she saw that may be related to John’s death.”
Scott’s mouth tightened. “I don’t want my sister to be dragged into the middle of an undercover drug sting.”
“And neither do I,” Brock added.
“I understand.” It was evident the two deputies were very protective of her, and Mark didn’t blame them.
His friendship with Betsy had died years ago, and there was no point in thinking it could be recovered. He’d tried over and over to explain what had happened, but she wouldn’t answer his phone calls or emails. Then when he’d worked up his courage, he’d finally gone to her apartment to beg her forgiveness. That gesture had earned him a door slammed in his face.
Only then did he give up. Betsy hated him and would never forgive him. He’d accepted what he couldn’t change. Or had he? Maybe when he’d received this assignment, he’d secretly hoped she might be on Ocracoke.
He gritted his teeth and shook his head. Forget that idea and concentrate on the job. A DEA agent had been murdered, and Betsy had been the last person to see him alive. She might have information that would be helpful in catching a killer. That’s all he wanted from her. Nothing more.
He had two goals—catch John’s killer and bring down a drug-smuggling ring. When that was accomplished, he’d be off this island and out of Betsy Michaels’s life for good.
TWO
Betsy stopped pacing the floor of the small office in the Ocracoke Sheriff’s Department and glanced at her watch. “What’s keeping them? They should have been here an hour ago.”
Lisa, the department dispatcher and Scott’s recent bride, looked up from her computer screen and smiled. “They’ll be here as soon as they’re finished at Springer’s Point. When Scott called in, he said they thought they’d found the spot where the man was shot. They’re looking for any evidence left at the scene.”
Betsy sank down in a chair by her sister-in-law’s desk and covered her face with her hands. “Oh, Lisa, it was awful. That poor man. He died right beside me and I don’t know who he is or where he’s from.”
“I’m sure Brock and Scott will be able to tell us more when they get here.” Lisa reached out and patted Betsy’s shoulder before she directed her gaze back to the computer.
Betsy twisted in her chair and propped her elbows on Lisa’s desk. “Did Scott say anything about Mark Webber when he called in?”
A frown creased Lisa’s forehead, but she didn’t pull her attention from her computer. “Like what?”
“Like whether or not he’s coming back to the station with them?”
“No, but with him being a witness, too, they’ll probably bring him back.”
Betsy slumped in her chair and crossed her arms. “That’s what I thought.”
Lisa stopped typing, her fingers hovering over the computer keyboard, and stared at Betsy. “You sound like you don’t want to see him.”
Betsy’s face grew warm, and she blew at a stray lock of hair that dangled on her forehead. “I thought I’d seen him for the last time, and then he shows up again.”
Lisa tilted her head to the side and frowned. “I don’t understand. Had you met him before today?”
Betsy grunted and scooted down farther in her chair. “Oh, yeah.”
“But when? I’ve never heard you talk about anyone named Mark Webber.”
Betsy sighed and straightened. “I met Mark when I was in art school in Memphis. I worked part-time as a hostess at a restaurant, and Mark was a waiter there.”
“Oh, yeah. I remember Kate talking about your job. She showed me some pictures she took of the restaurant when she visited you once.”
“It was a great place to work, and the job was just what I needed, especially after I got that letter from Kevin saying he’d changed his mind about marrying me. He’d fallen in love with Sherry Kincaid, the girl who hated me all through school.”
Lisa pushed her computer keyboard out of the way and crossed her arms on top of the desk. “Yeah, he was a jerk. But I always thought he wasn’t good enough for you. He might have been the star athlete when we were in school, but look at him now. He can’t keep a steady job, and he and Sherry have three kids to feed. I’ll bet she’d change places with you in a heartbeat.”
Betsy reached over and squeezed her sister-in-law’s hand. “I doubt it, but you’re sweet to say that. Anyway, it’s all in the past. Back then, I was hurt and felt betrayed. Mark Webber was handsome and always seemed to have a lot of money to spend. But I couldn’t understand why he asked me questions all the time about our boss. Mr. Rousseau, the owner, had been good to me and helped me through the rough spot with Kevin. I decided Mark must think we were involved. I liked Mr. Rousseau a lot, but that’s as far as the relationship went.”
“So what happened next?”
“Mark really seemed to want a friendship with me, and soon I began to think he liked me. You know, in a more personal way. He kept asking me out, and when I finally gave in, I found I really liked him. In fact, I thought we might be headed for something serious. That is, until I learned the truth.”
Lisa’s eyes grew wide. “What truth?”
“Mr. Rousseau was the head of a drug ring, and the restaurant was a front for the organization. The police raided the place one night, and I discovered Mark was an undercover police officer who thought I was involved in the drug ring.” She swallowed hard. “So all the time he pretended to be interested in me, he really wanted to get some evidence against my boss and arrest me as an accomplice.”
“Oh, Betsy,” Lisa whispered, “how awful.”
“Yeah, it was. The officers took me downtown to police headquarters to question me. I was so relieved when Mark walked into the interrogation room, until I realized he thought I was guilty.”
Betsy wiped at the tears forming in her eyes. Even now it hurt to talk about that night.
Lisa wrapped her fingers around Betsy’s hand. “I can’t believe anyone who knows you could suspect you’d be involved in something like that.”
“I begged Mark to believe me, but he walked out and left me there. Later, I think he was really disappointed when he found out I had nothing to do with the drugs.”
Lisa’s fingers tightened. “What a jerk. I hope he does come in here. I’d like to give him a piece of my mind.”
Betsy took a deep breath and shook her head. “It wouldn’t do any good. I’m sure he thought he was doing his job and didn’t care who got hurt in the process. I’ll have to give him credit for trying to apologize later, but it came too late. He lied to me—just like Kevin did when he said he’d be here waiting until I finished school. Bottom line…I knew I could never trust him.”
“And now he shows up here. I wonder why.”
Betsy snickered. “I don’t have to guess. I know from the way he looked, he’s undercover again. The problem is, I don’t know who he’s after. But whoever it is, Mark had better stay away from me.”
Before Lisa could respond, the front door opened, and Scott and Brock walked in with Mark right behind. Lisa shot a glaring look at Mark as Scott walked over and put his arm around Betsy’s shoulder. “How are you doing?”
She pushed her hair behind her ear and straightened her shoulders. “I’m fine. Lisa’s been keeping me company. I thought you’d never get here…”
“It took us longer out at Springer’s Point than we’d thought,” Brock said. He pointed to the back of the room. “Let’s go in my office and talk about what happened