Chapter 23
As soon as Tori left Zack’s house, she called Megan back. “I can talk now. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I’m fine. I’m worried about you. I told Detective Bishop that Calvin and I have a joint credit card, and gave him the account number and—”
“You’re divorced. Why would you still have a joint credit card?”
“Calvin was supposed to sign the papers to cancel it—that was in the divorce papers, but he hasn’t. Bishop called earlier to make sure I wasn’t in Memphis. Evidently Calvin used the card to charge something at a convenience store there near the state line.”
“Are they certain he’s the one who used it?”
“Yeah—Bishop just called back while I was waiting on your call—the store has video surveillance, and according to the detective, it was Calvin—he probably didn’t think about the store having a camera or that the credit card would be flagged.”
Tori gripped the steering wheel. The state line was only fifteen minutes from Logan Point. A call beeped in, and she glanced at the ID. Amy. “Thanks for letting me know. Let me get back to you—I need to catch a call.”
“No need to call back. But do keep me updated.”
“I will,” Tori promised and switched calls. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“Just checking on you since I haven’t heard from you,” Amy said.
“Sorry. It’s been crazy around here.” She glanced in her rear mirror, and headlights flashed in the distance. Probably Scott. “Megan just called.” Tori explained what Megan had passed on to her.
“Russell was probably your shooter.”
“Good possibility.” Something they had discussed when Tori drove from the lake to Erin’s house after it happened.
“He had opportunity, motive, and means,” Amy continued. “But would he have used a credit card that pinpointed his location?”
“Probably didn’t think about it being flagged, and from the research I’ve done on him, he strikes me as the type to think he wouldn’t get caught.
” She rubbed her head. “If he started the fire or followed me down here, he would have no qualms about harming Erin or Drew.” She wasn’t putting her family in danger.
“I’ve got to find another place to stay. ”
“I thought you’d say that,” Amy said. “It’s another reason I called.
Aunt Rainey is in Seattle for the next two weeks, and she insists that we use her house while we’re in Logan Point.
Since I figure you’ll be there this weekend, I’ll drive to Mississippi in the morning, and we can set up to record the podcast in her den. ”
“Great!” Staying at her aunt’s house would solve a lot of Tori’s problems. She glanced in her rearview mirror. Two sets of headlights flashed in the distance. Hopefully the closer ones belonged to Scott. “What time will you get here tomorrow?”
“Probably by noon.”
“Good. I’m tied up early in the day going with Drew to the sheriff’s office.”
“Why? What haven’t you told me?”
Tori quickly filled Amy in on everything that had happened after the shooting.
“If Zack said he loaned Jenny the gun, he did,” Amy said.
It didn’t surprise Tori that Amy believed Zack.
Back when they were in second grade and Zack was a senior, he’d intervened when two bigger boys were picking on Tori and Amy on the playground.
He’d been Amy’s hero ever since, even if his drinking had left his armor somewhat tarnished. “I hope you’re right.”
“You know I am. Oh, you received a package today, no return address and the postmark is blurred.”
“Did you open it?”
“No, but I will, if you’d like—I’ll have to get it.”
“Wait. Do you think it could be a bomb?”
“I don’t think it’s heavy enough for that.”
“After someone shooting at me, it might be a good idea to let the police open it.”
“I’ll call Detective Bishop now.”
“Let me know if it’s a threat.” Tori ended the call then blinked as high beams flashed in her side mirror.
She shifted in the seat to avoid the glare. The vehicle was right on her. It wasn’t Scott. He would never ride her bumper. Maybe a truck—she could see headlights and the top of the grill in her rearview mirror, but nothing else.
The image of the rifle pointing at her earlier flashed in her mind. She tapped her brakes, hoping the driver would back off. If anything, the lights came closer, and the S curve where her dad lost control of his car was just ahead.
“Back off,” she muttered.
Instead her Toyota lurched forward as the vehicle tapped her bumper just hard enough to make keeping it on the road difficult. She gripped the steering wheel as the car veered to the right.
She was in the curve. One more bump and she would lose control. Tori stiff-armed the steering wheel, waiting for the other vehicle to hit her again. When nothing happened, she glanced in the mirror.
