She tries to pull my hands away but I hold firm. I twist, trying to roll her off me, but she’s got me pinned down. I move one hand away from my face so I can push her. Her eyes are wild, the ditzy blond facade long gone, and I worry about how far she’s going to take this.
She grabs something from the shelf next to us and raises it above her head.
And then the world goes dark.
Chapter 38
Hank
AFTER THE ALIBI
Sunday, October 18
For a moment, I thought I was going to have to cancel my plans with Camille, thinking I’d be tied up at Aubrey’s. But a very terse conversation with Deacon changed that. After hearing about what happened today at their house, it’s clear Frank was a plant, because the second he got his hands on that drive, he was gone.
I have my suspicions about who he works for.
Camille hasn’t answered any of my calls, which is also concerning. I’m a couple of hours earlier than she’s expecting me but my gut tells me something isn’t right.
Pulling up to her parents’ place, I park between the house and a big metal building. When I get out of the car, I see the shop door is wide open, the wind causing it to bang on the side wall. I decide to secure it before heading to the house. The second I get to the opening I see Camille onthe ground and I’m running full speed to get to her. Blood pools beneath her head and the scene is so reminiscent of how Ben was found that I’m terrified Camille has somehow met the same fate.
Dropping down next to her, the first thing I do is check for a pulse. The relief is sharp when I feel the steady beat of her heart, but the volume of blood oozing from the wound on her head scares the shit out of me. Part of me is afraid to touch her in case there’s a chance I could do more damage, but the other part knows she needs medical attention immediately and we are miles from the nearest hospital.
Checking quickly for any other visible wounds, I scoop her up and jog toward the exit. Silas and another man are just coming in when I get to the door.
“What the hell happened?” Silas yells.
“Found her like this. She’s bleeding and unconscious.”
He doesn’t ask any other questions, just runs to my truck since it’s the closest vehicle, while the other guy ducks back inside the shop. Silas opens the back seat door and helps me get her inside. “Hold on to her. I’ll drive.”
Silas gets in the driver’s seat and cranks the engine. Then the other guy is back, with a stack of shop towels. “These are brand new, never been used.” He passes them to me then gets in the passenger seat. Within seconds we are speeding down the driveway to the blacktop road.
I apply one of the towels to the wound, putting pressure on it. Camille doesn’t even stir.
Silas throws the guy with him his phone. “Call the doc and tell him we’re on the way.”
He looks familiar but I can’t place him.
“I know it may take a little longer to get there but we need to take her to Baton Rouge.”
Silas nods. “We are. Just making sure my guy is there though.”
That sounds shady as shit but I don’t argue. Only thing that’s important right now is getting Camille help.
Finally, it dawns on me where I know the guy in the passenger seat from. The report Scott made me on all of Aubrey’s housemates. Other than Deacon and the two guys who restored the Mustang, the only other person who lives there is Tammy Simpson, aka Serenity Woods. She teaches yoga and claims she can see not only your past lives but also your future. She’s also been arrested multiple times for passing fake checks, forgery, and fraud. Married and divorced four times, the last marriage ended prior to her moving in that house two years ago.
But one of the pictures Scott included from social media showed her with a new boyfriend. The guy sitting in the front seat.
“You’re Frank, Tammy’s boyfriend.”
He throws me a look. “She prefers to go by Serenity.”
I look at Silas. “You planted him there to watch Aubrey.”
He doesn’t answer me, which is fine because it wasn’t really a question.
Before I can ask him anything else, Silas says, “We’ll talk about this later, Hank. After we make sure Camille is okay.”
