Tomorrow was Kevin’s funeral. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure that she would feel like attending church with the rest of the family or even what the investigation would bring by then. She prayed they had whoever had killed Kevin in custody by then.
Swallowing against the lump the thought immediately generated, she turned her thoughts to her brother. Derek still hadn’t bothered to text or call her after their initial exchange, and Izzy had already made up her mind that she simply couldn’t cover for him any longer—and continue to risk her job. She’d write the update and be done with it.
Maybe.
Her father slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side as he talked to a young man who appeared to be a client.
She snuggled a bit closer and simply enjoyed being next to him, while she thought about all the times he’d been there for her. To dry her tears when one of her brothers had been mean, to wipe scraped knees and kiss her boo-boos. To hold her hand while she prepared for her court appearance after Mick had terrorized her for hours.
She shuddered at the last thought and pushed it away, focusing on the good ones.
In spite of the long hours her parents worked and the number of children in the family, she’d never felt neglected or invisible. And that was due to the fact that her parents worked hard to make sure that she and her siblings felt special, always loved.
Which is probably why she thought she could help Mick see that he had potential, that he could overcome whatever life had thrown at him and grow into the person he was created to be.
Unfortunately, that hadn’t turned out well at all, and she still bore the scars from that relationship. She wouldn’t make that mistake again. Mainly because she wasn’t sure she had the courage to try.
Ryan’s face popped into her mind and her heart skittered a bit. But Ryan was Ryan. Exactly, she silently argued. And he’s trustworthy, not to mention gorgeous, and—
Movement to her left captured her attention. She focused on it while her father’s voice echoed in the background. It moved again. The large oak at the edge of the church property seemed to have sprouted a piece of trunk that flapped when the wind blew.
She slipped from beneath her father’s arm and walked toward the tree.
More flapping.
She realized it wasn’t a part of the tree, but someone standing behind the tree, wearing a trench coat. Each time the wind gusted, the bottom part of the coat blew out, then back in.
As she drew closer, the person behind the tree moved to keep the tree between him and her.
Creepy.
Izzy lifted her chin and took another step.
The large man hiding behind the tree reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her toward him.
“Hey!” She jerked against his grip, but he was so strong it was like a fly trying to escape a spider’s web.
“Izzy!” She heard her father’s cry over the pounding of her heart.
“Let me go!”
Her captor, her huge, ginormous captor, pulled her close to stare at her with such menace in his dark eyes that for a moment Izzy couldn’t blink. He reached up with his other hand and ran it over her body. Flashes of Mick came to mind and she froze. Literally, she couldn’t move.
She felt a tug on her left coat pocket. Then her frozen state melted and she brought her right fist up in a punch that landed with a solid thud on his jaw. He blinked. She punched him again and pain raced through her knuckles and up her arm.
“Izzy! Hey!” Her father’s furious shout caught the attention of the other church members. “Let her go!”
Without a word, the man scowled and shoved her to the ground. She landed with a hard thud that stole her breath. He spun on his heel, crossed the street, and disappeared between the Methodist church and the park. Izzy hauled herself to her feet as her father stopped beside her.
“I’m going after him.” She raced in the direction the man had gone and heard her father’s footsteps pounding after her.
As she rounded the corner of the church wall, she came to a stop. Her father pulled up beside her. “Did you see which way he went?” she said.
“No. He’s gone.”
“Ugh!”
“What was that all about, Izzy? Are you okay?”
She looked down at her bruised hand and grimaced. “I’m fine.”
She realized her father was speaking into his phone, describing what had happened and giving the police a general description of the man. He hung up and took her wounded hand in his. “Nice work.”
He was trying to sound blasé, but the hand that held hers had a fine tremor and his ragged breathing said the incident had shaken him greatly.
Izzy shuddered. It had shaken her too.
“The police are on the way.”
Izzy shoved her hands into her pockets and stilled. “He stole my phone.”
“What?”
“My phone. It was in my left pocket.” She checked the other just in case, but wasn’t surprised when she found it empty. Her fear slowly fading, her pulse on its way back to normal, she frowned. “Why does he want my phone?”
“Probably a junkie looking for something to sell.”
Officers arrived and Izzy showed her badge. They took her statement and promised to be on the lookout for the man. She used her father’s phone to put her phone into lost mode. Unfortunately, it must have been offline, because the tracking mode didn’t come up. But it would. Whoever took it would try to use it or get something off it.
When she handed his phone back to him, he put his arm around her and steered her toward his car. “Are you sure you’re all right? That was pretty scary.”
“I’ll be fine, Dad. Yes, it was scary, but I think I was more surprised than anything.”
“How’s the hand?”
“Sore. I need to ice it.”
“So, how about brunch with your old man?”
“I’d love to, but I already promised Gabby I’d meet her. And now I’m going to have to go shopping for a new phone.”
He stopped and pulled her around to face him. “You’re continuing to be friends with her?”
“Of course. What Mick did isn’t her fault.”
