Xander gestured to the photos on the table, which now included the ones from the last three years. “I mean, I’m not reaching, am I? It’s connected. The scratched-out markings have a similar feel.”
“I agree,” Frazier said, leaning back in his chair. “The cars that were vandalized at the resort were all the same make, model, and color. So maybe whoever this was, wasn’t sure which car was yours.”
“I’d venture to guess they also didn’t know you’d moved until recently,” Alvarez said, glancing down at his notes. “Youmoved to Hudson Island on October first and wisely kept it quiet. The anniversary of the car accident is October twenty-sixth and the postmark from the envelope is October twentieth to your old address. It got lost in the mail, and I think it’s pure coincidence that it arrived to your work when it did. However, these photos...” He gestured to the newest ones on the table. “These were dropped at your apartment. So the question is, how did they find you?”
For a few moments, the room was silent.
Until Tash said, “The shooting at the resort. Everything that happened—the escalation—happened after that.”
Xander felt Freya’s body tense, and he glanced at her. “Frey?”
“Hazel’s interview with the news.” Sighing, she rubbed her temples. “I’m pretty sure she mentioned me by name.”
“On it,” Bean murmured, her fingers flying over her laptop. Within seconds, she spun her computer around.
Hazel was on the screen, and Bean pressed play. They listened for about thirty seconds, and then Hazel said, “The lady was getting her hair done right next to me, and the guy just stormed in. He threw my coworker Freya Hansen to the ground and started screaming and yelling, trying to yank the lady out of the chair. My poor friend is all bruised. Freya and I both live here on Hudson. It’s a quiet and wonderful small town, and the resort is the last place you’d expect that kind of violence. It was just awful...”
The clip cut back to the reporter, and Bean paused the video.
Chills skated down Xander’s spine.
“The interview aired last Wednesday,” Bean said.
“Freya’s car was damaged at the resort on Friday.” Xander’s mind raced, desperate to find a link. He glanced at Bean. “What did you find on the security videos from Friday?”
She grimaced. “Unfortunately, not much. Our updated camera install for the employee parking lot didn’t happen untilthe weekend. I ran the videos they had through my facial rec software. All the people that were picked up by the existing cameras around that parking lot were either employees or guests.”
“But it doesn’t really matter,” Tash interjected. “That employee lot was accessible from the forest, and there were no cameras along that edge until our team installed them later.”
Xander sighed in frustration. “So a whole lot of nothing.”
Warm hands squeezed his forearms, and he glanced at Freya, who was still sitting on his lap. She framed his face in her hands. “It’s okay. One step at a time, right?”
The rising tension squeezing his lungs released. He turned his face and pressed a kiss to both of her palms. “That’s right, baby.”
“Aww, you guys are cute,” Tash said, grinning into the camera. “B, what about the parade? Any usable security footage from there?”
Bean rolled her eyes. “No. Let’s just say that the security cameras on their buildings are about the same caliber and quality as the ones we have in downtown Hudson.”
“So complete and absolute shit,” Wilson muttered. “Got it.”
Bean shrugged. “You’re not wrong. They got just the crowds within three feet of the store entrances. Nothing showing the whole street, let alone Freya getting pushed.”
Xander ground his molars together, and again, Freya’s hands tightened over his forearms. He exhaled and worked his jaw side to side.
“Bean,” Wilson said. “You should have your team install cameras in Freya’s building tomorrow. Entrance and main hallway.”
Bean nodded. “Will do. I’ll have Abbot send one of her guys out.”
“You should have him dress like a plumber or electrician or something,” Esme called out from the video screen. “In case there are eyes on her place.”
“Do you think that’s necessary?” Freya asked, worry tinging her words.
Before Xander could respond, Wilson turned to her. “Yes, I think it’s absolutely necessary.”
“You’re completely secured at Xander’s place,” Frazier interjected. “But it’s better to be safe.”
“Do we have anyone still working at the resort?” Xander asked.
