Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
N aya pinched her eyes shut. She would never be able to unsee Will’s body in a heap on the floor—the life of another person taken too soon. Her gaze seemed unable to focus on anything else in the room.
Will was dead.
If she didn’t step away, she was going to hurl. Despite her distrust in the man and how he’d treated Ingram recently, she didn’t wish death on anyone, let alone in this way.
She couldn’t imagine how Ingram would handle the news.
“What happened?” The words came out in a croak, and Naya bit her lip.
“Looks like he was shot. I need to call this in.” Zack grimaced and pulled out his phone. “This is a crime scene.”
“I need a moment.” Without waiting for Zack’s response, she headed out the front door and paced to and fro on the porch, trying to relieve the sick feeling in her stomach.
If someone had murdered Will, that had to mean he’d known information. But the difficult task would be discovering what that knowledge was.
If Will had been killed over the truth, whoever it was wouldn’t stop until everyone who possessed the same information was silenced. That meant no one could be trusted, and Naya hated thinking that way.
It might have saved her in the past, but it was also exhausting believing the worst about people.
Right now, it seemed like this story had led nowhere but to more questions and heartache. Pieces that didn’t fit into an ever-growing puzzle, which only added confusion.
In all her years as an investigative reporter, Naya had never experienced such turmoil. Even when she’d had a stalker on her heels after writing the dance instructor’s story, the police had resolved the issue quickly.
Raindrops began to splash on her head, and Naya ducked under the awning to keep from getting wet. The skies opened up, and a deluge of rain fell to the ground.
She pinched the bridge of her nose.
Lord, we need Your guidance. Another person is dead, and I don’t know how much more I can take. Naya shivered. Everything is so uncertain right now. Hide us in the shadow of Your wing, and bring justice, please.
The police should be here soon.
The door creaked behind her, and she turned to find Zack. He stood silently for a minute, like the weight of the whole situation was too much for words. “You’re going to want to see this.” He pointed inside.
Naya followed him back into the foyer, and he stopped in the hallway. Several picture frames hung on the wall. One of Will and Ingram smiling near a waterfall was in the middle. Naya rubbed the back of her neck. How had this happened? She’d have to break the news to Ingram soon, who’d be calling shortly if she didn’t hear anything.
A few other pictures surrounded the happy couple, all of different travel places and landscapes. Including a map of Pine Crest pinnacle.
A hiker’s memorabilia? Or evidence of something more sinister?
Naya wanted to believe the best.
“Notice anything interesting about any of these pictures?” Zack pulled out his phone and took a picture.
“He has a map of Pine Crest.” Naya studied the other images, then gasped. “And his hat. It has the same crisscross emblem that the guy on the security footage wore.” No, it couldn’t be true. She didn’t want it to be. Will couldn’t be the one who’d attacked her on the mountain or left the note for Zack.
What did he have to gain from it all? She couldn’t press charges against Ingram’s boyfriend. Now deceased boyfriend. It would destroy her friend.
“I don’t understand.” Naya shook her head.
Sirens pierced the air.
Zack and Naya raced outside and waved down the officers.
Wilcox stepped out of one car, while Ramble and Tazwell got out of another.
Detective Wilcox walked toward them. “I’m sorry we have to be meeting like this.” She frowned. “Where’s the body?”
Naya winced at the language. Of course, the detective was doing her job, but the question felt impersonal.
Zack led the way to the kitchen, while Naya hung back in the hall.
“You didn’t touch anything here, correct?” The detective pulled out a camera and bent down.
“Nothing,” Zack affirmed. “I just checked for a pulse.”
“What brought you out to his house?” Ramble stood near the counter and flipped open a pad of paper.
“My friend, Ingram, well, this was her boyfriend.” Naya cleared her throat and explained they’d been worried he might be in danger.
Zack filled in his details, then beckoned the officer to the hallway. “I noticed this image. He’s wearing the same hat Naya described after someone shoved her. And security footage showed a man wearing this cap dropping off a threatening note in the mailbox at the firehouse the other day.”
“You still have access to the security footage?” Ramble asked.
“Yes, I can send you a copy of it,” Zack said.
Ramble handed him a business card. “We’ll look into it. And I’ll check the incident report from Pine Crest.”
Naya’s mind went numb, and she stopped following the conversation.
The thought of writing this story and publishing the details left a sour taste in her mouth.
When the report came out, Naya needed to be there for Ingram.
“If there’s nothing else you need from us, we’ll get out of your hair.” Zack put a hand on Naya’s back.
“I’ll be in touch if we need anything.” Ramble turned to talk with his partner.
