Page 32 of Shadow Sabotage
Rob was the opposite. He was harmless from my perspective. A gentle soul who’d made some bad choices that didn’t hurt anyone but himself. But he was poor and he looked rough. Because of it, he got more trouble than he deserved.
Jonathan shrugged. “They liked to get high together. If Tony wanted a smoke, that’s where he went for it. I figure he still does when he’s back in town for breaks.”
“Got it. Anyone else?”
Jonathan moved his head back and forth like he was weighing it. “It’s probably a dead end, but you could try talking to Elsa Jones. They dated senior year. I know they hooked up a couple of times that first year when he came back, but I think it fizzled out after that.”
“Rob Dacus and Elsa Jones. Got it.”
He hesitated. “Go easy on Elsa when you talk to her, okay? Even though she dated Tony… She’s nice. And she’s had a rough few years.”
The look in his eyes surprised me. There was a tenderness I’d never seen in my baby brother.
“I will,” I promised. “I won’t even let her know I’m questioning her. I’ll just stop by and make conversation, see what I can find out.”
He nodded, relieved.
“Thanks, bro. I’ll see you later.” I snuck a quick kiss on his cheek before he could push me away.
He rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide his grin.
It was good to see. Sometimes I worried about him. He’d been so quiet lately, always walking around like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
Seeing him smile made some of the weight ease off of mine.
Elsa Jones workedat our post office, making it easy to talk to her without it looking suspicious. I went there first, ignoring the phone vibrating in my pocket as I walked inside.
Elsa was alone at the front, restocking the prepaid shipping boxes. “Hi, Deputy Hawkins,” she said, smiling at me as she stuck the last of her boxes into a slot and wiped her hands. “What can I do for you today?”
I returned her smile. She was a sweet girl with long brown hair, rosy cheeks, and a shy smile. She was always friendly and kind, patient with customers.
I’d never known what she had seen in Tony Evans.
“I need a book of stamps,” I said. “Jonathan still hasn’t sent out thank-you cards for his graduation presents and Mom’s about to have a fit. Thought I’d help him out by marking one thing off the list.”
“That’s nice of you.” She smoothed back the hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail as she walked behind the counter and took her place at the register. “Just one book? He had quite the fan club at graduation.”
“I guess you better make it two, just in case. You know, it’s still crazy to me that you’ve all grown up already. He graduated this year, you graduated last year…” I shook my head and mimicked the expression all the older people in my life used to make about me.
“It’s pretty crazy,” she agreed, laughing softly as she rang me up. “I don’t exactly feel like an adult yet.”
“Me either.” I fished my debit card out of my wallet and swiped it. “And IknowJonathan doesn’t.”
“I figured he’d be at college this fall,” she commented. She kept her eyes trained on the register, but her cheeks turned just a bit more pink.
“He hasn’t really decided what he’s doing next,” I said, trying to figure out a natural segue into the questions I really cared about.
“Does that mean he might be staying at the ranch, making a career of it?” she asked, passing me my stamps and my receipt.
I shrugged. “Maybe. He hasn’t really said. Not to me anyway. You know Jonathan—he’s quiet.”
“Yes, he is.” She smiled with the same tenderness he’d had when he told me to be careful with her.
Interesting.
“What about you? You think you’ll stick around?”
Her smile faded. “Probably. I wanted to go to college. Even had a scholarship. But Dad’s not doing so great and I didn’t feel like I could leave. Maybe someday.”
