33. Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Lennox
I told Roxie I was going to the park to try and desensitize myself.
I lied.
It’s not that I don’t want to actually do that; it’s more that I need to talk to Arlo without her. But I also wouldn’t go to the park without her. I honestly don’t think I can do it without her.
None of that matters, though, because the important thing right now is getting answers and a damn plan when it comes to Greg and Pam Moore.
Did I park around the back of Main Street at the opposite end of Doc’s office? Yes, but I didn’t really want attention from anyone, let alone Roxie. She has big things she’s working on right now, and I don’t need to interrupt that with the gossip crew.
The bell above the door rings, and Audrey, Arlo’s assistant, raises her head. Her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline at the sight of me—a stark reminder of my reclusive nature for the past few months.
“Uh, hey. I wanted to see if Arlo was in.” I run my hand over the back of my neck, waiting for the inevitable string of questions she’ll let fly in a second.
“Oh. Duh, of course. He’s free in there; just go on back.”
I nod and make my way to the back .
“Oh, and Lennox?” Her voice stops me. “It’s good to see you.”
I hold her gaze and see none of the pity I expect, only appreciation for seeing me alive.
Knocking on the door, I wait to hear Arlo give the go-ahead. Once he does, I step in and close the door behind me.
“Well, well, look what the cat dragged in.” He leans back in his chair.
“Let’s not make a big deal about it.”
He bows his head, conceding, and I’m grateful for once that he’s the type of person who doesn’t talk more than he needs to. His gruff attitude is my saving grace right now.
“I’m here because I need an update on the Roxie situation.” I take a seat in one of his visitor chairs.
He winces, which tells me there’s nothing new. “I caught a glimpse of who I thought was Greg. I’m still pretty sure it was him, but the second he caught wind of me, he hopped in a car and left. I have a call into—” The ringing of his cell phone disrupts him. He peeks at the screen before holding up a finger and answering, “Sheriff.”
I watch as he nods a couple of times before pulling the phone from his ear and hitting a button. Setting the phone down on the desk, a voice carries on like it’s a regular conversation.
“—need to dig into that further.”
“Woodcroft, I just put you on speaker. Lennox is in the office with me currently.”
“Hey, Lennox, how are you doing?” Woodcroft switches modes effortlessly.
“Pretty good, how about yourself? Catch any more serial torturers lately? ”
A bark of laughter comes through the phone as Arlo’s lips tip up at the corners. “Luckily, I think those are all out of stock—thanks to you, my man.”
“Can you repeat what you said one more time?” Arlo asks.
“Yep. So, Greg and Pam Moore are in pretty deep with debt collectors and casinos. The casinos are more concerning, and I plan to look into that one more. That’s not the interesting part, though. Pam has been in and out of the hospital—we knew that, but what we didn’t know is she’s been leaving against medical advice every single time because they won’t give her opioids. She’s hopped all over to different hospitals, but word is apparently getting around and everywhere is denying her. There have been reports filed against her for fighting a couple of nurses as well. So, we have a gambling addict and a drug addict going after a physical therapist and her daughter. And both of them have some history of violence.”
“What the fuck?” I growl. “What can we do? If they’re here already, what can we do?” I look at Arlo.
“They’re there already?” Woodcroft’s voice echoes off the walls.
“I saw Greg two days ago, but he left before I could nail him down. Haven’t seen him since. I would assume they are in the area. Maybe not in Bluebell Falls, but in the surrounding area.”
“Shit. I can’t leave right now. We’ve got this case…”
“No one expects you to drop everything and come out here, Kellen,” I say. He’s checked up on me a couple of times since everything happened. He’s a good guy. An honest one with a hero complex, no doubt.
“If this case ever fucking ends, I’ll jump on a flight over there ASAP.”
“I appreciate it, but hopefully this doesn’t last that long,” Arlo says.
Woodcroft clears his throat. “I’ll keep digging. I’d also like to look into Roxie a little more … if that’s okay. ”
My entire body tenses up at the thought. Digging into her family is one thing, but this feels more intrusive. If she wanted me to know something, especially now, she’d tell me.
