“On the boat. He’d been on the island before that and saw Hansen working the yard. Alone, which meant he didn’t have an alibi. Between that and seeing someone watch the boat on and off from the beach, Judson thought he had to move.” Kerrie looked at her hand and Tessa’s. “He must not have tied the dinghy tight enough when he came back because it floated away.”
“I was the one watching.” The man-in-a-business-suit piece of the puzzle finally made sense. Tessa struggled to figure out how that fit in but now it sounded like it was part of some bigger, more elaborate plan. “I guess without a dinghy he had no choice but to swim.”
“It also explains why he didn’t stop or say anything on the beach.” Hansen slid his hands into the front pockets on his jeans. “He likely recognized me and that’s why he disappeared.”
“I can’t . . .” Kerrie burst into tears. Cried so hard her shoulders shook.
Tessa wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close. The vulnerability ate at her. She tried to imagine being thrown into such a desperate situation and surviving it. Her troubles with her father—the man she had spent most of her adult life avoiding—struck her as tame by comparison. “Okay, I think you should crawl back into bed.”
“I can get the doctor,” Ben said. “She should check on you before we run through too many more questions.”
“I can’t stay here.” She reached out for Hansen then. “The person who killed Judson is out there.”
He held her hand but didn’t step closer. “He can’t touch you.”
“I’m so sorry.” She pressed their joined hands to her cheek as the tears continued to fall. “The things I said. I should have fought back. You tried to help and I—”
“Okay, rest time.” Tessa decided to save both Kerrie and Hansen. He looked ready to bolt, half drawn in by Kerrie’s pleading yet totally confused about how the last half hour unfolded. Kerrie just was not in any condition for questions or talking. The woman needed to calm down and begin dealing with the horrors of her marriage and what Judson’s death meant.
Ben nodded. “I’ll get Lela.”
Tessa helped Kerrie get into the bed. Shifting her and peeling back the covers proved to be a bit of a struggle since Kerrie wouldn’t let go of Hansen’s hand.
“Please forgive me.”
Hansen waited until she lay down, then with the utmost care placed her hand on her stomach. “You need to concentrate on getting your strength back.”
“Reception is spotty because of the storm, but do you need me to call anyone?” Tessa asked. Kerrie might view Hansen as her lifeline but Tessa could tell he was not comfortable with the role.
“Maybe your brother?” Hansen suggested.
“What’s his name?” Tessa was making small talk now. Anything to ratchet down the anxiety and stop those tears, at least for a few seconds.
“Allen Bernard.” Kerrie took a deep cleansing breath as her head dropped back into the pillow. “But I’ll call. He needs to hear this from me.”
Made sense. Tessa didn’t have any siblings—well, sort of, but not really—but she always wished she’d had someone there to share the load, who understood every good and warped thing that happened in the family. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, thank you.” Kerrie finally focused on Tessa. “Who are you? I’m so sorry I didn’t ask before.”
“My girlfriend, Tessa.” Hansen sounded so clear and sure on that one point.
That made one of them.
Kerrie tugged at Tessa’s hand again. “I said terrible things about him to get that order but none of it was true. He was nothing but decent and concerned. He never would have hurt me.”
That part Tessa did get. “I know.”
Ben opened the door and poked his head in. “Let’s step out so Lela can come in.”
They almost reached Ben before Kerrie spoke again. “Hansen? Who would do this to Judson?”
That’s the question that had the whole island buzzing. Tessa wished she knew the answer.
“We’ll find out,” Ben said before pulling Tessa and Hansen into the hallway with him.
Once outside the room, Hansen leaned against the wall. Bent over with his hands on his knees, he drew in a few breaths before standing up straight again. “That’s not how I expected that to go.”
“I’ll stay with her. You two need to get to the board offices,” Ben said.
Hansen frowned. “What?”
Between the hot sex that left her breathless and meeting Kerrie, Tessa had forgotten all about the big news of the day. “The vote is this morning, which means soon.”
