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“Okay, I haven’t had time to do any leg work,” I said. “Brax, what about you? It’s your off season, so you should be gaining more ground than me.”
He wiped his mouth and nodded. “I do have a bit of information.”
Hope filled my chest. “Tell us!”
After glancing around to make sure no one was listening, he leaned in. Sutton and I did the same. “I sat outside the Chronicle last week and this week.”
“Okay…” Sutton and I both said.
“Harlee was right: a different guy runs the column in every day. I never saw the same person coming and going around the same time. That was…until yesterday.”
I couldn’t help it—I gasped. “Go on!”
He laughed and picked up his fork. “I saw the same guy, pretty sure his name is Jet, yesterday that I saw last Wednesday. He wasn’t carrying anything, but that doesn’t matter; I’m guessing she types up her articles on a single sheet of paper since they’re all kind of short. Anyway, I watched him walk into the Chronicle, then fifteen minutes later, he walked out with Mr. Tilson.”
“Harlee’s dad,” Sutton whispered.
“Yes. They parted ways, and I followed the guy.”
“Where did he go?” I asked.
A smile twitched at the corner of Braxton’s mouth, and I knew he was enjoying teasing us.
Suddenly, he said, “Ouch! Damn it, Sutton, that hurt!”
“Stop playing around, and I won’t have to kick you.”
I smiled and high-fived my sister before focusing back on Brax. “What happened next? Where did he go? Who did he meet?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I was three cars behind him, and they wouldn’t let me on the ferry. It was full by the time I got there.”
“Crap!” I said, then looked around to make sure no one heard me. “Okay, well, if that was a courier, that means he also takes the ferry on Wednesdays.”
Brax nodded. “Assuming he takes the ferry each Wednesday, but we don’t know that for sure.”
I nodded.
“I was thinking of parking and watching everyone come and go. If I see someone I recognize from my time spent watching the offices at the paper, I’ll follow them.”
Pointing to him and smiling, I said, “That’s a great idea!”
Suddenly, Sutton said, “The lighthouse. Didn’t Harlee once mention something about the lighthouse?”
Brax and I looked at each other and then back at Sutton. I shook my head. “Not that I’m aware of. I honestly don’t remember her saying anything about it.”
Sutton sat back. “Hmmm. For some reason, the lighthouse feels like the place you need to be.”
“It’s worth looking into, especially since he headed over on the ferry,” Brax said. “If I don’t catch anyone I know tomorrow, then I’ll go and hang out at the lighthouse next week.”
A thought hit me. “I have a better idea. You watch the Chronicle, and I’ll head out to the lighthouse. Maybe I’ll even take Charlie. He might like it.”
“You want to take a kid to the lighthouse in the middle of winter?” Brax asked.
I frowned. “I didn’t think about that. Okay, maybe you should be the one to check out the lighthouse.”
In that moment, I heard the door open and looked up to see Ashley walking in.
I immediately dropped down below the counter and hid. I had no idea why I hadn’t wanted her to see me. I could care less what people thought of me, but for some unknown and confusing reason, I dropped like a rock.
Brax leaned over the counter. “Um, Palmer? Is everything okay?”
“No!” I whisper-shouted. “Mason’s ex just walked in!”
Brax disappeared, and when I looked back up, I saw my father standing there, his hands on his hips. “What in the hell are you doing?”
I put my finger to my lips. With a roll of his eyes, he spun on his heels and headed back toward the kitchen. I heard him shout, “Sue, I need you to take over Palmer’s tables!”
It was like high school all over again. One day, Deacon had come into the restaurant, and I’d panicked that he would see me waiting tables. I’d done the exact same thing, and my father had covered for me. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t want Ashley to see me working at the restaurant. I had never in my life—with the exception of Deacon that one time—been embarrassed by what I did for a living. And that included working at my parents’ restaurant. All four of us kids helped out from time to time. Why was it different with this woman? Maybe with Ashley a part of me had cared. Ugh. I was going to be up all night replaying all this shit in my head.
Sue walked out and looked down at me. “Section six,” I whispered.
She drew in a breath and exhaled. “I know I’ve worked here too long when this doesn’t faze me at all.”
“Thanks, Sue!” I said with a wide grin. “You can have all my tips from earlier.”
