Chapter 19 Noah
Chapter Nineteen
NOAH
As a Marine, working weekends never bothered me. Sure, when we were stateside, we were more inclined to a normal week but that happened so seldom that I was usually at a loss for something to do on Saturday or Sunday.
When I went into the private sector I looked forward to not working weekends. Yet, barely a few weeks into the job, and there I was on a Saturday morning, sitting in a conference room waiting for a meeting to start.
To be fair, the meeting was about Everly. Or, at least, what had happened at her house the night before. Nick and Lilly were both on their way in.
We were warned that Lilly had spent a few hours bent over a toilet bowl and she wasn’t happy about it. She had been coming into the office a little later since she wanted the worst of the morning sickness to be dealt with before dealing with people.
While I was eternally grateful that she had made an exception for Everly, I understood where she was coming from. I didn’t like dealing with people during the best of times, I couldn’t imagine trying to handle it when I was sick.
A sad smile played at my lips. Had Everly experienced morning sickness? Did she cry a lot? What did she crave? Would she have a similar experience next time around?
My breath hitched and my heart pounded at the idea. I was getting ahead of myself. Did Everly even want a next time around? Did I?
I still didn’t think I was good husband material. And I had to devote all my attention to the kid that I did have. And would Everly even want me?
After the events of the night before I thought so.
Then, the more time we spent together in the morning not talking about what happened, the less sure I became.
My days for short flings were long gone.
One-night stands were few and far between, but they were the only way I got laid in the last few years.
The relationship thing never worked for me.
Both times it was cut short because I was not enough.
I was not home enough, or I didn’t see her enough or my family enough.
And after that second woman cheated on me, I swore off women.
Everly was different though. Even after all this time, she never brought up my family. I was almost certain that she didn’t know that I was related to John Moore and Margaret Nash.
Since Mrs. Salinger served breakfast between seven and nine, and never a minute over, we’d both made our way downstairs pretty early.
Even though her car had been fixed, Everly had left it at The Reverse Cowgirl the night before.
I told her to use my car to fetch Skylar from dancing and that I would get one of the guys to take me to fetch hers later.
She accepted the offer and then complained about men and big cars as she climbed into the Ford Territory.
Before I could start wondering where everyone was, Jared walked into the conference room looking more tired than I had seen him. He’d been away when his stepfather was arrested a month before and then again when the man violated the terms of his bail.
I took in the man, who was part of the team and yet, I hadn’t had much time to get to know him. “Hey, man. You okay?”
“Yeah, it was just a long drive.” He brushed a hand over his stubble as flopped into the chair next to me.
“I was hoping to make it into a road trip for me and my little brother, but then last night happened and I figured I was needed here more. Besides, the road trip was ineffective. The kid has barely spoken to me since we left San Antonio.”
“How old is he?” From what I understood, young children did not react well to their world being turned upside down.
“Just turned fourteen. Eighth grade. Smart as a whip based on what everyone is telling me.” Jared pulled out his laptop and booted the thing up.
“Where is he now?”
“In the lobby downstairs, on my iPad.” The man rolled his eyes.
“Well at least he’s easily entertained.”
Was that what I was in for living with a teenager? Or soon to be one, anyway. “He said he needed to do research if he was going to be staying here for any length of time. If I get my way, he’ll be with me permanently.”
Jared’s dad stood accused of murder. Or at the very least the man was responsible for his wife’s death. Something told me Jared would be raising the boy from there on out.
The rest of the team wandered in. Jake was excused because he was on paternity leave.
Also, Nick promised to let him know if and when he was needed to catch the asshole terrorizing Everly.
Bex was also not around since she was on Everly duty.
They were meeting down the hall in Bex’s office in case she was needed.
Lilly scanned the police report. The fact that we had our hands on it was far from legal, but the police chief turned a blind eye when it came to Salinger Security. Their relationship was mutually beneficial with the Salingers never charging a consulting fee when they helped the police department.
She looked at me. “He’s likely frustrated that she hadn’t paid any attention to him at all.
At least, that’s his perception. If she had reported those emails earlier, he would’ve known she was taking him seriously.
He wants her attention first. He thinks that once she notices him, she’ll likely want him. ”
“And sticking her face on bodies he found in porn magazines helps this how?” I’d seen some evil in my life, but I couldn’t fathom the level of depravity it would take to do what that sicko did.
Lilly shook her head and leaned back in her chair.
She wasn’t her usual self, I could tell.
But I appreciated that her friendship with Ev meant that she would do what she could to help.
“Don’t try to apply reason or logic to this.
This man is not reasonable. But the fact that we found absolutely no trace of him makes me worry. ”
“You think he may have done this before?” I suppose stalker behavior implies that he would have more than one victim.
