“That’s true.” Theo drained his cup once again.
“Where’d you two go anyway?”
“I’d better let Olivia explain that to you.” Theo sighed. “She’s already irritated with me.”
“Do I want to know why?”
“Probably not.” Theo shook his head.
“About the chief,” Jake considered. “Maybe Olive should call Erica and get her to file an official complaint with the mayor’s office. If he’s got someone above watching him, it might force him to toe the line.”
“Or it might push him entirely the other way,” Theo countered.
“Maybe, but then she has both of us. We just need to keep an eye on her.”
“There’s one more thing.” Theo’s gaze locked with Jake’s. “I want you to teach me to shoot a gun.”
“Do I need to worry about you shooting the chief?” Jake’s brow rose.
“I’ll try not to,” Theo replied dryly.
“Then why?”
“Because we still don’t know what is in the woods, and there’s a murderer on the loose,” Theo pointed out.
“Fair point,” Jake conceded. “Okay, I’ll stop by tomorrow morning and we’ll get started.”
“Started on what?” Olivia padded back into the kitchen, pulling her hair into a ponytail.
“Nothing.” Jake noticed the file tucked under her arm. “What’s that?”
“Take a look for yourself.” She dropped it on the counter in front of him.
Jake watched as she walked past Theo and took a mug down from the shelf. Theo’s eyes dropped down to her ass for a moment before he turned and flipped the kettle on. Jake continued to watch them. Olivia dropped a teabag in her mug as Theo turned to the refrigerator and took out the milk before refilling his coffee. Olivia took down the sugar and scooped a spoon into her mug and two in Theo’s mug. As she turned to put the sugar back, he squeezed the teabag into her cup and removed it while she added milk to both her tea and his coffee, stirring it before handing it to him.
She scowled at him. “You shouldn’t mainline coffee, it’s not good for you.”
He smiled at her as he took a sip.
Jake was startled at how in sync with each other they were and how they didn’t seem to be aware of it. Shaking his head in amusement, he turned his attention to the file in front of him.
“Is this what I think it is?” He frowned suddenly as he scanned the first few pages.
“The files from the original murders.” Olivia slipped onto the stool beside Jake.
“How?”
“I got it yesterday.” Olivia sipped her tea.
“This has something to do with where you two disappeared to, doesn’t it?”
Olivia nodded, putting her cup down and flipping to the pages pertaining to James Talbot. “Victim number four, James Talbot,” she began. “Someone specifically highlighted this victim. I figured there was something special about this one. I read through his file, and the single thing of note was that he was the only victim who didn’t live in Mercy. He lived in Salem with his parents. So, we decided to drive out there and see if his family still lived there.”
“And do they?” Jake asked.
“His mother does.” Olivia picked up her mug again. “His father passed away some years ago, but she was happy to speak with us. It turns out James Talbot didn’t always live in Salem but was born and raised in Mercy. He went to school with my father and Thomas Walcott. The three of them were best friends.”
“Thomas Walcott?” Jake blinked in surprise. “As in…Chief Walcott?”