Hansen’s frown only deepened. “I was planning on ignoring it because for her to fire you then try to perform some sort of citizen’s arrest against me is ridiculous. She’s wasting both of our time.”
She understood the sentiment. There was only so much a person could process, but his freedom and name mattered too much. Plus, now they had ammunition to stop the mess. “No, you were ignoring it back when you were being railroaded.”
Hansen snorted. Actually made the annoying sound. “And?”
He needed to take this seriously because if Ruthie had her way, Ben would be taken off the case, possibly lose his job, and the board would put Hansen in a cell until reinforcements arrived on the island. Tessa wasn’t sure why he didn’t get that. “Kerrie is pretty clear you didn’t touch her.”
Hansen shot her one of those you’re-not-making-sense expressions. “Judson is still dead.”
“But half of Ruthie’s story fell apart,” Ben pointed out. “There’s no reason for you to be in a cell, which means there’s no reason for me to arrest you or lose my job for not arresting you.”
Hansen sighed. “Right.”
Tessa had one more reason. “And I really want her to know all of that.”
HANSEN WANTED TO be anywhere—literally, anywhere else on the planet—but in the Whitaker board offices right now. Not that Tessa gave him that option. She’d taken his hand at the clinic and escorted him back to the car. Even insisted she drive, and now they stood outside the double doors to the meeting room.
She smiled up at him. “Ready?”
“No.” Because why lie?
Tessa opened the doors anyway. Not just one. She went for the much more dramatic throw-them-both-open approach. Of the many things he liked about her, this was near the top. This move, coming with him, insisting he stand his ground, was about loyalty. It ran bone-deep through her.
He tried to imagine being in her position. His past forced her to choose a side, and she picked his. Other than his family, that hadn’t happened a lot since Alexis died. Sure, some of his friends had stuck around and fought for him. But when Judson exerted his pressure, even Hansen gave up trying to defend himself. His sole focus had been on getting answers about his sister and keeping Kerrie safe.
That was the mess he’d plunged Tessa into. The friendship, the sex, sticking by him. She took on each new role as if she were born to play it.
The first thing that struck him when they got into the room was its size. Ben’s whole office, the inner private one and the outer one for the public, could fit in half the space. Nothing like sticking him in the crappy area while Ruthie presided over the fancy room with the dark wood paneling and plush leather chairs.
Hansen’s gaze wandered over the five members sitting on one side of the table as if they were holding a hearing without anyone being in the room. Ruthie, of course, and Sylvia. Tim, the real estate guy on the island who sold insurance on the side. Sid, a lawyer who was born and raised here. Only left to get his degree, then hurry back. The one on the far end was Paul. He was retired and pushing eighty and that was the extent of what Hansen knew about that guy.
Ruthie barely spared Tessa and Hansen a glance. “This is a closed meeting.”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “It’s about him and you using him as an excuse to go after Ben.”
“We have rules and protocol and—”
“I’d like to hear from Ha
nsen,” Sid said as he tapped his pen against the desk. “He fixed my porch a few weeks back.”
Ruthie leaned forward and glared down the table. “What does that matter?”
“Fixed the staircase to my upstairs. Doesn’t creak anymore.” Paul nodded. “That was good work.”
“He probably came to the house to see what you had inside.” Ruthie wrote something on the notepad in front of her. Scratched it in with enough force to tear the paper.
Hansen assumed that anger was aimed at him. “So now I steal things?”
She finally focused on him. “We don’t know anything about you. That’s the point.”
Tessa walked up the aisle to the table, ignoring Ruthie’s sputtering and the empty chairs lining each side of the room. “Kerrie Ross does, and she says Hansen didn’t touch her—never did. He actually tried to save her, which ruins Ruthie’s theory about Hansen being this violent killer who needs to be locked up.”
“She’s awake?” Sylvia asked.
