Bryce didn’t want to think about what might have happened if he and Celia hadn’t arrived at the right moment. Instead of investigating Lawson’s apartment, they could have been standing over Jesse’s corpse.
Jesseneededto be more careful.
Wanting confirmation that Jesse was still fine, Bryce sent him another text.Waiting to hear from you.
A soft buzz disturbed the quiet of the room. Bryce frowned and texted Jesse a third time. And another buzz sounded. He searched for the source and found Jesse’s phone under Lawson’s bed. Not far, either, since general crap filled any available space.
Out of routine, Bryce swiped to the unlock screen only to be greeted by the demand for a numerical passcode. Cracking Jesse’s phone wouldn’t take long. Bryce should go through it, check for any possible record of Lawson’s apartment and Jesse’s assailant, send any relevant data to his computer, and then delete all traces from Jesse’s phone.
But that would mean destroying Jesse’s evidence. His hard-won, nearly-died-for evidence.
Erasing it would only keep Jesse out of the investigation for a limited time. He had walked away with too much determination. Considering the lengths he had already gone to, he wasn’t about to stay out of the way.
The decision was too tough to make when Bryce’s heart wanted to find a way to keep Jesse involved and protect him. He slid Jesse’s phone into his pocket. Time for him to get a good look at that altar and the rest of Lawson’s apartment.
