Page 83 of His Forgotten Colton Fiancee
Chapter 17
West ushered Quinn outside while Rex remained on the porch. Phone to his ear, West made the call.
“Finn? I’m at Pine Paradise. Cabin number seven, where Quinn stayed last year with her sister. I found a jacket belonging to Demi Colton.”
West’s stomach lurched at Finn’s next words.
“We got a tip today from an anonymous caller, anonymous for now, who gave us veryspecific information on cabin seven. He said he saw Demi there a few days ago when he was making a delivery to a resort in the area. I’ll send a team straightaway.”
He thumbed off the phone.
West turned to his fiancée, the woman he loved. The woman who at this moment could have helped to harbor a fugitive from the law.
“Finn told me someone called in a tip. Demi was seen in this area.”
Quinn’s gaze widened. “My sister was here?”
“The jacket and those items in the closet seem to indicate so. Why is Demi’s jacket here, Quinn?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice rose slightly. “I can’t remember anything, West. Why would Demi be here?”
It’s a good place to hide out and if she had a hand in planting that bomb...
If he’d thought Quinn was innocent of hiding information onthe whereabouts of her sister, seeing Demi’s jacket changed his mind.
Eyes wide, Quinn shook her head. “I have no idea how it got there!”
“You lost your memory and you wouldn’t remember. Not now,” he told her. “But think. Does this cabin trigger anything to you? Anything Demi said to you that would lead her back here to hide out?”
Quinn bit her lip. “No.”
They walked to the truckto wait for the Red Ridge police officers. Quinn was trembling, so he removed his windbreaker jacket and put it over her shoulders. Getting her agitated would not solve anything.
West started talking about the fishing trips he’d taken, to calm her frazzled nerves. Get her to relax. But Quinn remained staring at the cabin, huddled into his jacket.
Finally a convoy of police cars arrived.He briefed Finn on what he’d found as crime scene techs began dusting the doorknob for prints. He took a pair of latex gloves to cover his hands and preserve any additional evidence found.
West returned to his truck and a visibly upset Quinn. “Stay here,” he told her. “I’ll finish soon and take you back.”
With all the police swarming over the cabin, he knew Demi wouldn’t return. Nor wouldanyone threaten Quinn.
But it wasn’t looking good for her. If only her memory would return, he could question her, watch her face to see if she told the truth.
The cabin smelled musty with disuse. Yet his gut told him someone had been here, holing up and making bombs in the woods.
Frustrated, West looked around the living room as the other officers began working the scene.
He hadmore questions than answers, but at least a starting place.
Whoever had been here had left it clean. No dirt on the wood floor, not a speck of dust on the table. Bathroom was clean as well, with fresh towels hanging on the rack and no water droplets in the sink or shower.
It made sense that Demi would use the cabin as a hiding place, since she’d been here with Quinn previously. If shehad informed her brothers, they wouldn’t have told him.
He went into the bedroom where Demi’s jacket had hung in the closet. Crime scene techs were dusting everything. The cabin, isolated and hidden from the main road, made a perfect hiding place.
West swept his flashlight over the room as the techs worked in the closet. He went to the bureau by the window and opened drawers.
Empty,except for the top one that contained a hairbrush.
