Page 34 of Don't Look Back

“Did you get a good look at him?” I push away from the dining room table and start pacing the length of the living room.

“Nah, he paid for his gas with a credit card. He never came inside the store. It’s too dark to see that far away, but I know every car in town, Colt.”

“It’s ok. Thanks for letting me know, Jerry. Let me know if he stops by again.”

“I will. He was probably around six foot three inches. He could’ve just been passing through the town though.”

“Yeah, he could be,” I say, but I don’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. “Do you know the make and model of the car?”

Maple Springs is off the beaten path. Rarely does anyone find themselves in our town unless they meant to.

“It was a black Ford Explorer. I can text you the license plate number. I wrote it down since I didn’t recognize him.”

“That would be great. Thanks. Have a good night, Jerry.”

“You too, Colt.”

I hang up and blow out a long breath as a scrub a hand over my face. Mason told me Jimmy’s over six foot tall. His car was left at his house which means he has a rental orborrowed a car from someone else. It’s going to be a lot harder to track him when we don’t know what he could be driving.

“Colt?” Leslie’s watching me from the table. There’s so much fear and anxiety in her gaze. It’s breaking my heart.

“We don’t know it’s him, Les.” I close the distance between us and drop down to my knees in front of Leslie. I wish I could take away her fear and make her feel safe.

“But we don’t know it’s not.”

“Jerry’s sending me his license plate number. I can run it and give Mason a call. We’re going to figure this out and I'm not going to let anyone near you.”

“You have winter break this week, right?” Pecker speaks up.

“Yes.”

“Well, then we don’t have to worry about you going to and from school.”

I didn’t tell him Leslie was the abused ex, but he clearly put two and two together with how upset Leslie is right now. I’m so happy to have him on my force. He pays attention and doesn’t ask questions that will make things worse.

“Wouldn’t the school be safer though? It’s kept locked during school hours.” Sophia’s brows furrow.

“This house is the safest place for Leslie,” I growl, knowing I'm right. “Even if he’s found you, he won't know to look for you here. You just moved in yesterday and no one knows we’re dating or that you live here. I didn’t say a word to Tucker or Skylar, the only people who know are Pecker and Sophia.”

Without another word, I bring up Mason’s contact information and wait for him to pick up. I place the call on speaker, knowing everyone in this room should know what to expect.

“Bennett,” he says instead of hello.

“Hey, it’s Colt.”

“Yup, I have caller ID. What’s going on?”

“Jimmy might be here,” Leslie says loud enough for him to hear.

“Why do you think that?” There’s movement on the other side of the line and Mason murmurs something to someone. I can tell he’s walking away, then a door shuts and he’s typing on a keyboard.

“My deputy spread the word around town. We wanted to know if any strangers step foot in Maple Springs. A man stopped to get gas. We don’t get people just passing through this town.”

“I know. That’s why I set Zoey up with Ollie. He always told me no one visited Maple Springs by accident. I figured she’d be safer there.”

I internally wince at his use of Zoey’s real name. I didn’t think to tell Mason about Sophia and Pecker being here.

“What if he followed me here?” Sophia asks quietly. She drops her gaze to her hands. They’re folded in her lap and shaking slightly.

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