Page 53 of Peak Suspicion
“Love isn’t about protecting yourself,” Shayla said. “It’s about wanting to protect the other person.” She turned and ran from the apartment.
“Shayla, please!” Mira ran after her, but Shayla was already hurtling down the steps and running to her car. Mira sagged against the doorframe, sick to her stomach. What had she done? And what had Mitch done?
Chapter Sixteen
Message from: Carter Ames
Got some news to share. Can I stop by?
Yes!
Carter was startled when Mira opened the door to her apartment and embraced him. “I’m so glad to see you,” she said, her face buried against his shoulder.
He pulled back enough to look at her. “Have you been crying?” he asked, though it was clear she had, her eyes puffy and red.
“Did you hear? They arrested Mitch Anders this afternoon.”
“Again?” He let her lead him into her living room. “What happened?”
She told him about the latest attempted kidnapping, Mitch’s car being identified, and the clothes the kidnapper had been wearing being found in his car. “Shayla told the sheriff’s deputies that Mitch was with her when the boy was grabbed, but the kid’s house was only two blocks from hers. She admitted she took a shower. Mitch could have sneaked out while she was in the shower.”
“That seems pretty risky,” Carter said. “And why would he leave the clothes in the back of his car?”
“I don’t understand any of it,” she said. “All I know is that Shayla is furious with me now because I asked if she thought Mitch might really be guilty?”
“You think he’s guilty?” he asked.
“I don’t know!” She put one hand to the side of her head, the other, in its cast, hugged to her chest. Tears filled her eyes again.
He gathered her close, mindful of her broken arm. “I’m sorry about Shayla,” he said. “And about Mitch, too. What happened with the boy?”
“His mother apparently went after the kidnapper and chased him off. As far as I know, the boy is okay.”
“This guy has struck out three times. Maybe he’ll give up now.”
“I don’t know if people with those kind of compulsions can give up,” she said. She pulled away from him and combed her fingers through her hair. “Your text said you had some news. Was it about Mitch?”
“No. I didn’t know anything about that.”
“Come sit down and tell me.”
They sat side by side on the sofa. “My news isn’t that exciting,” he said. “I just wanted to share it with someone.”
She smiled. “I’m glad you chose me.”
He told her about the visit with Joel Chessman and his promise to donate more money to search and rescue and help them develop more reliable funding. “That’s wonderful,” she said.
“I was just happy to be able to do something to help the organization,” he said. “So many of the volunteers have high level skills and training. They tell us that everyone is important, even if all we do is help carry supplies. But it’s nice to be able to contribute more.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” she said. “Your talent is communicating with people. I remember how you were able to calm me down after my car accident. That’s an important skill, too.”
“I guess so. Though I never thought of talking as a skill. Almost everyone can do it.”
“Lots of people can use words,” she said. “Not everyone can make them really mean something.”
She kissed him. He wanted to keep kissing her, and maybe pick up where they had left off last time they were together. But he sensed a tension in her. A holding back. He looked into her eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
She looked away.
