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“Sure. Can I help with anything?” she asked.
“I got this. Preston, why don’t you pour us something to drink.”
“No problem.”
They were avoiding her question about why she’d be targeted, which prompted Ariel to ask them again. “Why come after one of us?”
“We might never know, but I figure since Trent’s in jail, they know he can’t pay back the debt he owed to Dave Franklin. It would be natural for Paul Franklin to go after Dennis Ackerman next, but hopefully they won’t find him. My uncle said that Dennis is packing to take Anna someplace safe. I’m assuming our deputy will escort him out of state to make sure there’s no trouble. If they can’t find him, they might see if one of us can pay.”
She sagged back against the seat. “Or maybe they will try to extract the information from Preston about Anna’s whereabouts.”
“I don't believe they'd think he'd know. If Franklin believes the sheriff is keeping Anna safe, they wouldn’t tell Preston.”
“Is all of this mess really about money or about revenge for the death of Franklin’s brother?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” Benson’s cell rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “It’s Will.” He answered it. “I see. So nothing obvious? Can you send me the section of the video anyway?…You are forward thinking. Uncle Adam will be impressed. Again, thanks for taking the time to do this. I know it was tedious.” He hung up and pocketed his phone.
“Did Will see Hammer at the bar the night of Trent’s argument with Sam?” Ariel asked.
“He thinks so, but he can’t be sure. There were quite a lot of people there that night. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell if someone slipped something into Trent’s drink or not. However, it looked as if a male passed by Trent’s drink shortly before the argument.”
“He’s sending you the video?” Preston asked.
Benson nodded. “In fact, it’s in my inbox now. Let me get my laptop, and we can look at it together.”
As soon as Benson disappeared into the bedroom, Ariel turned to Preston. “Have you seen Hammer in person?”
“No, but Mason has. If we can’t identify him in the video, we’ll send it to Benson’s cousin.”
That made her feel a little better. If the tape showed someone putting something into Trent’s drink, it might help explain why her brother didn’t hear anyone enter his house and kill Sam. Would that be enough to exonerate Trent? No, but it might give credence to the theory Trent could be innocent.
“I have it cued up,” Benson said as he motioned them to the table. The three of them watched the tape.
“Is that Hammer?” Ariel asked, pointing to a man who seemed to be sneaking around.
“It looks like him, but there are a lot of people in the way. Even if we can get a positive identification on Hammer, I can’t tell if he put anything in Trent’s drink,” Benson said.
Darn. “It was worth a try. Please thank Will again for finding this clip.”
Benson nodded. His cell rang again. It was probably Will wondering if the clip helped.
“It’s Uncle Adam.” He swiped his phone. “Hello.” Benson nodded. “I’ll ask her. And if she says no?…You did? What did they suggest?…I see. I’ll let you know.” He disconnected.
“What did the sheriff want? I hope Anna is okay.”
“He didn’t mention Anna, so I’m assuming she’s out of danger. Uncle Adam has heard some rumors that Paul Franklin is not happy these days.”
“I imagine he wouldn’t be.” She didn’t know what the sheriff wanted to ask her. “Does this involve me?”
“In a way. He would like for you to stay here until this blows over. He thinks it’s too dangerous for you to even be at work.”
“Can’t Preston keep watch over me?”
“Uncle Adam saw fit to speak with Liam and Alex about our training. I guess we aren’t progressing as fast as they’d like. He’s suggesting the two of us train together for the next few days, though I’m not that hopeful we’ll have that long.”
“A few days?” While the clinic would survive without her, it would mean everyone else would have to work extra hard. However, she didn’t want to put any of them in jeopardy by having these men charge into the clinic and possibly harm someone else. “How about we try it for one day? I’ll call Beth tonight and let her know. I don’t want to disturb either doctor if I don't have to.”
“Thank you,” Benson said.
