“And it has.”
“Yep. A dozen times over the past two years, he made visits to Serenade, when he was supposed to be somewhere else. Often he did stop off at the city I sent him to, then came here afterward.”
Finn swore loudly. “And you didn’t notice?”
“I was a little distracted, what with my cheating wife and tabloid-worthy divorce,” he snapped, a sharp edge to his voice. “Besides, I trusted Ian. He’s done a good job for me, especially in these past couple of years.”
“Yeah, well, he was banging your wife.”
“You made the connection too, huh?”
Cole battled an explosion of resentment at the thought. There was no other reason for Ian to be visiting Serenade without his boss. Unless he was involved with someone in town.
And seeing as Teresa slept with every man who so much as bumped into her, Ian must have been one of the men on her adultery list.
Swallowing down a lump of bitterness, Cole glanced at the sheriff. “That woman was poison. It wouldn’t shock me in the least if she seduced my assistant. It would just be another fun way to get back at me.”
“Did I ever apologize for not warning you ahead of time about Teresa?”
Cole’s head swiveled in surprise. Was he hearing things?
“I’m serious,” Finn continued, sounding gruff. “I always felt like an ass for not saying something before you married her.”
It might not be an apology for treating him like a murderer, but Cole would take it. “I probably would have married her anyway,” he said with a wry grin. “Your unsolicited advice would have just pushed me to the altar sooner.”
“Well, nobody said you were smart.”
Cole rolled his eyes, then went grave again as the Jeep reached the narrow slope leading up to the cliffside mansion. Lord, he hoped his instincts were right, that Ian had actually brought Jamie here. And he prayed that Ian hadn’t hurt Jamie, that she was using her skills and good judgment to defuse whatever situation she’d found herself in. The irony of his thoughts didn’t go unnoticed, either. An hour ago, he was accusing her of choosing her job over him. Now, he prayed that she relied on those professional instincts.
It might be the only way for her to stay alive.
“What the hell does Ian want with Jamie then?” Finn demanded.
“He’s avenging Teresa’s death.” Cole’s lungs burned as he inhaled. “He thinks I killed her.”
“And now he’s trying to punish you by killing Jamie?”
“Seems so. I think he’s— No, pull over here,” he said suddenly.
They had just reached the edge of the driveway, out of view from the house. Although Finn stopped the car and killed the engine, he glanced at Cole in suspicion. “What are you planning, Donovan?”
He exhaled the breath he’d been holding. “I need to go in there alone.”
“What? No freaking way.”
“If he sees you, he might panic and kill her.” Cole forced himself not to dwell on that terrifying thought. “But if it’s just me, I might be able to talk him down. Convince him I didn’t murder Teresa.”
“That’s the dumbest plan I’ve ever heard,” Finn said with a scowl. “You have no training, no experience with crazed criminals, no—”
“And you do? This is Serenade, for Chrissake. Crazed criminals don’t live here.”
“I still have the training,” Finn insisted. He reached for the gun holstered at his hip. “I’m coming in with you.”
“And then Jamie will get hurt. If he feels ambushed, he’ll snap. Come on, Finn, think about it.”
The sheriff went quiet for a moment, then let out a ragged breath as he saw Cole’s point of view. “I’m not sitting out here in the car like a damned guard dog.”
“I didn’t expect you to. I just want to go in alone. You can come in on your own, get in position in case…in case you need to use that thing.” He glanced at the weapon in Finn’s hands. “But don’t do anything until I get a handle on the situation. Promise me that.”
“Fine.” Finn reached for the door handle. “Let’s do this.”
Cole’s entire body was riddled with dread as he got out of the Jeep. Finn hung back, letting Cole approach the house alone, in case Ian was watching from one of the windows. When Cole reached the top of the driveway, he spotted Ian’s rental car. His instincts had been right then.
He winced as his shoes crunched over the gravel drive, then chided himself for it. Ian didn’t have superhero hearing, for Chrissake.
Instead of walking up the path, he moved along the wall, creeping toward the front door as ice sludged through his veins. Christ, Finn was right. He wasn’t a cop. How did he expect to do this on his own?