“No. The exact MO suggests that this is his first and only. He probably has a mostly normal life. He’s likely good at his job and he believes that the only thing wrong with his life is that Everly is not part of it.
This man has an obsession with her. But the lack of forensic evidence suggests to me that it was intentional.
My guess is there is a record of him and either his DNA or fingerprints are somewhere else. ”
Tex’s voice echoed through the room. “Get Everly to make a list of everyone in her life. And who of those have a record of some kind. If she doesn’t know, Jared can do some investigation.
I’ll tackle anyone who may have had a problem with her.
Though I think that may be a lost cause, it's still worth a try.”
“Okay.” I nodded in agreement, happy to have something to do.
Between Jared working the case remotely, and Trey being the one to install her alarms, I had nothing to offer the situation.
“Also, at no point should she or Skylar go anywhere on their own. Scott took Skylar to dancing and Bex went with Ev to fetch her. We’ll need cover for school and dancing for Skylar.
The Reverse Cowgirl for Everly as well as any other gigs she has.
I’ll get a schedule for her. I know she has a recording session this week, too. ”
“I can do that.” Lilly’s face lights up. “I always wanted to see what happens inside a recording studio.”
“Like hell.” Oliver, her husband, shook his head. “You promised you would take it easy during the pregnancy.”
While they argued, Tex hung up. A few minutes later Lilly eventually relented.
Jared spoke up in between all that. “I’ll take Skylar to school on Monday. I’ve got to go and enroll Aidan in school anyway.”
Nick frowned at us. “I take it that’s the surly kid sitting in the lobby downstairs.”
Arrangements were made for the parts of Everly and Skylar’s schedule I already knew. As well as contingencies with people who did not work for Salinger Security. Men who were former military, and trusted friends of the Salinger family in some way.
A knock at the door got our attention and Nick called the person to come in. Everly’s beautiful face lit up the room.
“Uhm, Noah. Sky’s downstairs. She’s getting started on her math homework. She said you texted that you would help her when you were done here?”
I nodded. “Yeah, we’re nearly done. I’ll take her across to the B&B. Also, keep Monday morning open. Jared is taking Sky to school, which means we can make the appointment with the realtor.”
“I don’t need to go with you.”
“Ev.” I raised a brow, hoping to end all arguments. “We are not staying at the B&B indefinitely and you are not going back to the cottage until the asshole is caught.”
At least she had the sense to relent before we ended up having an argument in front of the whole company. Her shoulders slacked as she answered me. “Fine. But nothing is permanent.”
I took that as a win, even though the more I thought about it, the more I wanted it to be permanent.
As soon as Everly closed the door, Lilly’s narrowed eyes bored into me. I didn’t like the look she was giving me as we ended the meeting.
Once it was just me and her, with Jared packing up the tech and not paying attention to us, she spoke.
“You had sex.” There was no hesitation as she made the statement.
“What?”
“I was wondering why you were trying to act professional when you’ve actually been professional up to now. I can only imagine the circumstances that brought it on.”
“We are not talking about my sex life.”
She giggled and said something about urban legends as we walked out the door.
Jared and I both made it to the lobby at the same time. We stopped in our tracks at the sight in front of us. But for different reasons.
“… and what is happening below the line has nothing to do with the top when you’re dividing or multiplying fractions.” The scrawny kid was huddled with my daughter at the small coffee table in the lobby, notebook and math textbook sprawled in front of them.”
“Seriously.” Jared raised his brow at his brother. “Three days and you’ve barely said two words to me. A pretty girl walks in, and suddenly you’re chatty Annie.”
“Actually.” Aidan mirrored his brother’s brow. “The phrase is Chatty Cathy. It was coined in 1959 by a toy company that had a doll by that name.”
I inhaled deeply, reminding myself that the little know-it-all had been through a lot in a short space of time. I would not let him irritate me. Nor the look of complete awe my daughter was giving him.
Instead, I walked over to my daughter. “We need to go. Your mom said you still need to finish your math homework.”
Skylar shook her head. “I’m nearly done. Aidan helped me. I wanted to know why he was staying with his brother, and he kept changing the subject back to Math.”
I shook off my irritation. If Skylar was going to get the kid to open up, then so be it. But I also needed to curb her before she pushed him over the edge. “Thanks Aidan. I’ve got it from here. Why don’t you go with Jared and meet your nephew.”
“Oh, Cooper is super cute.” As always, Skylar’s enthusiasm was infectious.
The boy stood and followed Jared out of the building. The older man turned and mouthed his thanks. I nodded and looked down Sky. “Since you’re nearly done with your homework, want to go get ice cream?”