Chapter 17
After clearing Hailey’s house, Peter coaxed Jenna away from her mom so Hailey could pack their bags.
The little girl refused to be put down, so he grabbed a storybook and settled on the couch with her.
He wasn’t sure how big her vocabulary was yet, but she seemed to be content to look at the pictures while he signed an abbreviated form of the story.
Having Maggie snuggled up beside them probably helped too.
The golden had sensed their tension and immediately taken up her post by Jenna when they walked in the door.
Eric should be along soon. Someone had to make sure no one tampered with the wrecked vehicles and that they arrived safely at the police station, so the detective had stayed behind to wait for the tow trucks or the return of Officer Owens, whichever came first.
Before splitting up, Eric, Peter, and Hailey had finally settled on a temporary plan.
She would call off work for tomorrow—a reasonable arrangement, all things considered—and she and Jenna would stay with her parents for the time being.
It wasn’t a long-term solution, but it would give the impression that Hailey was following orders and give Eric a chance to dig into the case.
Peter signed, The end, and closed the book. He picked up another, but Jenna pushed it away. No book? he asked.
She shook her head and signed, Eat.
He made the sign back to her to confirm, and she gave him a toothy grin, then pointed toward the kitchen.
Okay. He stood and looked around. Hailey hadn’t yet reappeared from the bedrooms, but he should be able to scrounge up something for Jenna. Hadn’t he noticed a menu board hanging beside the refrigerator yesterday? Maybe he’d get lucky and find that Hailey had planned to reheat leftovers tonight.
He felt a tug on the hem of his shirt and looked down. As soon as she saw she had his attention, Jenna held up her hands. Poor thing apparently wasn’t ready to let him out of arm’s reach. He picked her up and carried her into the kitchen. Maggie hopped off the couch and followed them.
Locating the menu board, he peered at the neat script written in blue dry-erase marker, Omelets w/ leftover sandwich ingredients. That was doable.
Holding Jenna made things a bit trickier, but he was well into the process when Hailey emerged with a backpack and carry-on-size suitcase. Her forehead wrinkled when she caught sight of them. “What are you doing?”
He flashed her a grin. “The princess said she’s hungry. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. But you didn’t have to do that.” She dropped the bags on the island and reached for her daughter, who was happily munching on a graham cracker Peter had found to help tide her over.
“It’s no bother.” He tipped his chin in the direction of the menu board. “I hope neither of you are picky about the fillings. I had to guess which leftovers you intended to use for this.”
“The more meat and veggies, the better, as far as I’m concerned. Jenna’s happy enough to dissect hers and share anything she doesn’t want with Maggie.”
He folded the eggs over. “Perfection. Order up.”
Though he hadn’t intended to eat, Hailey insisted he make himself something too, since, as she put it, he was sacrificing his evening for them.
He couldn’t deny he was hungry, so he whipped up another omelet before joining them at the table.
Eric hadn’t yet called with an update, which probably meant they had time to kill.
Once the detective arrived, the ladies, including Maggie, would load back up in Peter’s car for the short trip to the Jessup farm, and Eric would follow them in his unmarked police vehicle.
The entourage was probably unnecessary. Yes, someone had to drive Hailey and Jenna, but either of the men could have handled it alone.
Still, he’d feel better knowing the detective was close.
On the off chance that Hailey’s antagonists decided to return, the presence of another vehicle should be a deterrent.
Peter suspected that wouldn’t be an issue tonight though.
Whoever those men were, they’d made their point, and now they’d give Hailey a chance to act accordingly.
They kept their conversation light while they ate, both seeming to instinctively understand their need for a break from the situation.
But it was impossible not to think about it.
Peter’s mind cycled through the facts they had, possible motives for attempting to run Hailey out of town, and various scenarios they might face in the coming days.
What was he doing? Peter nearly choked on a mouthful of eggs. Scenarios they might face? He wasn’t Hailey and Jenna’s bodyguard. So maybe he’d been in a position to help them today, but this wasn’t his job. Once Hailey and Jenna were safely at the Jessup farm, he’d be coming back to Kincaid. Alone.
Still, the offer to watch her back was on the tip of his tongue. But he couldn’t do that. Couldn’t let her rely on him. Because he couldn’t keep her safe. And it would be his fault when something happened to her.
His eyes strayed to Hailey as she almost absently spooned another bite into Jenna’s mouth.
She didn’t seem to have noticed the lull in their conversation or the mental cyclone he’d gotten pulled into.
Then again, he suspected she was caught in her own internal vortex.
He hated that she was having to deal with all this.
