Page 40 of Last Chance Christmas
“They did. And I testified. He was sent to prison, and I’ve been trying to move on and not let him take anything else away from me. But now he’s out there, free, and he’s coming after me.”
“If he’s smart, he’ll get as far away from Last Chance County as he can. His face is all over the news and social media, so he’s more likely to be caught here, where everyone is on the lookout. What makes you think he’ll come after you now?”
There it was. The doubt. It would come out sooner or later. Maybe it was an innocent question, one he thought was simply procedure. Or did he think she was paranoid? That was a possibility too. Guilt ate away at her and messed with her head more than she liked to admit. But reality was, she’d gotten away while Lily had perished, and every single day, she had to live with that.
And it couldn’t completely be paranoia. She had proof that Vaynes was after her.
“I know because he told me so. He’s been leaving me threatening letters for the last month.”
Officer Thomas frowned. “But he was in prison until the escape.”
“I don’t know how he was getting them out, but I know they’re from him. The first one showed up on my doorstep. So I got a security camera. Then they showed up on my car, left on my windshield when I was out at the store or at church. One was left in my locker, here at work. He said he won’t leave until he finishes what he set out to do.”
“How do you know it’s him and not someone trying to play a sick joke or bully you? Not that it’s okay for anyone to do that, but how can we be sure it’s really Vaynes?”
“Because there’s things he says that only he would know.”
Officer Thomas seemed to consider her words, studying her from across the table. “All right, then. Will you show me the letters?”
Finally, they were getting somewhere.
Three
The beautiful Della Nixon was hiding something. Anthony had been a cop long enough to see the signs. But there was genuine fear in her captivating face. Which only cemented the twist in his gut that said he was in the wrong place. He should be out hunting down the criminal responsible for tormenting her and killing her friend.
The trauma was real. So what was it that she wasn’t saying?
He’d have to familiarize himself with the details of the case, but he didn’t doubt that Jason Vaynes belonged behind bars, never to be allowed to walk freely in society again. Maybe getting to know the details of Della’s case would help him track Vaynes down if he could get back out there. And that meant seeing these letters.
“You believe me?” Her eyes narrowed as she stared him down.
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”
She shook her head. But her thumb tucked itself into her fist that rested on the table.
Interesting.
“Well, let’s see them. Where are they? At your place?” He hoped his expression didn’t show the questions or suspicions lurking in his head.
“I brought them here.”
“Why didn’t you show them to the police?”
“He was in prison. So there wasn’t really anything he could do but mess with my head. Until he escaped.”
It sounded good, but there was still something Anthony couldn’t quite pin down about her. “We’ll need to classify them as evidence, but there might not be much we can get off them in terms of evidence if you’ve handled them already.” He stood, ready to see these threats for himself.
“After the first one, I was careful not to touch them without gloves. I kept the envelopes and letters all in a plastic baggie. Just in case. And the police officer I talked to said he was sending someone here while I worked, so I brought them to give to you.”
That showed some forethought at least, but the chain of evidence was already tainted. Still, he wasn’t going to let anything, big or small, go without tracking down every possible clue.
He was, after all, here to protect her.
And if he so happened to catch a serial killer and restore some goodwill with his department, so be it.
Della led him out of the small break room and down the hall. Loud voices cheering over the unmistakable sound of sports announcers meant a bunch of the crew were watching a game in the lounge. A quick peek as they walked by, and he saw Penny Mitchell there, on Bryce Crawford’s arm. He’d worked with them last spring to put Sosa away the first time. What would they think if they knew how badly he’d messed up?
But it was Chief Conroy Barnes’s opinion that mattered most. Anthony wouldn’t make it to detective if he didn’t do some damage control and prove that he had what it took. He’d been cultivating CIs and trying to prove himself for too long to miss the mark now.
