Page 60 of Tide and Seek
He gnawed his bottom lip.“Maybe she’s the person who tried to run us off the road, too.Who knows?She seemed unhinged that day at lunch.”
“She did… but I’m pretty sure the person in the car that day was male.I could be wrong, of course.But can you really picture Bethany, with her perfect nails and hair, risking her life driving like a maniac on those canyon roads?”
He sighed.“Probably not.But I still say she could have sent the texts.”
“I agree.That seems more her style—saying something ugly from a safe distance.Although, granted, I don’t know her like you do.”
“No, I can definitely see her sending poison-pen letters and things like that.Even when we were friendly-ish, I always thought she had a vindictive streak.She had a lot of people she held grudges toward.”
“Interesting.”
The coffee maker gave a series of beeps, indicating it was done brewing, and Max poured the rich, dark coffee into our mugs.After doctoring our java the way we liked, we settled onto the back deck with the warm ceramic cradled in our hands.Beyond the deck, the waves washed rhythmically onto the beach, depositing intricate patterns of lacy foam and twisted orange seaweed across the sand.
“Whoever sent those texts really wants me to leave L.A.,” Max murmured after a sip.
“It seems that way.”
“But why?”He met my gaze, the morning breeze fluttering his dark hair like invisible fingers.“Who am I bothering by being here?Why would anyone care whether I’m here or in Rainy Dale?”
“Beats me.”I sighed.
“If it’s not Bethany, maybe whoever wants me to leave is connected to the burglary.”He wrinkled his brow.“But if they just wanted me gone so they could finish robbing me, why not just wait until I leave?”
“Maybe it’s someone who has no idea you’re not back for good?”
“That might be,” he murmured.“I suppose it’s not common knowledge that I’m going back to Rainy Dale.C.J., James, and Luke know I’m leaving next Thursday.Bethany knew I wasn’t here permanently, although she didn’t know exactly when I was leaving.”
“The police know, and Ethan and the pool guy know you’re leaving again.”
“So then it’s probably none of them trying to get rid of me, because they already know I’m going back to Texas.”His uneasy gaze met mine.“I suppose I could reach out to Bethany and feel her out?”
“No,” I said immediately.“Don’t speak to her.If she’s involved, we’ll let the police handle that.We can mention her to them, and let them take it from there.”
“Okay.It’s not as if I wanted to speak to her.”
“I’m sure that’s true.”
We finished our coffee and went for a walk on the beach to clear our heads.It was early, so the beach stretched empty in both directions, marked only by delicate sandpiper tracks and the occasional piece of driftwood.We held hands as we walked the water’s edge, the cool sand soft beneath our feet and the salt-tinged breeze lifting our hair.
Seagulls wheeled overhead, their raucous calls mixing with the hush of waves, each one reaching a little farther up the sand before retreating with a gentle hiss.At the far end of the colony, past the last house and separated by a chain-link fence, the civilized beach gave way to wildness—jagged rocks at the water’s edge, dark hollows and caves carved by countless tides.We were heading back to Max’s place as the sun rose above the horizon, turning the ocean into a sheet of molten gold.
Back at the house, we ate a light breakfast of avocado toast on whole-grain gluten-free bread, just so we had something in our stomachs before the Getty.We showered and dressed.I was heading downstairs when I heard a truck rumbling out front.I opened the door and spotted a flatbed tow truck with the Tippity Top logo backing toward our driveway, and a BMW sedan.
“Reggie’s here to pick up the Hummer and drop off the new car,” I called upstairs.
“Be right down.”
I went outside as Reggie climbed out of a sleek black BMW, looking considerably more confident than during our first encounter.The tow-truck driver was already positioning his flatbed near the damaged Hummer.
“Good morning,” Reggie said cheerfully, walking over with the BMW keys.“I’m swapping out the car, just like I promised.Is Mr.Thornton around?”
“He sure is.He’ll just be a minute.”As I finished speaking, Maxwell came outside, looking handsome and freshly showered.
“There you are, Mr.Thornton.”Reggie gave an exaggerated bow.“Your chariot has arrived, sir.”
Max gave a confused laugh.“Oh, um… great.”
Reggie’s gaze shifted to the banged-up Hummer.He winced.“Oh boy, she really did get roughed up, didn’t she?”
