28 Days: a Romantic Suspense

* * *

Coulter smiled when Quinten opened the door to him and Amber, showing them inside. Minutes later he watched as Saige led Amber out onto the balcony to admire the view of the ocean.

“You’re looking a lot better than the last time I saw you.” Coulter observed.

Quinten had looked gaunt when they’d met him at the prison for his release, and even though it had only been five days since then, Colter noticed that the other man had been well taken care of and even had a bit of a tan.

“That’s what happens when you have the love of a good woman who believes in you.” Quinten smiled and offered him a seat. “Thanks for coming to help us get away from here. It’s like a zoo out there. With Paul’s confession and my innocence being announced, the press is everywhere, trying to get an exclusive.”

“Yeah, the front of the station is a nightmare as well.” Coulter sat forward and stared at the envelope on the coffee table between them.

He knew what was inside because Saige had already told him, which made him angry. He never would have expected that of Richard Lockwood. The man had never come across as anything but the loving father. His attitude toward his wife, Christina, had given Coulter thought, but hell.

“It hasn’t been opened?” He glanced at Quinten.

“No.” Quinten ran his hand over his face and glanced toward Saige. “She didn’t want to read in detail what had been done to her.”

“And you?”

“I just got out of prison...I think if I read that, I’d end up back there, and I’d be guilty this time.” Quinten leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs, his head dropping into his hands.

He let Quinten get himself under control, and picked the letter up. Keeping it sealed, he put it in his pocket and placed a receipt for the letter on the coffee table. Nothing would prevent the current investigation from being followed by the book. Everyone involved would be named and he’d leave it up to the DA to wade through the charges, and to decide just who needed to pay. Although, Coulter had the feeling everyone would after the mess of the original investigation.

“Hey.” Saige placed her hand to the back of Quinten’s neck, a look of concern crossed her face, “Everything okay?”

Quinten smiled and, sitting back, tugged Saige down to his lap. Amber sat beside Coulter on the sofa and slipped her hand into his. Coulter turned, offered her a smile, and squeezed her hand to reassure her things were fine.

“Coulter has the report,” Quinten said, but Coulter figured it had been unnecessary because Saige had looked at the table as she walked over with Amber.

“Can you tell us what’s likely to happen now?” Saige asked as worry marred her brow.

“Paul Lewis is...different from other murderers I’ve arrested. He’s guilty, I’m still not a hundred percent convinced that he’s guilty of everything he’s been charged with...except this time around, there is a lot more evidence that the man we have is guilty as charged.” Coulter shrugged. “He actually said that he wanted to lead us to Alex because he was the evil brother. Do you know what that means?”

Quinten frowned and sighed. “Alex could be an asshole when he wanted to be, and he’d always have a dig at Paul whenever he came across him, until I put stop to it. I’m the younger brother, but I’m sure that I was the more mature one.” Quinten sat back and closed his eyes. “Alex changed and I realize now that it must have been when he started having an affair with Christina. He grew up.”

Coulter nodded and accepted Quinten’s explanation. For a man as unhinged as Paul Lewis, that would be a good enough reason to want to get back at Alex.

“I know you both want to put all this behind you, but it will have to wait for a while.” He glanced from one to the other. “The governor via the DA has talked to internal affairs, who have launched an investigation into the disappearance of the original statements during the original trial, which has opened up another investigation.”

Coulter was annoyed at himself for not realizing at the time what had gone on. Amber had pointed out that he couldn’t be everywhere and know everything, which he’d conceded was true. It didn’t help the claw in his gut when he thought about it though.

“The DA discovered that the detective who took the original statements died of a heart attack within days of doing so. His partner was then bribed to replace the other two with statements saying that Quinten hadn’t been where he said he had. There’s more to it but that’s the gist of it.”

“Who bribed him?”

Coulter glanced at Saige and her eyes widened in surprise. “No,” she whispered, her hand covering her mouth.

Quinten snapped his gaze to Saige and back to him, questions in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Saige. Your father paid him. I was involved in the original investigation, so other detectives will be sent to question your father...It doesn’t look good.” Coulter was glad that Amber was with him because, after everything that had happened, he felt like he’d become friends with Saige and Quinten, and he wanted to help them, except now he felt sick to his stomach that he had to tell them about Saige’s dad.

“He didn’t want me with Quinten,” Saige whispered. “I knew that he wasn’t keen on the idea of me being with him because of Quinten’s situation at home, but I had no idea to what lengths he’d go to just to keep us apart.”

Saige wiped at a tear and rubbed her fingers over Quinten’s beard. “I’m sorry. What happened to you really was my fault.”

Amber leaned into Coulter, and wrapped around his arm. Coulter unwrapped himself and tugged her into his side, an arm wound around her shoulders while they watched the emotion on Quinten and Saige’s face.

Quinten shook his head. “No,” he hissed. “You are a victim in this as much as I am and in some ways more. I was kept safe in prison. It could have been ten times worse, but it wasn’t. It makes me see red when I think about what that bastard did to you.”