The thought of facing her made his chest tight. She probably thought he was guilty. No doubt she wanted nothing to do with him.
But he owed her the truth, unfiltered by Adam’s accusations. And maybe—impossibly, irrationally—she’d give him a chance to explain.
Maybe she’d even believe him. But first, he had something else he needed to take care of. He had someone else to see.
The afternoon dragged. Andre came in right on time, smiling at Tyler like any other day. Robert and Sue left after asking Andre if he could cover for them the next day while they went to Sheila’s funeral. He agreed to do it before starting on a brake job. Tyler helped a customer with a flat tire and ran diagnostics on a check engine light. Normal work. Normal Monday.
Except nothing was normal anymore.
When five o’clock finally came, Tyler cleaned up and headed for his truck. He scanned the street for Adam’s patrol vehicle or his personal car but didn’t see either. Small mercy.
He climbed into his truck and started it up, checking his watch. If he timed things right, he might get another person on his side.
Chapter 15
Brooke
The print shop sat on a side street off Grand Avenue, tucked between an antique store and a law office—the same law office Kelsey used to work at. That’s how they met. Brooke was picking up some printing she’d had her brother do for the coffee shop when Kelsey was at her car, fumbling with too many things in her arms and trying to get her door open. They were instant friends.
Now she didn’t even know where Kelsey was. After the terrible incident at Bearwater, Kelsey had been taken into police custody—which, according to Joe, turned into federal custody—until one day she was just gone. Joe was convinced she had been put into witness protection, and they’d never see her again.
She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Not entirely, anyway. She couldn’t deny she missed their friendship, but she was still angry about the entire situation.
Stop it, Brooke,she chided herself.Kelsey is no longer a concern. She did what she did, and now she’s paying for it.
She didn’t know if Kelsey was actually “paying” for it. The way Joe put it, things might be pretty good for her. A new life where no one knew her. Certainly, she wasn’t a lawyer now, but Brooke knew there were plenty of days Kelsey hated her job. Of course, so did most people, but they didn’t resort to theft.
It was rare for Brooke to have a bad day at work. Sure, there were customers she could do without, especially during tourist season, and a few regulars who could be a little much, but for the most part, she loved what she did. That made it even more difficult to understand and accept Kelsey’s poor choices.
She sat in her car for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Coming here felt like the right move—Phil was always honest with her, even when that honesty hurt. If anyone could help her understand Tyler’s past and whether she was being foolish to even consider believing in his innocence, it was her brother.
Phil was always practical. More than practical. It used to drive Brooke crazy the way he was. Her dad would be annoyed by it, too, but he admitted it made Phil good at the business end of things. After their dad retired, Phil had taken over, modernizing some equipment but keeping the small-town feel that made the business successful.
Just get it done.She opened the car door and strode up the sidewalk. She pushed through the front door, the familiar chime announcing her arrival. The smell of ink and paper filled the air, comforting in its consistency.
“Be right with you,” Phil called from somewhere in the back.
“It’s just me,” Brooke called back.
“Brooke?” Phil appeared from the production area, then his expression shifted. “Oh. Uh, hey. I didn’t expect to see you here. I have a visitor.”
Tyler stepped around the corner.
Brooke froze. Of all the places she might have expected to run into Tyler, her brother’s print shop wasn’t on the list.
“Hi,” Tyler said, his voice carefully neutral.
“Hi.” Brooke’s heart was pounding, and her stomach was making that annoying little flip. She looked at Phil. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not interrupting,” Phil said quickly. “Actually, this might work out. Tyler came to talk to me about...well, about everything. Any chance that’s why you’re here too?”
Brooke nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off Tyler. He looked tired but composed, dressed in work clothes with grease on the collar. Real. Solid. Not the dangerous criminal Deputy Boverman kept insisting he was.
“Sorry,” she said. “I’ll come back later.”
“No need, Brooke,” Phil said. “I’ve got another chair back here. You know that.”
“Okay. I guess.”
