Chapter 13
G lancing over to where Ben fiddled with the remote control for the television, Trina tried to stay positive.
Being on the run, hiking through the woods, and fearing danger at every turn was wearing her down.
Her exhaustion was more mental than physical.
And she knew she’d feel this way until this crazed maniac was found and tossed behind bars.
When the coffee pot was full, she poured a cup. Taking a seat at the kitchen table, she reveled in the relative peace and quiet.
Having Ben in her home twenty-four seven had been a huge adjustment. She used to have plenty of downtime. Now, quiet moments like this were rare.
Not that she regretted her decision to take custody of Ben. She loved him, as much as if he were her own son. He was a good kid who deserved a chance to live his life. And if that meant making sacrifices, so be it. Besides, things would no doubt be better once he started back to school.
Two and a half weeks and counting.
“Can I play with Mitch tomorrow?” Ben asked.
She forced a smile. “We’ll see.”
He flopped back onto the sofa with a loud sigh. “You always say that.”
She did, so there was no point in arguing. “Did you find something to watch on TV?”
“Not yet.” Her attempt at a distraction worked. He lifted the remote and began searching stations. “But I don’t think it’s fair that I can’t have my video game or play with Mitch.”
Since she didn’t want to remind him of the danger, there wasn’t much she could say. Thankfully, Ben was focused on the television. Why he wasn’t tired out from what they’d been through was a mystery. She was learning that kids seemed to have boundless energy.
Taking another minute to enjoy her coffee, she finally set it aside. Rising to her feet, she poked around in the fridge and freezer. They’d had a huge lunch, the most delicious fried chicken she’d ever tasted in her life, but knowing Ben, he’d still be ready for dinner in a few hours.
It felt a little like she was invading Grady McFarland’s personal life by looking around in his fridge.
Not that food was private, per se. Yet she’d never met Grady.
In fact, she didn’t remember him from high school either.
Although if he was a year older like Joel and Justin, she might not have paid attention.
It was nice of him to share his home. She made a mental note to ask Joel if they could reimburse him for the groceries they’d use. And for anything else that happened.
She shared Joel’s and Justin’s concerns about the gunman finding them there and causing damage to the house and property. The explosion at the cabin, not to mention the gunfire and arson attempt at her home, remained fresh in her mind.
Finding a couple of frozen pizzas in the freezer, including a cheese and pepperoni, Ben’s favorite, she decided they’d have that for dinner. Easy and practical worked for her.
The door from the garage opened, and Joel walked in. He flashed a smile as he headed for the coffee pot. “The SUV is in the garage. We’re safe here.”
“Great.” His smile made her wish for things she’d never have.
“Are you okay?” He eyed her over the rim of his mug. “I know it’s been a difficult morning.”
“Of course.” She returned to her seat at the table. Difficult was an understatement, but other than having sore feet from hiking, she was fine. And more importantly, Ben had shaken off his initial fears to bounce back to his usual self. “Where’s Justin?”
“He’s looking around the property.” Joel sipped his coffee. “Grady has almost a full acre of land here. He’s just checking things out.”
She cupped her hands around her mug. “I really wish this was over. It’s hard to be so close to my home without being able to go inside.”
“I feel for you.” His gaze was sympathetic. “I’m going to call Griff soon. We really could use an update.”
She bit her lip to avoid a sarcastic response. It was depressing to know there was little to no progress on the case in the past twenty-four hours. Sure, this was real life, not one of her mystery stories, but she had expected more.
“Don’t despair,” Joel said in a low voice. “Griff and the local police will come through for us soon.”
She nodded, forcing a smile. “I know. It just seems incredulous that this guy has been able to slip through their fingers for so long.”
“It bugs me too.” He grimaced and took another sip. “I doubt Peter Thomas or Robby Rawlings can stay off the grid for long. They’re bound to be found eventually.”
She hoped he was right about that. Finishing her coffee, she rose to set the cup in the sink. Joel moved over but was still close enough that she caught his musky scent. There was something about him that called to her senses.
He was the wrong guy for her by a mile, but that didn’t seem to stop her senses from going on high alert when he was near. This forced togetherness wasn’t helping either.
She wanted—no, what was the point of wanting something she couldn’t have? She needed to get a grip on her imagination.
