choosing his words with great care, Max spoke slowly and deliberately. “Clara, this may be getting out of hand. I don’t like what’s happening in Alber. These protests. The signs. Maybe we need to do something to quiet things down.” I heard the worry in his voice, fear for me, I knew, but I shook my head, dismissing his concerns.
“Just some disgruntled folks,” I said. “They’re upset about the murders, wondering if I’m up to the job. They’ll be okay, once we solve this.”
“You think that’ll do it?” he asked, sounding dubious. We’d both grown up in Alber, and Max understood the town’s unshakable rules, that when I’d fled Elijah’s People, I’d become considered a pariah.
I glanced over at him and shrugged. “If not, maybe this isn’t the right place for me.”
At that, I felt Max tense in the seat beside me.
“Maybe that’s part of the problem. You can’t have one foot here and one on the road out. Maybe these folks sense that you haven’t committed to the job or to the town,” Max complained. “Maybe they don’t trust you because they can see that your heart’s not here.”
I had a suspicion that this conversation was more personal than Max portrayed it. “Is that really what we’re talking about? The protesters?” Looking over at him, I softened my voice but asked, “Max, is this only about the protesters, or is this about you and me? Is it that I haven’t committed to the town, or to you?”
“Maybe both,” he admitted. For a moment, the SUV’s interior fell uncomfortably quiet. “Clara, when we embraced in your office, I…” Another pause, and when he spoke again, his throat was tight with emotion: “You know, you and I have history. And your roots are in Alber. These are your people.”
We were picking our way across a field of emotional landmines. I didn’t want to hurt Max, but I knew I needed to be honest. Nothing good would come of promises that I couldn’t keep. “I’m not sure what’s ahead for me,” I confessed, fighting to keep my voice steady. “We both know that I’m not wanted here. Not by those people carrying their signs demanding I leave, or by my mother who has repeatedly ordered me to stay away from my family. And as for us, Max, sure I have feelings for you. I don’t deny that. But I’m… I’m not sure I can…”
Max waited for me to finish, but I went silent. I couldn’t explain what I wasn’t sure I truly understood.
He glanced over at me, his face etched in sadness. “Clara, maybe you should think about what you want out of life,” he said. “As for me, I know: I want to give us a real shot, the one that was stolen from us all those years ago.”
“But how can we—” I started.
“We can if you want to,” he said. “As for the others, Ardeth will come around. The folks in town will come around, maybe not all of them but most of them. And you’re probably right—solving the case would be a big step toward getting that done.”
“It will.” I heard uncertainty in my voice, as if I were trying to convince myself. Still, I insisted, “I believe that.”
“Good.” Max sighed, and when I glanced over, he looked relieved. The thought occurred to me that he’d been wanting to say those words to me for a very long time. “What worries me is how to calm things down in the interim,” he said.
“People have the right to protest.”
“I know, but—”
“Max, let’s just work the case,” I said, determined to keep focused. “I promise that we’ll figure the rest out later. Okay?”
That didn’t appear to put his concerns to rest. “I don’t like these demonstrations. They could get out of hand.”
I didn’t like them either, but I swallowed my feelings and changed the subject. “You didn’t say if you heard anything from your guy in Mexico? Did he get back to you about Carl?”
Max pulled out his phone and checked emails. “Not yet. They’re busy with their own work, I’m sure. Whenever I’ve dealt with them before, it’s been pretty hit-and-miss.”
“Maybe give him a call,” I suggested.
Max sat quietly for a moment, and I wondered if he wanted to say more about us and the decision I hadn’t yet made, or if he was still worried about the protesters. But instead he placed the call. “Hola, señor,” he said, when the guy answered. “Tienes algunas información para mí sobre los