Page 71 of What They'll Say About Us

I got into the Jeep and watched Colton walk away, not sure whether I should trust him, either. He knew I wanted to take down his former mentor. Would he really let that happen? Would his loyalty be to the man who had helped him become a detective or to a girl he'd never met and whose death had more questions than answers?

It felt like he was genuinely trying to get to the truth, which was why he'd shown up at Hale's office. But he hadn't arrested Hale, even though Hale had been at Cabot's house yesterday. Was that because there wasn't enough evidence or because he didn't want to pursue it?

I hated that I had doubts about everyone, but that's the situation I was in. The only one I could trust was Morgan, so I picked up my phone to check in. "It's me," I said when she answered.

"Tessa. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Before you say more, I'm talking to Cassidy. Let me loop her in."

"Hi, Tessa," Cassidy said, as our call switched over to video. "Morgan told me about the fire. I'm so relieved you're okay. It could have been so much worse."

"We were lucky. Are you ready for Finn's grand opening tonight?"

"I am. I'm not sure he is, but it's happening. Anyway, we don't need to talk about that. Morgan told me you went to see Professor Hale. What happened?"

"He was in his office, and we spoke for a few moments, but before I could say too much, Detective Barclay showed up. He took over the conversation from there. Hale did deny having an intimate or sexual relationship with Paige. He was quite insulted by the accusation. And then he ran off to class. Barclay says he'll talk to him again, but he wants to get more information first."

"While you were doing that," Morgan said, "I did some research on the MacIntyre family. Carol, Paige's mom, spent time in a wellness center after her daughter's death. She was there for almost six months. I looked up the facility, and it seemed like it was trying to present itself as a rehab for a mix of emotional and mental health issues. She mentioned the place in a social media post on the first-year anniversary of Paige's death saying that she had finally gotten to a more stable place in her life after spending time at the center."

"I'm glad she got better."

"I'm not sure how much better she got. She never went back to teaching, and as I mentioned before, they sold their house and moved into a smaller place. Not sure if that was economics or they just didn't want to walk past Paige's room anymore. Ray also dropped out of school," Morgan continued. "Alina graduated high school and went to community college for two years. Now, she works for a charity that does music therapy for kids and adults."

"This tragedy had more than one victim," Cassidy commented.

"It did," I agreed, thinking it was good to be reminded of that. And maybe also to understand better why the MacIntyres had mixed feelings about opening up the case. "Thanks for digging into that."

"What are you doing now?" Morgan asked.

"I have to meet Liam at three, so I'm thinking about getting a coffee and a snack somewhere."

"When did you hear from Liam?" Morgan asked with surprise.

"Oh, I didn't tell you that he texted me last night?"

"No, you didn't."

"Sorry. The text came after you went to bed. I was so focused on seeing Hale this morning, I forgot to mention that Liam wants to meet at three o'clock at our spot."

"What's your spot?" Cassidy asked.

"It's at the lake."

"What!" Morgan shrieked.

"Not near where Paige died," I said hastily. "It's about a mile away from there. It's not my first choice, but I couldn't say no. He might have information."

"I don't like this," Morgan said. "It feels like a setup."

"It's a public area. And it's daytime. I'll be fine."

"You always think you'll be fine," Morgan grumbled.

"I know Liam, or at least I used to. I really don't think he's dangerous, but I have to take the risk."

"I have to go," Cassidy interrupted. "Sorry I've been of little help. I'll have more time starting tomorrow."