Page 20 of Cornered

“Sad,” Tate murmured.

“Very,” Steph said.

Tate stood. “Now I want to talk to them more than ever. I’ll take Steph home and we can go pay them a visit—assuming they’re there. Even if they’re not, I’d like to see the place through the eyes that Steph just gave us. I want to watch Benji and Cherry interact and all that.”

Cole nodded. “I do too.”

While Cole made the call, Tate and Steph walked out to the car. She looked at the pages she’d printed out and bit her lip. “Actually, you know what? While you guys do that, I’m going to investigate a little idea I’ve got.”

“An idea?”

“Something that just occurred to me. I’ll let you know if it pans out. I mean, don’t hold your breath or anything since it will probably go the way of all of my other ideas, but I’ve got to try.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You figured out the reversed initials thing.”

She shot him a small smile. “Thanks.” She hesitated, then said, “Like I said inside, Cherry and I are pretty good friends. Not as good as Brenda and I were, but she and I get together every so often for coffee and a chat. If you decide it would help to have me talk to her about anything, call me and I’ll come on over. I’ll be at the library. Bolin’s is just a twenty-minute drive from there.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Cole joined them. Tate filled him in on the plan, and they dropped Steph at her home so she could get her car and go to the library.

With a frown, he watched her open her garage and climb into her car. “You think she’ll be okay?” he asked Cole.

Cole rubbed his chin, a slightly concerned look in his eyes. But he said, “No reason to think otherwise. Whoever was after the notebook got it.”

“I know, but I don’t like leaving her alone.”

“Because you don’t think she’ll be safe or because you just like being around her?”

Tate snorted. “Both.”

“That’s what I thought.” Cole snagged his phone. “I’ll ask a couple of buddies on patrol to follow her home from the library.” He made the call, then looked at Tate. “Feel better?”

“Somewhat. Thanks.”

Cole pulled away and headed up the mountain while Tate kept an eye on Steph for as long as she was in view.Keep her safe, Lord. I’m not sure I like this idea.

EIGHT

STEPH SPREAD THE PAPERSon the table in front of her and pulled one of the books off the stack she’d spent thirty minutes agonizing over and creating.

“All right, my friend, you love the classics, so if I’m right about this, you would use one of these. Now, the two books found at your office wereThe Old Man and the SeaandOliver Twist, so we’ll start with those. Of course, you could have used digital versions, but knowing your preference for a hard copy we’ll just start here.”

She openedOliver Twistand went to the first set of numbers and letters.

“472IH,” she muttered. “All right then. Page four, seventh row, second word.” She sighed. “TheImaybe stands for a word?” She tapped the page. “But that one does not start withI. Okay. Next book.The Old Man and the Sea.” She kept trying until she’d gone through all the books.

With nothing.

“Ugh.” She tossed her pencil down and looked around at the other patrons. The crowd had thinned the closer it got to dinnertime, but one young woman at the table in front of her looked deep in her research. She had several booksopen and flipped over, holding her spot until she was ready to come back to them.

The image of a book on an end table flickered in her memory. The one on Brenda’s end table. And one she hadn’t pulled from the shelf.

A Christmas Carol.

She rose, hesitated, then gathered the papers. No need to leave them where anyone could come by and grab them. She went to the aisle, found the book easily, and discovered it was the same edition that Brenda had.

Steph snagged it and glanced around, trying to stay aware of her surroundings. And the people in it. A figure wearing a hoodie stood next to the water fountain examining the announcement board. He caught her attention, but she hesitated, waiting to see what he might do.

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