Page 22 of Outlaw Ridge: Ryker
Emma had just grabbed her coat from the back of the chair when her phone lit up on the table. She paused mid-movement, heart giving a little jolt when she saw the caller ID.
Charlotte Ross.
She exchanged a glance with Ryker, who arched a brow but said nothing. Emma answered and immediately hit speaker.
“Charlotte,” she said.
Charlotte’s voice came sharp and fast. “Haven’t you done enough to destroy my life without harassing me now? What the hell do you want?”
Emma kept her tone even. “You need to come in for an interview. First thing tomorrow morning. We have questions about an attack and a dead body found earlier today.”
There was a beat of silence, then Charlotte snapped, “Awhat? What are you talking about?”
Emma met Ryker’s steady eyes. “Check the news, Charlotte. A body was found at the oil field outside of town.”
Another pause. Then Charlotte’s voice came through, brittle and unsteady. “Is it Ethan?”
“We don’t know yet,” Emma replied. “Forensics is working on it.”
There was a sharp inhale on the other end of the line, then a shift in Charlotte’s tone, still angry, but laced with something colder. “Why are you calling me about this?”
Emma didn’t blink. “Because your DNA was found at a related scene.”
“What DNA?” Charlotte demanded. “What the hell does that mean?”
Emma didn’t offer specifics. “It was recovered from a note. One that included a threat, directed at me.”
Charlotte’s voice came back, low and uneven. “I haven’t written any threatening notes, Emma.”
Emma didn’t react. “Then you should have no problem coming in to talk about it. Tomorrow at nine?”
A pause. Hesitation. Ryker stood still beside her, watching the phone like it might explode.
Charlotte’s voice came quieter this time. “Have you seen Ethan?”
The question hit harder than Emma expected. She blinked, caught off guard. “You’ve been adamant that your brother’s dead. That I’m the one who killed him.”
“I still believe that’s what could have happened,” Charlotte said, her tone sharpening again. “I haven’t seen him since thewedding reception. That night he stormed out… I thought that was the end of it.”
Emma’s pulse kicked up, but she kept her voice level. “Then why ask?”
There was another pause. Then Charlotte said, “Because I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately. Can’t get him out of my head. I started going through my old phone, looking at the pictures I took at the reception. I saw something in several of the photos. Something I hadn’t noticed before. Ethan’s therapist, she was there. At the reception. Did you know that?”
Emma felt the words land like a stone in her chest. “No. I didn’t.”
But even as she said it, her mind spun. There had been so many faces at that reception, friends, coworkers, plus-ones. If Dr. Maris Colvinhadbeen there, Emma wouldn’t have recognized her. She’d never met the woman.
Emma cleared her throat. “Are you sure it was her? You knew her?”
“No,” Charlotte admitted. “Ethan mentioned her once or twice. But I didn’t know what she looked like. Not then. I ran facial recognition on the reception photos. That’s how I found her.”
Emma’s brows lifted. “And what was she doing in the photos?”
Charlotte hesitated again. “I’ll send them to you. It’s easier if you just see it for yourself.”
There was a long beat of silence before Charlotte added, “For years, I believed you killed Ethan. But after seeing these pictures… now I’m wondering ifshedid.”
Emma blinked, stunned. “Histherapist?”
