Page 129 of Now and Then

I tap the screen, reading the short, clipped messages I suspect are from one of the Daley brothers.

Unknown: It’s happening tonight.

The words land like a punch.

Over the last several days, we’ve checked out every property on the list of addresses. Some of the buildings were barely holding themselves up, so it wasn’t likely that anyone was running a large operation out of those. Chris and I scoped out an abandoned grain silo, lumber mill, and an old equipment yard off the highway. Though they all could’ve been prime locations, they were ghost towns. If this is going down tonight, we need the location.

Me: Location?

Unknown: Lumber mill.

My pulse spikes. I glare at Chris.

“You just had to say something, didn’t you, asshole.”

He comes over. “What’s got your panties in a twist?”

Chris peers over my shoulder, and I show him the texts.

“Shit.”

“Shit is right,” I say. “Let’s go.”

We march into Chief Rhodes’s office. He reads the texts, grunts, and drags a tired hand through his gray hair.

“Looks like it’s going to be a long night for you, Detective.”

“Stakeout?” I ask, even though I already know his answer.

Chief rests his hands on his paunchy stomach. “You two already checked this place out, right?”

“It was one of the first places we went. Not a soul in sight.”

“This message could be someone messing with you,” he says, “or maybe not. Get a few hours of sleep before you head out later. If it looks like something, you call for backup. Got it?”

Chris and I make a plan to head out around five. It’ll give us time to check out the lumber mill and surrounding buildings and be out of sight before the sun sets. Instead of heading home, I create a makeshift bunk room in the rear of the station, hoping to get a few hours of shut-eye.

As soon as my head hits the pillow, I should sleep. But I don’t. Luke’s on shift, so I shoot him a text.

Me: Going to check out the old lumber mill tonight.

Luke: Anything I need to be concerned about?

Me: Got a random text.

I send him a screenshot.

Luke: That’s ominous. You’re not going alone, right?

Me: Nah, it’s me and Chris and backup too if we call it in.

Luke: Be careful, bro. Call me when you get home.

Me: Okay, Mom.

He responds with a middle-finger emoji. I check in with Sutton, but my messages go unread. I set an alarm, shut the lights off, and drift off into the worst nap in the history of naps.

We arrive at the lumber mill as the sun melts beyond the horizon. The metal structure sits silent, the long-abandoned building hulking against the sky.