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Van isn’t a man who goes for dramatics. If he’s saying there’s something big in here, it must be a doozy. My mind spins with the possibilities. Drugs? Prostitution? Human trafficking? What could the Joneses be into that keeps putting my sisters in the line of fire and has this hardened veteran so on edge?
“Just look. There’s no smoking gun, but maybe go and pour yourself a stiff drink first.”
Well, damn.
“Thanks man.” Hanging up without another word, I cross to my go bag and pull out the battered hip flask that’s travelled the world with me. Screwing off the cap, I take a long drink, enjoying the burn as the whiskey slides down my throat and warmth spreads from my stomach outwards.
Van has the files numbered and ordered: my next in command is used to how I operate. The first files are innocuous enough, although I struggle not to break something when I see the photos taken of Hayley’s injuries from the attack. The thorough police report, prepared by Marcus Lennox, makes for a sobering read. James followed Hayley to Grey ridge after she’d fled her home and her job in the city to get away from him. When she returned home from a party, he waited until Rex Jones had left, then he and his cronies struck, attacking her on the porch and tying her up inside.
The crime scene photos make me sick to my stomach and swell with pride at the same time. Hayley obviously fought like hell and managed to get free.
The copious amount of blood spilled across her hardwood floors thankfully wasn’t hers.
A red-handled screwdriver in an evidence bag. Cut cable ties in another. Smears of red up the stairs.
A busted-down door.
More bloody fingerprints on the window frame.
A bullet hole in a tree.
The retrieved bullet, mangled from the impact.
As I flick through the images, I feel like I’m right there with her. Watching helplessly, encouraging her to keep running, keep fighting. She was so brave.
The next pictures were taken outside: multiple tracks through the forest. Evidence of a tussle. More blood, except, this time, it soaks the leaves of the forest floor and belongs to James himself.
According to the report, this was Cooper’s doing.
After an earlier argument with Hayley, he came to check on her and realised something was wrong, following her into the woods with his brothers.
Immediately, two things jump out at me. And from how well this report was put together, I know for a fact they didn’t escape the notice of Sheriff Lennox.
First, nobody brings their brothers to smooth things over with their girlfriend. Cooper didn’t just decide to go check on her, he must have known something was up.
Second, only four people entered the woods: Hayley, James, his accomplice, and, according to the report, Cooper. If I had brothers and arrived at my girlfriend's house with them in tow to find the scene at Hayley’s house, my brothers would help find her. The guy bleeding out in the hallway could die or escape for all I’d care. My priority would be finding her safe. So, what were his brothers doing?
Taking another sip of my whiskey, I close that folder and move to the next.
The fire.
CHAPTER 7
CHASE
The thoroughness of the reports and evidence recorded is impressive. Sheriff Lennox is no bumbling small town cop or a lazy investigator.
Natalie’s signature on the bottom of some documents and her statement stirs something inside me. She’s the key to all of this. I just know it. My temper flares at the memory of the sexy brunette giving me a taunting wave.
Let’s see how funny she thinks it is when I find out exactly what she’s hiding.
When I see a video file among the photos I smile. Only Van could find video footage in the middle of a tiny mountain town like this. The fact that he has labelled it “HOLYSH!T” tells me Van hasn’t stolen this from Marcus’s police files. No, this is something Van has uncovered all by himself.
Resisting the temptation to open the video first, I force myself to go through all the official pictures and reports. It’s painful to see my family listed among the evacuated guests and witness statements taken.
By all accounts, Marcus is a hero.
Despite the building being on the brink of collapse, he ran back in to search for Sam, Hayley’s friend from her old life. After somehow getting her out, he was trapped when the floor gave way and he fell from the first floor. His injuries were horrific and now I understand why Hayley and Leah were so adamant that he had nothing to do with setting the fire.
