In Too Deep

by Lynn H. Blackburn

  “Abba, as she sleeps, help Sabrina remember that she isn’t fatherless. That you adopted her into your family long ago and she is a beloved daughter in your house. Please heal the broken places and give her the grace she’ll need to walk through the days ahead. Give her the courage to step into new relationships that are part of your plan for her and help all of us guard her from those who might use this information against her.

  “Help us sleep safely in your peace tonight. We love you. You’re the best. Amen.”

  12

  Sabrina woke up in pain.

  Why was she hurting?

  Memories from the previous day assaulted her. The fear. The pain. The embarrassment. The emotional turmoil.

  Monday had been a very bad day.

  It took way more effort than it should have, but she managed to roll over onto her side. The clock on the bedside table said it was ten o’clock. The daylight told her it was morning.

  But wait. How did she get in this bed? She’d been on the porch with Adam.

  Fresh misery—a different kind of pain than the piercing headache she’d woken with—filled her heart. She’d told Adam. Everything.

  And she’d broken up with him.

  Hadn’t she?

  Not that they’d been together in the first place, but she’d slammed that door shut. Or she thought she had.

  She forced herself to sit up. Whoa. A wave of dizziness threatened to knock her back. She rode it out and didn’t vomit. A good sign.

  She retrieved her glasses from the nightstand and took a better look around the room. The room was familiar, but only because Leigh had shown it to her last night. Her bag was on the chair by the door, where she’d left it.

  But she could not remember coming in here.

  She got to her feet and waited for the room to stop spinning before she shuffled to the bathroom. She thought about a shower, but she really wanted to know what had happened after the meds had kicked in.

  Or maybe she didn’t.

  She ran a brush through her hair, going easy around the stitches and in the area where she’d been struck. She shouldn’t have been surprised she still had a headache, but she’d hoped she’d wake up pain-free.

  Instead, she hurt worse today than she had yesterday. Probably from lying still for ten hours in a drug-induced slumber.

  Sabrina made her way down the hall and took the stairs one at a time. The comforting smell of coffee wafted toward her. And something else. A sweet scent. Leigh had probably baked something. From scratch.

  Because that’s what Leigh did. She fed the people she loved.

  “Hey.” Leigh appeared at the bottom of the stairs and didn’t even try to hide the way she was examining her.

  “You could pretend I don’t look as bad as I feel,” Sabrina said.

  “You look fabulous as always. But you don’t usually care. I wonder why you care now?” Leigh didn’t wait for an answer but pointed toward the kitchen counter. “I have cinnamon rolls and coffee ready for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Leigh grabbed her phone from the counter. “In case you’re curious, I’m texting Adam.”

  “I wouldn’t bother.” Sabrina dropped her head. “I pretty much ended whatever that . . . whatever that was.”

  Leigh frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, come on.” Sabrina unwound a cinnamon roll. “I know you know I have a crush on him. Apparently everyone knows. And maybe he has something he thinks is a crush on me, but it would never work, and I’ve been deluding myself to even hope it would.”

  Leigh continued texting. “What exactly did you say to Adam last night?”

  “He didn’t tell you? I assumed he would tell everyone about my family and our immoral and criminal activities.”

  Leigh patted her on the back. “He mentioned your parents’ possible immoral and criminal activities. Somehow he failed to mention yours. Pretty sure that’s because you haven’t committed any such acts. So do us all a favor and don’t lump yourself in with that. You’re not responsible for what your parents have or haven’t done. And I know you’re far too logical and rational to argue with me on this point.”

  “Fine.” Sabrina crammed a bigger bite of the cinnamon roll into her mouth. Maybe Leigh would get the hint that she didn’t feel like talking. And the cinnamon roll was amazing.

  “However, he didn’t mention you’d broken up with him. And, frankly, he didn’t seem all that upset, so if you think you somehow ended this relationship, well, you’re going to have to do it again because it didn’t stick.”

  “I can’t do it again. I barely managed it the first time.”

  “Then, congratulations. You still have a boyfriend. And don’t be surprised when he shows up in a few minutes to take you to the lab.”

  “I never had a boyfriend in the first place. Especially not Adam.”

  “Yeah, see, I think that might be where you two need a little bit of an intervention, because you’ve sure been acting like you’re together.”

  “We’re just friends.”

  “So did you break up with him, or did you tell him you didn’t want to be friends? I’m confused. Because I know Adam and if you’d made it clear that you didn’t want to see him again, he would honor your wishes, even if it killed him to do it.”

  “I told him I’m not the right girl for him.”

  “And you thought that was breaking up with him? Or ending your friendship? Or whatever you want to call it?”

  “I’m all wrong for him.”

  “Why on earth would you think that?”

  “He needs a woman who can interact with his family. Who can carry on conversations over dinner about . . . I don’t know . . . restaurants or the opera. He needs someone who can be a Campbell.”

