Page 31 of Where Secrets Lie

She examined his tone for an accusation but didn’t find even a hint of blame. So why did she feel so defensive? “I know I’m late. I had my first counseling session this morning.” She expected him to grill her about it, but he seemed too intent on his mission to ask any questions.

She unlocked the door to her office and flipped on the light. Hez went straight to the bookcases and pulled out every volume. He ran his fingers along the undersides of the shelves as well. Savannah went to her library table desk and pulled out her chair before squatting under it to examine the underside. Nothing. Her chair was clean too.

After twenty minutes of searching, Hez dropped into the armchair. “I don’t understand this. I was sure a bug was in here. Did you tell anyone about the roadblock?”

She stiffened. “Of course not. I wouldn’t do that.”

“Not even Nora? Or a passing comment to someone?”

Was he accusing her of leaking the information? His mention of Nora stirred her unease at her discovery that Nora was a Willard. Had she told Hez about it? She didn’t think so, but maybe she should. “I—I didn’t tell Nora. She’s a Willard, but the connection is distant and she doesn’t see them much.”

He leaped to his feet. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

She didn’t like his raised voice and tried to chalk it up to his fatigue. He couldn’t be accusing her of anything. “It didn’t seem important—like I said, she doesn’t see them much.”

He ran his hand through his thick dark hair. “Savannah,that was crucial information. Nora is the mole! It makes perfect sense since she’s in the police department. You must have said something to her.”

“You’re wrong! I haven’t even seen her or spoken to her on the phone.”Keep your cool. She took a couple of deep breaths before answering in a softer tone. “Nora has never been anything but trustworthy. Even if I’d said something to her, she would never betray me. You need to go home and get some sleep. This is your exhaustion talking.”

He rubbed his forehead. “I have a class to teach. I barely have time for a quick shower and more coffee.”

“Then go home and take a nap after your class. That’s an order from your president.” She forced a smile so he didn’t take offense.

He didn’t so much as crack a tiny grin before heading to the door without answering her. He didn’t kiss her goodbye either, and he left the door standing open. She exhaled a shaky breath and sank onto her chair. What had just happened? She’d never expected Hez to blame her for last night’s failed ambush. Her thoughts spun through everyone she’d talked to in the past twenty-four hours. This couldn’t be her fault.

Jess poked her head in the door. “What’s up with Hez this morning? He looked like he’d been on an all-night bender. He’s never rattled, but he was not himself.” She entered the office and shut the door behind her.

A shiver of dread rippled down Savannah’s back. She hadn’t been close enough to him to smell his breath, but it didn’t sound like he’d had time to drink.

That never stopped him before.

She shoved away the unwelcome thought.

“He’s trying to figure out how the smugglers knew about the ambush.”

Jess adjusted her navy skirt. “I don’t think they did. If they knew the cops were waiting, wouldn’t they have made sure they didn’t come down that deserted road? I think it’s clear his intel was off.”

Savannah wanted to tell her sister about Hez’s accusatory tone, but it would only heighten the tension between the two people she loved most in the world. “I’m sure he’ll figure it out.” And once he thought about it, he’d be back with an apology.

Chapter 18

For the third time, Hez read the opening paragraph of the paper he was grading—and he still didn’t understand it. Ordinarily, that meant a low grade, but today he wasn’t at all sure whether the problem was on the page in front of his eyes or with the brain behind them. He’d been up too long, had too much coffee, and had too many balls in the air. And if he was honest with himself, he was too old for this sort of thing. Thirty-seven felt a lot different than twenty-seven after pulling an all-nighter.

He leaned back and rubbed gritty eyes. His joints creaked, and he could feel a migraine knocking on the back door of his skull. Maybe Savannah was right that he needed to go home and take a nap.

Savannah. His mind went back to his visit to her office this morning. He hadn’t exactly been at his best. His old workaholism came back with a vengeance after his humiliation at last night’s roadblock. He hadn’t been able to think about anything except what had gone wrong. He’d needed to figure it out immediately. Sleep was out of the question, of course, so he had headed to TGU, started the coffee maker in the JusticeChamber, and begun hunting for the bug he was certain the smugglers had planted.

Seven hours and a pot and a half of coffee later, he was pacing in front of Savannah’s office. What did she see when she walked in? A man who had really changed? Or the guy whose obsessive streak helped ruin their marriage the first time? Why should she trust her heart to someone who turned into a brittle monomaniac the instant something went wrong?

He sighed and pushed himself out of his chair. Time to go home, take Cody for an easy jog along the beach, and get to bed early. Tomorrow he’d prioritize her, no matter how much he wanted to hunt clever smugglers. Maybe he could take Savannah out for a relaxed dinner, or maybe they could spend a day hiking this weekend. Maybe both.

His phone buzzed as he walked out of the building. He didn’t recognize the number, but it was local. He hesitated for a couple of rings. He wasn’t expecting a call, but maybe it was related to last night, and he could always hang up if it was a spammer. “Hello?”

“Professor Webster, it’s Toni.” Her voice shook. “Someone broke into my car and stole my phone. Another law student had your number and let me call you on his phone.”

A jolt of adrenaline pierced his fog of fatigue. “You think this might be related to the Justice Chamber?”

“Maybe. I was at the gym. When I came out, my window was smashed. They didn’t take my wallet or laptop—just the phone.”

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