She looked at him. “Good?”
“It means if Vince killed Thayer to contain information, he failed.”
The realization settled in Rowan’s thoughts.
Wes was right. Thayer had known he was in danger. At least partly. Enough to send evidence somewhere safe before confronting Vince.
“He was trying to protect himself,” she murmured.
“And maybe protect someone else too.”
Rowan looked back at the screen. “This confirms Vince had information on people. That sounds exactly like what Thayer was trying to tell me before everything happened.”
Wes leaned forward, forearms braced against his knees as he visibly worked through the implications. “I wonder what kind of files Thayer sent his sister?”
Rowan shrugged. “I don’t know. But maybe this is the path forward I’ve been searching for.”
Wes looked at her. “It may be enough to bring Vince down.”
The words settled between them.
For the first time since Thayer’s death, Vince Furlough no longer seemed untouchable.
Rowan stared at the email another minute before scrolling to the phone number at the bottom.
“Do you think I should call her?” she murmured.
Wes shifted beside her on the porch swing. “You want to call?”
“I do. I really do.”
Wes nodded. “It’s worth a try.”
Rowan punched the number into her phone and pressed Call before she could overthink it.
The line rang four times. Then voicemail picked up.
A generic automated message played. There was no name.
Rowan hesitated before saying, “This is Rowan. I got your email. Please call me back.”
She ended the call and lowered the phone into her lap.
Now it was in Lauren’s hands.
“You think she’s legitimate?” Rowan asked.
“Yes.” The certainty in Wes’s answer surprised her.
“Why?”
He raised a shoulder. “Fear is hard to fake.”
The words settled over the porch.
Rowan looked back down at the email.
Thayer sent me several files.
