Epilogue
The recipient of his call answered on the first ring, just as he’d been directed. At least someone had the good sense to follow orders.
“Is the kid sticking to his story?”
“Sounds like he is.”
“You don’t know?” He ground his molars again. That the dentist had said they were flat now didn’t surprise him at all.
“He is. I know. He wants to be a celebrity.”
“That’s all we need.” But he could breathe easier, knowing that no one would be sniffing around in his world. He’d been at this too long to let a pissant psychopath mess up his plans.
“You don’t think he kept it all in the house, do you?”
“If he did, it’s ash and sludge now.”
“But you don’t think so, do you?”
He made a noncommittal sound in his throat.
It was always best to keep others guessing.
Otherwise, they started thinking they could make decisions for themselves.
Like the pyromaniac, who’d gone rogue and burned down the Hoffmans’ house.
Because he didn’t get in some cadet program, no less.
That well-placed directions list at the crime scene had drowned the boy’s matches, and the kid’s own hubris would prevent him from naming names.
Perfect solution for someone that they no longer found useful.
“Do you think his son and daughter know anything?”
He made the same sound, but on that he was certain. The only question was what they planned to do with what they’d found.
“Just make sure the kid sticks to his story.”
He clicked off the call without saying goodbye and tossed the phone on the table. Because the Phillips kid had brought so much attention to the Hoffmans by setting fire to the house, they couldn’t go after them now.
But they couldn’t be protected forever, either. They’d be vulnerable again soon enough. Like lambs left in a field, defenseless. And when that happened, he’d be waiting.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from Colton Storm Watch by Amber Leigh Williams.