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“I understand,” Braden said, his tone congenial but brooking no pressure, either. “His explanation was personal, though.”
All the more reason Johnny wanted to hear it. “In your Tuesday session, did you ask him anything pertaining to the list we gave you?” They’d only delivered the list late Monday night. And Braden hadn’t called with anything since then.
“I did, actually. I asked him if he was a fan of milk or dark chocolate because the woman before me had left a box for him.” Mark only liked milk chocolate.
“And?”
“He said he’s a trainer. He doesn’t put chocolate in his body.”
A nonanswer.
“Anything else?”
Johnny turned his back to Tabitha when there was another silence on the line. He walked to the window overlooking the harbor. And waited.
“This isn’t right,” Braden finally said. “Some of the things on that list... Any number of people would have affirmative responses.”
“And the more there are, the more compelling our suspicions become.”
“He used to inline skate.”
Johnny remembered that one. Mark had quit skating after being hit by a truck pulling out of a parking lot just as he was on the road, skating by.
“Did he say why?”
“He said he took a hard fall.”
Because he’d been hit by a truck? Johnny wanted to ask.
But he didn’t say any more. He just continued to wait. He understood the other man’s struggle. And he knew that if he were to push at that moment, the phone call would be over.
“I feel like crap doing this,” Braden said.
“If we’re wrong, and you feel a need, you can tell Matt that you helped us out under duress. A reasonable man is going to understand. And if there’s even the slightest chance that we’re right...”
“I’m not comfortable invading this guy’s privacy, but he took off because it’s the anniversary of his wife’s death, okay? Said he wanted to spend the day with Jason, having fun, taking him places Jason’s mother would’ve loved, telling him about her. Now just leave the guy alone, would you?”
Johnny couldn’t do that. He told Braden so. And ended the call.
“What are the chances that one man’s wife and another man’s mother die of the same disease on the exact same day?” he muttered to himself. And that both men had a son the exact same age whose names both started with J. He turned back to Tabitha the second he got off the phone.
“Matt took the day off because it’s the anniversary of his wife’s death?” She was standing now, her mouth open. She hugged her sides and Johnny wanted the arms wrapped around her to be his.
He told her about the inline skating similarity, too, but still wasn’t convinced it meant anything. At least, not by itself. Maybe together with all the other similarities...
“If a guy was hit by a truck, wouldn’t he just say so?” he asked her.
“Unless he’s changing his stories to fit a new identity, while sticking to enough of the truth to prevent making unnecessary mistakes.” Tabitha’s tone was even. Almost calm.
And she had a point.
“I think you should call Bentley.”
Maybe she could have Jackson back by nightfall...
That possibility brought a myriad of emotions Johnny couldn’t identify.
“And since he told Braden he’s taking the day off because of the anniversary, he probably doesn’t know anything about us. He’s going to the gravesite and will come right back,” Tabitha continued.
