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“Yeah, I was heading out. I’ll walk you out.”
The two men left Crew and Brew and headed into the parking lot. When they reached Bend’s truck, he put the takeout bag inside then said to Raven, “I didn’t want to tell you inside, but ATF has a theory.” He looked over his shoulder. “The agent thinks our guy is an amateur, not exactly news there. Although the bomb exploded, it definitely had some flaws that an expert wouldn’t have made. The suspect made some serious errors. Based on everything, I think you were right when you said the suspect knew we’d make our way to Carol’s cabin eventually, which might make us all, or one of us, the target. So, watch your back. The suspect might be an amateur in bombs but he seems to have stayed one step ahead of us.”
“Then why attack Shelby and Farrah? The bomb and attacks seem unrelated. What if we’ve thought all along that they’re the same suspect and they’re really two different people?”
“I don’t think so. My best guess, the attacks were a game. Maybe a test of his own bravery. Dipping his toe in to check the temp of the water.”
“Maybe so.”
Bend leaned in. “As sloppy as he was planting that bomb, he apparently has watched a few CSI shows. We investigated every military connection here locally. I went myself and asked questions to the handful of veterans. The only one who made the hair on my neck stand was Casp Hyles.”
Raven searched his mind and then remembered the man, or rather kid because he couldn’t be much older than nineteen or twenty-years-old. “Casp Hyles?”
“He’s only been back in Second Chance a few years and keeps to himself living in a trailer on his aunt’s land. Interestingly, he served in the Army, until he was dishonorably discharged for minor misconduct. Apparently, he has something against authority. Anyway, I’ve been monitoring his activity, and after speaking with him he has a solid alibi for the nights that Shelby and Farrah were attacked. His girlfriend says he was with her.”
“Is she a reliable alibi?”
“She seems reliable, but there’s always room for error. Outside of renting porn and dumpster diving for metal to recycle, our boy Hyles is clean.”
“Unless he has a partner.”
“Not that we can find,” Bend replied. “You still want to look at those files you can, but that’s about all we know at the moment. ATF has packed up and headed back to the office, but the case is still in their laps.”
After bidding his brother goodbye, Raven headed for his truck and started the engine. He wouldn’t botch the case for Bend or ATF, but since they’re gone, a little digging into the event wouldn’t hurt anyone.
Chapter Three
“Mom, I can’t talk right now. I have a meeting.”
“I’m worried about you, honey. We haven’t spoken in days.”
Parker Manley stepped into the elevator and rode it up to the third floor. “You shouldn’t be worried. I’ve been working.”
“That’s all you do. Work. That’s no kind of life—”
“It’s the life I want.” She cut her mom off before Rebecca started in on a conversation that would not end well. “I’ll call you later. Send my love to Dad.” Parker hung up and made her way to her office. Setting her phone and briefcase on the cluttered desk, she knocked over her coffee cup, spilling some of the milky brew on a stack of paperwork.
“You’re late.” her boss Edgar—a tall, slender man who owned his own tanning bed and kept it hidden in a closet in his office—said as he strolled in.
Flustered, she grabbed a handful of tissues, sopped up the coffee, then handed the thick client file to him. He accepted it with obvious hesitation. “I was up late working on marketing strategies for the new client. I was just going to bring you the report.”
“It’s okay, Parker. I’m not here about the account. I need to speak to you about something else.” The man was nearly as red as his silk tie. He spent five days out of the week on the golf course holding “business” meetings.
“Okay.” The hair on her neck stood. She’d been hypersensitive since the divorce was final three months ago. After her ex, Gray, told her last year that he’d fallen for a woman he met at the gym, Parker had been ready to sign on the dotted line. From her perspective, her marriage had been over the day he cheated.
“Please, let’s have a seat.” Edgar offered her a weak smile.
Reluctantly, she sat down behind her desk. Nothing good ever came after the wordshave a seat.She’d learned that the hard way. “I’m sorry I’ve been a little stretched thin lately.”
“This isn’t easy for me to say. I understand things have been tough since…well, your divorce from Gray. You didn’t take the time you needed to grieve. To find yourself again.”
“I wasn’t lost, Edgar. Remember, he left me.”
“Still, divorce can be difficult. I know. I’ve been there three times myself.”
She cringed. “I took enough time. Now that the divorce is in the rear-view mirror, I can focus on the road ahead. I have some great ideas for the lingerie designer—”
“No.” His shoulders pulled back some. “I’m going to jump right in. If it were up to me, I’d give you more time, but the execs, you know how they are. They live by numbers, the economy, and client priorities. It can be hard on everyone. I’m backed against a wall, and I have no choice but to hand the Paris Intimates account to Peterman.”
