His chest went tight. Brooke. If the killer thought she was another threat...
He jogged back inside. Brooke and Joe were already in the living room, Phil explaining what he’d found.
“Let me see it,” Joe said.
Tyler handed over the note.
Joe studied it, his journalist brain already working. “Does it say the same thing as the last note?”
“Same kind of vibe,” Tyler said. “Different words.”
“What’s ‘threats neutralized’ mean?” Brooke asked, reading over Joe’s shoulder. “I mean, obviously they’re talking about Sheila and Monique. But that’s a weird way to phrase it.”
“Yeah.” Joe frowned. “It’s odd. And familiar somehow.”
“We should call it in,” Tyler said. “Tell Boverman—”
“No.” Brooke’s voice was sharp. “Adam has his own agenda. We can’t trust him with this.”
Tyler sighed. She was right, but Adam was still law enforcement. “He probably should know, though.”
“I think Brooke’s right,” Phil said. “Boverman’s been after you since the fire. He’s not going to investigate this objectively.”
“Then we call Edi. I gave her the first note.”
“I thought Edi was persona non grata,” Phil said. “Ordered off the case.”
“She was, but this is different.”
“Is it?”
Joe was still staring at the note. “Let’s eat first and talk through everything. Then we can decide about calling someone.” He motioned toward the patio. “Come on. I need to flip the burgers.”
Joe took care of the burgers while Tyler, Brooke, and Phil settled in at the small table. Joe had brought out a folder of printouts—articles, timelines, and notes from his investigation.
“Start with the basics,” Joe said, transferring burgers to a plate. “Both victims lived here for years. Sheila moved to Casper for a short time for college and an ill-fated marriage, but came back. Monique never left. She started working at her aunt’s craft store in high school. She had a few other jobs, too, when the store was too slow to give her full-time hours.”
“They were good friends,” Phil added. “I remember them from high school, though they were a couple of years behind us. They were popular with the boys.”
“With the boys,” Brooke repeated, shaking her head.
“What? They were. They went out of their way to be friendly. It’s not much of a surprise, and it didn’t end with high school. When Sheila returned to Irma from Casper, she was on the prowl. Went to the bars. Drank too much. Went home with whoever. She had a reputation.”
Tyler knew Phil was right. He’d heard plenty since Sheila’s death. Monique, too, though it seemed she’d slowed down on dating and drinking in recent years.
“And both women were considered troublemakers of sorts,” Joe added.
“Mean girls,” Brooke said. “In high school, at least. Phil said they went out of their way to torment those who were less popular or underclassmen.”
“Does that matter?” Tyler asked. “I mean, it was high school.”
“Boverman’s entire theory of why you killed Sheila hinges on you two dating in high school,” Brooke said, serving herself some salad. “If Adam can say that matters, I can say that being mean girls matters.”
“Don’t forget there’s a rumor floating around that Tyler dated Monique.” Phil laughed.
“Don’t remind me.” Tyler shook his head. “Wish I knew who was saying that. Monique and I barely ever even spoke.”
“There’s something else we need to consider,” Phil added. “They were both dumped in the woods.”
