34. One Of Them #2
When he went by last night, the SUV was back, Alan’s truck parked behind it.
If they’d gone away, they were back now.
“There isn’t a lot we can do,” Jim said. “Other than stand around talking. We need to get this house built again. We’re lucky this didn’t cost us the job or any other ones.”
“Have you heard anything from what Skye wrote from customers?” he asked.
He wasn’t sure why that hadn’t crossed his mind before.
That the Lancasters had a big business in the area and by her putting it out there so dramatically in the public that she was being targeted, that they might worry other jobs could be jeopardized.
“There has been some talk,” Corbin said. “Garrett said he’s been questioned a few times doing renovations.”
Garrett normally worked when homeowners were around. He’d hear the most.
“And you’re just telling me now? Why haven’t you said anything?”
“Because Skye doesn’t need this on her shoulders,” Jim said. “She did what she did and there is no taking it back.”
“I don’t know if she ever thought it would affect your business. I’m positive she thought what she was doing was right.”
“She always thinks she’s right,” Keegan said. “She doesn’t stop to think that some of her actions affect others.”
“That’s harsh,” Ash said, standing up straighter. He didn’t need them saying shit about the woman he loved.
Even if it was her family. But she felt like his family.
And hearing that she loved him as much as he did her was like this pressure being lifted off his chest. The one that was weighing him down in shallow water, making it hard for him to breathe.
The fear she’d pick up and leave again.
Yeah, her actions affected more than her.
Her family was right.
But she had to put herself first too and maybe her brothers didn’t understand that.
He’d make sure they did.
“It’s the truth,” Tate said. “When she left, it killed Mom. We all know. But Mom never said a word.”
“Did you ever stop to think that she’s been living with her own guilt? Survivor’s guilt. Then guilt over the fact that the life she has is better than if she hadn’t lost her parents?”
“I’ve said that to Carrie,” Jim said, his head down, his voice not as strong. As if he didn’t want Skye’s brothers to hear it.
“You never said it to us,” Corbin said.
“Maybe if you opened your eyes you’d see it.”
“Has she said it to you?” Jim asked. “Voiced those words?”
Ash didn’t want to betray her, but this was beyond those things now.
There was just too much at stake.
“Some of it,” he admitted, nodding. “Everyone is on eggshells and I think we have to step back and see what she is going through. What she’s gone through. She didn’t ask for this.”
“She could have walked away after the first article,” Keegan said. “And once the guy taunted her.”
“I think there was a part of her that wanted to, but she got the pressure put on her,” he said.
“They pressured her at the department,” Tate said.
“My boss too. Everyone wants this person caught, but she’s taking stupid risks.
We all know it. No one said she has to go out in the middle of the night for this shit.
If she had just said she was done writing the articles.
And told the guy not to play games, what is the guy going to do? He’d leave her alone.”
“Maybe not,” Ash said. He’d thought of that also. He ran it all through his mind.
Even talked it out with Clay and Ford.
They were of the belief it wouldn’t stop the fires and might just make it harder to catch the person.
It was best to go in aware.
Didn’t mean he liked it any more than the men around him, but it was the best they could do.
“Isn’t it better knowing that she is looking over her shoulder? That we are all doing it?”
“I’m aging too fast for this shit,” Jim said. “Let’s not talk about it and get to work. Unless anyone has anything else to share that we don’t already know?”
No one did, so they got to work.
It was better that way.
And if there were six men slamming things around harder and faster than normal, no one said a word about that either.
But when three rolled around and his phone went off the same time as Tate’s and Keegan’s, there was a lot of swearing.
“What’s going on?” Corbin asked.
“Skye got another email. She’s on the way to the police station,” he said.
“And we are all going down too,” Jim said.
“No,” Tate said. “I know you want to. I get it. But I can tell you right now, it’s not going to go over well. Not for my boss and not for Skye.”
“The three of us should go,” Keegan said. “We got the texts. She knows we are all together, right, Ash?”
“I’m positive she does. If you don’t mind, I’ll bring her over after. Bring her to the house.”
“I’ll make sure Carrie has dinner ready for everyone. Tell Skye she doesn’t have a choice in this.”
He didn’t think his girlfriend was going to care for those words, but it didn’t matter. He’d bring her to her family home if he had to carry her there kicking and screaming.
They had to stick together.
He left with Tate and Keegan, the three of them pulling out and heading in the same direction.
He hit the dashboard, found Ford’s number and called him.
“What do you have?” Ford asked.
“She got another email. We all just got a text and are heading to the police station now. I’ll keep you posted what it says.”
“I expect you will,” Ford said. “You’re thinking Alan, aren’t you?”
He blew out a breath. “I don’t know what to think. I didn’t tell Skye’s family, but he’s been out of town and he was back yesterday. It seems like a coincidence that the article is posted and nothing and now today.”
“If he had been back yesterday, he could have done it,” Ford argued. “You’re focusing too much on one thing. What did Clay tell you?”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know if it’s Kyle either.”
“That’s right. We go on what we know and with what facts we have. Let’s see what the email said and where it might have been sent from.”
“I’m just pissed off that we got nothing on the cameras at the gas station. Not even Clay could get anything.”
It’d taken days for the gas station to release the footage to the police. Clay, he’d hacked into it prior, but it couldn’t be used for anything.
They had found nothing anyway. Nothing out of the ordinary or suspicious. The police followed up with any gas station customers around the time of the email and no one would have any cause or knew what was going on.
It just meant whoever sent it wasn’t in line of the cameras and probably didn’t even know they’d connected to open Wi-Fi at the time the email was sent.
“He’s getting careless. That is what you have to remember. All the other emails have been in open spaces, no buildings around. This time, it’s like he couldn’t wait. Like he wanted her to know he was watching or close by.”
“You’re not making me feel any better.”
“If you feel too good you’re not on guard,” Ford said. “Just remember that.”
And he’d try to when he got to the police station and read the email as it popped up on the screen.
Do you like watching your boyfriend battle my handiwork? Do you get turned on by the flames? Ever wonder what it’d feel like to burn? Oh yeah, that’s right. You know exactly how it feels. Only you escaped. What do you think the chances of that happening again are?
“You’re moving in with me,” Keegan said. “End of story.”
“No!” Skye shouted. “I can stay with Ash. I’ll be fine.”
“He has to work at night,” Keegan said.
“So do you and Tate. And I’m not moving back in with Mom and Dad. Just stop. All of you.”
“We’ll have patrols in the area,” Detective Brown said. “We’ve been doing it already, but we’ll put a car outside if we have to when you’re alone.”
“This is getting out of hand,” she said. He saw her eyes fill with tears. “Please tell me you’ve got something on where it’s coming from.”
“Another number. I don’t know how many burners this guy has. It’s offline and it’s pinging right out of town. On Route 9.”
“Around no buildings again,” Ash said.
“He was smarter this time,” Tate said.
“No, he wasn’t,” Keegan said. “Because he just threatened my sister and he has nowhere to hide now.”
“Where does it stand on Kyle Norman?” he asked.
“We’re going to talk to him today,” Dan said. “I’ll stop in and see him and feel around. I’ll ask where he was today at this time.”
“Ping his phone now,” Keegan said. “Find out where he is.”
“We’ll take it from here,” Dan said. “Thanks, Skye. Are you going home?”
“She’s going back home. Our family home,” Tate said. “Because we’ve got to tell Mom and Dad.”
She groaned. “No. You guys do it. I can’t upset them anymore.”
“Sorry,” Ash said. “I promised Corbin. You’re not going to fight all three of us are you?”
Her shoulders dropped along with her head. “No.”