A dangerous excuse.
Then came Miller's.
Wade bought the diner from his father.
He told Mara she could manage the morning shift.
Then she became an employee.
Then the cleaner.
Then the person who took the blame.
Wade controlled the schedule, the paychecks, and the bank account.
Every step was small.
No single step seemed large enough for Mara to realize she was losing her freedom.
Until she realized.
By then, it was too late.
That afternoon, Rex returned to Miller's.
This time he was alone.
Mara saw him walk in and immediately stiffened.
"You want coffee again?"
Rex smiled.
"Looks that way."
"There are other places."
"I like this one."
Mara looked at him.
"Why?"
"The coffee isn't very good."
She almost smiled.
"Then why do you keep coming back?"
"To make sure it's still bad."
A tiny laugh escaped her.
It was barely a sound.
But it was the first laugh Rex had heard from her.
"You really are strange."
"I've been told that."
She poured his coffee.
Rex didn't ask about the bruise.
Instead, he asked:
"How long have you worked here?"
"Almost eight years."
"Like the job?"
Mara hesitated.
"It's okay."
"That's not really an answer."
She looked at him.
"In Maple Ridge, sometimes 'it's okay' is the safest answer."
Rex stopped smiling.
"Is there someone you're afraid of?"
Mara put the coffee pot down.
"No."
Too fast.
Too automatic.
Rex nodded.
"Okay."
He didn't push.
When he left, he placed a tip on the counter larger than the cost of breakfast.
Mara followed him.
"You left too much."
"No."
"You don't even know me."
Rex looked directly at her.
"Some things don't require knowing someone for very long."
She didn't understand.
Or pretended not to.
Rex walked outside.
Mara stood by the window and watched his Harley disappear down the highway.
Wade appeared behind her.
"Who was that?"
Mara jumped.
"A customer."
"What customer?"
"I don't know."
"What did he say to you?"
"Nothing."
Wade looked outside.
"Don't let those people think you're friendly with them."
"I'm not."
"Good."
Mara turned.
"Wade..."
"What?"
"I want to go home early today."
"No."
"I'm tired."
"We have customers tonight."
"But—"
Wade slammed his hand against the counter.
Mara flinched.
"I said no."
The room went quiet.
Wade immediately smiled.
"I'm just talking to my wife."
Mara lowered her head.
"Okay."
She stared at the cup in her hand.
It was shaking.
And for the first time in years, she wondered:
What if I told someone?
But another memory appeared.
Three years earlier, Mara had called her sister.
She had only said:
"I don't know what to do."
Wade had found out.
He took her phone.
He called her sister and told her Mara was "unstable."
After that, her sister stopped calling.
Mara had learned the lesson.
Speaking up made people disappear.
So she stayed quiet.
What she didn't know was that outside Miller's, Rex Malone had already begun asking questions.
And some people in Maple Ridge still remembered Claire Malone.
Twenty-One Years Earlier
Rex had never told the whole story about Claire.
Not to Moose.
Not to Dean.
Not to anyone.
That night, he sat inside the Iron Valley Riders' garage.
Claire's old Harley remained in the corner.
No one was allowed to touch it.
Moose walked in.
"You going to tell me what you're thinking?"
"No."
Moose nodded.
"Fair."
Dean entered carrying a folder.
"Wade Keller has a history."
Rex looked up.
"What kind?"
"Nothing that proves what we're thinking. Two employee complaints. One fight in a parking lot. A divorce in 2011."
"Domestic violence?"
"Nothing documented."
Rex looked at Claire's motorcycle.
"Claire had nothing documented either."
Dean understood.
"Rex..."
"What did her husband say?"
"About Claire?"
"Yeah."
Dean sighed.
"He said she fell."
Rex closed his eyes.
Twenty-one years.
Still the same sentence.
She fell.
Rex opened his eyes.
"We can't turn suspicion into a war."