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Levi’s scowl didn’t change. “We’ll discuss you taking up with a Kincaid later. Talk. You were assaulted when leaving a charity function?”
Conscious of everyone’s attention zeroed in on her, she told them in a few sentences what happened. “His bat barely grazed my shoulder before the security guard came out and he took off. That’s all there was to it, and I was fine.” She took a bite of egg, avoiding eye contact with Reed, remembering he’d asked about the bruise when they were upstairs at Casey’s.
“That’s weird,” Brett said.
Reed lowered his coffee to reply. “Exactly what I was thinking.”
“Why is it weird? Casper has its fair share of crime, including muggings downtown. You forget, I work at the shelter, and I’ve seen and talked to plenty of victims of random violence.”
“Because someone dressed in a Halloween costume carrying a bat would draw attention,” Reed stated. “Muggers usually attack at whim, a quick assault to grab someone’s belongings before taking off, and are rarely armed.”
“We’re thinking along the same lines, then. Odds are, the guy was lying in wait for you, which means it was not random. What happened next? Anything strange or out of the ordinary?” Brett asked.
Lily would have pegged him for a lawyer right away if he’d used that firm tone and direct line when they’d met. She was working up the nerve to mention the misplaced movies, not wanting to come across as a complete lunatic, when Vickie spoke.
“The electricity, Lily. Remember?” Vickie turned to face the guys. “We returned here after going out to Casey’s one night, and every light we left on was off. It was pitch black inside, and we used our phones to get to the breaker box where we found loose wiring.”
Lily shrugged, still not convinced. “I called an electrician, and he replaced all the wiring, said it was frayed and would short out again. It’s an old house. There’s nothing odd about that.”
“What’s his name? I’ll talk to him.”
Lily rolled her eyes, stood, and retrieved the electrician’s card from a drawer, and handed it to Brett.
“Did he take the old wiring with him?” Slade wanted to know.
“No, it’s out in the trash. That reminds me, I need to sign up for a trash service.” She wrote a note and stuck it on the refrigerator before returning to the table.
Levi grabbed a pastry then asked, “What else? Reed already told us about your garden.”
From his scowl, she guessed Levi wasn’t in the mood to forgive her yet. “So you know he replanted everything as a surprise for me.” Lily rather enjoyed sticking up for him for a change.
“What else, Lily?” Reed nailed her with a glacial tone and look that told her he wasn’t ready to let her off the hook yet, either.
Mentioning the misplaced DVDs would embarrass her in front of so many people, especially since she assumed Reed’s brothers weren’t aware of her organized collection. “You’ll think I’m nuts,” she said instead.
Her brother scoffed. “I already do, so what else?”
She fidgeted under the stern stares of the two men who meant the most to her then just said it. “Several of my movies were out of order on the shelves.”
Her brother explained, “Lily is meticulous about her mystery collections, and anal when it comes to keeping them in alphabetical order. If any were out of place, she didn’t do it.”
“I can vouch for that.” Reed grasped her hand. “Someone’s been in your house. You have a secure dead bolt now, but that didn’t stop him from destroying your garden or SUV.”
Reed’s words sent an icy shiver trickling down Lily’s spine. Who had it out for her, and, even more puzzling, why?
“Slade and I will dig out that wiring and get going,” Brett said a few minutes later. “Lily, if you think of anyone or anything we can look into, don’t hesitate to tell Reed. Even a trivial altercation could trigger a disturbed person into violence.”
Reed saw the flashing lights and tow truck out the window and squeezed Lily’s hand before standing. “I’ll help you after I speak to the tow service.”
“When did you call them?”
Wondering at the hint of accusation in her tone and flash of annoyance in her eyes, he replied, “Before we came in. This will just take a minute.”
“I’ll come with you,” Levi insisted.
Reed shrugged, figuring Lily’s brother was as protective of her as he. At least Levi waited until his brothers drove off and he dealt with the tow service before rounding on him.
“I’m not happy Lily’s taken up with a Kincaid,” Levi stated bluntly.
