“Sorry to bother you so late.” His unique, raspy voice came over the line. “But I wanted to give you a heads up in case you hadn’t heard. Nico Huff was released from prison last week.”
“Huff?” She couldn’t believe she’d just been talking about him and now here he was, out of prison. Gave far more credence to him being the shooter. “I didn’t know. How did you hear about it?”
“I was at the courthouse this morning and ran into one of the guards who oversaw his release. He heard Huff say that he was going to get back at everyone who put him behind bars. You remember his foul mouth, so you know he didn’t say it quite that tamely, but you get the picture.”
She got it, all right. She’d dealt with him not only through the investigation but through the trial, where he hurled too many expletives her way to count. She could just see the tall, beefy man with a shaved head and fierce-looking eyes glaring down on her, and her heart rate kicked up.
“So you think he’s coming after me?” she asked Ozzy. “I mean, do you really think he would take revenge or was he just spouting off?”
Ozzy didn’t answer right away, and the silence added to Kinsley’s discomfort, but she waited it out by tapping her foot under the table where the others couldn’t see her nervousness.
“Despite being a loudmouth,” Ozzy finally said, “I honestly don’t think the guy who went into prison would try to harm someone. He liked to shoot his mouth off, but I couldn’t see him taking any real action.”
She let out a relieved breath.
“That said,” he continued, “the guard told me Huff had a rough incarceration and was coming out angry and with a giant chip on his shoulder. So I’m not really sure what he’ll do. I just wanted to make sure you knew about his release and the threat.”
So much for the moment of relief. She tried not to let panic take her voice as the others were watching her carefully. “Do you know where he’s living?”
“I took a look at his prison discharge paperwork. He’s back in Portland. Living with his mother. I can text you the address if you want it, but I wouldn’t recommend you having any contact with him.”
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll steer clear of him, but just want to know if a threat did originate, where it might be coming from.”
“Then I’ll text you the minute we get off the phone. I’ll also call a detective buddy at PPB and ask if he can have patrol keep an eye out for him.”
She appreciated him contacting the Portland Police Bureau on her behalf, but that was just the kind of guy he was. Tough, but considerate.
“You should know, though,” he said, “it’s not unheard of for a felon to give one address to the authorities, then not really live there.”
“Really? Do they think they can get away with that?”
“They’re willing to take the risk. What guy Huff’s age wants to live with his mother? But he needed the address for release.”
“That makes sense,” she said. “But I sure don’t like hearing that he could be living at an undisclosed location.”
“Yeah, and if his parole officer goes looking for him, his mother would cover for him, saying that he was staying with her but wasn’t home at the time. So just be aware. And take care.”
“Thanks, Ozzy, and thanks for calling to warn me.” She disconnected and took her time laying her phone back on the table to gather her thoughts before explaining the situation to the others. She took a deep breath and forced herself to look up at them, then shared her conversation.
Dev’s eyes narrowed. “The same guy you told me about earlier today, except he’s not behind bars anymore.”
“Could be nothing,” she said to keep the others from getting worked up too. “Ozzy wasn’t even sure if Huff would do anything.”
Dev slammed his fist on the table. “We can’t take any chances. We’ll get eyes on him. Have a conversation with him. See where he was during the shooting. We can’t be too careful with your life.”
She didn’t like the thought of Dev or any one of the guys going to see Huff. A tough guy, he was one of those men’s men who steamrolled all over women and anyone who got in his way for that matter—not looking back, but taking advantage all along the way. By the time one of his foremen blew the whistle on him, he’d cut so many corners on the apartment building he was constructing that it had to be demolished. It couldn’t be fixed and wasn’t safe for habitation, yet he planned on finishing the complex and letting innocent renters move into a sure death if the right conditions came in to play.
So yeah, he could be dangerous. Just how dangerous was the question of the hour. And a question they needed to answer soon.
