6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
DYLAN
I left the conversation with Hattie feeling like my head would explode and worried that though she seemed to understand my concern, she still wouldn’t take the situation seriously. Yes, we lived in a small town without much crime, and maybe I was overly cautious—a byproduct of my career—but there was clearly something going on here. How had she not connected the strange texts and the flowers and maybe even the flat tire?
I slammed my carryout bag onto my desk with a huff.
Aiden, my partner, leaned back in his chair, eyeing me with apprehension. “Why are you so worked up?”
“You know the Williamses?” I turned and leaned back on my desk, crossing one foot over the other.
“Yeah.”
“The younger sister?”
“The one with the purple hair?”
“No.” Not sure how I forgot about Savannah. She constantly made her presence known. “The pretty one.”
Aiden cocked his head. “All the Williams sisters are gorgeous.”
Yeah, that was true, but neither of the other Williams women held a candle to Hattie. “Sure, but there’s something about Hattie that isn’t so in-your-face.”
He smirked. “Uh-huh.”
His tone implied that he thought there was more to my comment. But I had no intention of letting him in on my attraction to the off-limits sister. Last thing I needed was him giving me shit about it in front of Rhett. “Anyway, someone’s stalking her.”
“What?” He shot up straight in his seat, suddenly interested. “Stalking her?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. At least someone else was taking this seriously. I would feel less stressed about it if I knew Hattie would too.
“Next time lead with that information.” Aiden scoffed.
“At least I think so.”
“You think?” He rested his forearms on his desk and leaned in closer.
How did I explain the conversation I’d just had with the woman who was making me feel like I was about to have a stroke at any given moment?
“My brain’s on fire right now.” I roughed a hand down my face, then dove into the situation, starting with the texts and then my conversation with her about the flowers.
“And she didn’t think she should be worried about it?”
“Right?” See? He was just as exasperated as I was with that tidbit of information. “Let’s see if we can get the video footage from the gas station.”
Aiden scoffed. “If only it were that easy.”
“You never know.” I shrugged. “Not like Half Moon Lake has criminal masterminds.”
He chuckled. “So we’re opening an official investigation?”
“Uh.” Trepidation rolled through me like a wave. I didn’t want to jump the gun, even though I was confident there was reason to be concerned. I needed something substantial to show Hattie before encouraging her to file a complaint. “Let’s see if we can get the footage first or if we’ll have to get an official subpoena and go from there.”
Gut still heavy with dread, I turned back to the bag of food on my desk, though I was no longer hungry.
“What is the status of your relationship with Hattie?”
I almost dropped the container of food I had pulled out. What kind of question was that?
I spun back toward him. “Status?”
“Yeah,” he said, eyes narrowed. “What is she to you?”
“Just Rhett’s sister.” I shook my head slightly and swallowed past the lump in my throat. Why would he imply there was something more? Wait… “Is the rumor mill talking already?”
It had been less than fifteen minutes since I’d left The Dock. I couldn’t imagine news would spread so quickly.
“No. But you’re looking into this unofficially, and now you’re asking if I’ve heard rumors…”
“Nah, she’s just my friend’s sister.” I smirked. “But I did get into an argument with her in front of half the town when I stopped by The Dock.”
He cocked one brow but didn’t respond.
“I don’t know, man.” I leaned against the desk again and dropped my head back. “She’s exasperating.”
“That’s exactly what I thought about my wife when I met her.” He chuckled. “If it turns into more, promise that you’ll tell me?”
It was official. I’d completely lost my appetite. “It won’t.”
“But if it does?” he pushed.
“Fine.” I had to appease him or I’d never hear the end of it. And it wasn’t hard because I didn’t cross lines like that. “But it won’t.”
Based on the way he was shaking his head, wearing a knowing smirk, I was surprised that he didn’t call bullshit.