Page 78 of Run for Her Life
As they got closer, Ed noticed them and he slowed down. But something about their faces must have revealed their intention. Suddenly, he broke into a run and Zoe shot off after him.
The wind came at her sideways, slapping strands of wet hair across her cheek. Her soles slapped hard against the firm, damp sand, just inches from where the surf licked the shore.
Ahead of her, Ed stumbled. His knees buckled slightly—he was fit but older and already worn out from his jog.
“FBI! Ed! Stop!” she shouted through ragged breaths.
Ed didn’t respond or slow down. Gulls screamed overhead.
Frustrated, Zoe ditched her boots, which were sinking in the dunes. She pushed herself harder, her thighs burning, her breath tearing at her lungs. From the corner of her eye she saw Aiden was trying to cut him off by heading in the other direction. But Aiden wasn’t designed for fieldwork and he wasn’t nearly as fast as she was.
Ed veered toward the rocks ahead. A jagged heap of barnacle-crusted stone that jutted from the beach like the ribs of a shipwreck.
“Shit,” Zoe muttered.
He tried to climb. What an idiot, Zoe thought. His foot slipped, arms windmilled, and he dropped onto all fours. Zoe reached him just as he was trying to scramble up again.
She lunged at him.
He turned too late. Her shoulder slammed into his ribs and they went down hard onto the pebbles and wet sand.
Ed wheezed. Zoe rolled off him, panting, and then straddled his chest before he could move.
He flinched. “Please!”
“Why did you run, Ed? If you did nothing wrong?”
His mouth moved soundlessly. There was blood on his lower lip. Zoe grabbed his jacket collar and hauled him up enough to look directly into his face.
Aiden caught up, panting. “Jesus, how fast are you, Storm?”
“I’m actually not the fastest runner,” she mumbled. “Ed, why did you run?”
His frantic eyes bounced between them. “Because I broke into Annabelle’s house. When I was leaving, I cut myself on the window ledge. You got my DNA, didn’t you?”
“You’re smart,” Aiden remarked. “Now tell us what the hell you were doing there.”
“The massacre has haunted me,” he admitted, a blush creeping up his face. “I saw in the news that woman was found dead but then you guys showed up and started asking questions about the massacre and the arson… I realized that it must be connected somehow. I always knew there was a cover-up. It wasn’t an accident.”
“You thought that someone wanted justice for what happened?” Aiden asked.
He shrugged, sweat plopping down his face. “Yeah, that’s what I figured the connection was. Justice denied back then and some vigilante shit happening today. That’s why I broke into that lady’s house. I wanted to know if she had a connection to any of the victims or someone from the investigative team. On my way out, I was careless.”
Zoe had been wondering the same thing—a connection forged from injustice years ago, how teenagers had died in a firethat stemmed from arson, not mechanical failure. She thought Jackie was pissed and was seeking revenge, which is why she’d sent Michael’s hair to her. And whoever had killed Jackie had another motive—something to do with Harrington Group, the ones responsible for the conspiracy for hiding the truth about that night.
Ed wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Why didn’t you just come to us?” Zoe said. “It’s a small town. We can always use volunteers.”
He blew a frustrated breath. “Yeah, I know what kind of work volunteers do. Combing the woods, looking into anonymous tips. I wanted to help in a significant way. You don’t understand, Agent Storm. That massacre is the identity of this town. Pineview Falls lives and breathes that tragedy. It would be an honor to contribute to that legacy.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. Clearly Adam wasn’t the only one willing to exploit pain—he did it for his career and Ed did it for his ego.
“Did you find anything?” Aiden cocked an eyebrow. “Annabelle’s husband reported that the room was a mess.”
He bit his lip, hesitating. “I might have…”
Zoe’s spine straightened. “What?”
