Lucy's sobs tore at Zach's heart, but he refused to let her go. She obviously needed to let it all out and he understood why. Lying still and listening to her story of Marlin and Shorty had made his skin prickle with sadness. His heart had wrenched at the image of her holding a blood-soaked man as he died in her arms. It had taken everything in his power not to roll over and stop her, just so she didn't have to live through it again.
It wasn't until she started blaming herself for everything that he couldn't take it anymore. She had not killed those men. That asshole police officer had. Anger burned through his veins as he thought about how terrifying it must have been for Lucy to meet him face to face. She had suffered way too much trauma and he wasn't sure he wanted to put her through anymore, but she'd never, ever, be able to move on until they ended this. The fact she had told him the truth, and even admitted what she thought was her failure was actually a good sign.
Maybe she was ready.
As her loud cries ebbed to soft sniffles, Zach squeezed her shoulder. "It's okay. It's all gonna be okay."
"How? We don't even know who the guy is. Even if I did have the courage to track him down, how would I? Shorty got killed for trying find him. After Marlin was taken, he asked around town about him and ended up leading the guy straight to our door." She shivered against Zach and he rubbed her back to ease her tremors.
"Maybe you should go back to the beginning then."
"What do you mean?" She turned on his shoulder to look up at him.
Zach pressed his lips together before taking in a deep breath. "Please don't be mad, but I asked my uncle to look into who you might be. I gave him the vague details you'd told me and he did some research."
"What kind of research?" Lucy pressed her hand to Zach's chest and sat up.
"He found me some newspaper articles and murders in L.A. around the time you mentioned. He um, gave me a few files." Zach sat up slowly, nervous of her reaction. He watched her shadow in the dark as she turned her back to him and drew her knees to her chest.
"Were any of them on me?" She finally whispered.
"Yeah," Zach replied softly. "Yeah, there's a Lucy Tate file there. Do you want to see it?"
She drew in a full breath then slowly released it. "Yes."
He flicked on the light before she changed her mind and squinted against the sudden glare from his lamp. Stumbling to his closest he pulled out the file and walked back to the bed. He held it out to her, not daring to breathe as she reached for it.
Her hands were shaking as she drew it onto her lap. With her teeth embedded in the edge of her bottom lip, she flicked the file open and began to read. It was a struggle for her. Zach watched her carefully, noting the way her eyes closed or her body jerked as obvious memories lashed her.
"That's not true," she'd murmur occasionally.
As she worked her way slowly through each article, Zach sat down on the bed and nestled in behind her. He perched his chin on her shoulder when she began to sniff and wipe at tears.
"I didn't kill my own parents."
Reaching for a Kleenex, he passed it to her and then began rubbing slow circles on her back as she mopped up her tears.
"I know." He kissed her shoulder.
"I can't believe you invited me into your house after reading this? What did you think when I told you my name?"
She gripped her forehead, her muscles pinging tight. Zach squeezed her shoulder, nestling his lips into the crook of her neck and letting out a sigh. "I know you, Lucy," he mumbled against her skin. "I know you didn't do this."
"There were so many reasons not to go to the cops and try and find a good one among them, someone who could help me. I was afraid no one would believe me and that I'd get thrown into jail for a crime I didn't commit. I knew I couldn't hide from him if I were locked up. I didn't want to tell you. Who wants to be with someone who's a prime suspect in a murder investigation? How could I possibly explain to you that staying low was my only option? And then after a while I wasn't just hiding from the law because I was supposedly guilty of murder. I'm a thief! I'm—"
"Hey, stop trying to convince me. I know you're not capable of killing anybody." He kissed the side of her head and rested his chin back on her shoulder.
She sighed. "You're too good for me."
"Actually, I think I'm just right. Now shut up and keep reading."
Lucy snickered and lifted the file back into her hands and went quiet until she got to the final page and her shoulders jolted up, knocking Zach's chin.
He sat back with a grimace and rubbed his face, but Lucy didn't even notice. She was holding the interview of FBI agent William Tenner in her hands, her fingers gripping the image so tightly the paper was starting to rip.
"Careful." Zach tried to ease it from her grasp.
"That's him." The words rushed out with her breath and Zach's stomach flipped over.
"The guy who killed your parents?" He could barely set the words free.
She nodded, her head jerking up and down erratically.
Zach licked his lips and tried to regulate his thoughts. Looking at the page again, his face bunched with confusion. "Are you sure? Special Agent William Tenner of the FBI?"