Murderous Lies by Chantel Rhondeau Read Free Book Online

could explain why the murders stopped. Maybe he found a new way to prove his dominance and no longer needed to kill to get the same satisfaction.
    Max shook himself mentally. He had an almost obsessive need to find the murderer, but sitting thinking about it wouldn’t do any good. He’d had these thoughts many times before. What he needed was a clue to the killer’s identity.
    After climbing from the car, Max walked up the overgrown pathway to the sagging boathouse. The weeds and grasses had taken over, climbing the side of the house and breaking through the rotting boards.
    His and Rose’s love shack was no longer the romantic place he remembered. Stepping inside cautiously, he tested every floorboard before trusting it with his weight. The boat once housed in the center of the shack was gone, making the space feel larger than it used to. The sound of lake water lapping against the wooden beams below was deafening in the silence.
    Not knowing what he hoped to find, Max circled the area. Realistically, he knew nothing likely survived the original investigation or the intervening years, but maybe he could find some indication as to what really happened to Sage that night, and who was with her.
    Happy memories overlapped the current sadness of the place. In his mind’s eye, Rose stood against the counter at the backend of the house, smiling coquettishly as she tried on a life jacket. ‘What if this was the only thing I had to wear?’ she’d asked.
    ‘Then I’d be a happy guy,’ he’d answered, taking her face between his hands and nibbling her lower lip while he slid the jacket from her shoulders. ‘But you can make me happy another way.’
    Her delicious laughter filled his ears as Rose dropped to her knees, tugging at his belt. ‘You bad boy. I’m going to have to give you a tongue lashing.” Her tongue had darted out to moisten her lips before she dropped his pants.
    Max shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the present. His dick throbbed at the memory. This was getting him nowhere.
    “What the hell am I doing? Coming here to remember what I’ve lost?”
    There was nothing left. No clues to prove his innocence in the empty boathouse. Just memories he shouldn’t dwell on. Eight years without a woman to warm his bed was too long. Especially when Rose was the only one he wanted.
    Her kissing his cheek last weekend had been too much to handle, especially since she didn’t believe in him fully. Somehow, he had to prove she could trust him. And maybe convince her she should give them a second chance. Maybe this time she could actually fall in love with him and want to be together.
    Facing the truth still hurt, even after a week to think it over. Rose never planned to marry him. The fantasies he’d entertained of getting free and reuniting with his true love wouldn’t happen. He hadn’t had true love in the first place.
    ***
    R ose counted her tips after passing her tables off to Kelsey at Francine’s Diner. At least she didn’t have to work at the gas station Friday nights. All she wanted was a long bath, dinner with Gizmo, and to curl up with a good book.
    Kelsey slipped back into the break room, twisting her hair tighter behind her head and securing it with her clip. “Hey, sweetie. We’re friends, right?”
    Surprised by the question, Rose stuffed the wad of ones into her pocket and nodded. “Of course. Why would you ask such a crazy question?” Sometimes it felt like Kelsey was the only person who truly cared for her.
    Kelsey drummed her fingers against her thigh. “I want to say something, but I don’t want you to get mad.”
    Wonderful. Here it came. Kelsey had skirted the issue all week, though other people in town had no problems expressing their opinions. Throughout the week, she realized she really did trust Max, and defended him to everyone who talked bad about him. She’d hoped Kelsey was more open minded and fair, but apparently not. “I know what you’re going to say, but it’s