Page 30 of Falmouth Shadows
Receiving that text had been a stroke of good luck, and when he spotted Bryce’s car parked next to the town’s bus stop, he couldn’t help the thrum of excitement that pulsed through him. He exchanged a quick look with his cousins and uncle before unbuckling his seat belt and pushing the door open.
Bryce stood in the same position as before, with his arms folded over his chest, leaning against the hood of the car. Without taking off his sunglasses, he handed Ian the folder and straightened his back. Then he got into the car and drove off, leaving Ian with his mouth hanging open and an incredulous look on his face.
On the drive back to Falmouth, Ian kept flipping through the folder, each time hoping the evidence was different. No matter how many times he went through the paperwork, everything stayed exactly the same. While a part of him was relieved to find the firm Eric worked for had quite the rap sheet, he was frustrated none of it pointed to Eric.
What good was any of this if he couldn’t use it to stop Eric in his tracks?
Ian sat in the back seat, next to Jeff’s loud snoring, and took his phone out of his pocket. Bryce’s phone kept going straight to voicemail, leaving Ian with a frustrated and bad feeling in the center of his stomach. He kept studying the folder till he realized Uncle Frankie had taken a detour and was headed straight for Provincetown.
Wordlessly, Ian squeezed his eyes shut and leaned back against the chair.
His stomach tightened, and Ian had to sit on his hands to hide the tremor moving through him. Unfortunately, the longer he sat there, the worse he felt about the whole thing, but it didn’t ease the knots in his stomach.
Or the dryness in his throat.
He alternated between staring out the window and glaring at his phone.
When they pulled up outside Herring Cove Beach house, Ian stiffened and peered out the window. Lily and Ben appeared in the doorway, waving at them enthusiastically. As soon as he saw his sister, Ian’s stomach gave an odd little dip. He forced himself out of the car and walked straight up to her. She threw her arms around him, smelling of cinnamon and ginger, and gave him a tight hug.
Ian released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
“Thank God you’re not mad at me. I’m sorry that I’m digging into your dad.”
Lily drew back to look at him and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’mthe one who should be apologizing. I had no idea what was happening till Uncle Frankie called. I’ve been trying to get him on the phone since then.”
Ice raced up Ian’s spine. “Him?”
“My dad.” Lily ushered them all inside, where a tray of iced tea, cookies, and sandwiches was laid out. Jeff and Jonathan began to stuff their faces as soon as they sat down. “I’m going to try and help you find some answers.”
Ian glanced over at Uncle Frankie, who stood near the backdoor with Ben. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“We need answers,” Lily told him, lifting her chin. “And if there’s anything I can do to help, I’m going to do it.”
Before Ian could protest, Lily took the phone out of her pocket and went to the kitchen counter. She perched against the edge of the high chair, a furrow appearing between her brows. Ian went to stand next to her and ignored the low thrumming in his chest.
Lily’s hands were trembling when she placed her phone on the counter and put it on speaker, allowing Eric’s cold voice to fill the room. “What do you want? I thought you said you were done with me.”
Lily sucked in a harsh breath and looked over at Ian, who placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “I need to know what actually happened to my mother.”
“Again with this? When are you going to stop chasing conspiracy theories and grow up? I see your mother’s family hasn’t taught you anything useful.”
“Stop changing the subject and answer me. How were you involved with Mom’s murder?”
“I wasn’t.”
“Just like you weren’t involved with that thug the police caught? Dad, please. It’s not too late to make things right and own up to what you’ve been doing. I can even help you—”
“I don’t need your help,” Eric told her coldly. “No daughter of mine would treat me the way you have.”
“How about the way you’ve treated me and everyone else? How about what you did to Mom, huh? I know you were involved with her death somehow, and I’m going to prove it.”
“You spoiled, ungrateful little brat. After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me? I should come over there right now and teach you a lesson.”
“That’s enough,” Ben interrupted, materializing by Lily’s side and taking her hands in his. “All due respect, Mr. Taylor, you can’t talk to Lily that way. She hasn’t done anything wrong. All she’s done is try to give you a chance to prove everyone wrong and do the right thing.”
“I don’t know who you think you are, but this is none of your concern.”
“Anything that involves Lily is my concern,” Ben responded without missing a beat. “I’m not going to stand aside and let you talk to her like that.”
