Page 73 of Claimed By the Deputies

Lucas sits up as well. “Who was that?”

“Deputy Cole,” Mitch sighs heavily. He looks at me, and I can see the pain in his otherwise beautiful brown eyes. “I’m so sorry, Tassia. Timothy was found dead about an hour ago.”

“No,” I whisper.

Time stops completely. I can physically feel my heart break as my stomach drops. I try to register what he just said, try to make sense of the words, but the grief crashes into me like a merciless tidal wave.

“No,” I whisper again, hoping it cancels out the truth. Tears well in my eyes.

“Danica and their son are safe. They were at her mother’s house,” Mitch says. “There’s a grief counselor on the way to them now. Tim’s place is an active crime scene.”

I can’t stop shaking my head. “No, this can’t be…”

“What the hell happened?” Lucas asks Mitch. “What do we know so far?”

Mitch shakes his head slowly. “Not much. Single gunshot wound. The mailman saw him through the kitchen window while he was dropping off the mail.”

“This can’t be happening.” I shudder and break down crying.

Lucas’s arms wrap around me from behind and I let it all out. Tyler moves in closer as I cave in, sobbing uncontrollably. I’vejust lost the closest thing I ever had to a father, my best friend and mentor.

“You’re going to be okay,” Tyler gently tells me. “Not anytime soon, but you will be okay.”

“It hurts,” I manage in between sobs.

“It will always hurt,” Mitch replies. “But you’ll learn to live with it.”

“I promise you, we will find the bastard who did this,” Lucas solemnly swears. “He’s not getting away with it.”

I’m pretty sure I already know who it was.

I can’t prove it,not yet anyway, but I know it was Trevor. It had to be. Nobody else had any reason to hurt Timothy.

Standing outside his house, staring at the yellow tape stretched across his front porch, I recall the last time I was here. Danica’s bump was just starting to show, and Tim Jr. was running around with a toy plane in his hand, making engine noises while Timothy trimmed the pink rose bushes. He always had a thing for gardening.

“Tim used to say it calmed him down,” I murmur. Lucas stands beside me while crime scene techs dart in and out of the house.

“What calmed him down?” Lucas asks.

“Gardening. Tim used to say it made him feel like he was having a private conversation with God while working the soil.”

“He’ll be missed, Tassia, I know.”

“I need to see the crime scene.”

Lucas gives me a worried look. “Are you sure you’re ready for it?”

“No, but I have to.”

“You can just look at photos later,” he suggests.

I know his heart is in this, I know he’s trying to spare me more pain. But this is one of those things I need to power through.

“I owe it to Tim for everything he’s done for me,” I tell Lucas. “I have to be here. I have to see everything with my own eyes. And later, once we’re done with the house, I’ll need to see his body, too. You can’t shield me from it, though I know you’re trying to.” I pause and squeeze his hand. “I appreciate it. I will never forget your kindness.”

“Just remember I’m here, alright?”

“Always,” I reply with a soft smile.

---