She wasn't quite sure when she decided to do it, but by the time Mason dropped her off at the cabin for dinner on his way back from Benson's, she felt like she shouldn't tell Ashton about most of what happened. He didn't need to know all of it, and she was still finding the right cards to play. Besides, all he'd do is worry over her, and she felt like he had enough to worry about with himself.

Inside, she found Hailey watching TV from the sofa next to Ashton. Nicole felt a pang of jealousy but quickly forced it down. She wasn't moving in on Ashton – she hated him, thought he was a killer. That didn't make a relationship.

"Hey," she said.

Ashton's head snapped up to look at her and he grinned, relief coloring his features. "I was beginning to worry."

She returned the smile and walked over. Kneeling in front of the sofa, she took his hand. "Are you feeling better?"

He nodded. "Much." He ran a thumb over the back of her hand. His eyes met hers. He swallowed.

She ducked her head. "Was that Nicole?" her mom called from the kitchen.

"Yeah," she called back.

"Come set the table!"

---

Nicole waited until after dinner. The atmosphere in the home was relaxed, but she couldn't get Ashton away from her parents until they got into a heated discussion over a scrabble word. She took the moment of distraction to go with him onto the deck.

"What happened?" Ashton asked quietly.

Ashton felt like his heart was going to pound straight out of his chest. Nicole took a deep breath. "I got the passwords. Mason actually helped me today. He stood guard for me. I think we can trust him." Mason? Ashton fought a shiver. That guy wasn't all bad, but Ashton had a feeling about him. "I went to the home office and got on his laptop. He'd been researching poisons!" She paused and brushed hair off her face. "Poisons, Ashton." She shook her head.

He nodded gravely. "I thought so."

Still shaking her head, she spoke. "Mason and I went to Benson to talk, and he said it was some type of acid she'd breathed in, and by all rights she should have been okay. But now she's dead." She looked sick for a moment but shivered and the greenish tinge left. "He said she'd been strangled but he didn't know if that's what did her in because he wasn't authorized to do an autopsy, so Mason told him to do it after the viewing tonight. Benson is also someone we can trust. When he was leaving today, he told me you were a great person and to not believe what anyone says about you because you'd never do this. He knows now where I stand, so he's a good ally." She took a breath and seemed to be having a debate in her head.

"In the morning, we'll know just what happened to our friend." She shrugged. Ashton let out a breath. Did his dad kill her? Who helped? A woman had to have been part of it. As much as he hated to admit it, he suspected Trisha. He hated himself for thinking it, but he couldn't help it. There was evidence that it was probably her. He couldn't just overlook that.

Before he could contemplate this further, the front door opened. Mr. Downs stood there. "There you are, Ashton."

He smiled and held out his arms. "Here I am."

"I do believe you promised me a little talk tonight." Ashton nodded slowly. "Let's walk down there by the water." He walked between Ashton and Nicole, forcing them apart. Dutifully, Ashton followed him down to the water. He glanced back once and saw a small smile on Nicole's face as she disappeared in the house.

They walked in silence for a little bit, every second making Ashton a little more nervous. Finally, as they reached the edge of the water, Mr. Downs began talking.

"What do you think of my daughter?"

He swallowed. "She's an amazing person. She's beautiful and loyal." He also thought that she's been a comfort, but that felt a little too personal.

The man nodded, watching the still water. "She is." He seemed to be remembering something. Ashton watched him closely. "What are your intentions?"

Even though he'd been expecting something like this, it still caught Ashton off-guard. "It's too soon, but I do want to marry her." He felt his ears burn and was suddenly glad for the darkness that made him unable to clearly see Mr. Downs. "I love her."

The man froze. He appeared to swallow a couple of times, but Ashton couldn't be sure. A long silence passed. "What about in the meantime?" he finally asked.

"What do you mean?" He thought he knew, but he didn't want to say anything to embarrass himself again. Though he had a feeling he was going to anyway.

"You do understand that there are boundaries?"

That's what he thought. He took a deep breath. "Of course, sir. I was raised to respect women. I was always taught that to do that you don't kiss her until you're engaged, and nothing further until after you marry her, so I wouldn't do that, sir."

He let out a breath that even Ashton could hear. "Good." He took a few steps back towards the house but stopped. "Did you do it?" came quiet, nervous words that Ashton barely heard over the sounds of the ocean.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

Mr. Downs turned around. "The murder. Did you do it?"

Ashton took a step closer. "No, sir. I would never do something like that." His voice broke and he had to swallow the lump that rose in his throat. "If you want proof, there are a few people that have known me my whole life and can back that up. Dr. Benson is one. Officer Spurlock is another."

"What about your parents?"

He shook his head, tears rising, but he fought them. The last thing he wanted to do was cry in front of this man. "No."

"Why not?"

Where should he begin? He snorted, anger coming up like it sometimes did when he thought about it all. "It's a long story, really."

