“This helps a lot,” I said. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.”
“Do you think you can really get him locked up?”
The fear in her voice was real. She wasn’t just worried; she was terrified. And she had every reason to be. Unlike Billy, she understood what men like Myers were capable of. Borrowing a friend’s truck. Killing someone. Letting an innocent woman rot in jail for it. Killing Billy someday over a lost bet or a debt or nothing at all was absolutely in the cards. And if she was unlucky, she and the kids would be in the way when it happened.
“I’ll do everything I can,” I told her.
I pulled a scrap of paper from my pocket, wrote down my number, then addedMom from the playgroundat the top. Just in case Billy found it.
“Call me if you need anything. Or if Myers shows up. If you feel unsafe in any way, leave and call 911.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said.
She took the number anyway and tucked it into her coat pocket.
Before turning away, my eyes drifted to her son. He was still laughing. Still chasing another boy down the slide. Carefree.
“Thank you,” I said again.
“Wait,” she said. “John drives a red truck and has a long scar across his forehead. That’s why he wears a baseball cap. To hide it.”
I nodded.
For a moment, we just looked at each other. Two parents. Knowing exactly what needed to be done.
Then I left.
I hurried back to my car, fingers already pulling my phone from my pocket. Nolan needed to hear this.
But reality stopped me cold.
What could Nolan even do? He’d already said the Myers lead was closed. The DA’s instructions. And this conversation, as important as it felt, proved nothing.
My car engine was running before I realized I’d turned the key.
I typed Seacoast Inn into the GPS.
I had no idea what I planned to do there. Of course, I wasn’t going to confront the owner like this was some Chuck Norris movie. And Myers most likely wasn’t even there. But maybe I could ask around a bit. Discreetly. And, who knew? Maybe life would show me an ounce of mercy for once and Myers would actually be there. Then I could get a picture of Myers’ license plate. With his license plate, we’d have something. A real name. An address.
I was already on the road before it hit me how dangerous all of this was. But what choice did I have?
The Seacoast Inn sat right outside Manchester by the Sea.
The GPS read thirty-four minutes.
If I hurried, I could check it out before my visit with Lacey today.
Chapter 25
Nicole
I shifted in my seat. It was already getting dark as I sat in the parking lot of the Seacoast Inn. It was completely run-down. Moldy roof and siding. Chipped paint. A few cracked windows. The parking lot smelled of urine.
I’d already missed my visit with Lacey today, and that hurt a lot. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t miss it. Ever. But sitting here, watching prostitutes and drug addicts come and go, I couldn’t make myself leave before seeing Myers or getting a chance to talk to somebody.
Just one more minute. That’s what I told myself. Minute after minute. Over and over again.
I huffed and did another dry run with the camera, practicing how to discreetly take pictures when Myers showed up. But the damn thing snapped a photo of the upper half of my face again. Third time. I’d hit the reverse camera by accident.
