“So, about those reports…”
Son of a bitch.
I drag my hand down my face and pray for the patience required to deal with my nephew the moment I sit down in front of my laptop.
The one I forgot still had a video chat playing when Kat raced down the stairs.
“Why didn’t you just end the call?” I bark as I drop back into my chair, his shit-eating grin telling me there wasn’t a chance in hell of that happening.
“Have I told you recently you’re my hero?”
“Can we get back to work, please?”
“We can, but Emerson and I have been sending live updates back and forth. It’s better than reality TV and Kinsley is going to be so pissed she missed out.”
“No one is missing out because there is nothing to miss out on.”
“She called you top-tier book boyfriend material.”Royce gives a low whistle that makes me want to strangle him. “That’s a big deal.”
“You’re fired.”
“No, I’m not.” He laughs. “Plus I have information you want, so at the very least it buys me some time.”
This is why I keep to myself and don’t form relationships or show emotion.
“Tell me.”
“Hazel is still status quo. I can’t count her in or out yet.”
“How come?” I all but growl, stopping myself just barely from digging the tip of my pen into the legal pad in front of me.
“There are several social media accounts that use her Wi-Fi to post hateful comments about Kat.”
“Okay…”
“The problem is I’m not one hundred percent suresheis the one doing it. Someone could be accessing her signal.”
“The aunt?”
“It’s possible. I’m still looking into her too. Seems weird that a woman in her sixties would dedicate hours a day to bullying Kat online.”
“Weird, but not out of the realm of possibilities,” I remind him and he agrees, shoving a pencil behind his ear as he shuffles through a stack of papers.
“Nothing usable from the book or the packaging. The only thing worth noting is that it wasn’t purchased recently, so either our suspect got it secondhand or they purchased it and have been holding on to it all this time.”
The second option has the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
“How many books were burned at the rental?”
He clicks the mouse and adjusts his glasses and I have to stop myself from being momentarily distracted by seeing him in the office I still keep for him at my place.
Our place.
It’s the only place that’s ever felt likehome.
“It looks like twenty-six. Kind of a weird number.” The last part is mumbled as he keeps clicking away at something only he can see.
“Why?”
