Read Online See Me by Nicholas Sparks - Free Book Online Page A

lady’s tire during the storm. I was home right around one thirty.”
    “Trey’s Diner? Why the hell would you eat there?”
    “I was hungry.”
    “What time did you leave Jacksonville?”
    “It was after midnight. Maybe five or ten minutes after, but I don’t know for sure.”
    “Witnesses?”
    “Dozens.”
    “And I assume you ate alone at Trey’s?”
    “I was with my landlord.”
    Margolis snorted. “Evan? One half of the dynamic duo? That’s convenient.”
    Colin flexed his jaw, ignoring the barb. “I’m sure the waitress will remember the two of us.”
    “Because you look like you had your face run through a meat grinder?”
    “No. Because Evan stood out in a place like that.”
    Margolis smirked, but business was business. “So you left the diner.”
    “Yes.”
    “Alone?”
    “Yes. Evan left a few minutes before I did. He drove his own car.”
    “So there’s no one who can say where you went afterwards?”
    “I already told you what happened after that.”
    “Oh, that’s right. You changed a lady’s tire.”
    “Yes.”
    “In the storm?”
    “Yes.”
    “Did you know her?”
    “No.”
    “Then why did you stop?”
    “Because I thought she might need my help.”
    Margolis considered Colin’s answer, no doubt thinking that Colin had been caught in a mistake. “How could you know she might need help unless you’d already stopped?”
    “I saw she needed a hand getting the tire out. I stopped and got out of the car. I offered to help. She said no at first. She asked if she could borrow my phone and call her sister. I let her use my phone and she called her sister. And then she asked for my help in changing her tire. I changed it. Then I got in my car and drove straight home.”
    “What time was this?”
    “I don’t know. But a call was made from my phone from the woman to her sister. If you’d like, I’ll show you my call log.”
    “By all means.”
    Colin reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone; a few taps and the call log was on display, confirming his alibi. He showed it to Margolis.
    Margolis took out his pad and made a point to slowly jot the number down. No doubt it was right around the time of the brawl, because his biceps flexed again. “How do I know that’s the number for the lady’s sister?”
    “You don’t.”
    “But you’re fine if I call and check.”
    “Do what you want. It’s your time that you’ll be wasting.”
    Margolis’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”
    “No.”
    “Oh yeah you do. But you know what? You’re not.”
    Colin didn’t answer, and for a long moment, they continued to stare at each other. Margolis grabbed his coffee again and circled back to the driver’s-side door. “I’m going to check this out, you know. Because you and I both know that you don’t belong on the streets. A guy like you? How many people have you sent to the hospital over the years? You’re violent, and while you think you can control it forever, you can’t. And when that happens, I’m going to be there. And I’ll be the first one to say, ‘I told you so.’ ”
    A moment later, the sedan was pulling away, Colin watching until it finally vanished around the corner.
     

     
    “What was that about?”
    Colin turned around and spotted Evan on the porch. Already dressed for work, his friend stepped down and started up the walk.
    “The usual.”
    “What was it this time?”
    “Fight at the Crazy Horse.”
    “When?”
    “When I was with you. Or driving or changing a tire.”
    “I might be your alibi this time?”
    “I doubt it. He knows it wasn’t me or he would have brought me in and questioned me at the station.”
    “Then why the big show?”
    Colin shrugged. It was a rhetorical question, since they both already knew the answer. Colin motioned toward his friend.
    “Isn’t that the tie Lily bought for your birthday?”
    Evan looked down to examine it. It was paisley, a kaleidoscope of color. “Yes