Page 67 of Legends Luke

Ignoring English’s warning glare, Luke told her. She nodded, her eyes taking on a vacant look before she turned them to English.

“It’s not the same place, but I know who used to live there. An older couple. Their house burned to the ground. I remember asking about it, and I was punched in the face and the stomach for asking. We passed by the mailbox every time we headed to the house for drugs. The name on the mailbox was Puckett. I saw it so many times, it’s burned into my brain. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”

“Becky, we never meant to bring up the past,” Ben said.

Becky closed her eyes and seemed to collect herself. “I know you didn’t, but sometimes you can’t bury the past, not if it can help you in the present. It’s the way life works. Luke, tell me more about this case and why you’re wondering about Corkscrew Trail.”

Luke looked to English, and the older man nodded. So, Luke started from the beginning, from his conversation with Tater to his encounter with Blake Drummond. Becky stared down at the table as she listened, and everyone else in the room, save Jax who still slept, kept their eyes trained on Becky. At the first sign she was feeling pain at what they told her, they would end it there. They wouldn’t call Becky a mother figure or an aunt they never had, but she was family. She didn’t need a label to make it so.

When Luke finished, Becky nodded her head and encompassed all of them with her sweeping gaze. “I don’t know how much I can tell you about your case, but I have a guess as to why your suspect used that particular address. The drug dealers used to have their equipment and chemicals delivered to the Pucketts’ address. Thenthey would steal the packages as soon as they were delivered. It was a precaution in case anyone tracked their purchases. I wondered sometimes if the couple truly didn’t know they were being used or if they chose to ignore it because they were scared of the druggies living in their neighborhood.”

“So, Drummond could be a part of the drug scene,” Jackson said.

“I don’t know,” Becky said. “But it was well known among the troublemakers in that neighborhood that you can use the address to avoid the cops. It’s probably why your suspect used it when he was arrested, so the cops wouldn’t know where he really lived.”

“But for him to know about the address, he’s likely from the neighborhood,” Jackson continued. “And if he lied about his address, he probably lied about his name too.”

“You know what doesn’t make sense?” Easton asked rhetorically. “Luke can’t access any records from the asshole’s childhood. Luke can hack anything, but this Drummond guy has sealed records that Luke can’t unseal. How often does that happen?”

Alex signed, and Jackson nodded as he watched and waited to translate. “Age progression software. Alex has access to it. Maybe we can alter Drummond’s photo in reverse to get an idea of what he looked like as a teenager. Then we can take it around the area and ask. Someone has to know him. They may not recognize him as he is now. Alex said some of his guys can help us canvas, so we can speed things up. Luke, you keep digging. Alex is going to have twoof his people call you to help out. Between the three of you, maybe we can figure out what intel we’re missing.”

Luke flexed his hands. “I’m tired of this guy being smarter than us.”

“He’s not smarter, or he wouldn’t have threatened you,” Reagan said. “He’s just been luckier, but the minute he challenged you, his luck ran out. You’ll take him down and his crew too.”

Luke didn’t reply. He didn’t share his sister-in-law’s enthusiasm. As much as he wanted to believe the Legends’ experience would win out, he wondered if they were beaten this time.

“I think we’re overlooking an obvious connection,” Ben spoke up. “Drummond and Erin Bleekley don’t exactly run in the same circles. Have we figured out how Erin met him in the first place?”

“Tater said he and some of the other police departments checked into it, but nothing stood out,” Jackson said.

“PJ is watching the parents. I think I’ll go by and see if they would be willing to talk to me. They may know something they haven’t realized is relevant,” Ben said.

“It’s probably a good idea for us to retrace the police’s steps. Bring fresh eyes and make sure nothing has been overlooked,” English added. “Alex, while you’re watching over the ladies and Jax, maybe you can review the video footage and case reports we have. See if you spot anything we might have missed.”

Alex nodded, and Luke immediately sent the files to Alex’s secured network to view on his company’s laptop. His brothers and English divided up the rest of the investigative work, leaving Luketo work with the Atlas computer hackers to get a break on the case. When they dispersed, he needed to do one thing before he could go back to work.

He needed Melody.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“I’m coming. I don’t like the idea of you being there alone. I’m hitting the road now.”

Melody stood in the open doorway of her bedroom, giving her a view of the living room where her babysitter sat on the couch as if he was relaxing in his own home instead of guarding a stranger’s house. She held her cell to her ear not worried about her privacy. She doubted Drake was paying attention to her side of the conversation, which was good since she broke her promise to Luke and confided in Lyric about his secret work as a Legend.

“I’m not alone, and it’s too late for you to drive here. I doubt I’ll get much sleep tonight, but even so, I don’t want to spend the night worried about you. Luke said he thought it was fine for you to come, but I think it’s better if you wait.”

Lyric sighed. “I’m not the one who was threatened. You’re dealing with a lot, and I want to be there for you. Plus, I want to meet Luke. I like him. I think he’s good for you.”

Despite her worry, Melody smiled. Lyric embraced Luke’s double life without a moment of qualm. To her sister, the news made their relationship more romantic. Melody wasn’t so sure.

“I like him too, but I don’t knowhow this is going to work. I haven’t seen him since that night. He had to cancel our date because of what’s happening, which I completely understand. It worries me for him. What if he gets hurt? I’m not sure I can handle him risking his life. What he does is important, Bird, and as much as I want to be with him, I don’t want to stand in his way either.”

“You’re doing it again. Overanalyzing. It’s why I’m here. You shouldn’t be alone because all you’ll do is think too much.”

Melody chuckled, not surprised her sister could bring it out of her when she was worried. “I told you, I’m not alone. Luke’s friend is here with me. His name is Drake. He keeps to himself, but he’s been very kind.”

“Is he cute?”

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