The words hung in the air like smoke. Saying them aloud felt like a betrayal, but not saying them would have been worse.
Having all of this out in the open pressed on her chest, but it also brought clarity. This wasn’t just random. Someone believed they were carrying out justice for a life they thought David had ruined. So, they had a motive. Possible means, too. And since none of their suspects had alibis for the latest attack, they’d all had the opportunity.
Laney drew in a breath, steeling herself, and pushed to her feet. “We should see Sherry now and ask her about that note.”
Harlan rose with her, giving a sharp nod. “I’ll let Garrett know we’re leaving.” He stepped out of the room, leaving her with a moment of silence that felt heavier than it should.
Laney headed upstairs. Her hand lingered on the railing before she pushed forward and went to Evie’s temporary room and opened the door. Relief loosened the knot in her chest when she saw her daughter still curled on her side, breathing softly in sleep. She brushed a hand over the quilt and whispered a silent prayer, then turned to find her mother, not still napping but awake in the next room.
Carol looked up from her chair, concern etching her face. “Where are you going?”
“To see Sherry,” Laney said quietly. “Harlan’s coming with me.”
Carol rose and crossed the room, pulling her into a hug. “Be careful, sweetheart.”
Laney hesitated, then the words tumbled out before she could stop them. “Mom… did David have an affair?”
Her mother stilled, and for a long moment she didn’t answer. Finally, Carol’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know for certain, but I did hear some gossip.”
Laney nodded once, sharp and resolute. If it was true, she would deal with it later. She would face what it meant about her marriage, about the lies and the deceit that might have threaded through it. Later. Not now.
Now, the priority was Evie. Always Evie.
Laney turned from her mother and went to meet Harlan, her heart pounding with determination. She went back downstairs, her steps steady even though her nerves still rattled. Harlan was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with two vests in his arms, and Garrett was beside him.
Garrett gave her a nod. “I’ll lock up and keep watch while you’re gone. You don’t need to worry about this place. I’ve got it covered.”
“Thank you,” she said, knowing that words weren’t enough. She owed Garrett plenty for stepping up to take care of Evie and her mother.
Laney slipped on the vest Harlan held out for her. The weight pressed down on her chest, a reminder of just how dangerous things had become. And how necessary such measures now were. While Harlan put on his own vest, she fastened the straps on hers, thanked Garrett again and heard Harlan do the same.
They stepped outside. The October air was cooler now, carrying the faint scent of leaves and autumn, a sharp contrast to the tension tightening in her chest. They climbed into the SUV with Harlan behind the wheel, her in the passenger seat.
Laney’s house slipped from view behind them as the vehicle rolled down the drive. Sherry’s place was close, only a quarter of a mile away, yet the short trip felt loaded, as if every second stretched longer with the questions that still needed answering.
Sherry’s house came into view as they turned off the road. The old farmhouse sat well back from the gravel drive, its graypaint faded and the porch crowded with mismatched chairs and empty flowerpots brittle from the October chill.
Two vehicles sat in the driveway. One was Sherry’s sedan. The other was a mud-splattered pickup that Laney didn’t recognize. Her pulse ticked higher. The front window stood open, lace curtain tugging in the breeze, and raised voices spilled out, sharp and angry.
“Billy is setting me up, and you know it,” Sherry shouted.
The words snapped off as if cut with a blade. A moment later Sherry glanced out at them, her gaze fixing on Laney and Harlan in the yard. Her expression shifted from fury to something tighter, guarded.
Once again, Laney felt the tension coil inside her. Whoever was inside with Sherry had just gone silent, and Harlan and she were about to step straight into the middle of it.
Sherry pushed open the screen door and stepped out onto the porch. Her smile was thin, forced, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
Brannigan came out right behind her, hands shoved into his jeans pockets like he had all the time in the world. He gave them both a cocky grin.
“What are you two doing here?” Harlan’s voice was flat, cutting through the chilly air.
“Listening to a former cop whine about how unfair the system can be,” Brannigan said, his tone full of mockery.
“That’s not what happened,” Sherry shot back. She swung toward them, her voice sharp. “He just showed up here, uninvited, and started doing his own whining. He said Billy is setting both of us up.”
Laney kept her face still, but inside, the words churned. Someone was possibly trying to frame Billy.
But who?