“Can you give me a couple of days to see what I can find first?” I offer weakly. Arlo’s keen eye is missing nothing, though.
“Totally. Just let me know, and I can look in my free time.”
“Thanks, Woodcroft, I owe you one,” I tell him.
“Absolutely not. I owe Bluebell Falls like a million IOUs.” He chuckles.
“Well, good luck with the case, and I’ll talk to you later,” Arlo says, hitting the red button without waiting for Woodcroft’s rebuttal.
He’s such a crotchety bastard sometimes.
“So, that’s bad,” I say.
“It’s not great. Give me the day, and I’ll come up with a plan on how to either draw them out or call my contact in Rosedale and see if that’s where they are. If I spooked them, they may not be back for a while.”
“Okay.”
We sit, not saying a word for a few minutes. It’s not awkward, considering we’re both taking in what Woodcroft shared, but I do have something else on my mind.
“Are you...” I clear my throat. “Are you still doing therapy?” Holding my breath, I wait to see if he’ll kick me out.
He studies me for a long second before answering, “I am.”
I should have asked Oakley. Arlo’s just going to make it hard as hell to get anything out of him.
“Do you feel like it’s helped?” We’ve very briefly talked about therapy as a whole, but I never wanted to get into it. I didn’t want to admit I needed help, even though that was stupid. It’s obvious I need help .
“I do. I didn’t want to do it for a long time … too long. I thought I could figure all of it out, but no shocker, I was very wrong. Don’t get me wrong, it’s one hundred percent work. There are no easy days. But it’s helped me see bigger-picture things. Pulled a lot of the guilt I’ve felt off my shoulders. It’s helped a lot with Rina too,” he adds with a knowing look.
Nodding, I take in what he’s saying. “I have an appointment in two days, and I’m scared shitless,” I murmur.
“Understandable.”
“What if they cement all my doubts? What if it proves I’m not good enough for Roxie and Ivy?” I word vomit my fears on probably the last person who likes to talk about their feelings.
“Do you really think that, or are you more scared to face what you’ve been avoiding since Tennison?” he asks very astutely.
“Well, if there was ever a sign that therapy works, that just may be it.” I grin at him, fully ignoring that he’s one hundred percent correct.
He grunts but leans forward in his seat. “Listen, it’s great to see you joking and being the stupid, immature Lennox we all love, but therapy sucks. It’s hard; it makes you think about every single thing you don’t want to and some you didn’t even realize were an issue. It makes you reflect on who you are now, and who you want to be in the future. It’s scary as hell, but I am abundantly proud of you for taking this step. You will be so grateful you took the leap.” He holds my stare the whole time, watching as my stupid eyes fill with tears. “Roxie and Ivy are lucky to have a man like you in their lives; don’t ever doubt that.”
I feel one stray tear fall, and I quickly swipe it away as I nod. If I try to talk, I’ll break down right here, and I don’t want to make Arlo more uncomfortable than he already probably is .
“Now, get out of here. I’ll keep you updated.” He shifts back in his chair and turns to his computer like nothing happened.
Fucking Arlo.
I shove back in my chair, standing up and waiting until he looks at me. “Thank you.” Spinning on my heel, I walk out the door, waving to Audrey as I leave.
The feeling of being unsettled and content with my decisions mixes within me. An odd mix, but one that gives me hope. Arlo’s words repeat in my head as I drive home and see Roxie’s car haphazardly parked in the driveway.
What the hell?
I park behind her, quickly getting out and walking to the front door. All is quiet when I walk in, but the energy is all wrong. Something happened.
Hurrying to her room, what I see stops my heart in my chest.
No. No, this can’t be happening.
“What are you doing?” My voice is stronger than I feel.
When she whirls around, tears are streaming down her face, and I know Greg and Pam found her. We didn’t work fast enough, didn’t find the answers when we needed to.
And now, I might have just lost the best thing to ever happen to me.