Innocent Target. Elisabeth Rees

was incredibly relieved. Perhaps Frank and Carla would be appeased by this news.

      “Listen,” he began, watching a swift swooping over the lake. “You’ve made some enemies in town by investigating a murder that’s already been solved.”

      “It’s not been solved,” she said. “Because the wrong man is in prison.”

      He concentrated on tracking the swift, its undulating flight mesmerizing and calming. He would have to tread carefully with Kitty, not allowing his frustration to cause friction between them. But there were things she needed to hear.

      “Kitty,” he said, in what he hoped was a gentle, nonpatronizing tone. “Your dad had a lawyer who already did this kind of work for him. There was a police investigation and a full jury trial. If your father’s lawyer couldn’t generate reasonable doubt, what makes you so sure that you stand a better chance?”

      “The court-appointed lawyer was useless,” she replied, remembering how disappointed she had felt upon first meeting him. “He kept trying to persuade Dad to plead guilty and take a deal. He never believed in his innocence.”

      Ryan couldn’t help but agree with the lawyer. “Taking a deal would probably have been a smart move.”

      “I know that you’re not on my side in this,” she said with obvious derision. “But I wish you’d keep your opinions to yourself. I don’t need the negativity.” She rubbed her temples. “This is hard enough already.”

      How hard did she think it was for the family of a murder victim? Kitty had no idea of the pain and suffering he had gone through, knowing his sister’s last moments were likely filled with pain and fear. Just like the family of Molly Thomas, Ryan’s family was also serving a life sentence, forever changed by that single devastating event. By denying that justice had been served for the Thomas family, Kitty was condemning Molly’s parents to relive the murder over and over. It simply wasn’t fair.

      “I just want you to think about what you’re doing,” he said. “You’re a young woman with your whole life ahead of you, and I don’t want to see you waste it on a pointless fight.”

      She folded her arms across her chest and crinkled her brow. The Band-Aid on her forehead was beginning to peel at the edges and he resisted the urge to smooth it down with his thumbs.

      “I’m not wasting my life,” she said defensively. “I’m standing up for the truth, and even if it takes me fifty years, I will prove that my father didn’t kill Molly.”

      Kitty’s bullheadedness was maddening and Ryan felt he was fighting a losing battle. “Your investigation is putting you in danger,” he said.

      “I know that,” she snapped. “Molly’s real killer wants to eliminate me.”

      Ryan wondered if they might both be right. Kitty’s attacker had clearly shown his willingness to kill. This went beyond someone just venting anger or aggravation at her—the man wanted her dead. Maybe he really was afraid that she’d uncover evidence against him. Not that Ryan thought Harry Linklater was innocent, but perhaps Harry had killed Molly with the help of an accomplice. That would certainly give someone a very big incentive to stop Kitty’s investigation. Was Harry protecting the identity of a possible partner in crime? And was this person now determined to hide his involvement in the murder? It was a plausible line of inquiry, but Ryan knew he could never voice this theory to Kitty. She wouldn’t accept any explanation that didn’t fully clear her father.

      “Whatever the motives of your attacker,” he said, diplomatically, “you’re in grave danger, so surely it makes sense to ease off the investigation until we catch this guy.”

      “No!” Did he just see a little stamp of her foot? “I’ll be going to see Harvey from the Starlight Bar tomorrow to question him about his witness testimony. I want to know why he lied. Every time I’ve tried to talk to him, he’s shut me out, but I intend to make sure he acknowledges me this time.”

      “You can’t harass someone like that,” Ryan said in exasperation. “If Harvey doesn’t want to speak with you, then you should leave him alone.”

      “For a law enforcement officer, you sure are closed-minded.”

      That comment stung. “I am not closed-minded,” he said. “I’m able to see this situation from an impartial perspective.”

      “No, you’re not,” she retorted. “How can you be impartial when your sister was murdered just like Molly was? That fact will always affect your judgment.”

      He fell silent and Kitty did the same, a look of horror creeping across her face.

      “I’m really sorry, Ryan,” she said quietly. “I should never have brought up your sister, but I feel so strongly about my father’s situation.”

      He was deeply disappointed that she had referenced his sister in the same sentence as her father. The names Gina Lawrence and Harry Linklater should never be placed side by side. One was an amazing girl cut down in childhood, and the other a convicted killer who should remain forever in a prison cell.

      “We might need to learn to set some boundaries, huh?” Kitty said awkwardly. “Because we’ll never see eye to eye on this.”

      “Right now, I’m more concerned with fixing this entrance and making you nice and secure,” he said, heaving the door across the deck and into place. “I’ll get on with this before I get an official statement from you. So in the meantime why don’t you think about what happened today and jot down any details you can remember? We should build a profile of the guy and try to come up with a list of suspects.”

      “Sure, I’ll leave you to it.”

      Ryan opened his toolbox and lifted out a screwdriver. He clenched the handle in his fingers, gripping tightly and letting the resentment flow out. Kitty had no clue how to set boundaries. She was incapable of seeing the truth, determined to win this battle at all costs, even her own life.

      That short conversation had revealed a deep division between them, an insurmountable barrier that he had no idea how to bridge. Living here was going to be not only dangerous, but fraught with emotional difficulty.