Suddenly, she seemed to snap back to the present. She raised her hooded gaze to him and attempted a smile, though the swelling on the right side of her face left it a bit lopsided. “That omelet was amazing. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He eyed her bruises. “You want an ice pack? I can make one if you tell me where to find a plastic bag.”
She touched the area gingerly. “Probably not a bad idea. I keep sandwich bags in the drawer under the menu board.”
That was all the invitation he needed. He found the bags, filled one with ice, and wrapped a dish towel around it. As he crossed the kitchen to offer it to Hailey, his phone rang.
He didn’t recognize the number, but it was local, so he accepted the call. “Peter Lewis.” He handed the ice pack to Hailey and stepped away.
“It’s Detective Thornton. I’m leaving the police station and heading your way. Things going all right?”
“Everything’s been quiet.”
“Good. Tell Hailey I found her phone. It was smashed. Either it got run over when they were moving the vehicles or one of the men stomped on it.” Based on what he’d heard over the phone earlier, Peter would place his bet on the latter.
“Will do. Any other evidence left behind that you’re willing to disclose?” He glanced at Hailey. She was listening intently to his side of the conversation.
“The car hasn’t been reported stolen, but I highly suspect it was.
Unless these guys are complete idiots, I can’t see them leaving their own vehicle at the scene of the crime.
We’re working on contacting the owner. While I was waiting for the tow trucks, I did find a gas receipt wedged between the driver’s seat and the center console of the sedan.
Might be nothing, but it’s time-stamped only an hour before the collision.
Maybe the gas station footage will give us some answers as to who was driving it at the time. ”
“That’s good news.” And he appreciated the detective’s willingness to share.
“It’s a lead at least.” Eric ended the call, and Peter shared the update with Hailey.
“Guess I’d better get things cleaned up.” She set the ice pack aside and started to rise.
Peter placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back into her seat. “I’ve got this. It’ll only take me a few minutes.” He grabbed their empty plates before she had a chance to object.
True to his word, he had the few dishes washed, dried, and nearly all put away by the time a knock sounded at the door.
Even though he knew it was the detective, old habits died hard.
He signaled Hailey to wait. He wanted to double-check it truly was Eric before opening the door.
He circled the island and crossed the open space to the front door.
A peek around the curtain revealed it was indeed the detective. As he’d anticipated.
He swung the door open and stepped back to allow the man inside.
Had he overstepped by taking charge? Turning back toward the kitchen, he half expected to find an annoyed or amused expression on Hailey’s face, but he found nothing of the sort.
Instead, she stood with a still-clingy Jenna in her arms, gaze fixed on the two of them.
“You ready to go?” Eric asked.
Hailey nodded. “I just need to grab the spare car seat and some dog food from the garage on our way out.”
Before she overloaded herself, Peter collected her other bags from the island.
“I’ve got these.” He locked and bolted the front door, then followed the others to the attached garage, where he’d left his car.
While Peter placed the luggage and the bag of dog food in the trunk, Eric switched out the old car seat for the spare Hailey had mentioned.
It had done its job keeping Jenna safe during the wreck, and they’d transferred it to Peter’s car to get her home—after the detective had checked it for evidence, of course.
But it was no longer considered safe for continued use, despite its intact appearance.
Eric extracted himself from the back seat. “It’s ready.”
Hailey moved to get Jenna buckled in, but as soon as the toddler realized what was going on, she immediately burst into tears and started flailing in protest. She’d done the same when they loaded up for the ride home.
Somehow, Hailey managed to get her buckled in, then she climbed in next to her daughter and took hold of her hand.
Peter and Eric exchanged a silent look filled with understanding, sympathy, and outrage at the men who’d so heartlessly traumatized the girl. He didn’t blame Jenna one bit for the outburst. He only hoped she wouldn’t carry the aftereffects of her ordeal long into the future.
Maggie nosed at the car door and let out a whine.
She turned to look at Peter as if she understood this was his car and he was the one with the authority to let her in.
“No worries, girl. We’re not leaving you behind.
” He circled to the other side of the car and opened the back door.
In an instant, Maggie was inside, her nose pressed into Jenna’s free hand.
Peter moved her tail out of the way and closed the door. He turned to Eric. “Anything I need to know before we head out?”
“You know about as much as I do at this point. Keep to the main roads as much as possible. I’ll be close behind.”
Peter nodded and climbed in. After the detective opened the garage door and moved out of his way, he backed outside into the circular driveway and waited. Eric lowered the door and headed for his own car. A moment later, he flashed his headlights. Time to go.