Would I find information about his case on it?
Information about his parents?
And if I were to look at the videos, would I see people from the town come and go, doing deplorable things to his property?
I shouldn't invade his privacy. I really shouldn't. Turning away from it, I hope that by not looking at it and focusing on something else, the temptation to open it up and look through it will go away.
I know full well it won't though.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
The rain has long since stopped by the time I'm walking across the puddle-filled parking lot toward Peaches.The sky is still a gloomy gray, which does nothing for the anxious energy that I'm feeling right now.
But it's the sight of about six people, including Jolene and Tahnee, standing in a group around the cash registers, that has the anxious feeling in my body heightening to a Defcon five status, only for different reasons.
I walk through the door to the store slowly and undetected, doing my best to keep quiet and find out what's going on without being noticed.
“The tire slashing isn't working,” Jolene says. “So you might as well give up on that. He just rolls out with a new tire every single time.”
Tim lifts the worn cap off his head and runs a hand through his hair before returning it. “He'll run out of tires eventually . . . or money to buy them. I'll keep it up for now, but we have to come up with something else to try and drive him away.”
It appears that I've just walked in on some sort of impromptu meeting about getting rid of Jacob, and it has my stomach twisting before dropping to the floor.
“We need to hit him where it hurts most.”
“His boat?”
“Can't fish if he hasn't got it.”
My chest tightens and aches at what they're implying they might do to Jacob. I can't let them do it. I can't let them devastate him like that.
Jolene lets out a sigh. “No. We can't stoop that low. I wouldn't feel right.”
A silent breath of relief passes my lips. Thank goodness Jolene still has a conscience when it comes to destroying Jacob's life . . . again. The others let out quiet grumbles as if they don't necessarily agree with her, though.
If only I could just tellthem that he was innocent and have them believe me.
“Well, we gotta think of something,” Luke mumbles, running a finger over his mustache.
Tahnee, who has been tossing a candy bar up and down in her hand, speaks up. “I still say we trick him into trying something with a girl again.”
She doesn't know. I tell myself, so I don't hate her for what she just said. She doesn't know.
“No woman should be put in that situation, Tahnee,” Wendy says in a disapproving tone.
“I agree,” Tim adds.
Tahnee throws her hands up and grumbles, “Whatever,” before moving away from the group to put the candy bar back on the shelf.
The rest of the group carry on talking amongst themselves, not paying attention to anything else, so I take the opportunity to walk over to Tahnee, grab her arm and pull her down an aisle.
“Oh, hey, girl. I always knew you secretly wanted to get me alone,” she jokes. But the humor in her eyes disappears when she sees the look on my face. “What's wrong?”
I remember saying those exact words to Jacob last night.
“This,” I start, almost getting choked up. “This has to stop.”
“What does?”