Zack escorted Naya outside, and the rush of the rain and wind brought her to her senses. They headed down the street to her car, and Zack popped open the umbrella.
“I need to call Ingram.” Naya sniffled.
“Want me to drive?” Zack opened the passenger door.
“Sure.” Naya ducked down into the car. She couldn’t concentrate right now, and the last thing they needed was another car accident to add to the nightmare of events.
Zack put his hands on the steering wheel but didn’t start the car. “Before you call Ingram, there’s something else you should know.”
Naya narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“I think Will was seeing someone else.” He clenched his lips.
Bile rose in Naya’s throat. That was a bold claim to make. One she didn’t want to entertain because it was all too familiar. “What makes you say that?”
Zack pulled out his phone and handed it to her. “His phone was on the counter, and a text came in when you were outside. I glanced at the screen, and this is what was on it.”
Naya scanned the image of Will’s phone screen, and heat rose in her face.
Looking forward to having you all to myself tomorrow night. Love you lots, babe.
It wasn’t the heart and winky face emojis that did her in but the name of who’d sent the message.
Naya shoved open the passenger door and hurled. When she was certain she wouldn’t be sick again, she slid back into the seat and grabbed a napkin from the glovebox.
“I’m so sorry.” Zack’s face contorted in pain.
The rain that slid down the windshield was a mirror image of the tears that streamed down Naya’s face. “He was seeing…” She hiccupped. “He was with Sylvia.”
Zack grimaced. “It seems like that.”
“Do you think she was the one who locked Ingram in the office?” Naya’s mind swirled with thoughts.
Zack shifted in his seat to face her better. “Officers will need to comb the cameras to determine the cause of the forklift collision and who might’ve trapped Ingram. But would it really be helpful for her to know that?”
He was right. Although it would serve a purpose in finding out what had gone down and maybe provide insight into why cell service and Will’s office phone had been disconnected, it wouldn’t do Ingram any good.
But it didn’t mean the investigation could stop on Naya’s end. For her friend’s sake, Naya had to find out who’d killed Will—and the information that had led to his untimely downfall.
“We need to find Will’s killer.” Naya clicked in her seatbelt.
“Nay.” Zack’s voice lowered a notch. “We can’t play this game anymore. He’s dead, and there’s no telling who might be next.”
“I thought we agreed to be a team on this,” Naya cried. “Don’t you want justice?”
“Absolutely, but the police have it now. We need to let them do their job.”
“So now’s when you’re going to dip out?” Naya laughed and shook her head. “My friend’s boyfriend is dead, and he could have been mixed up in everything. We’re so close to finding the truth.”
“That’s not fair, Nay. I care about you.” He sucked in a breath. “Now that you’re back in my life, I don’t want to lose you again. That’s exactly what will happen if you get killed.”
Naya swallowed. He had a good point. He was looking out for her. But, “What if someone else gets hurt because the truth isn’t exposed? I don’t think I could live with that guilt.”
“That’s not a burden you’re meant to carry.” Zack’s brow furrowed. “Sometimes the best choice is to take a step back.”
“When people take a step back, it means they’re not going to stick around when the going gets tough. If it’s not convenient for them or they don’t get what they want, they just up and leave.” Naya swatted at the tears, her eyes burning.
They were probably bloodshot at this point, but she didn’t care.
Naya said, “My dad didn’t want me, so he left me. I could never meet Tucker’s expectations, so he turned to love elsewhere. And you…” Naya sucked in a lungful of air.
Zack hadn’t moved a muscle. Just sat there, listening.
This last part hurt to say, because it meant what happened was real. But she needed to be completely honest.
Naya looked him in the eye. “You left. You abandoned me. Looking out the window to your grandma’s house and knowing you weren’t there was a reminder of what I’d lost. I was once again the outcast and unwanted.”
“I’m sorry,” Zack whispered.
“You were my friend. Or so I thought,” she said. “And I was foolish enough to trust you again. To think that maybe I didn’t know the whole story. Maybe you’d grown up and there could be something more between us.” Except she’d been wrong.
Water pooled in Zack’s eyes. “I never meant to hurt you.”
Naya wrung her hands. He didn’t raise his voice or try to defend himself. There wasn’t even a hint of anger in his face. Only a mix of what was, what could have been, and what should be.
If Zack didn’t want to help her see this story through, that was his choice. But it meant their paths would probably never cross again this side of heaven. She needed people she could depend on.
If they were going to go their separate ways, she needed an answer to one question she’d lived with for years. “Why did you leave?”