Page 38 of Silent Menace
“But he’s in custody?”
“Yes, and we’ve got enough to hold him. Can’t guarantee a judge won’t grant him bail, but that won’t happen tonight. Probably not tomorrow either.”
“What about the other man? There were two of them,” she reminded him.
“Working on that. We found a text thread on this guy’s phone where he asked someone to help him out with a job yesterday. The messages aren’t incriminating in themselves, but the timing of the job fits. We’re on the way to pay his friend a visit now.”
Her fingers tightened around the phone. “Let me know what happens. I can’t wait for this to be over.”
Eric cleared his throat. “Even if we arrest this guy, it might not be over. We don’t know yet if the man we have in custody was the one behind the threats or if he was just hired help.”
She swallowed. “How will we figure that out?”
“Unless one of them talks or we find other evidence, it’ll be difficult to know for sure. Maybe his accomplice will be more forthcoming.”
“If he isn’t, does that mean I’ll have to keep my life on hold indefinitely?” She didn’t like that thought any more today than she had yesterday.
“I didn’t say that. But I do think you should continue to take precautions. It would be a good idea to stay with your parents an extra couple days while this investigation plays out.”
“And what about my job? I have an important meeting tomorrow that I need to be at if at all possible.”
Eric sighed. “I don’t have all the answers, and I can’t tell youwhat to do. Assuming this friend is the accomplice and that we’re able to find him, the danger might be over with once we have them both in custody. Even if these guys weren’t acting alone, their arrests might delay any further attacks. I just don’t know. I’ll update you when I can. Either way, if you feel comfortable going in, that’s your decision. I would advise you to at least consider having someone follow you there and follow you back home.”
That sounded reasonable. Because of the on-site security, it wasn’t likely anyone would come after her while she was in the 1798 Building—assuming she could trust the security office now. She’d have to ask Peter what he thought.
What had prompted Jacob Kingston to go from protector to aggressor? He wasn’t a longtime resident of the town, so why had he targeted her?
PETER HADN’T BEEN ABLEto get his grandparents’ words out of his head. He recognized the wisdom in their counsel, but the thought of failing Hailey still turned his stomach. He didn’t think he could live with himself if she died while relying on him.
But would he be able to live with himself if she died alone when he could have protected her?
“Fearand shame are hard taskmasters.”
He drew in a deep breath. Gran was right. Letting fear control him—either by paralysis or by pushing him into making a poor decision—was the worst thing he could do.A littlehelp,God? I need to know what to do here.Guide me and give me peace with whichever path youwant me to take.
By the time he neared the Butler area forty-five minutes later, he’d made a decision. Though he still believed Hailey deserved better protection than what he could provide, he would offer to accompany her—but with full disclosure of his limitations. If she’d have him, he’d serve as her unofficial bodyguard.
He’d prefer to get his former agency involved, but she’d been clear about her inability to afford such services. And he got that. The average person didn’t have that kind of extra cash lying around or a credit line they could afford to max out. Still, maybe Miguel or one of the other guys would be willing to take on some pro bono work. They might do it as a favor to him if they had room in their schedules.
He dialed his friend’s number. The call rang through to voice mail. That wasn’t too unusual. If Miguel was on a detail, he’d be unlikely to answer a call. Peter left a message and set his phone aside. He wouldn’t mention the agency to Hailey yet, not until he’d heard back from Miguel.
But he did need to talk to her. Since he was close to the Jessup farm, he decided to stop by instead of calling. It wasn’t more than a few minutes out of the way, and this conversation would be better in person.
Maggie was the first to greet him when he arrived. The golden directed a few compulsory barks at his car, but once he got out, she was quick to accept his attention. He rubbed behind her ears and stroked her silky fur. “I hope you’re a bit more on guard around strangers.” At least she’d warn the family about any approaching vehicles.
Jesse stepped outside and raised his hand in a wave. “Wasn’t expecting you. Anything wrong?”
“No, sir. Just hoping to talk to your daughter.”
“Come on in.”
He followed the man inside and was directed toward the living room.
Hailey looked up from the book she was reading to Jenna. “Well, hello.” She seemed surprised, but not displeased, to see him. Jenna, however, wriggled down from the couch and planted herself in front of him.
He bent down to her level and signed,Hello,princess.
Mommy story. At least, he was fairly certain that’s what shewas trying to communicate. Like many toddlers with exposure to ASL, she was a lot more advanced with signing than hearing adults tended to expect.
