The recording clicked off, leaving only the hum of the computer and the faint splashing of water from down the hall where Evie was finishing her bath. Harlan leaned back in his chair, his jaw tight.
Across from him, Laney pressed her palms flat on the desk, her frustration plain. Garrett was still in the doorway, and Harlan caught the look in his eyes. Same as his own. Same as Laney’s. None of them believed Billy would be giving them answers to this.
Even if Billy knew the truth.
And Billy especially wouldn’t if he truly was the one trying to kill them, the one who’d murdered David.
“Do you want to listen to Brannigan’s interview?” Laney asked, finally breaking the silence.
Harlan shook his head. Garrett did the same.
“We already know the summary,” Harlan said. “Denials. Nothing to hold him.”
Which left them here, in the middle of the storm, with two suspects free to move as they pleased and no proof to tie either of them to the threats. The other suspect, Sherry, wasn’t even on the sheriff’s radar. Yet. That might change once the sheriff interviewed her, but for now Sherry was as free as Billy and Brannigan were.
Harlan stared at the dark window beyond Laney’s desk, every muscle wired tight. Whoever was behind this wasn’t finished. Not by a long shot.
Laney let out a long sigh, the kind that carried more weariness than breath. “Sherry’s coming in tomorrow. The sheriff’s going to do the interview. She’s still pissed, though. Maybe that’ll push her to slip, admit to something. Especially if she really was taking some kind of payoff.”
Harlan stayed quiet, watching the way her fingers tapped the desk. He didn’t disagree. Anger could rattle a person enough to loosen their tongue. But it could also light a fuse.
“Or it pushes her to do something reckless,” he said finally. The thought sat heavy in his gut. Sherry wasn’t the type to back down when she felt cornered, and now she was.
Garrett shifted against the doorframe. He didn’t need to say it, but Harlan knew they were thinking the same thing. Pissed people were unpredictable.
“That’s why you’re staying the night,” Harlan told him. “All the security’s in place, but I want more eyes on the house.”
Garrett nodded once, steady and sure. “I’ll be here for as long as you need me.”
Harlan muttered a thanks and glanced toward the dark window again. Cameras, locks, alarms—they were just tools. Whoever had sent that note believed they could get around all of it. And if they were right, tonight could turn bloody fast.
The creak of footsteps in the hall made Harlan turn. Evie came running in, a blur of soft cotton pajamas and wild excitement. Her hair was damp from her bath, sticking in little curls to her forehead, and she grinned like it was Christmas morning.
“I get the tent room again!” she announced, bouncing on her toes. “Are you sleeping in there, too?”
Laney’s tired smile softened as she nodded. “Yes, baby, we are.”
Evie’s eyes shifted to Harlan, bright with hope. He gave her a solemn nod, as if agreeing to a mission. “I’ll be there.”
That seemed to satisfy her, but then she turned to Garrett in the doorway. “What about you?”
Garrett crouched down, bringing himself to her level. “I’ll be right in the room next to yours. But we can send secret messages.” He rapped his knuckles lightly against the doorframeto demonstrate. “One tap means goodnight. Two taps means sleep tight.”
Evie gasped in delight. “Like a game?”
“Exactly like a game,” Garrett confirmed.
She tilted her head, studying him with that quick, earnest curiosity kids had. “Then… can you be Uncle Garrett, too?”
Harlan caught the flicker of surprise across Garrett’s face. The man hesitated only a heartbeat before his expression softened. “Sure, squirt. Uncle Garrett it is.”
Evie clapped, clearly pleased with herself, before darting off to ready her sleeping bag.
Harlan leaned back in his chair, watching her go, and for a fleeting second the house felt normal. Almost safe. But he knew better.
The thought had crossed his mind more than once to move Laney, Evie, and Carol to a safehouse. Somewhere out of sight, out of reach. But he’d pushed the idea back. Uprooting Evie again would only add to the fear already hanging over her, and Carol would feel displaced, too. No, they were better off here, where the security was tight and familiar walls could lend some comfort.
“I’ll grab my go-bag from the SUV,” Garrett said. He was already shifting into the mode of a man settling in for a watch. “I’ll make sure everything is set on the new security system, and then I’ll head to the guest room. Just in case Evie decides to test out the tapping game.”
