Page 99 of In Safe Hands
“I know.” When Chris turned his head and met her eyes, she almost flinched. Instead of his usual cheery expression, he just looked tired and sad. “Just give me a little time to figure out how to tell Rob, and then we can bring this information to the BCA.”
“Don’t tell him tonight,” Lou warned, her knee jiggling up and down. Since she’d abandoned the notepad, she hadn’t been able to sit still. “Rob is a good guy, but this is his son. We’re pretty sure he’s been covering up the arsons. Murder is a whole different thing, and we don’t think Rob would defend Tyler for that. If we’re wrong, though, he could take Tyler and run.”
“I know. I’ll tell him first thing tomorrow, and we’ll call in the state investigators immediately afterward.”
Ellie had been chewing on the side of her thumbnail until she’d grabbed her arm with her opposite hand and pulled both into her lap. “What if it’s not him? We don’t have any proof.”
“At the very least,” Chris said, “the case needs to be taken over by someone who’ll be objective. If they find that Tyler’s innocent, I’ll be very happy.” He didn’t sound like he expected that outcome, though.
“Should we meet here tomorrow at nine, then?” Rory said, and everyone’s eyes went to Chris.
“Yes.” His cop mask had fallen into place. “I’ll plan to talk to him at eight.”
“I’ll see if Cal’s up for a stakeout,” Lou offered. “We’ll keep an eye on Tyler’s house to make sure he doesn’t sneak out and commit any felonies tonight.”
“If you take from now until midnight, Ian and I’ll take the graveyard shift.”
Ellie leaned forward. “I’ll see if George can do the last four hours with me. If he can’t, I’m kind of useless. George doesn’t like me to go anywhere alone without asking Rob for a deputy, and telling the sheriff I’m right outside of his house, spying on his son, would be…uh, bad.”
Although there were a few chuckles at that, the laughter quickly died. Subdued, the other women left. It was strange, Daisy thought, when normally the group was so loud and boisterous. She looked at Chris, who hadn’t moved.
“You okay?” she asked, wanting to hug him. When he was wearing that stoic expression, though, he almost felt like a stranger.
When he looked at her, his cop-mask fell away, revealing the worry beneath. “How am I going to tell Rob his kid’s a killer?”
Rushing forward, Daisy wrapped her arms around him, trying to give him that feeling of loving security she always felt when Chris was holding her. “I’m sorry you have to do this.”
He hugged her back, a little harder than usual. The items on his duty belt pressed against her belly, a physical reminder of his job, of that huge part of him that would always be a cop. Daisy was aware it would be hard to let him leave for work every day, knowing he could be injured or even killed. She loved Chris, though, and that meant loving the deputy, too.
She tipped her head back so she could meet his gaze. “Can you stay tonight?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” His arms tightened around her. “Tyler’s targeted you. I don’t want you to be alone until they pick him up tomorrow.”
“Good,” she said, not wanting to let go of him. “I like having you around.”
His smile was a ghost of his usual grin. “Love you, Dais.”
“I know.”
That made him laugh.
* * *
Once Rory, Lou, and Ellie had left, Tyler hurried across the street and wiggled under the porch, just like he’d watched his dad do the other night. The cover to the crawl space was in place, but the screws were missing, so Tyler just moved it over and slid into the hole feetfirst.
The crawl space was about four feet high. Crouching, Tyler shuffled forward, shining his flashlight—set to the dimmest setting—on the boards above him, checking for the hatch that would allow him into the house. The stove thing hadn’t worked, so he was going to try again. This time, he’d do better. He’d get rid of the threat to his dad.
“You okay?” Daisy’s voice made him freeze and flick off his flashlight. Tyler figured he was right beneath her, since her words were only slightly muffled.
“How am I going to tell Rob his kid’s a killer?”
Tyler stopped breathing for a second. They knew! Chris and Daisy knew, and they were going to tell, and Tyler and his dad would both go to prison. He hesitated as his mind raced. Tyler’s plan wouldn’t work now that Chris was there. Soundlessly, he retraced his path to the opening under the porch.
As much as he wanted to take care of things himself, Tyler knew he had to tell his dad what he’d heard. His dad would know what to do.
Chapter 21
