Page 58 of My Killer Blind Date

Simon opens his arms. ‘By all means. However, I would request that you don’t post to social media.’

‘Of course.’ I pull out my phone and take a few pictures as I debate if I should call Barnett. No … I don’t want to have to beg again, just to get stonewalled. Not to mention, Simon is about to report all of this, so the intel should get back to Barnett without my involvement.

Then, I guess there’s nothing further to be done. I can feel the press of disappointment in my throat. I came here thinking this could be it. This could be the moment that delivered a lead straight to the guilty party. Instead, all I have is this haunting image that Zoe made in the last months of her life, and fuzzy video footage of an unidentifiable man who broke into her studio, stole the work of her heart and now that the case has cooled down, intends to profit. Pretty cut and dry.

‘Thanks again,’ Liam says to Simon. ‘Please update us when the painting is released for sale.’

‘You’ll be the first to know,’ Simon promises as he opens the front door, bringing in a gust from outside.

‘You OK?’ says Liam as we exit the gallery. The wind has really picked up, and across the street, a uniformed server is hurriedly taking down a restaurant’s sidewalk patio umbrellas.

‘No,’ I choke out. And set off walking, away from Liam.

Chapter Nineteen

To my annoyance, Liam follows me.

‘You can go home now,’ I call out, even though I can feel him right behind me, keeping pace.

‘No. We need to talk.’

‘We already talked. You explained yourself perfectly well.’

‘Obviously not, or you wouldn’t be pissed.’

Fine. We’re doing this.

I spin, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, and Liam nearly collides with me. He backs up a step, hands held up peacefully, hair disheveled by the wind.

‘Can you blame me?’ I demand, crossing my arms tightly over my torso. ‘I’ve been trying to figure out what happened to my best friend for the past six months. Then, it turns out you have a connection with her that you purposefully hid from me. Can you see how incredibly suspicious that is, Liam?’

He lowers his chin, leveling his gaze at me, like a man with nothing to hide. ‘You’re right. I didn’t mention that I recognized her name. But you didn’t mention she was missing, either, and I’m not holding that against you. Can we chalk it up to the fact that we’re just getting to know each other? There’s a lot you don’t know about me. And vice versa. That’s not a crime. It’s an opportunity.’

‘Oh my God,’ I groan. ‘Do not go all motivational poster on me, Liam Porter!’

His eyes soften. ‘You know where I stand, Margot. I care about you. In fact, maybe this isn’t the right moment to say it, but I’d like to date you. Exclusively. You know … like boyfriend-girlfriend.’ He pauses. ‘What do you want, though?’

I can’t bear to meet the intensity of his gaze, so I let my eyes stray to the side.

We’re stopped in front of a defunct storefront with a big FOR RENT sign in the window. The windows are dark. This corner store seems like the perfect place for a coffee shop. And Liam seems like he could be the perfect person to find love with. If he’s telling the truth.

‘You’re deep in your thoughts,’ says Liam.

I finally turn back to him. ‘Just facing reality.’ Which is that I don’t know if this man is playing me or not. ‘You want the truth? I’m a twenty-six-year-old failure, Liam. I failed to pick the right men … I failed to be brave and go after the career I wanted … I failed Zoe as a friend, and now I’m afraid I’m going to fail with you.’

‘Failed is a big word.’

‘It’s accurate,’ I snap back.

He nods slowly, like he’s absorbing my energy, taking it in.

‘It’s important to call things what they are and not sugarcoat them,’ I say.

‘I hear you. I just don’t think failure is the whole story of anything you just listed off. It’s not the whole picture.’

‘I know.’ I can hear the bitter edge in my own voice. ‘You think everything happens for a reason. Did Zoe disappear for a reason? Did I get cheated on for a reason?’

‘That’s not how it works.’ His voice remains calm, but with some unwavering conviction underneath. ‘You can’t always know the reasons, especially not when you’re in the thick of it. You just have to trust there is one.’