Page 65 of Stay in Your Lane!

Before I could answer, Everett whipped out the Pinkie Pie cell phone, opened the photos and shoved it across the table at Dad and Colin.

They both blinked as if they weren’t sure what to make of… Well, any of this. Including Everett and the Pinkie Pie phone.

Then they leaned in and peered at the screen.

Colin sat up and met my gaze. “That’s from the other day?”

I nodded.

Dad turned to him. “You knew about this?”

“I told you someone threatened Kyle.”

Dad scowled. “There’s a difference between ‘someone threatened Kyle’ and”—he pointed sharply at the phone—“someone threatened Kyle.”He snapped his head toward me. “What the hell happened?”

I took a deep breath and told him about my encounter with Detective Reardon. “That’s why we’re here.” I gestured at all four of us. “I’m scared shitless to be home alone. I don’t know what to do.”

“You get the hell away from this case,” Dad said. “That’s what you do.”

“But then who’s going to investigate it?” I put up a hand to stop his retort. “We’ve been going around in circles with Colin about this, and—look, no one is investigating what happened to Rick Leighton. Now two of his buddies are dead, and Everett and I are both getting threats. From cops.” I thumped the table with my index finger. “Someonekilled those three men. The only reason I can think of why everyone’s so determined to keep us from digging is that we’ll find out it’s someone with connections to the police.”

Everyone at the table stared at me, and I didn’t blame them. Even I was wondering where that had come from. I never pushed back at my dad like that. Maybe I was just done being told to leave this thing alone. Maybe Everett’s presence emboldened me. Whatever it was, I was done being told to step off.

Dad quietly asked, “Do you think a cop killed him? Is that what you’re insinuating?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. But there are cops who seem real motivated to keep anyone from finding out who killed him. So it’s either a cop who killed him, or someone who can get cops to cover up their dirty work.”

The anger in Dad’s face almost had me backing down anyway. What could I say? I was not a brave man where my father was concerned.

“He’s right,” Everett said. “Any cop who actually wants justice would investigate it, and they sure as shit wouldn’t be threatening people who want to look into it. So either a cop killed him, or somebody with cop minions did.”

“Exactly.” I set my jaw and looked my dad right in the eye as I called on every shred of defiance I possessed. “Whoever wants us to shut up is already fucking with both of our careers.” I gestured at Everett. “They’re fucking with his family’s business. They’re fucking with mine. So someone really, really wants this to be quiet, and that should makeyou”—I pointed at Dad and Colin—“really interested in finding out why.” I narrowed my eyes. “So are Everett and I doing this ourselves? Or are you guys going to help your colleagues shut us up?”

Two pairs of wide eyes stared back at me. Blood pounded in my ears. I’d never gone off on my dad like that, and he probably didn’t know what to make of it. I wasn’t so sureIknew what to make of it.

After a painfully long moment of silence, Dad cleared his throat. “You two say you have evidence. That this isn’t a suicide.” His eyes flicked between us. “Just the smear of blood and the footprint? Or is there more?”

I exhaled. “We talked to his girlfriend. She gave us some info.”

“Yeah,” Everett said. “And she’s also the daughter of the Chief of Police.”

Dad’s eyes went huge. “Wait. She’s Bill Daniels’s daughter? And she was connected to Leighton? Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” Everett nodded. “They have a kid and everything. Apparently Daddy didn’t like that they got back together.”

Dad exhaled a string of profanity more vulgar than I’d ever heard from him, which said a lot. He turned to Colin. “Did you know this part?”

Colin nodded sheepishly.

“Shit.” Dad rubbed the back of his neck, then let his hand drop to the table with a smack. “Now it makes sense that Detective Reardon is involved.”

“How so?” I asked.

Dad spoke low so only those of us at the table could hear him. “Because he wants to make lieutenant, and there’s some stuff in his file that’s stopping him from getting promoted.” He sighed heavily. “Chief Daniels keeps telling him to keep his nose clean, and maybe some of that stuff will…” He gestured like something flying away.

My stomach clenched. “So, Daniels could be making Reardon clean up the mess.”

“It’s possible,” Dad conceded. “Doesn’t seem like something Daniels would do, though.”

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