  Leigh spun her around on the barstool until she was facing her. “Listen to me. I’ve tried to stay out of this because I don’t want to get in the middle of something between two friends. But you need to hear this. Adam Campbell doesn’t need a woman who can be a Campbell. He needs a woman who loves him for who he is. He needs a woman who doesn’t care if he’s a Campbell or not. Do you have any idea how rare those are in his life? How many women have come after him because he’s a Campbell and only because he’s a Campbell?”

  “No.”

  “Well, I do. I’ve known Adam since we were kids. It was already happening in middle school. Girls and boys both who wanted to buddy up to the Campbells. His older brother, Alexander, was a few years ahead of me and had the same issue. It’s very difficult for them to know if people are trying to get to know them—or like them—because of who they are. Or if they want an invitation to a party or to be seen in public with them. And some of the Campbells are okay with that. They even seem to encourage it.”

  “Not Adam.”

  “No. He’s been the opposite his entire life. Always had a heart for the underdogs and the marginalized. Always had a kind word for the kids no one else wanted to talk to. Always marched to his own drum. Always been on the tightrope between being respectful and honoring to his family and not letting them dictate his life.”

  Leigh put her hands on Sabrina’s arms. “You’re exactly the kind of woman Adam Campbell needs. But it sounds to me like you’re going to have to decide if he’s worth it or not.”

  “What? No! Of course Adam’s worth it. This isn’t about Adam. This is about me.”

  Leigh squeezed her arms and then released them. She walked around the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. Was she going to respond?

  “I don’t want to hurt your feelings,” she finally said. “But that is one of the most self-absorbed and arrogant ideas I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth.”

  How could Leigh get that impression? “I’m trying to protect him!”

  “You’re trying to decide what’s best for him rather than letting him make that decision for himself. And at the same time, you’re telling him that the aggravation of becoming a Campbell is more trouble than he�
�s worth.”

  “I never . . .”

  Leigh waited with an expectant smile on her face. “I’m going to run upstairs for a few minutes while you wrestle with that. If you’re willing to consider it objectively, you’ll see I’m right. And if you aren’t? Well. Then you’re about to make a mistake you’ll regret for the rest of your life. It’s your call.”

  She grabbed her coffee cup. “Adam will be here in five minutes. Maybe less. He has a key.”

  Leigh headed toward the stairs, then turned back. She wrapped a gentle arm around Sabrina and hugged her. “I love you, friend. I’m not trying to be harsh. I’ve been praying for you all morning, and I feel like what you need right now isn’t people who are trying to be nice but people who love you enough to be honest.”

  She left Sabrina sitting at the counter.

  Three minutes later, Adam walked in.

  He gave her a tight smile as he walked right to her. “I can’t stay. But I brought you this.” He placed a box in her hand.

  A new phone. “Thank you.”

  “No problem. Listen, we need to talk.”

  “You said that last night.”

  “Yeah. We still need to talk about that, but right now we have to talk about the case.”

  Part of her was relieved. The other part of her wanted to find out what he wanted to say to her.

  “What about the case?”

  “The forensic accountants have been working on the flash drive files. The ones you pulled up before we went over to Lisa Palmer’s house.”

  “And?”

  “They’ve found some files they can’t do anything with. They want to know if your friend Mike might be able to have more success with them.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be willing to take a look.”

  “Great. I have to run, but there’s an officer coming. His job is to stay with you all day. And I do mean with you—in your lab, not outside the doors—and then to escort you back here when you’re done. If you check your email, you’ll see the request from Gabe for Mike. It’s probably best that you work directly with him. It will save time if I don’t see your response.”

  He wasn’t hanging out with her today. And he wanted her to talk directly to Gabe? He never wanted her to talk directly to Gabe. This was so wrong. All she could do was nod.

  He was still himself, but he wasn’t. He was polite and gracious and friendly. But something was . . . off.

  “I’ll see ya.”

  She finally made her mouth work. “Busy day?”

  He paused. “I’m meeting Ryan and Anissa and the rest of the dive team, well, except for Gabe, at the double bridges.”

  “Why?”

  “Good old-fashioned police work. We were able to track Lisa Palmer’s activities the last few days of her life based on the GPS in her car. Noticed that she made a trip over the double bridges Friday evening after she came to see me.”

  “She would have had to drive over them to get to her house,” Sabrina said.

  “I agree, but it took her far longer than it should have. So I asked an officer to pull up the footage from the area around the double bridges and see what he could find.”

  “He found something?”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. But someone dumped something off one of the bridges Friday afternoon.”

  “Lisa Palmer?”

  “We’re pretty sure it’s a woman. It could be Lisa Palmer. I’ve emailed you the video file to see if you can enhance it with that software you guys have.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Regardless, we’re going looking for it.”

  He’d be diving all afternoon. “Is that a good idea?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean . . . you’re injured. Maybe Anissa and Ryan should do the diving.”

  Adam got a glint in his eye that she didn’t know what to make of. He stepped closer and whispered, “Are you worried about me, Dr. Fleming?”

  “Of course I’m worried about you.”

  She thought he might give her a hug or reach for her hand the way he had done. But he didn’t. “I’m a big boy,” he said. “I can take care of myself.”

