“What kind of bomb is that?” I asked.
Scott’s nose wrinkled, and he made a disgusted face as he answered for Ezra. “It’s a stink bomb.”
“That’s correct,” Ezra confirmed. “The IED at the church was a homemade stink bomb with a punch. There was some metal shrapnel in the walls of the stairwell from the explosion, but it doesn’t seem to have been intended to be fatal. However, if it had detonated when people were leaving the meeting, there could have been serious injuries and lung damage from inhaling the sulfur gas.”
“A stink bomb,” I repeated. “What is this guy playing at?” My mind went back to Shawn’s description of the bullets in the popcorn kettle, and the prank was starting to sound more like what was happening. But a bomb, even a stinky one, was an escalation. Who or what would he target next? “Thanks for the update,” I told Ezra. “Call me when you get home, and please, be careful.”
“I don’t like not being with you tonight.” There was a pause, and then he said, “Or any night, for that matter. I could come over.”
I appreciated the offer but knew someone else needed him more tonight. “No, go be with Mason. You have officers outside the house, and...”
“Besides,” Ari interjected. “I’m staying the night with Aunt Nora. She won’t be alone.”
I heard his soft chuckle, and it eased the knot in my chest. “Good. Talk soon.” With that, he ended the call.
“A freaking stink bomb,” Gilly hissed. “What the heck?”
“Those are pretty gross,” Scott added. “I made one back in college to prank a friend, and the smell didn’t dissipate for months, even with a thorough cleaning and all the air freshener from the dollar store.”
“It’s all fun and games until someone gets skunked,” Gilly teased.
I forced a smile. “This guy isn’t pulling pranks for laughs. He’s trying to prove some kind of point.” I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of a much darker game, and I could only hope his next stunt didn’t result in someone getting killed.
ChapterTwelve
The next morning, I rose with the sun, a rare occurrence for me as I was not a morning person. My body felt stiff and my brain foggy. In other words, I was suffering from an anxiety hangover. Anyone who’s ever suffered from a full night of anxiety attacks would know exactly how I was feeling. I took my 9 mm from my nightstand and put it back in the gun safe. I’d felt safer with it nearby but was thankful I hadn’t had a reason to use it.
My house faces the west, so I peered out the window, hoping for some sunrise magic to boost my spirits. Instead, I noticed a black sedan parked at the end of my lot instead of the marked police cruiser that had been there the night before. Instantly, I recognized Reese’s cinnamon-red hair on the driver’s side, and it looked like Broyles in the passenger seat. They must’ve taken over for Jeanna and Levi sometime early this morning or last night.
My stomach twisted with a familiar unease. I hated needing a babysitter and hoped it was a whole lot of something over a whole lot of nothing.
After showering to wake up, I wore pale pink sweats and headed to the living room. As I walked through the house, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. The creep sending me the memories had made me feel unsafe in my own skin.
Ari sat on the couch in the living room in her rocket-ship pajamas. Her blankets and pillows were in the same pile I had left for her the night before. She was frantically scrolling through her phone, jotting down notes with her stylus.
“Come look,” she said absently, waving me over.
I hadn’t had my coffee yet, but the girl looked feral. Protesting might get me bitten. I walked over and stood behind her. Her phone screen resembled something out of “A Beautiful Mind,” filled with ovals, branches, and sub-branches. My heart pounded, and a knot of tension tightened in my chest as I saw the chaotic web of information.
“Whatcha got there, kiddo?” I asked cautiously.
An empty cup of coffee sat on my coffee table, and Ari’s hands were shaking as she held her phone up for me to see.
“Mason and I made a revenge mind map for all the people you’ve helped put in jail, anyone on parole, and included any family members who live in town that I could find who might hold a grudge. On top of that, I factored in any veiled threats on social media directed at you or the police.”
“Mason?” I asked.
“Yeah, I hit him up to help with research. We’ve been DMing back and forth all night.” She wagged two fingers at me. “More brains, more gains.”
I didn’t love that Ari had spent hours researching all my potential enemies. I loved it even less that she was able to find enough to make a whole map. I peered at her screen. “I can’t believe that many people want revenge against me. It seems...excessive.”
Ari tilted her head back to look up at me. “No worries, Aunt Nora.” Her brown eyes were bloodshot with sleep deprivation. “We couldn’t find anything with your name on it specifically prior to twenty-four hours ago, but there are a few posts from before that we think allude to you. No concrete confirmation, though.”
“And in the last twenty-four hours?” I asked.
“You’re better off not knowing,” she answered.
I cringed. “Your answer means I definitely don’t want to know.”
