Ashton's head was spinning by the time they were loading his new car with their luggage five days later. He'd been to so many places, made so many decisions, that he was battling a headache when he closed the trunk. He ran inside, turned in the room keys, and went back to his car. Nicole was waiting in the front seat and Norman was in the back.

He had a newfound dislike for the guy. There was more to Norman than he could see, and he wasn't sure he liked that, but he kept quiet because he didn't want to upset his new boss. For the whole time they were there, Norman made sure Ashton wasn't alone with Nicole like her dad had told him to. That Ashton could understand. He wasn't upset.

It was all the time Norman spent with Nicole.

When you go on a trip with your boss, Ashton thought you were supposed to be able to trust him not to try to get your girl, but he didn't and couldn't trust Norman.

The return trip was mostly silent. Ashton was fine with holding Nicole's hand in silence and giving it a kiss every once in a while. He rolled into Harvey and Norman sank down in the backseat. "What's the matter?" he asked, glancing at him in the rear view.

Norman kept looking out his window. "Nothing." He smiled at Ashton and returned to watching the buildings go by.

Ashton dropped Norman off at his house and didn't help him with his bags. He left and dropped off Nicole at the cottage she'd been staying at. He helped her bring her stuff inside and asked if he could leave his car there for now. She said okay, so he carried his suitcase back to his home.

It was getting dark, and he was cooking dinner for himself. He and Nicole weren't getting together for the rest of the night, and he was okay with that. He wanted to be alone for a little while.

When his food was almost ready, his phone rang. He glanced at it, worried his dinner would burn if he left it long. After the song had played a few seconds, he reached for it. He didn't know the number, but he answered, anyway. "Hello?" He took out a plate and began dishing up the food after cutting the heat.

"Ashton? This is Norman." The man's voice broke and was unsteady. "I need you to get over to my house. I need help." A sob came through the phone. "Now." His voice was strained.

"Okay, just give me a minute. I'll be right there." He put down the pan he was holding and shoved his phone in his pocket. He ran out his back door and to his car. He arrived at Norman's house in just over a minute.

He knocked on the door of the darkened house. "Come in," came a weak voice.

Ashton walked in, completely unprepared for what he saw. Norman was sitting on a chair, head in his hands, rocking back and forth, and covered in blood. He looked around for the source of the blood and wished he hadn't when he saw her. Trisha was face-down on the floor in the kitchen, a short distance away. She wasn't moving and blood was beginning to pool around her. Ashton wasn't sure there was anything he could do for her, so he knelt beside Norman.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know," he moaned. He rocked a couple of times and looked up at Ashton. "I came home and found her like that." He took a breath and wiped his shiny face. His hands smeared blood. "I went straight to the station once I got my stuff in here. Mason was the only guy there because Gary had a family emergency this morning. So I went and checked on our only prisoner. He'd been quiet all day, according to Mason. I got there and the door was wide open, and Clive was gone."

Ashton's blood turned to ice. Surely Mason hadn't let him out. "How did he get out? Wait – why was he even here? Shouldn't he be in Columbia?"

Norman shook his head. "When we were going, I told them to come a few days later, tomorrow. I have no idea how he got out. I don't even know when it happened. Mason swears he was in his cell this morning when he brought him breakfast." He took a deep, shuddering breath and rubbed his face again.

"Did you call an ambulance?"

He nodded. "I called them and then called you," he said, voice muffled. Norman's phone sat on the table near him and had blood drying on the screen. It lit up and began vibrating. Norman handed it to Ashton. "Answer it, please. I don't want anyone else hearing me like this."

Ashton quickly answered it, trying to avoid the blood. "Hello?"

"I need to speak to Sheriff Bishop immediately," came a female voice he couldn't place.

"This is Officer Ashton Dodd. Sheriff Bishop is here but unable to speak to you at the moment. What happened?"

"Oh. This is Officer Betty Williams. We've got a report of a body on that dang beach again. Someone was out for a late swim and found her."

Ashton's heart raced. "I'll be right there." He hung up and sat the phone down. His gaze slowly met Norman's. "I'm so sorry, but I have to go. Someone found a second body on the beach."

Norman sighed. "Go. You need to be there, Deputy." He gave Ashton a smile that didn't quite touch his eyes. "Your official title is Deputy. You're not Officer anything. Deputy Dodd."

