Chapter 20
The unnaturally loud ring of her new phone almost startled Hailey off her parents’ couch. She checked the screen readout while simultaneously lowering the volume. Seeing Gleason’s number, she accepted the call and lifted it to her ear.
“Hey, hope you’re feeling better. I’m really sorry to bother you on a sick day, but this is urgent. Eukaria’s CFO wants to meet tomorrow morning at six thirty.”
She gripped the phone more tightly. She’d hoped for another day or two before having to figure out what to do about the meeting. “I don’t know if I can make it.”
“I need you there, Hailey. If you don’t show, I can almost guarantee Eukaria will demand a different accountant. They might even pull out of their contract altogether.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to come.” She only hesitated a moment before deciding to be straight with her boss. “My life is in danger. I was attacked on the way home yesterday and threatened if I don’t leave town. That’s why I called in this morning.”
“Why is this the first time I’m hearing about it?”
Hailey pulled the phone from her ear at the unexpected volume of his question. “I’m sorry. I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on and what I’m supposed to do.”
“Have you reported this to the cops?”
“Yes, the police are involved, and they’re actively working on it. I’m really hoping we can find a quick resolution. I just don’t know how long it will take.”
Gleason was quiet a moment, and she could picture him stewing. Finally, he grunted. “Look, your life is more important than these accounts. If you can figure out a way to get here safely, do it. Otherwise, I’ll cover for you as best I can tomorrow.”
“Thank you. If I can be there, I will.”
“That’s all I can ask. Take care of yourself and keep me posted.” A mechanical beep let her know he’d ended the call as abruptly as it had begun.
She drew in a breath. That had gone about as well as she could have hoped. Gleason often came across as brusque, but he was a good boss. Even if they lost Eukaria over this, she was fairly confident he wouldn’t fire her. She might, however, have to resign if these people forced her to relocate.
She rubbed the uninjured side of her forehead.
What was she going to do? Her decision could have significant, or even deadly, ramifications.
But she didn’t have much time to decide on a course of action.
Wanting to make sure she had all the available facts, she dialed Eric’s number.
She didn’t want to bug him, but maybe he’d have an update for her.
“I was just about to call you,” he said as greeting.
Her heartbeat accelerated. “You have news?”
“I do. We tracked down the owner of the credit card associated with that gas station receipt. He tried to run when we showed up, but we caught him.”
“Is it one of the guys who attacked me?”
“Looks like it. He’s got a broken nose and two black eyes that are consistent with your account of fighting back. And there was a banged-up silver hatchback in his garage.”
“Who is he?”
“His name’s Jacob Kingston. You know him?”
“No, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him.”
“Well, he apparently knows who you are. He’s been a security guard at the 1798 Building for the last six months.”
She caught her breath. “What?” Her mind raced at the update.
“Yeah. I know. He lawyered up fast, so we’re waiting on his attorney to show up before we can question him.”
“But he’s in custody?”
“Yes, and we’ve got enough to hold him. Can’t guarantee a judge won’t grant him bail, but that won’t happen tonight. Probably not tomorrow either.”
“What about the other man? There were two of them,” she reminded him.
“Working on that. We found a text thread on this guy’s phone where he asked someone to help him out with a job yesterday. The messages aren’t incriminating in themselves, but the timing of the job fits. We’re on the way to pay his friend a visit now.”
Her fingers tightened around the phone. “Let me know what happens. I can’t wait for this to be over.”
Eric cleared his throat. “Even if we arrest this guy, it might not be over. We don’t know yet if the man we have in custody was the one behind the threats or if he was just hired help.”
She swallowed. “How will we figure that out?”
“Unless one of them talks or we find other evidence, it’ll be difficult to know for sure. Maybe his accomplice will be more forthcoming.”
“If he isn’t, does that mean I’ll have to keep my life on hold indefinitely?” She didn’t like that thought any more today than she had yesterday.
“I didn’t say that. But I do think you should continue to take precautions. It would be a good idea to stay with your parents an extra couple days while this investigation plays out.”
“And what about my job? I have an important meeting tomorrow that I need to be at if at all possible.”
Eric sighed. “I don’t have all the answers, and I can’t tell you what to do.
