Page 51 of Smoldering Nights
“Jayson,” he murmured, “Noah just showed up.Parked and watching again.”
“Same pattern.Same time of day.Think he saw you?”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“I’ll run another plate check.Maybe pull his employment file again.”
“Yeah,” Mitch said, eyes narrowing on the man across the street.“And dig deeper.There’s something off with him, like he’s always just a step away from unraveling.”
Mitch’s fists clenched.
Between Travis’s secret deals, Delilah’s silent complicity, and Noah’s strange behavior, this web was complicated.
He just had to make sure Izzy stayed out of it long enough for him to cut it down.
Mitch moved around the alley, silently and carefully, his eyes locked on Noah.The man hadn’t moved.Just stared at the front of Petal Pushers, his expression unreadable.The guy gave off an eerie calm, the kind Mitch had learned not to trust.
A low wail cut through the quiet.Sirens.
Noah stiffened.A second later, he threw the car into gear, pulled away from the curb, and disappeared down the street.
“Jayson,” Mitch muttered into his comm.“Noah just bolted.Probably heard the cruisers.”
“Copy.I’ll get someone to watch his place.”
The sheriff’s cruiser turned the corner and rolled to a stop in front of Delilah’s salon.Mitch stepped out from the alley and approached, flashing his security credentials as Chief Fielding climbed out of his vehicle.
“Chief Fielding,” Mitch said evenly.
Fielding gave a brief nod.“Hi, Mitch.We got a call about suspicious activity here.Did you see anything?”
“I was conducting surveillance in the alley..."He pointed toward the hotel, "I observed a pattern I think you'll want to look into.”Mitch kept his voice calm, careful.“Travis Fielder has been entering this building late at night through the back door.No deliveries.No tools.Just slips in like he owns it.Multiple times over the past two weeks.”
Fielding’s eyes narrowed.“I haven't heard anything about Travis and Delilah being friends or friendly.Isn't Travis living with Sadie Anderson?”
Mitch nodded and took a deep breath."One and the same.I'm concerned about the proximity Travis has to Izzy."
Chief Fielding nodded."I'd be worried about that, too.I know you're watching that closely."
Mitch nodded.“I also saw Delilah Parker leave the building minutes ago, locking up like nothing was unusual.Given the context, her known debts, her recent sudden renovations, and her connection to Travis, it felt off.”
“And you’re saying this is all from surveillance?”
“That’s right,” Mitch said.“Camera footage.I installed cameras all around Petal Pushers so we could watch who might be coming and going.Izzy had reason to believe someone was entering the shop at night.She was right, we saw someone entering.”
Fielding nodded slowly.“And you have that footage?”
“My team’s forwarding it now.And there’s more.”Mitch pulled out his phone and scrolled to a still frame of Noah’s car parked outside Petal Pushers.“This man, Noah Grady.Delivery driver.Fired last year, now freelances with his own truck.He’s been hanging around the shop at odd hours, always watching.We’ve caught his car on courthouse surveillance multiple times.”
Fielding studied the image.“You think he’s tied into this?”
“I think he’s got a fixation with Izzy,” Mitch said.“He returned something this morning, a pair of her pruning shears, said he found them in her cooler.But she never put them there.Whoever placed them had to have been inside.This was at the same time he delivered an order she never placed.”
“You’re building a hell of a case,” Fielding muttered.“You think this is a coordinated effort?”
Mitch shrugged.“Delilah and Travis have financial motive; if Izzy goes under, they could expand.That's all in the current town minutes.She's wanted expansion for a while.The only way to expand is if the businesses on either side of her sell.Izzy's place and the gas station on the other side.Or up.Adding a second floor.But she's financially strapped.Noah’s motive might be personal.Either way, someone’s trying to scare Izzy out.”
Fielding tucked his notebook away and waved over the newly arrived deputy.“We have a call into Delilah since the call came in about her place.I'm told she's on her way.You stay close to your client.”
