“I don’t know. A few, I guess.”
“Any way we can get into Summit’s office? Maybe they have a list.”
Hudson hesitated. “They have an office unit. But Jericho—”
“You have a key?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Then, let’s go.”
THE SHED SATbehind the lodge, its metal walls reflecting the backside shadows of the day.
Hudson worked the lock. “This feels wrong.”
“Wrong like someone stealing your equipment?” Jericho’s voice came out harder than he meant it. “Like someone maybe trying to kill my dog, kidnap a kid, maybe shoot Harley?”
The lock clicked.
“Take a breath, J, we’re in.”
Inside, filing cabinets lined the walls. Hudson walked over to a metal desk, riffled through the papers there. “Nothing. Just lists of deliveries and schedules of shipments.” He handed them over to Jericho, who snapped photos of the files with his phone.
And that’s when he saw it—three missed calls from Harley. He’d silenced his phone during church, never turned the volume back on.
He went cold as he opened his messages.
One text from Harley, sent after the calls.
At Pete Barrow’s place. He’s dead.
What? She didnot.“No, no, no...” He hit dial. It rang and rang. Voicemail. He hung up. “I’m going to kill her.” He headed for the door.
“What’s wrong?” Hudson, rushing after him.
“Pete Barrow’s dead.” His voice sounded strange in his ears. “And Harley”—he tried her number again, listening to the ring—“she found him.” Voicemail.
Hudson stared at him.
“Yeah. I’ll bet she went to his house—oh, she said she’d wait for me.” He made a fist, nearly banged it into the wall of the shed. “We need to go.” He slammed his way outside, toward his truck, Hudson on his tail.
“Jericho. Just calm down—”
“This?” Jericho held up his phone, hands shaking. “This is as calm as I’m going to get.” He shook his head. “She just cannot, cannotstay out of trouble!”
Hudson grabbed his arm, slowed him down, turned him.
“What?”
“She’s a PI, man. It’s what she does. I think the ‘stay out of trouble’ ship has sailed there, bro.”
Jericho had nothing. Because, shoot—his brother was right.
And there it was, wasn’t it? The terrible, awful, unsurmountable truth between them.
He felt it like a fist, right to his soul.
She ran into danger.