Too bad she didn’t have her laptop. She was desperate for something to do.
Since her laptop wasn’t an option, she decided to look for a pad of paper.
She normally only used notepads for making notes on her story, preferring to do all her actual writing on the computer.
But she was willing to give writing by hand a try if that was the only option available. She had to do something or go crazy.
Something other than walk into Joel’s arms, seeking his strength and comfort.
Grady had a pad of paper and several pens in a drawer. She carried them into the living room to sit beside Ben. Royal and Stone were curled up beside him, Royal resting his head on Ben’s lap. Ben had found a show to watch and appeared satisfied.
For now.
The next hour passed peacefully enough. Writing longhand wasn’t working, but she was able to make notes, outlining her next chapter well enough that she thought this was something she should do more often.
It would shorten the time it took her to write a chapter, that’s for sure.
After a while, Justin came inside and helped himself to coffee too.
Stone opened one eye, looked toward Justin, then closed it again. Royal didn’t budge.
When the twins sat at the table to talk, she set the notepad aside and crossed over to join them. Their discussion likely impacted her and Ben.
“I left a message with Griff,” Joel said as she sat beside him. “Hopefully, he’ll call back soon.”
Justin nodded. “Maybe he’s interviewing one of our suspects.”
“Trina, would you like coffee?” Joel asked.
“No thanks.” She sighed. “I don’t like sitting around doing nothing.”
“Trust me, this isn’t our norm either.” Joel reached over to lightly touch her arm. “At least Ben is quiet.”
“I know he can’t play with Mitch, but he’s not going to stop asking.” For being eight, her nephew could be stubbornly determined when he wanted to be. “If we don’t know anything by tomorrow, it will get even worse.”
The twins exchanged a long look. Justin gave a slight nod. “I know. I can imagine he’ll be relentless. We’ll just have to deal with it.”
Easy for him to say , she thought with a scowl.
Joel’s phone rang. He showed the screen with Griff’s name and answered. “Hey, Griff, please tell me you have news.”
“Put the call on speaker,” Justin suggested.
Joel nodded. “Hang on, Griff, Justin and Trina are here and need to hear this too.” He put the call on speaker and set it in the middle of the table. “Go ahead, Griff. Tell us what you know.”
“Okay, so it’s a good news, bad news situation,” Griff said. “The Cody police found Robby Rawlings. He went on a bender and happened to be staying with a buddy of his, Tyson Cutler. It wasn’t one of the names you gave us, so it took longer for us to track him down.”
“What caused him to drink himself into oblivion?” Joel asked. “Was it the breakup?”
“According to Rawlings, yes.” There was a pause, then Griff added, “We’ve spoken to his ex-girlfriend who confirmed the story the bartender gave us.”
“I only met Tyson a few times,” Trina said. “But to be honest, I didn’t much like him. If you ask me, he’d say whatever Robby wanted him to.”
“I got that same impression, Trina,” Griff agreed.
“We spent the past hour verifying Rawlings’s alibi.
We have video from the liquor store where they bought their booze and tracked down a sandwich delivery driver who dropped off food at Tyson’s address.
I hate to admit this, but I believe them.
Tyson’s trailer house was a disaster. It looked to me as if they didn’t leave other than to get liquor. ”
Trina couldn’t say she was surprised by the news that Robby wasn’t the person responsible. It had been a stretch to imagine he’d go so far as to shoot at her, start a fire, and then put a bomb beneath Joel’s SUV.
But Griff was right that this was bad news. They were still no closer to identifying the gunman. And without that, she and Ben weren’t free to return home.
“Sounds like we can cross Rawlings off our suspect list,” Joel said after a moment. “What’s the news on Peter Thomas?”
“I haven’t heard back from the Laramie PD,” Griff said. “Once I’m finished here, I’m doing to drive down there to talk to them in person.”
“How hard can it be to find Peter?” The comment came out before she could stop it, and from the surprised looks on Joel’s and Justin’s faces, she realized how cranky she sounded.
“I’m sorry, Griff, I’m not angry with you.
It’s just that Ben and I have been in danger nonstop, which has forced us to stay in four different places in the past two days.
” Her voice broke, and she bit her lip to steady herself.
Then she finally added, “I can’t take much more of this. ”