Hansen didn’t bother answering. He did follow and stand beside Tessa so he could enjoy the front-row seat to her temper. She was in public-defender mode and he sat back and drank it in. On fire and sexy, ready to talk Ruthie down. It almost made him feel sorry for the board for holding this ridiculous meeting . . . almost.
Tessa nodded. “About an hour ago. She told us her husband attacked her.”
“And he’s dead.” Ruthie smiled. “That’s part of the reason we’re here. The poor man had a protective order against Hansen and it looks like Hansen violated it.”
Tessa treated the board to a second eye roll. She’d perfected the move. “You’re making things up.”
“Including the part about Judson being a ‘poor man’ because the guy was a piece of garbage.” Hansen could only take so much when it came to the art of making Judson a victim, even though, in this case, he was. He’d treated people like shit. And he killed Alexis.
Tessa held out her hand. The back of it rested against Hansen’s chest. “Don’t help.”
“She’s right, Ruthie.” Sylvia spun her chair around to face her nemesis. “You said Hansen hurt this woman. He didn’t. You were wrong and Ben was right not to rush ahead with an arrest.”
“That order against Hansen sounds like garbage to me,” Sid said as he folded the paper in front of him with the agenda on it in half and slid it down the table toward Ruthie.
Tim stood up and stretched. Looked ready to head back home. “Me, too.”
The tension spinning inside Hansen broke. He didn’t understand what had happened with Kerrie or the change in her—any of it—but watching Ruthie lose control of the meeting filled him with a deep satisfaction.
The paper could print its stories. Folks were forming opinions and those opinions didn’t match the one Ruthie held. She hated him, and he didn’t know why. In many ways, he didn’t care. He never bothered to ask and didn’t plan on starting now. But disbanding this meeting and taking the target off Ben’s back mattered to Hansen. Tessa forcing him to come here had been the right answer, but then she didn’t make many wrong turns.
Ruthie smacked her palm against the table. “You two need to leave so the board can deliberate.”
“On what?” Sylvia asked.
Ruthie spoke over the shifting in the seats and the screech of chair legs against the floor. “You are not in charge here.”
“Your initial accusations were wrong. Before we go around blaming an innocent man and impugning his character, we need more facts. Ben understands that, which is why he’s the law enforcement here, not the board, and we need to let him work without interference.” Sylvia folded her paper and sent it Ruthie’s way as well. “You can keep your agenda.”
“Exactly.” Tessa’s voice stayed steady and calm. She didn’t get fidgety or angry. She held it together and commanded the attention of the rest of the board. “It’s what you all voted for when you hired Ben. Let him do his job.”
Ruthie’s face flushed red. “Nonsense.”
Sylvia stood up next to Tim. “I don’t think we need a vote, but we can take one so that it goes into the newspaper as a loss for you.”
The throat clearing at the end of the table grabbed everyone’s attention. Paul stood up with a soft groan. “It looks like you have a brief reprieve, Hansen.”
Tessa smiled at Ruthie. “It sounds like you overplayed your hand.”
“The meeting is adjourned.” Ruthie banged her little gavel, then gathered up her things in silence. She was up and around the table before anyone said a word.
“I’m pretty sure we need a vote to adjourn and . . .” Sylvia called to Ruthie as she walked around the outside of the room, avoiding the aisle where Tessa and Hansen stood. “Okay, yeah. Just go.”
The rest of the board members filed out of their chairs and around the table. Most headed out, but Paul stopped. “Hansen, my back door keeps sticking.”
One of the benefits of living on an isolated island: people needed things done. Hansen appreciated Paul’s practical nature in making sure he was at the head of the list. “After the storm passes, I’ll call and we’ll set up a time for me to come over.”
“Good man.” Paul patted him on the shoulder, then nodded to Tessa before joining Sid at the back of the room.
Sid shook his head. “Can’t believe she brought us out in this weather.”
The voices faded as the room emptied out except for the three of them. Hansen wouldn’t have bet money on the morning ending on this note.
He glanced at Tessa, not even trying to hide his gratitude. “Impressive.”
