Page 21 of Cornered

He lifted his phone and snapped a picture of the library calendar, then turned and headed for the exit. Steph let out a low breath. She was paranoid. And maybe being a little paranoid wasn’t a bad thing. But not everyone in a hoodie was a bad guy.

While the crowd in the library was sparse, therewereother people around and he was gone, so she wasn’t afraid to stay put and finish what she was doing. She chewed her lip and looked at the young man behind the desk. A woman in her twenties loaded books onto a cart. An older man mopped the floor of one of the glassed-in meeting rooms.

The library didn’t have a security guard, but maybe one of the workers would help her out. She returned to the table and opened the book to apply the same key she’d been so convinced would work. And found the letterIon the fourth page, seventh row, second word. “Okay, maybe we’re getting somewhere,” she muttered. On the same line was a word starting withH.Have. Excitement swirled. And then the next part was10 12 9F. She flipped to page ten, counted down twelve lines, and over nine words.Find!

I have find.

Not exactly perfect grammar, but Brenda may have decided to pick words close enough to what she meant. Shecouldhave meantI have found...

Maybe.

But as long as she appeared to be on the right path, she’d keep going. She figured out the next few words.

I have find evidence of stolen money...

Steph sat back. That was it. She’d figured it out. It was so simple but would be a painstaking process to decipher every page. “What in the world, Brenda? Who were you so afraid would see this?”

She texted Cole and Tate.

I have the key to the code. I think. I’m pretty sure. Anyway, I’m going to head home and if you want to come by, I’ll give it to you.

She hit send. Then reconsidered. Maybe she should just take it to them. It was a twenty-minute drive...

Unless she took the shorter route. The dangerous one. She’d driven Youngstown Road before, of course. Very slowly and very carefully. And never in the dark. But she definitely didn’t make a habit of it. Would it be worth the time saved to do so now?

Tate texted her back.

We’re leaving now. Not much light shed on Brenda’s death. They don’t know why she was on that road. Said she always avoided it.

Exactly.

Unless...

She’d been pressed for time and decided to risk it? Steph had just considered doing so.

Had Brenda?

But what would have caused her to be in such a hurry like that? What would have been worth the risk? And who had known she’d drive that route and had gone ahead to lie in wait for her to hit the curve before they pulled the trigger?

All questions without answers.

She texted her boss, the only other person who might have a clue about what Brenda had been working on. Cole and Tate had already talked to him, and he’d declared he had no idea about any of it, but Steph wasn’t so sure. Maybe they just hadn’t asked the right questions.

Stan, are you home? Do you mind if I stop by?

While she waited for Stan to respond, Steph worked a little more on the cryptic message, gaining confidence as the words appeared on the page.

I have find evidence of stolen money. I have talked to BH and asked her how business was. She said slow but all right. Money is being taken but I don’t know who is doing it yet. Talk to GS...

Steph stopped.GS? If she reversed the initials that would be SG. Stan Gilchrest obviously. She checked her phone. Still no response from the man, and now she wanted to talk to him more than ever.

She called his number and it went to voicemail.

“Come on, Stan, this isn’t like you. Call me back.” But ... it was a holiday weekend. One of his employees had been killed. Maybe he’d simply unplugged to hang out with his wife and any kids who were around. She couldn’t blame him.

And if he didn’t have any major holiday plans, Stan often liked to work in his garden on his days off. Maybe he was still outside in spite of the dark. He had floodlights. And hisgreenhouse was well lit. She’d just ride over there and see if he was available. But she wanted to decipher more and see what Stan had told Brenda. She worked on the next part.

SG said he would check probably mistake. I don’t think mistake. I think SG knows something about missed money. Seemed scared. Frightened. Feel sorry for him. Will talk to him again.

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