Page 62 of Whispers of the Lake

“That’s why I believe you about Eve’s car. I wouldn’t put it beneath James to hide the car to save his ass or even his nephew’s. The last thing he wants is his name tarnished. He can’t afford to lose votes as the sheriff around here. It’s the only thing that gives him purpose and power.” Kennedy stood and walked to the trash can to dump the gloves. “But like I said, book a hotel or head back home. Get some rest. I’ll take it from here.” She stepped toward me when I stood, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I want you to know you can trust me, Rose.”

I pressed my lips, wanting to smile, but finding it hard to. “I hope so.” It was hard to trust anyone around here, but I had faith in Kennedy.

When I was inside my car again, I debated whether to go back to Charlotte or book a hotel in Green Pines again. Then I thought about Kennedy’s story. James assaulting her dad. A white man carrying injustice like a weapon. It wasn’t a new circumstance, but it still pissed me off. He was no different than Robert Cowan—men in power who will do anything to keep it that way. It was time for that vicious cycle to end.

I started my car and left the parking lot, but instead of booking a hotel or going home, I took the road that led to James’s neighborhood.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

The sheriff’s truck wasn’t in his driveway. I hoped he wasn’t home . . . and that he didn’t have a partner sleeping inside. Parking at the start of the cul-de-sac, I switched off my headlights and drew in a breath. My phone buzzed in the cupholder, and I grabbed it, seeing a call coming in from Nico.

“Hey, Nico.”

“Rose, you all good?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Cool. I’m sending . . . what . . . on Victor McDonnell. Not much . . . him, really but there was . . . I saw that I . . . a coincidence.”

“Nico?” I said.

“Rose?” His voice crackled through the receiver.

“I’m still here. Nico?”

“Just . . . for you. I’ll . . . an email, okay?”

The phone beeped and I pulled it from my ear, seeing that the call had failed.

“Fuck,” I muttered. I had no service in this area. Of course, I wouldn’t have any right now, when I was about to do something completely illegal.

Whatever it was, Nico would text or email it to me. I’d head to Flip Stacks and check it out, but first I needed to get into James Reed’s house and take pictures of Eve’s car. I popped my door open and climbed out, tucking my phone into my pocket, pulling my hood on my head, and taking the sidewalk that led to his driveway.

All the other houses on the lot had their porch lights on. James’s didn’t. I couldn’t help thinking he kept the house in the dark because he was hiding something. Abigsomething.

Once I approached the front of his house, I checked his garage for a security camera. There wasn’t one there, but that didn’t mean his doorbell didn’t have one.

Seeing as James was the town’s sheriff who likely worked all kinds of hours, I didn’t think he’d have time to care for a dog. Not only that, I had searched for his Facebook account and didn’t see any pictures of pets. He was also single, so no partner or wife at home.

I walked around the house where a silver wire fence was and gripped the top. The gate creaked as I lifted a leg to balance my foot on it. Once I had a good position, I jumped and landed on the other side. James’s backyard was sparse. A dingy hammock was tied to a tree, two chairs and a table were near the back door, and dusty old shoes were piled in the middle of the yard. An umbrella was set up in the center of the table, leaning sadly to the left.

A motion light came on and I rushed to the side of the house. I waited, keeping my body close to the house, hoping not to trigger the light again. I gripped the handle of one of the sliding doors, hoping James was the type to assume his house would never be broken into. It was locked.

I cursed under my breath before looking to the left where I saw a window. I hurried that way just as the motion light flickered on again, highlighting a section of the yard.

Luckily, the window slid wide open. I had anticipated an alarm going off. If it had, my plan was to hurry in and get out in less than two minutes. This was enough time to make a run for it before authorities showed up. To know he had no alarm was interesting. What kind of cop didn’t have home security?An arrogant one who thinks he’s invincible, that’s who.

The window was big enough for me to fit through. I went for one of the chairs near the table and carried it to the window before climbing on it. Inside the house, it was dark, minus a hallway light. I looked down and realized this window was right above his kitchen sink. Sticking a foot in, I tapped until I felt a hard surface. Then, I pushed my other leg through and bent backwards in a limbo sort of way to get all the way in. I wound up on the counter, close to the edge of the sink.

After climbing off, my shoes landed on sticky linoleum. The house was quiet. A clock ticked somewhere in the distance. I needed to hurry up and get out of here. I walked toward the lit hallway, checking left then right. There were four doors. His garage was likely close to the kitchen, so I checked the first door. It was a linen closet. The door next to it was a pantry.

I turned and unlocked the door behind me.Bingo.

I spotted the pickup truck from the hallway light. After flipping a light switch on, Eve’s car appeared on the other side of the garage. Not that I had any doubt about it being hers before, but seeing the bobblehead belly dancer on her dashboard solidified this was indeed her vehicle.

“Okay. Let’s see.” I snatched my phone out of my back pocket and took a photo from where I was. I took another photo of the front, a picture of the license plate, then recorded a video to show proof that I was inside James Reed’s garage. I could probably get charged for this, but he’d never know it was me who’d taken the footage.

It shouldn’t have surprised me to see a Confederate flag pinned to the wall where his tool cabinet was. Once I had what I needed, I was ready to hightail it back to the kitchen and put everything back where it belonged. But then I heard a car door close on the other side of the garage gate. I heard heavy footsteps and a deep cough. Heart pounding, I rushed for the garage light and turned it off just as the gate began to open.

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