The vehicle riding her bumper abruptly fell back, then whipped around her, its headlights blinding her in the side mirror. Tori slowed and tried to identify her attacker, but she only saw enough to know it was a pickup as it zoomed past her.
Her body turned to mush, and she struggled to navigate her car out of the second curve and onto the side of the road as a second vehicle passed her. Scott. He slowed and pulled off the road in front of her. Tori leaned her head against the steering wheel, her energy spent.
Scott jumped out of his truck, ran to her car, and jerked open her door. “You okay?”
She stumbled out of her car and nodded. “You?”
“Yeah. Could you identify the driver of the other truck?”
“All I could see were headlights at first, then when it rammed me, all I could think of was holding my car on the road. Did you see the driver?”
“No,” he said, “but it could’ve been the same truck that was at the lake. As soon as I saw how close the truck was to you, I called Ben and reported what happened. He thinks it might be Calvin Russell.”
“Megan said he was in the area.” Tori bit her bottom lip. “I don’t want to go back to Erin’s—what if he knows I’m staying there?”
“Hold on a second.” Scott stepped away from her and called someone. A few minutes later he returned. “Taylor and Nick said for me to take you to their house.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to put them in danger.”
“You won’t—they’re in California. Besides, they took me in, and no one’s found me yet.”
“But you’re family.”
“Some people wouldn’t count that as a plus.” He grinned at her. “Besides, what’re your other options?”
She looked up at the night sky where millions of stars flickered. “I could stay at Rainey Fletcher’s house. Amy’s coming tomorrow.”
Her heart fluttered as he caught her gaze and held it. No one had affected her like this since Michael. No. Not happening, especially with a recovering alcoholic.
Tori crossed her arms and tried to resurrect the barrier Scott had somehow slipped past. She couldn’t go there again.
Scott eyed her. “Tell me you really want to spend the night in that big old house by yourself.”
What choice did she have? It was the only way to keep from involving anyone else in her troubles.
“I promise, you won’t be a danger or an inconvenience. The house sits back off the road, and Taylor and Nick have state-of-the-art surveillance. It’s one reason I agreed to stay there while I recovered.”
Her resolve weakened. Maybe it would be okay. A famous author’s house was probably the last place anyone would look for her. And as for the way Scott made her heart race, she’d just have to ignore it. “One night. Tomorrow when Amy gets here, we’ll set up in her aunt’s house.”
He raised his brows. “We’ll see. I’ll follow you to your sister’s house and you can get your things.”
“No need. I brought my computer to the coffee shop, and I never unloaded at Erin’s—I have everything I’ll need.”
“Do you always have a backup plan?”
“Yep. Like you, I expect.”
He winked at her. “Could be we have more in common than we thought.”
Was he flirting with her? If it hadn’t been for Michael, Scott would tick all the boxes.
Intelligent, kind, trustworthy, strong moral compass, a sense of humor much like her own, and he wasn’t hard to look at.
Although good-looking wasn’t one of her boxes.
But she wasn’t in the market, especially with him.
“I’ll text Erin and let her know I’m not coming home. ”
She followed Scott to the Sinclair home and parked her car in the garage beside his truck.
“You hungry?” he asked when she got out of her car.
“No, but I know I need to eat.”
“Well, I’m hungry—I didn’t eat before I went to the meeting, and that cup of coffee is long gone.” He thought a minute. “There’s bread and meat to make a sandwich, and I guess I could settle for that.”
The Pink Panther theme sounded from her phone. “It’s Amy.” She answered. “What’s going on?” There was hesitation on the line. “Spit it out.”
“I called Detective Bishop, and he was concerned. He brought in the bomb squad, and they’re here now, examining the package.”
Tori glanced at Scott. “Amy, I’m with Scott Sinclair right now. I’m going to put this on speaker.”
“Okay,” Amy said. “The bomb squad commander is walking this way.” A few seconds later, she said, “What did you find?”
Tori heard a gasp. “What is it?” she asked.
“It’s a doll . . . with a broken neck.”
She wished she could see what Amy was talking about. “What do you mean?”
“It’s like a Barbie doll, only someone has twisted the head off.”
She gripped the phone hard. “Do not come to Logan Point. It’s too dangerous.”
Amy grunted. “I figure there’s safety in numbers. There’s a note pinned to the doll. It says ‘mind your own business’ and has both of our names on it.”