Ashton smiled. A promotion, and he hadn't even started yet. "Okay." He hesitated a moment, but then he ran to his car.

---

Nicole had her dinner early. She kept thinking about Norman trying to hold her hand and about her telling Ashton about it. He'd been jealous, and she couldn't blame him. She would have been jealous, too, if the roles were reversed. It was good, though, because she felt special. But everything kept playing in her mind, and being alone didn't help anything. So, she ate early and went for a walk.

Without thinking, she found herself standing in front of Ashton's house five minutes later. With a sigh she kept walking. She'd walked a little way into the brush on a path she could see when she heard his door bang shut and him run through the woods. It wasn't normal, but she figured he'd call or text her if it was important.

She kept walking and soon found herself at the secluded beach. It was beautiful at night with the stars and moon reflected in the water. It was especially clear that night because the water was calm. The tide was out. She walked along the water, feeling it gently lap over her feet. It was relaxing and soon she'd calmed down, mind clearer.

Something caught her eye when she turned to go back the way she came. A small, dark lump on the sand. Heart in her throat, she walked over, already knowing what she'd find, but hoping she was wrong. As she got closer, she realized with a sick feeling she was right.

A child, a girl, was curled up. She wasn't breathing and her skin was cold to the touch. Nicole felt a wave of sickness wash over her, but she fought it down, trying to get into detective mode. She tried to move the girl as little as possible when she searched for anything on her. It was only a marginal relief she didn't recognize the child.

Around the child's neck was a locket. Nicole opened it and inside was a picture of Ashton and Ella. Her stomach sank. What was this girl doing with that picture in this locket she recognized as belonging to Ella? She kept poking around, trying to put the thought out of her mind.

She leaned in closer to poke around the sand under the girl and a familiar smell wafted up to Nicole's nostrils and turned her stomach while tearing her heart. The child smelled of Ashton's aftershave. If she could have broken down right then, she would have, but she kept pawing around. She couldn't find any other evidence of any sort, so she stood and called the police.

A woman picked up. "Harvey Police Department, Officer Williams."

"Officer Williams? My name is Nicole. I want to report a body on a beach. You know, where Taylor was found? It's another little girl."

Sadness tinged the woman's voice when she responded. "I'll be right there. I need to make a call but I should be there in less than five minutes."

Nicole hung up and waited. She walked away a few feet and sat in the sand. Tears started and she just kept wiping them away. Her mind went back to the polygraph on Ashton she'd listened to. He'd said he had lied to protect someone he loved from being hurt. She was sure he'd been referring to Ella, but she wasn't so sure now. He'd obviously been with this girl right before she died, maybe even carried her to this spot.

It hurt to think Ashton could have anything to do with the murder, and guilt tore at her for it, but all of it was too obvious to her. Everything pointed to Ashton. At least, everything she could see, and smell, did.

Blue lights were just beyond the trees and three car doors slammed at the same time. Feet ran through the woods. One of the two men stopped when he saw her. She stood and ran over to Ashton. He was looking at her with a shocked expression. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he buried his nose in her hair.

"I found her," she said into his neck, where he was pressing her head into. She pushed back. "You've got a job to do," she reminded him.

He cupped her face. "I've got two." He chewed his lip and then kissed her nose. "You can come with me to the station after this. Go sit in my car and wait." He released her and ran off.

She trudged up the hill to his car. When she was about to get in the car, red flashing lights and a siren were off in the distance. She watched the ambulance drive right by and go down a different street. She got in the car and waited thirty minutes. The whole time she was wondering what had happened. While she was waiting, the ambulance raced by, Norman's police car in pursuit.

Ashton sat in the driver's seat, sadness making his shoulders slump. "Sorry we took so long, but she's, well." He took a deep breath as he drove off. "That's the mayor's daughter. Lizzie Gamble. This night is going to be fun," he added under his breath. He glanced at her and shook his head. "This means that we are going to be in deep over this." He pulled into the spot reserved for the deputy and got out.

She followed him inside and he steered her over to a desk. He sat behind it, and she sat in one of the chairs facing him. He fished around. "What are you looking for?"

He glanced at her. "I'll be right back." He stood and walked over to the printer, got a sheet of paper, and returned. He sat a pen on top of it and slid it across the desk to her. "I need to get a statement from you. While you write down everything, I need to make a couple of calls." He turned his attention to something behind her. "On second thought, I have a few things to tend to." He stood and walked away.