Assuming this friend is the accomplice and that we’re able to find him, the danger might be over with once we have them both in custody.
Even if these guys weren’t acting alone, their arrests might delay any further attacks.
I just don’t know. I’ll update you when I can.
Either way, if you feel comfortable going in, that’s your decision.
I would advise you to at least consider having someone follow you there and follow you back home. ”
That sounded reasonable. Because of the on-site security, it wasn’t likely anyone would come after her while she was in the 1798 Building—assuming she could trust the security office now. She’d have to ask Peter what he thought.
What had prompted Jacob Kingston to go from protector to aggressor? He wasn’t a longtime resident of the town, so why had he targeted her?
PETER HADN’T BEEN ABLE to get his grandparents’ words out of his head. He recognized the wisdom in their counsel, but the thought of failing Hailey still turned his stomach. He didn’t think he could live with himself if she died while relying on him.
But would he be able to live with himself if she died alone when he could have protected her?
“Fear and shame are hard taskmasters.”
He drew in a deep breath. Gran was right. Letting fear control him—either by paralysis or by pushing him into making a poor decision—was the worst thing he could do. A little help, God? I need to know what to do here. Guide me and give me peace with whichever path you want me to take.
By the time he neared the Butler area forty-five minutes later, he’d made a decision.
Though he still believed Hailey deserved better protection than what he could provide, he would offer to accompany her—but with full disclosure of his limitations.
If she’d have him, he’d serve as her unofficial bodyguard.
He’d prefer to get his former agency involved, but she’d been clear about her inability to afford such services.
And he got that. The average person didn’t have that kind of extra cash lying around or a credit line they could afford to max out.
Still, maybe Miguel or one of the other guys would be willing to take on some pro bono work.
They might do it as a favor to him if they had room in their schedules.
He dialed his friend’s number. The call rang through to voice mail. That wasn’t too unusual. If Miguel was on a detail, he’d be unlikely to answer a call. Peter left a message and set his phone aside. He wouldn’t mention the agency to Hailey yet, not until he’d heard back from Miguel.
But he did need to talk to her. Since he was close to the Jessup farm, he decided to stop by instead of calling. It wasn’t more than a few minutes out of the way, and this conversation would be better in person.
Maggie was the first to greet him when he arrived.
The golden directed a few compulsory barks at his car, but once he got out, she was quick to accept his attention.
He rubbed behind her ears and stroked her silky fur.
“I hope you’re a bit more on guard around strangers.
” At least she’d warn the family about any approaching vehicles.
Jesse stepped outside and raised his hand in a wave. “Wasn’t expecting you. Anything wrong?”
“No, sir. Just hoping to talk to your daughter.”
“Come on in.”
He followed the man inside and was directed toward the living room.
Hailey looked up from the book she was reading to Jenna. “Well, hello.” She seemed surprised, but not displeased, to see him. Jenna, however, wriggled down from the couch and planted herself in front of him.
He bent down to her level and signed, Hello, princess.
Mommy story. At least, he was fairly certain that’s what she was trying to communicate. Like many toddlers with exposure to ASL, she was a lot more advanced with signing than hearing adults tended to expect.
“Is Mommy reading you a story?” he asked, this time speaking as he signed.
She nodded, apparently satisfied that he’d understood, and climbed back up beside her mom.
But Hailey still had her eyes on him. “Is this about my text? You could have just called me back.”
“What text?” He pulled out his phone. Sure enough, he’d missed a text from her that indicated she’d also tried to call him a bit ago. “Sorry about that. I was driving and didn’t see the notification.”
“That’s okay. Have a seat.” She turned to Jenna. “Want to watch a cartoon?”
The little girl looked doubtful, but she nodded. Soon Hailey had a muted princess movie playing and was able to return her attention to Peter.
“So if you didn’t get my text, then what prompted this visit?”
“I have something I want to discuss with you, but it can wait. What did you need?”
“I received an update on the investigation into what happened yesterday.”
His gut clenched. “And?”
“There’s been some arrests. Eric’s pretty confident they’re the guys who shoved me in the trunk.”
The knot loosened. “That’s good. Who are they?”
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you. One of them is a security guard at the 1798 Building—Jacob Kingston.”