  “But they should know better,” she said. “They shouldn’t let you dive in your condition.”

  “I appreciate your concern. Really. I do. But I’ll be fine.” He walked away.

  “Adam, wait.”

  “What?” She couldn’t make sense of the way he was looking at her. Where was the Adam she’d come to know and, well, whatever it was she did?

  Leigh must have been wrong. Adam must have gotten her message loud and clear. “Just be careful. And thank you for bringing the phone.”

  He gave her a little salute and walked out the door.

  It wasn’t until the door closed behind him that she realized he’d never asked her how she was feeling or about her headache or her sore wrist.

  He’d been professional. Courteous. Respectful.

  But not her Adam.

  What had she done?

  Adam stood on the other side of Leigh’s door and forced air in and out of his lungs.

  He would never be able to do this. Never be able to work with Sabrina again. Never be able to be just . . . friends. Or whatever it was they were.

  All he wanted to do was go back in there and pull her off that barstool. He wanted to hold her, trace her face with his fingertips, drop kisses on her eyelids, her nose, her cheeks, and then taste her lips.

  But she didn’t want that from him.

  At least, she said she didn’t, and he would respect that decision.

  Leigh had said Sabrina would come around. To give her time. To remember she was under an enormous amount of stress and had a concussion. Plus the emotional turmoil of sharing the darkest secrets from her childhood. It all added up to a woman who might not be in any condition to make relationship decisions.

  She’d said to pull back a little. Keep things friendly and light and avoid confusing her further.

  But he didn’t know how to do light and friendly. He’d seen the hurt and confusion in Sabrina’s eyes just now. He’d had to run out the door to keep from begging her to reconsider. But in his efforts not to push her into a relationship she didn’t want, he’d managed to hurt her feelings.

  What did that mean?

  If she really only wanted a friendship from him, why would it matter how he treated her?

  Had he actually made things worse?

  His phone buzzed and he shoved himself away from the door and toward his car. “Campbell.”

  “Did you get lost?” Ryan asked.

  “I stopped by Leigh’s. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Nope.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Nope.”

  “Okay. See you when you get here.”

  At ten thirty, Adam parked his car to the side of the bridge and walked to the middle, where Lane was waiting for him. “Is this the spot?”

  “As far as we can tell,” Lane said. “The video techs said the object looked heavy. Heavy enough to fall through the water and possibly land on the bottom.”

  “It’s deep through here.”

  “It is,” Lane said. “Anissa’s had the team out all morning running the side-scan sonar. The problem is the bottom is a littered mess. People must throw all kinds of stuff over the bridge. We’ve got twenty items that had roughly the same dimensions as what they were looking for. Anissa wants you to set up the jackstay search. And she wants me to help.”

  “Okay.” He enjoyed working with Lane. He was a good deputy and a good diver. And he was eager to learn. Jackstay searches weren’t as complicated as some people thought, but the rigging ropes and buoys and weights required to set them up could be a bit overwhelming. A jackstay used weighted lines and buoys to ensure that no part of the area was missed in the search.

  It was Anissa’s preferred search pattern because it almost always worked. With two divers who knew how to work th
e pattern, they had a 99 percent chance of finding what they were looking for.

  Adam and Lane took a few minutes to get down to the shore with the equipment. Anissa and Ryan were already suited up.

  He shouldn’t have let Sabrina worry about him getting into the water. It had been unkind to do that when he knew he wouldn’t even be getting wet. He had the most experience setting up these kinds of searches and that was the only reason Anissa had even let him come out.

  But the way Sabrina had responded—with the worry? He was almost certain she cared more than she realized. Or maybe she did realize it and it scared her.

  But . . . she’d also told him that she had no idea how to make a relationship work. So which was it? That she didn’t want a relationship with him? Or that she didn’t want to try a relationship with him because she was afraid of things going south? Or maybe she just couldn’t see herself spending a lifetime with a Campbell. Who knew?

  His gut told him that she did care about him but was scared. And that made sense. With her background, he could see how she would be afraid to put herself out there. Afraid of getting hurt.

  But he could be wrong. She was smart, and he had seen her stand up to someone she didn’t want around. It was the height of arrogance to presume he knew what she wanted or needed better than she did. How would that make him any better than Darren?

  He and Lane set up the jackstay on the shore. Once the lines, buoys, and weights were set and coiled, they carried it back up to the bridge to set it.

  “You ready?” Adam asked.

  Lane nodded and they threw both sides of the jackstay at the same time. Lane dropped his straight down from the bridge while Adam threw his away from the bridge. The weighted lines dropped beneath the surface as the buoys bobbed on the top, pre-rigged for the maximum depth of the water, giving Anissa and Ryan a starting place for their search.

  Adam and Lane returned to the shore. Lane suited up to be on hand if needed.

  Cops were everywhere, keeping lake traffic and nosy onlookers at a safe distance as the team worked. They found computers, phones, a couple of books, and one leather jacket but left them in the water. Ryan suggested to Anissa that they use this spot to train the new dive team members. They’d have no shortage of items to practice their evidence recovery skills on.