The man shrugged. "I have the time. Come on – we can sit on the patio." He began walking. Even though he didn't really want to tell him everything, he felt like he needed to. So he followed. Once they had sat down, Mr. Downs, now able to see him well, nodded to him. "Okay. Start from the beginning."

Ashton took a deep breath. He only hoped he'd still get to see Nicole. "Well, as you know, my dad is the sheriff. He only got there because my family is the only founding family left. The other one left no less than fifteen years ago. I remember playing with their kid when I was little. My guess is they got tired of the life here and wanted to return to the city. But either way, Dad's well-known here and that got him to where he is.

"Growing up, Brandy – the woman that runs the store – babysat me, and Mason coached me on how to be an officer. I was never going to go to college for it – it's such a small place my dad was going to let me on the force without a formal education. I hung out at the station and spent long days out in the field. I enjoyed it – the thrill and the feeling of helping people – until I was about fifteen. That's when I began to notice things. I began to realize how wrong things are here. I shouldn't be on the force without formal training. Dad shouldn't be paying off people to stay sheriff. Tourists shouldn't be run off when the resident three doors down commits vandalism. Yet that's what happened. I was raised to stay away from tourists because they were all just waiting to commit crimes."

He looked intently at Mr. Downs, who was listening in rapt attention. "When I began noticing things, I told Mason. He saw it all too, but he couldn't do anything without being fired. He needs the money he earns. He's not married, and if he gets fired, he'd have to leave. No one else would hire him, yet he's got friends in everyone here. That's the kind of power my dad holds over everyone.

"Anyway, when I noticed things, I pointed them out to dad – who, in turn, began beating me. When I stopped going to the station, he began beating me every day when he got home." His anger began to build. "When I was 18 I couldn't take it anymore, so I moved out." He pointed to the woods. "My home is in there. I don't want to leave here."

"Why not?"

The question, although unexpected, was a good one, Ashton thought. He gave Mr. Downs a smile. He felt the anger fade into worry. "My sister." He swallowed. "I love my sister, Ella. She's the only person besides Nicole that-" The lump in his throat cut him off. He swallowed again and forced the tears back. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Right now, Ella and Nicole are the only people keeping me here. I love them both." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

Mr. Downs nodded. "Do you want to fix things?"

Ashton hung his head for a moment, trying to decide just how much to tell him. He felt the urge to be completely honest. Finally, he raised his head. "Yes. If not for Nicole, then for Ella. I want to know she is safe. She can't be as long as my father is free. For all he's done, he should be in jail. I want to put him there."

A long silence continued. "Why haven't you done anything yet?"

"I haven't been able to prove anything. For as long as the people he's paying keeps getting paid, they won't say anything to anyone. I don't have anything that can get him arrested or convicted other than my word, and for the people he's paying and that don't really know me, my word is as good as garbage. I couldn't say Nicole is 18 and be believed, even if she backed me up." Anger began welling again. He took a deep breath.

Mr. Downs just watched him for a long time in silence. Ashton hung his head again, worry creeping back into his mind. If he lost Nicole now . . .

"Sir," he began looking back up. His eyes were pleading. "I love Nicole. I only want the best for her. I don't want to lose her. Not like this."

"Son," he began, reaching out a hand and resting it on Ashton's shoulder. "She loves you too. I know she does. I won't get between that on one condition: she doesn't get hurt."

Ashton tried to not let his relief show, or how much his heart swelled to hear Mr. Downs call him 'son' and put his hand on his shoulder. For a moment, it made him feel like he could have found a father in this man. "I'll do my best."

Mr. Downs smiled and gave him a nod. He stood. "Well, let's get back inside to the girls."

---

Nine rolled around that night and Ashton said he needed to leave. Nicole followed him outside. "So, what did Dad want?" she asked once they were alone.

He smiled at her and touched her cheek again. She'd noticed he'd kept doing this ever since talking to her dad: when no one was looking he would touch her on her cheek. "You, mostly." His eyes flickered but she couldn't read him. "We also talked about me." His thumb stroked her cheek. He studied her face in a way that made her heart speed up. After a minute he kissed her on the cheek. "I do need to go now. It's late."

She licked her lips and kissed his cheek. "Okay." He didn't move other than to drop his hand. "I love you."

He smiled at her. "I love you." He put his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer and kissing her nose. She returned the hug. After a long moment Ashton pulled away. "I really do need to get back. I don't like the dark." He smiled at her.

She returned the smile and squeezed his hand. "Okay. I may not be around in the morning, but will you come have lunch with me and Hailey in town?"

He frowned. "Do you think it's a good idea?"

She shrugged. "I think so."

"But what if my dad sees us?"

She grimaced, feeling a pang of guilt, but she quickly forced a smile. "I have that taken care of."

He gave her a skeptical look but didn't push. He gave her one last peck on her cheek and left.