD assembles at the station when I call them for a late-night meeting, no questions asked.

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