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“As I thought, it was coming from a prepaid Tracfone—a burner phone paid in cash.”
Not surprising. “But you found out who bought it?”
“Turns out it was bought at the local drug store right in town.”
If the phone was paid for in cash, there was no way to trace the purchase unless we saw who bought the phone. “Could you get security footage?”
Fox grumbled. “The only area they have cameras in that place is in the actual pharmacy.”
“Damn.” I ran a hand through my hair. It was a tangled mess and my fingers barely made it through. “Then what do we do?”
“Well,” he continued, “I called Mrs. Lanahan about the phone and the date that it was purchased. Apparently, they don’t sell a lot of them, and she knew exactly who had bought it.”
My pulse spiked. The Lanahans had owned that drug store forever. “Don’t leave me hanging.”
“Ruby Rivera.”
That name took a moment to compute. “Ruby?” I said, appalled. “Are you sure?”
“Mrs. Lanahan knows everyone in this town, Reid. She knows exactly who Ruby is, and she’s positive it was her.”
Anger roiled in my gut. Why the hell would Ruby be threatening Lark? “Thanks,” I said, voice clipped. “I’ll take care of this.”
I hung up the phone and didn’t even bother to fix my hair as I headed out of the house and into my car. Ruby had a lot of explaining to do.
I stalked into the cafe, my anger brimming at the surface.
She was behind the counter, like usual. I was lucky that the shop wasn’t busy because I didn’t have to wait in line to get to her.
Her face brightened as she noticed me. “Reid.” A smile curled her lips. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
She was right. I’d been so busy with Lily’s case that I’d had my coffee at the office or Mom’s. I set my jaw as I approached the counter.
Her face fell as she took me in. “You okay?”
Ruby and I had lost touch when I broke it off after Thea’s death. Mostly due to my unwillingness, or rather, my inability to foster a relationship I didn’t have the emotional capacity for. It wasn’t Ruby’s fault. I had enjoyed her company while we were going out, and she tried to be there for me. After that night, my entire life changed—I simply couldn’t do it anymore.
“I need to talk to you,” I said, my voice low and sharp.
Ruby took a step back, blinking at me. She must’ve sensed my anger because she had the decency to look nervous. “What’s wrong?”
I glanced around us. The shop wasn’t busy, but a few people sat at the tables nearby. “Is there anywhere we can speak in private?”
Ruby tucked her hair behind both ears, shifting on her feet. Her hair was short now; it had been for a while. She had kept it long when we were younger, but it suited her either way. She was the kind of girl who had always been in-your-face beautiful. A girl who stood out in a small town. The girl every guy liked and every girl wanted to be.
I wasn’t sure how she ended up here, working as a barista at the local coffee shop.
“Uh,” she stammered. “Sure, you can come to the back. I’m closing tonight and Mary just came back from break.”
I nodded.
She waved me behind the counter and led me through a swinging door into a small kitchen and storage area.
When the door swung closed behind us, Ruby turned toward me, wrapping her arms around herself. “So…what’s up?”
My hands fisted at my sides, but I tried to control the rage bubbling in my chest. “Can you enlighten me on the reason you are sending Lark threats through a burner phone?” I spat between clenched teeth.
Ruby’s eyes went so wide I thought they were going to pop out of her skull. “What?” She shook her head. “I didn’t do that.”
