“Fear and stupidity. I hoped my sister had changed.” She sighed and stepped into his arms. He rested his chin on her head. “Fear for Aria drove me to risk alienating you.”

“She made a threat?” Clay said.

Marissa nodded. “The memory of what she did stares back at me every time I look into Aria’s face. Out there, I told her never to show her face in this town again, or I’d take legal action.”

“I’ll initiate a restraining order for all of us.” Clay eyed me with the same contempt he’d given Shelby. “Get out of my house and stay away from my family. The best place for Shelby is behind bars.”

What had I witnessed? Unless I heard Shelby threaten her sister, I wouldn’t believe it. Had I encountered a web of deceit I’d never imagined?

I tried to persuade Shelby to stop for a lunch break, but she merely shook her head. No words, only soft sobs. She had processing of her own to do. I took the long way toward the meeting point with my agent friends, winding around country roads. The investigative side of me analyzed every moment from the time we’d entered Sharp’s Creek. Clay Pearce ruled the household with an iron fist. Had he always been a tyrant, or had the tragedy changed him? From what Shelby had relayed, he adjusted to survive.

I waited fifteen more minutes before speaking. “Any surprises?”

She focused on the passenger-side window. “A couple.”

“And?”

“Personal, Denton.”

“I have a listening ear.”

“Right. It’s part of your job.” She moaned. “That wasn’t necessary. I appreciate your offer but no thanks. For lack of a better word, I need a diversion.” She massaged her neck. “Did Marissa and Dad work through their argument?”

“Yes. The conversation didn’t put you in a good spot, though.”

“That’s what I’d asked her to do. She needs to stay on Dad’s good side. Her situation in raising Aria and her future in owning the bakery rest on keeping him pacified.”

“Would you do anything for your sister?”

“Absolutely.”

My concern about her possible deceit vanished. I reached across the truck and took her hand. The intimacy lasted two seconds before she pulled back.

“I’m making a new life for myself,” she said.

“Not until those against you are stopped.”

“Or I’m stopped.”

“You’re not alone. You have your faith, friends, and for what it’s worth, I’m in for the duration.”

She focused on me. “Today has been very hard.”

She needed time. Both of us did. “While you talked to your mother, I checked in with the agents who’ll be handling your protection. We have a transfer in about twenty minutes. Two agents will take you to a safe house about fifty miles from here. I’ve used it before on cases in my jurisdiction. Sheriff Wendall and I will follow through with our part.”

“I suppose it’s a good thing. Wish we knew the culprit’s name. As it is, I feel I’ve exchanged one cell for another.”