Page 7 of Lost Love Cove 4
Oscar shifted on the sofa, his injured leg stretched out. His eyes narrowed. “So you’re the one who’s been threatening my mother? The one who made me take the notices out of the boxes? Who had me deliver those letters to Carrie and Matt?”
Ian shook his head sharply. “No. That wasn’t me. I swear it. I’ve been away. The only reason I came back was because I got a call while Erika and I were on holiday. A voice told me if I didn’t bring the documents and the flash drive Trevor and I put together—” His words broke off. His eyes misted and his voice cracked. “My daughter, Katy…”
Carrie’s throat tightened. She reached out, her hand resting it briefly on the arm of the sofa. “I’m sorry about Katy, Ian.” It had been less than a day since her body had been found on the beach, left like a cruel message at the Marshalls’ door.
Ian nodded once, his jaw clenched. “Then I wake up in a hospital bed to learn they’ve got my wife and my son too. Do you see now? I had no choice, Carrie. I had to get into this house. I had to find what Trevor and I hid.”
Matt’s voice was level. “Are you saying the evidence is here?”
Ian’s gaze flicked back to him. He nodded. “The knife wasn’t to hurt anyone. It was to pry the hiding place open.”
The kitchen door swung, and Andy reappeared with a tray of steaming mugs. He handed them out, then sat back, watching Ian with sharp eyes. “I’ve been trying the department,” he said, shaking his head. “Lines are still down.”
“Oh, no.” Carrie accepted her cup, took a sip, but barely tasted it. “I need to get hold of Trent. And Tess. I have to know they’re safe.”
“The lines will be back soon,” Andy said, his tone gentle, though his expression was hard. He turned his gaze to Ian. “I was listening from the kitchen door. Ian, you still haven’t answered the big question. If you and Trevor knew Matt’s sale was fraudulent, why go along with it?”
Ian’s face darkened. “Because by then, we knew who we were dealing with. Dick wasn’t just careless. He was connected. His parents didn’t retire and sail into the sunset to retire in some exotic country. They fled the USA. They were criminals, tied to silent partners with deep pockets. Partners who’ve been bleeding our company for decades.”
Andy looked at him with disgust. “So you just carried on as if everything was fine after finding all this out?”
Ian let out a bitter laugh. “No. We lived on eggshells, holding our breath each day. Trevor and I wanted to fix it. We thought if we could find Cheryl, maybe there was a way back.”
“You expected her to untangle years of fraud?” Carrie asked, her voice sharp.
“We weren’t thinking straight,” Ian admitted hoarsely. “We’d just realized we were in business with dangerous men. Trevor’s heart couldn’t take it. The pressure was killing him and eventually did.”
Carrie’s voice softened. “So it did kill him.”
Ian gave a slow nod. “When Trevor first came to me, I told him to walk away. I begged him not to sell the Winters’ house, don’t touch it. But it was too late. Matt’s sale was already through. Just before he died, Trevor made me promise: get Dick to buy his shares, then sell mine too. Get out. And fix Matt’s sale, and ensure our properties stay ours, somehow.”
Carrie sat back, torn between relief and disappointment. Trevor hadn’t set out to defraud Matt, but once he knew the truth, he’d let it stand.
Matt’s voice cut the silence. “How were you planning to fix it?”
Ian hesitated, then answered. “The cruise this summer wasn’t just for pleasure. Erika and I traced Cheryl’s last known address. We followed every lead we could.”
Oscar let out a dry laugh. “So you dragged your wife along to chase after your ex-girlfriend? That’s messed up.”
“My wife knows,” Ian shot back. “She knows everything. After Trevor died, I told her. She’s been trying to help me protect Lori and Matt ever since.”
Carrie’s eyes searched him. “Did you sell your shares?”
“Yes. Two days after Trevor died, I went to Dick. Told him I wanted early retirement. He was glad to buy me out. The company was still turning a profit.”
“Fraud money,” Andy muttered, curling his lip.
Ian ignored the barb. “I had to play dumb. I had to let him think I was walking away for good. All the while, Erika and I continued to dig, trying to find Cheryl. We still don’t know if she’s alive, but there’s no death certificate. Not here. Not anywhere.”
Matt’s voice was steady. “Did you find her?”
“No.” Ian’s head dropped. “Another dead end.”
Andy leaned forward. “Then tell us about Katy.” His voice was careful, but probing.
Ian’s expression softened, grief flickering across his face. “Katy was working at the Monroe County offices. She’d been there five years. Started on phones, worked her way up. Just before the sale of Matt’s house and a few weeks before Trevor passed away, she began training to take over when one of the clerks got married.” His voice grew rough. “She was proud of that job.”
Andy set his cup down. “I’m sorry, Ian. I know the death of Katy is painful, and you need to talk about it. But what does it have to do with the fraud? With her death?”
