“Crazies?”
“If you talk to Agent Lane, ask about Ansley and you’ll understand.”
“I think I will. Let me see if he answers.”
The detective dialed Ryan’s number, and it was obvious he answered on the first ring.
“Hello, Agent Lane, I’m sitting with?—“
"Ansley.
"Ansley. She is telling me that you know something about a Pete."
The detective stopped talking, and his eyes grew wider the longer Ryan spoke. After a moment, the guy started nodding, then his lips thinned.
“Yes, sir. I’ll make sure to increase patrols around her house. I’ll get that information now, and we’ll keep her safe.”
Ansley was intrigued, and she sat forward when the guy ended the call. “What did he say?”
“He said that Pete got bail and promptly disappeared. He said he sent you an email.”
“Oh, I guess I didn’t check.”
"I need your information so we can increase patrols. The guy sounds dangerous. Agent Lane is sending me information about this Pete character, and we'll keep an eye out for him."
Ansley gave the detective her information, worry filling her. Pete obviously wasn't here yet. There wasn't any way he could have made his way from California to North Carolina. Or had he caught a flight last night? If he had, he could easily be here.
She needed to tell Link, but not until after he got home from the base. Then she would tell him what happened today. Maybe she wouldn’t join a gym. At least not yet. Not until Pete was caught and really behind bars for good.
Chapter 33
Ansley hadn't listenedto the podcast. First on her list of things to do was to go grocery shopping. The trip to the store was supposed to be a treat for her, but it felt more like a punishment after what had happened at the coffee shop.
Every aisle seemed to hold the potential for an attack. If someone looked at her or paid too much attention to her, she feared they were part of the group who believed Pete hadn't lied.
Somehow, she got through the grocery list and made it out of the store. Her senses were on high alert as she rolled the cart from the store to her car. She'd just made it to the car when a loud bang sounded.
Ansley dropped to her knees, searching for the shooter. She slowly raised her head and saw four other people in the same condition. One of the men smiled and shook his head as he rolled his eyes.
“Car backfire. Wasn’t a shooter.” The guy opened his car door and slid into the driver’s seat.
The other people who’d dropped to the ground were up, wiping their knees. She was in a military town, so her droppingto the ground at the sound of a car backfire wasn’t embarrassing. People understood because they were doing the same thing.
Still, the sound had put her on edge. She loaded the groceries into her car and shook off the unease after putting the cart back in place.
After teaching her two classes, she would need to listen to the podcast and find out what was coming for her. Pete had unleashed some crap on her, and she knew there was no way a public statement from her would really help. Pete was angry, and she should have taken him more seriously. She hadn't expected him to do something like this, well, not exactly like this.
When she finished with the classes, she sat in front of her computer, the browser window open but empty. She needed to search for the podcast so she would know, but she didn’t want to. It took her more than five minutes to build up the courage to search.
Her hands shook as she typed in the information. When she found the podcast, her stomach clenched. The thing had a video and was on YouTube. Could she watch it? She had to.
The video started playing and the sick feeling grew. No way could she watch this at regular speed. She clicked the gear on the screen and sped it up to two times the normal speed, wanting to get through it fast. When they showed the video of someone pushing Craig off the pier, she shook her head in disbelief. How could anyone believe the video was real? It looked absolutely fake, almost cartoonish.
The podcast finished just as Link’s car pulled up outside. She hadn’t done anything for dinner, and anger twisted through her belly. The last thing she wanted was to burden him with this bullshit, but he would know she was worked up. She couldn’t hide the anger twisting with fear in her belly.
When he came in, she was facing the door. He paused, his lips thinning as he narrowed his eyes.
Link steppedinto the house and met Ansley's gaze. For a moment, he thought she was angry with him.
