Page 72 of What They'll Say About Us

"Tell Finn we wish him well," I said.

"I will."

As Cassidy clicked off the screen, Morgan said, "Be careful with Liam, Tessa. If he wants to go somewhere else, take you in his car?—"

"I will say no. I will stay independent. Thankfully, I still have Barclay's Jeep. I'll let you know what happens. I'm sorry to strand you without a car. Do you want me to come back or pick you up some food?"

"No. I don't need anything. Just keep in touch. And keep your head on a swivel. Make sure no one is following you."

I looked around the parking lot now, seeing absolutely no movement, but it was probably past time to go, so I said goodbye, started the engine, and pulled out of the lot. I hoped that Liam would provide a missing puzzle piece. But if he had information, why wait until now to say something? What had changed? I would have to wait a little while to find out.

Chapter Eighteen

An hour later, I was on my way to meet Liam at our spot, which was located on the grounds of the Grosse Point Lighthouse near the northern end of campus. I parked in a small lot and walked the path past the nature sanctuary and the cottage, down to the seawall next to the lighthouse. That was where Liam and I used to sit and talk, share a drink, a kiss, dream about the future…

I felt a knot in my throat as I saw him before he saw me. He wore jeans, a gray T-shirt, and was staring out at the water with a pensive expression, his brown hair blowing in the breeze. I was reminded of how many times I'd come down here, eager to see him, to touch him, to be with him. There had been a time when I'd really loved him, as much as I could love anyone at that moment.

But I'd messed it all up, driven him away. And even though we were meeting now, I knew there was no going back. This conversation wasn't about us. It was about Paige. The woman who'd come between us nine years ago had ironically brought us back together.

I climbed onto the wall and sat two feet away from him, letting my legs hang over the edge like I used to. The lake was calm, more green than blue, the sun laying a wide sheet of light across the surface. But as I stared at the water, I couldn't help thinking about how Paige had lost her life in this lake. It was beautiful, but it was also deadly. And seeing Liam lost in thought, I had a feeling he was thinking the same thing.

Finally, he turned his head, and I turned mine, and our gazes met. Time slipped away for a moment, but I could see him pull himself back into the present, and I had to do the same.

"I was surprised you wanted to talk," I said.

He didn't answer right away. He picked up a small flat stone from the seawall and turned it over in his fingers, as if weighing what he wanted to say. Finally, he said, "I didn't want to talk to you again, but I have to."

"Why? And why here?"

"Maybe because it's where it began."

He was right. Our first date had ended up here. We'd shared a bottle of wine and talked for what seemed like hours and then started a kiss that had kept going for almost a year. When he didn't say more, I said, "Is this supposed to be another ending?"

"More like a truce."

"Okay. Then talk."

He looked over at me. "I saw your post last night. I can't believe Detective Cabot is dead. It sounded like you were there, at his house, at the scene."

"I was there. I wanted to talk to him about his investigation or lack thereof. I actually went with Detective Barclay."

Surprise ran through his gaze. "He took you with him?"

"He figured I'd go by myself, so he might as well keep an eye on me. But it turns out, there was nothing to see but Cabot's body. He was dead when we got there. Someone had bashed his head in."

Liam took a quick breath, shaking his head in confusion. "Who would do that?"

"Probably whoever killed Paige."

"You really believe the detective's death is connected to Paige?"

"Yes. And Detective Barclay does as well. It makes sense, Liam."

"None of this makes sense. I thought Paige's death was an accident, that she was drunk and disoriented and fell into the water."

"That's not what happened."

"But you don't know what happened."