“Is Judson’s wife really awake and okay?” Sylvia asked.
Tessa laughed. “You thought we lied about that?”
“I thought about making up a story that she woke up just long enough to clear Hansen.” Sylvia shrugged. “Half of them would have bought it. Ruthie is not exactly an island favorite right now.”
“Was she ever?”
Tessa asked the question before he could, but he thought he knew the answer. Despite everything, Ruthie did love the island. The way she went about showing it was the problem. She’d changed over time. All the residents talked about it. She’d become difficult and determined to model the entire island the way she wanted it, even if that meant stomping all over due process and fairness.
“At one time.” Sylvia put on her raincoat. “She’s now more on edge than usual. Not sure if it’s because her husband is away or if it’s the reality she’s losing control of the island.”
“Either way, I’m happy you were here.” Hansen meant that. The women had saved him this morning. Kerrie coming forward. Tessa defending him. Sylvia lending her support. Together they were formidable, and he benefited from that collective might.
Sylvia waved him off. “This is what we do around here. Support each other.”
“Judson might not agree,” Tessa said.
“Sounds to me like that guy checking out is not a big loss for the world.”
Tessa’s smile grew wider. “Don’t let Ben hear you say that. Or Ruthie.”
Hansen could hear the amusement in their voices, but he wanted to add one serious note. “Thank you both. Truly.”
Sylvia winked at him like she usually did. “Go prove who did it and your position on this island will be secured.”
That sounded ominous. “What position?”
“As the guy who can fix anything.”
Chapter 15
Hansen managed to get through the whole day without getting into more trouble. He texted Ben on and off to check on Kerrie. Her turnaround made zero sense to him. The way she clung to him . . . not what he expected.
At lunch, Tessa had explained the pressure Judson exerted and how Kerrie likely felt trapped. Hansen listened, half understood. Mostly, he stared at Tessa. Watched her talk and gesture. The energy. The memory of those little moans that vibrated in the back of her throat when she came.
Sweet hell, he needed to get home to her.
He swung th
rough Ben’s office for one last check. The storm had blown north of Whitaker. Rain pummeled them, and winds howled, but the damaging center of it missed them. The gray sky still shrouded the island in darkness, but lights flickered on across the island as the electricity rebooted.
Ben glanced up from the stack of papers in front of him as Hansen walked in. “Where’s Tessa?”
“Home.”
Ben stood up and went over to the whiteboard he’d set up on the side of his office. “Do you realize how easy you say that word?”
Realized. Panicked about it. Tried to pretend he didn’t say it or feel it. Now planned on ignoring it. “She’s staying with me. You’re the one who kicked her out of her house.”
Ben shot him a satisfied smile. “Uh-huh.”
“You know we’re grown-ups, right?”
Ben froze in the middle of attaching Judson’s photo to the top of the board. “You know you’re defensive, right?”
Well, shit. Hansen dropped into the chair in front of Ben’s desk. “It’s too easy having her there.”
Whatever Ben had planned on doing, he stopped. He leaned against the board and watched Hansen. “I’m confused. You’re saying that’s a problem or no?”
“You know my plan was to come to Whitaker, recuperate, calm the fuck down, then go back home.” It sounded so easy broken out like that. It proved to be anything but.
“You never specifically said it, but it was clear to me you were trying to get over something.” Ben didn’t sound like he bought into the concept.
Unspent adrenaline poured through Hansen. He tipped his chair to balance on the back legs. It was either that or get up and pace around.
This confusion, muddying everything, adding in feelings, he knew it would all lead to a bad place. The kind of place where he stumbled around and fought to stay emotionally closed off but failed, and Tessa got hurt. That was the one thing—the only thing—he couldn’t tolerate. Causing her pain. But he felt pulled and what he wanted got jumbled up with the fact he planned to leave.
What a mess.
“Where does Tessa fit in?” He asked because he really wanted to know.
Her Other Secret Page 14