“I know.” He rubbed his forehead while his eyes bored into hers. “You’re right, but I …”
She knew what he wanted to say … but didn’t. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’m not having anything to do with Mick. I don’t plan to get anywhere near him and the restraining order is still in place.”
A low grunt escaped him and he rolled his eyes. “Restraining order. We all know how effective those are.”
True. It hadn’t stopped Mick last time and probably wouldn’t again if he was determined to see her. “He was released from the hospital.”
“I know.”
“You keep tabs on him.”
“I do.”
Izzy kissed his freshly shaved cheek. “Thanks, Dad. I love you.”
Strong arms wrapped her in a hug she’d loved ever since she could remember. “I love you too, kiddo.” Then he let out a sigh and put her away from him. “Go meet Gabby and tell her she needs to rein in her candidate.”
“Rein her in?” Izzy laughed. “No she doesn’t. Her candidate is doing everything in her power to win this election and Mayor Cotterill is letting her.” Izzy frowned. “What’s his problem anyway?”
Another sigh. “I don’t know, Iz. I went by his office yesterday afternoon and tried to talk to him. He didn’t have much to say and looks worn out.”
“Well, if he wants to win, he better get on the stick.”
“Yeah. Maybe he’s just ready to retire.”
“He’s only in his late fifties and he’s still got two kids in college. Does he have the means to retire?”
“I … wouldn’t think so, but let’s not worry about him right now. You go …” He gave her a gentle shove toward her car, which was parked next to his. “And be careful, Izzy.”
“I’m always careful these days. Even more so now.” She f
rowned.
He gave her a sad smile. “Yeah.”
Izzy headed to the nearest phone store and within thirty minutes had a new device and a small dent in her savings account. She’d texted Gabby to let her know she was running late. When she finally arrived at the restaurant, Gabby had just pulled into the parking lot as well.
“Hey,” Izzy said, “perfect timing.”
“It was no problem.” Gabby hugged her. “I’ve been looking forward to this.”
“So have I. Let’s eat.”
Once settled at the table with their drinks in front of them and their order placed, Izzy leaned forward. “Tell me how you’re doing, Gabby.”
Her friend shrugged. “I’m doing fine. Well,” she gave a low, humorless laugh, “as well as I can be with Mick living with me.” She waved a hand. “But the campaign is going well, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
“I have.”
“She’s a good woman, Izzy, she really is. And all she wants to do is make the city better. Safer for everyone, including you.”
Izzy played with her glass, wiping the condensation off before she answered. “She sure seems to come across that way.”
Gabby paused. “You know what? Let’s not talk about the election. I’m stressed enough about it that I don’t need to let that bleed into our lunch.”
“All right, let’s talk about the guy I heard calling you ‘babe.’”
A slight smile tugged at Gabby’s lips. “He’s a friend.”
“Where did you meet him?”
“A mutual friend introduced us.”
“So … is it going anywhere?”
Gabby shrugged. “I don’t know.” She rubbed her eyes. “I really don’t have time to worry about a relationship right now. At least not until after the election. And even then … I’m just not sure.” She paused. “Look, can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
Her friend hesitated, then laced her fingers together on the table. “Can we talk about Mick?”
Dread churned, but Izzy nodded. “If you want. What about him?”
Gabby hesitated, then sighed. “No, let’s not talk about him either.” She forced a smile and Izzy frowned.
“What is it, Gab?”
“Nothing. I just need to get through this election and hopefully things will take a turn for the less stressful.”
Their food arrived and they fell silent. Izzy dumped butter on her potato and topped it off with sour cream.
A giggle from Gabby brought her eyes up. “What?”
“You do realize that you’re going to have to stop eating that much butter at some point? You’re practically signing your own death warrant.”
Izzy laughed. “I’ll take my chances. Thanks.”
Gabby’s gaze turned serious. “So, are you okay? I can’t imagine how hard losing Kevin has been.”
“Am I okay?” She sighed. “I don’t know, Gab. Not really, but I will be. At some point.” She shrugged. “This helps.”
“What?”
“Getting out. Being around other people. Not sitting at home crying.” The tears were very near the surface and she swallowed them back.
“Oh. Good. I’m glad I suggested it then.” Gabby sipped her water and gave Izzy a forced smile.
Izzy put her fork down. “Okay, spill it.”
“What?”
“Whatever it is you want to say about Mick.”
Gabby flushed. “You know me pretty well.”
“Hmm. So what is it?”
“Izzy—”
“What? Tell me.”
“He wants to apologize.”
“No.”
Gabby’s eyes turned earnest and she bit her lip, then sighed. “Please, Izzy. He’s come so far and he’s worked so hard with everyone at the counseling center. He’s taking his medication regularly and he’s just … I think he needs to tell you how sorry he is.”
“Gabby, I just … can’t.”
Her friend lowered her face to her palms and spoke into them. “I know, I understand.”
“Do you really?”
With a ragged sigh, she looked up. “Yes, actually. And it’s horrible of me to ask this of you. And I wouldn’t, except …”
“Except?”
