Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Jo pulled into the driveway, her truck’s headlights sweeping across the porch. Her chest tightened at the sight of Kevin and Bridget sitting on the steps with Pickles stretched out lazily beside them. The tension in their posture sent a ripple of unease through her.
She barely killed the engine before stepping out of the car. “What’s going on?” Jo asked, her boots crunching against the gravel as she hurried up the steps. Her eyes darted from Kevin’s somber expression to Bridget’s faintly guilty one. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” Bridget said quickly, too quickly. She glanced at Kevin, who gave her a slight nod. “But we have something we need to tell you.”
Jo raised an eyebrow, folding her arms. “I’m listening.”
Kevin stood and gestured toward the front door. “Maybe we should go inside for this.”
Jo’s unease deepened. She followed them into the living room, where the warmth of the cottage clashed with the knot forming in her stomach. Bridget hovered near the arm of the couch, fidgeting, while Kevin stood near the fireplace, his hands in his pockets.
“All right,” Jo said, breaking the silence. “What’s this about?”
Kevin exhaled and pulled a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket. “This.”
Jo unfolded the note, her breath catching as she read the familiar blocky handwriting.
Secrets always come out.
Her eyes snapped to Kevin. “This… This is similar to the one on my door. Where did you get this?”
Kevin hesitated, glancing at Bridget before answering. “I found it on my windshield a few days ago. Before you found yours.”
Jo’s brow furrowed. “Why would someone leave this for you?”
Kevin shifted uncomfortably. “Because of the thumb drive.”
Jo stared at him. “Thumb drive?”
Kevin looked down. “When I got out of the hospital, they gave me a bag with things in it, and a thumb drive was in there. I had no idea what it was from.”
Jo’s gaze narrowed. “And you didn’t think to tell anyone about this?”
Kevin winced. “I didn’t know what it was at first, and I was embarrassed because of my memory issues. I thought it was blank or just junk. But then…”
He glanced at Bridget again, as if seeking permission, and she nodded slightly.
Kevin continued, “When I was on evidence room duty, recovering, I found this old notebook in the evidence room, tied to one of Lucas Thorne’s narcotics cases. There were these weird codes scribbled in the margins, and on a hunch, I tried one on the encrypted part of the thumb drive.”
Jo was all ears. She didn’t blame Kevin for holding back about the thumb drive. She understood how hard his memory issue had been and how much he’d worked to recover. Besides, she’d done things much worse. “And it worked?”
Kevin nodded. “There were numbers that looked like GPS coordinates. Those led us to that field behind Hazel Webster’s house.”
Jo blinked, her mind spinning. “Wait. You mean… that’s how you two just happened to be there the night Hazel grabbed me?”
“Yes,” Bridget said quietly, stepping closer. “But Kevin didn’t tell anyone because he was already worried about keeping the drive. He didn’t mean for it to go this far, Jo. He was—”
Jo held up a hand, stopping her. “You thought I’d be mad?” She laughed, the tension in her chest easing slightly. “Kevin, Sam and I have bent the rules more times than I can count. You don’t need to hide stuff like this from me. But what does this have to do with what’s going on now?”
Kevin’s expression darkened. “The notes.” He gestured to the one Jo still held. “The handwriting matches. Whoever’s leaving these knows about the thumb drive and whatever’s tied to it.”
Jo looked between them, her mind racing. “And you think… what? That something’s still out there? The FBI dug that place up. Wouldn’t they have found it?”
“Maybe not,” Kevin said. “If it was buried deep enough, they wouldn’t have gone that far. Think about it—if whoever left these notes is desperate enough to connect the thumb drive to Garvin’s case, there’s something out there they don’t want anyone to find.”
Jo’s grip on the note tightened, the weight of his words settling over her. “All right,” she said, her voice firm. “We’re going back to that field.”
Before they moved, Bridget cleared her throat, drawing Jo’s attention.
“There’s something else,” Bridget said, her voice hesitant.
Jo turned to her, raising an eyebrow. “What is it?”
Bridget hesitated, glancing down at her hands. “When the note was left on our door, I thought it was for me.”
Jo froze, her chest tightening. “For you? Why would you think that?”
Bridget took a deep breath, meeting Jo’s eyes.
“Because of my past. Before I came here… I wasn’t exactly living on the right side of the law.
I ran with a crew. We pulled jobs—small ones, mostly.
But one wasn’t so small. Someone got killed.
Anyway, I got out, but I’m worried someone from back then might be looking for me. ”
Jo stared at her, the weight of the confession hitting like a punch. “Bridget… why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I didn’t want to drag you into it,” Bridget said, her voice cracking slightly. “You’ve done so much for me, Jo. I didn’t want to ruin the life I’ve built here—or worse, put you in danger.”
Jo’s gaze softened, and she reached out, gripping Bridget’s hand. “Bridget, we’re in this together. All of us.”
Kevin nodded, his voice steady. “That’s why we came to you, Jo. This isn’t just about the thumb drive or the notes anymore. It’s all connected—Garvin’s murder, the body in the well, Convale. Whatever’s hidden at those coordinates could blow this whole thing wide open.”
Jo stood, determination hardening her features. “Then let’s not waste any more time.”
Bridget and Kevin exchanged a look before grabbing their jackets. As they stepped out into the cold night, Jo’s mind was already racing ahead. Whoever had gone to such lengths to hide the truth was about to have their secrets dragged into the light.