“It means”—Gus cracked a faint grin—“I’ve been around for a while. Let me check with a friend of mine. See what he can do.”
The sun was droppinglow in the sky as Finn turned down the familiar road toward the Brotherhood campus. He planned to talk to Chase about the shelter and check in with Caleb before the week got away from him.
His dashboard lit up with an incoming call.
Gus Navarro!
Finn frowned. He usually gave a casual wave to Gus since he was working just down the street, but they hadn’t talked for quite a while.
He pressed the call button. “Navarro, what’s going on?”
“Ryder.”
“What’s up? Haven’t heard from you in a while.”
“Been busy.” Gus paused. “Got a situation I wouldn’t mind you taking a look at.”
Finn glanced in his rearview mirror, slowing for a turn onto Hatcher Avenue. “Okay … talk to me.”
“The historic redevelopment project? It’s been vandalized a couple of times now. Broken windows, paint thrown at a mural, threatening messages. Might be something. Might be nothing.”
Finn thought about the project a few blocks from where his crew was working. Thought about Travis and Dean, who looked suspicious.
His grip on the wheel tightened. “You think it’s targeted?”
“Cops think it’s kids,” Gus said. “But I’ve got my doubts. Feels more deliberate. Project manager could use a second set of eyes. Unofficially. I know you’ve handled this kind of thing before.”
He had.
Too many times.
Finn turned onto Ironwood Drive and then down the gravel drive to the Brotherhood campus.
“I can do it tomorrow. I’ll check in with my crew first, then swing by.”
“Appreciate it.”
The call disconnected.
It was probably nothing. A kid with a can of spray paint.
But Gus wasn’t a nervous nelly. He’d been in the business for a long time. If he thought something was off—it probably was.
CHAPTER 8
Finn adjustedhis rearview mirror as he turned out of his driveway and headed toward Pine Street. He didn’t need to check in again with Caleb, who had already informed him last night that he was on top of everything. It was a relief to have another person he could trust on the project.
Sure, he trusted his crew, but Caleb had far more experience in the overall build, so it was a win-win.
He passed Haywood Lake and took in the early morning mist stretching across the lake.One of these days,he thought,I’ll rent a boat and go fishing. Just me, a thermos of coffee and nature. One of these days when he wasn’t so busy.
Downtown was just coming alive as he drove through. People were walking to work or scurrying depending on whether they were late. Many were holding cups of coffee. And now he wished he had stopped for a cup. Later.
He parked his truck a block away from the project, preferring to get a look from a distance. Sometimes it helped to see things more clearly if you weren’t on top of it.
Finn stepped out of his truck and took in the boarded-up front window of what would be Stella’s Bakery and the whitewashed mural on the side. Hammers rang out, and sawswere buzzing, and somewhere a generator rumbled behind a building. He noticed the crew setting up scaffolding around one three-story weathered brick building.
Standing in front of it, Gus was talking to a woman.