“Except we’ve spent every last dime we have on his therapy. We’re broke, Izzy. Flat, stinking broke and I’m afraid if you don’t agree to let him apologize, then he’ll relapse or … or … something. And there will be nothing left to help him. He’ll wind up in jail—or worse. And then there’s my mother. I can’t pay for her assisted living after next month. She doesn’t even know who I am anymore, but I can’t quit my job to take care of her full time because then we’d be homeless. But I can’t just not take care of her, she’s my mother and I love her.”
“Of course you have to take care of her.”
Tears filled her friend’s eyes. “I wasn’t going to do this. I promised myself we were going to have a wonderful lunch and I was going to make you laugh.” She wiped the tears away with a rough hand. “I just don’t know what to do. I can’t let Mick relapse. If he does, I’m done,” she said on a whisper. “I’m so sorry.”
Izzy didn’t say anything for a moment while she chewed food she was no longer hungry for. She swallowed and looked up. “I didn’t know all that.”
“I know. I’ve tried not to think about it—or spread my misery to others by talking about it, but I’ve seen the improvement in him and I want to be sure I’m doing everything I can to make sure he continues to progress. Even if that means asking you for the impossible.” Her words dropped to a whisper and Izzy could feel the woman’s angst rolling off her.
Setting her napkin aside, she drew in a breath and let it out slowly while she considered her options. “I won’t meet him in person, but he can write me a letter and I promise to read it.”
Gabby’s tear-filled gaze swept away from Izzy’s. She finally sniffed and nodded. “Okay. That might work. I’ll tell him.”
“Fine.” As much as she usually enjoyed Gabby’s company, right now, Izzy just wanted to escape.
“So,” Gabby said, “let’s talk about something else … if you’re still talking to me.”
Izzy couldn’t help it. She let a smile curve her lips and some of the tension left her. “I’m still talking to you.” She paused. Then lifted her gaze to meet her friend’s. “How about those Gamecocks, huh? They were playing pretty well until the offense dropped out of the game in the second quarter.”
Gabby giggled and swiped a few stray tears. “Hey, at least they rallied in the second half and came back to win it.”
“After giving me a heart attack.”
“I’m sure the coach didn’t pull any punches in his halftime speech.”
Her friend seemed to relax while they talked, and Izzy let out a relieved sigh, even while the thought of any communication with Mick Sinclair left her feeling like she might hurl at any second. Shoving thoughts of the man aside, she focused on another fact.
She had to talk to Derek’s supervisor, ask him what her brother was doing, and let him know he’d shot a man. In her defense, of course. But—
Her phone buzzed and she glanced at the screen. Ryan. She’d call him back in just a few minutes. Izzy tried to stay focused on Gabby’s words, but in truth, she was in a hurry to get away. She had to do something. Anything. Even if that meant betraying Derek’s wishes.
When the bill arrived, she paid, hugged Gabby goodbye, and climbed into her vehicle with a sigh of relief and checked her text messages.
Once out of the parking lot, she made a left and headed toward the station.
Locating Izzy hadn’t been as easy as he’d thought it would be. She hadn’t called him back, so he’d sent her a text letting her know where he was and to call him or come by when she got the message.
Scenes from the warehouse continued to blip through his mind. Planning his brother’s funeral wasn’t a good way to forget them. Not that he ever would. He needed to know
who pulled the trigger and sent his bullets flying into Kevin’s body.
Propping his feet on his desk, he leaned back in his rickety chair to stare at the ceiling and tried to prioritize his to-do list.
Charice walked in and dropped into the chair at her desk opposite his. “Hey.”
He didn’t take his gaze from the ceiling. “Hey.”
“I’ve got a name for you. I know who pulled the trigger and shot Kevin.”
That got his attention. He dropped his feet to the floor and spun to face her. “Who?”
“Tobias Freeman.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yep. He matches the guy in the video.”
Ryan closed his eyes briefly. “How’d you find him?”
“Good old-fashioned legwork, and shockingly enough, it didn’t take nearly as long as I expected it to. I started with the restaurants near the warehouse. Apparently he was a regular at that little café on the corner of Henry and Reeds. First waitress I talked to recognized him. She called him Toby.”
“Where does he live?”
She gave him the address. “But the cops have already been there and left.”
“What?”
“Four hours ago. Sorry, but I had to pass the information on to the detectives working the case first.”
No wonder she’d been so evasive when he’d been calling her all morning.
“And before you get bent out of shape,” she said, “Freeman wasn’t there. But we’ve got his laptop and other things to go through and see if we can figure out where he’ll go into hiding.”
Ryan scowled. “I should have been there.”
“No, Ryan, you shouldn’t have been, because you’re not supposed to be investigating it, remember?”
Just because she was right didn’t mean he had to like it. “He’s my brother, Charice.”
“I know. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
Anger nipped at him. Truly, he really did understand her reasoning, but it still rubbed him the wrong way. If the roles had been reversed …
He sighed and dropped his chin to his chest.
… he would have done the same thing. She was just protecting him from himself. At least that’s the way he figured she was looking at it. “Thanks for the update.” Thanks for nothing.
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