Page 36 of Unspoken Confessions
Apparently, some chick liked to jog past the driveway every day. And by the time stamp, it was more like twice a day. It only took a minute to realize that there had been days cut and pasted together just of her. Then another minute to realize that I recognized her face.
“She was there this morning,” I said unhappily. I just had this feeling when she came up behind us that I couldn’t explain. And I sure as fuck was smart enough not to ignore my surroundings when my hair stands on end. “Nick and I were on the trail and I noticed someone getting a little too close. It was right when Nick lost his footing and fell. She tried to help him, but I stopped her. She didn’t seem happy that I was in the way.” At the time, I figured she was tossing attitude because she thought I was being rude, but maybe it was something else.
Shit.
I closed my eyes and had this feeling in my gut there was more to her being there. And I’d missed it. I wouldn’t doubt that she was the one behind the pictures, but I didn’t have enough information to figure out what the connection was to Nick. Why would she have done that?
“I noticed her here the other day. It was right after I’d gotten back from the gym,” Austin said with a nod. I shook myself from my thoughts for the moment. “I wouldn’t have paid any attention, except for the fact that she slowed down and looked over. Something made me think. So I asked Remy to do this computer thing and he sent this over a bit ago. There’s only about a week’s worth of her jogging by. He said she didn’t show up before then.”
“Do we know who she is?” I asked.
Austin took the tablet back and tapped the screen a few times. I guessed Remy had already done some digging.
“Sandra Lofton,” Austin said, eyes scanning over the screen. “Lives with mother and step-father two streets over. Twenty-three. No job. Honestly, he didn’t send me much on her, so I’m assuming there isn’t much to begin with.”
“Parents?”
“Mom doesn’t work. Step-father is some big hotshot criminal defense attorney.”
An aggravated breath flew out of my nose as my nostrils flared. I hated the type and I was sure he was the same as all the rest of them.
“It could be she knows he moved here and she’s a fan. Just wants to get a glimpse of him.”
“True,” Austin replied in that way he was trying to placate me.
Fuck! My head was a mess. She could have been dangerous and she had been so close to Nick. Then again, she could have just been an average curious person who happened to have more access than most. Simply jogging wasn’t a crime. It wasn’t something to be alarmed about even if it seemed like it was a recent thing. But seeing her this morning did make a tingle shoot through my brain. One that made me see red. Suddenly, what I wanted to do was snatch her off the street, pull her into a windowless room, and drop the letters in front of her. Demand that she tell me the truth about everything then fuck her ass up. I mean, legally speaking because so far this person sending the letters didn’t seem like a threat. It was bordering and if they continued to escalate, then I could see it going that way. I didn’t want to find out. I wanted this person stopped before Nick got hurt.
Then something popped into my mind and I wasn’t sure why it hadn’t before.
“Do you think the letters are coming from a woman?” I asked.
“That’s a good question. Reading them and looking at the handwriting, might be a dick thing to say, but it kinda feels like a woman.”
I hummed and ran my hand over my mouth and chin as I thought.
“Get her financial information. I want to know everywhere she’s gone in the last four months.”
“I’ll call Milo,” Austin said as he picked up his phone. “Um.”
I stared at him as he blinked down at his phone.
“What!” I snapped.
“Uh.” He looked up at me. “Reed wants to know if you’re okay. It looks like he’s seen the photos. He wants to know if you need to be let off the job.”
I sighed and scrubbed my hands over my face. I was a little pissed that Reed hadn’t come directly to me, but I guess I couldn’t blame him.
“It’s fine,” I ground out. “I’m not leaving.”
I leveled Austin with a stare that dared him to argue that I wasn’t good to do this job anymore. He simply nodded and began typing away on his phone.
“I trust you,” he said softly and then lifted the phone to his ear before I could even respond.
I got lost in thought trying to find something that I missed while he talked to Milo. I should have listened in, but my head was a mess. Everything seemed to be hitting all at once and I wanted to scream.
“Milo or Remy will get back to one of us later,” Austin said as he walked up behind me. “It doesn’t sound like now is a good time.”
I cut my gaze over to him with a raised brow. I wondered what was going on and what we were missing back at the office. If there was any way that we might be able to help…