She turned and saw a haggard man walk in, leaning on an officer she didn't recognize. "Where is she, officer?" With a start, she realized the voice belonged to the mayor. He reached out and gripped Ashton by the shirt. "Where is she?" he demanded, a little more loudly.

"Lizzie's dead, sir," Ashton said, trying to pull away. "I'm very sorry for your loss. If you want to see her, she's at Doctor Benson's, in the morgue."

With that the man collapsed against Ashton, sobbing. Ashton stumbled back a step but held the man upright. He motioned to the other officer to bring a chair closer. When it was close enough, Ashton sat the man in it. He looked over at Nicole and his lips pressed together. He looked exasperated when he made a motion to her to write.

She turned around and began writing, including the information about the locket and how she smelled but didn't say she moved the body. She wrote that she was checking her for life signs, and noticed the necklace and the aftershave. When she was done, she felt like someone had twisted her heart, but she sat the pen down and waited.

Ashton dropped into his chair a few minutes later. "Oh, goodness," he said, laying his head down. "I want this night to be over with." He lifted his head and looked at her, tears shining in his eyes. "I feel like I lost someone now. Just trying to comfort him." He nodded at the mayor, who'd been sobbing loudly no matter what the officers did.

She held up the paper. "Well, I finished."

He nodded. "Okay, now sign it and date it and I'll sign it as your witness." She did and slid it over. He read it quickly and his face blanched. He signed and dated it and swallowed. His gaze slowly rose and met hers. "Nicole," was all he said. He shook his head. "I didn't do it," he whispered to her. A tear slid down his cheek.

She reached across the desk and held his hand. "Ash, I know you couldn't have done it." He gave a nod. She stood and walked around to him, kneeling in front of him. Her fingers wiped away his tears and she kissed him slowly. "I love you, Ash, and I know you didn't do it," she whispered after pulling away a little bit. She kissed him again.

His hand slid behind her neck and pulled her to him a little more. She could taste the saltiness of his tears and soon they weren't just his. He pulled away. "I really didn't do it, Nikki." He stared into her eyes.

She smiled a little. "I know." She stood. "If you don't need me here anymore, I should go home."

He nodded and rose. "No, you can go. When I finish up here for the night, I'll come check on you. If that's okay?"

She put a hand to his cheek. "Of course it is, Ash." She kissed his other cheek. "I'll wait up."

---

When he read the witness statement, he couldn't believe his eyes. She'd kissed him and told him she knew he wasn't guilty, and yet guilt filled him. He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't shake it. The mayor had cried all over his shirt, and Officer Nishan O'Dell had brought him when he demanded to speak to whoever was in charge.

Ashton rubbed his face. It was too much to deal with in one night when he remembered Trisha nearly dead and his father roaming loose. It could have been him that killed Lizzie, but there was no proof. He had seen the locket, and bagged it, but he didn't pay much mind to it. Nicole had recognized it right off, which surprised him a little bit.

"Deputy Dodd?" He looked up. Officer Williams was standing near his desk. "We can take it from here if you want to go home." She looked sympathetic.

He shook his head and straightened the papers on his desk. "No, that's okay. I should stay a while to make sure of things."

"Okay." She walked off.

He sat the papers down and sighed.

Around 3 AM he left the station, knowing he couldn't put off seeing Nicole any longer. Norman had called around one saying Trisha had a severe concussion and been beaten within an inch of her life but was expected to recover. It was one small bit of good news.

He pulled into Nicole's driveway and shut off the car. There was a lone light in the living room. He sat in his car for a few minutes. His mind kept replaying the scene he made by crying. He hated that. He never wanted her to see him cry, but he couldn't help it. The night was emotional for him, between dealing with the mourning father of an eight-year-old girl and finding out his girlfriend had pointed the finger at him.

Finally, he got out and knocked on her door. She opened the door, still in her jeans and tee. He went in and walked over to the couch, feeling both in a daze and worn out. She sat by him and rested her head on his shoulder. After a moment, the night came crashing down on him and he cried into her hair silently for a couple of minutes. He didn't sob, but he let the tears flow and wet her hair and his face. It was embarrassing, but he couldn't help himself.

When the tears stopped, he found she was crying into his shirt, though he knew she had reasons that differed from his. He held her head to his chest. His eyelids felt heavy, and he closed them for a minute, resting his head on the back of the sofa. The next thing he knew he was dreaming.