Page 7 of Until I Found You
“Really?”
“When we had last spoken, following the accident, we believed your cousin had been hit by a drunk driver who had fled the scene of the accident. For months, we investigated it and were unable to locate any witnesses or pinpoint any clues that could tie someone to the scene that night.
“When Gage was hired on, he had been working on a case for us involving two brothers. Isaac and Marc Krate. Are you familiar with them?”
Who isn’t? Arbor Creek isn’t a big town. Everyone knows everyone.
More like everyone is in everyone’s business. The Krate brothers have made a name for themselves around here as being a couple of scumbags, honestly. Last I had heard, they had been involved in drugs passing through Arbor Creek to Des Moines.
“Yes. I’m aware of them and some of the things they were up to back then,” I say.
“Well, in that case, I’m sure you’re aware your cousin was one of the officers responsible for putting Isaac Krate in prison on felony drug charges.”
I was aware, but I guess I’m not sure what that has to do with Gage’s accident.
“We believe that your cousin’s accident may not have actually been an accident. We don’t know for certain yet, we’re still looking into it, but I understand that you’ve moved back to town and with the nature of your business, I felt it was necessary to tell you. We have reason to believe it may have been his brother, Marc, who caused the crash.”
My jaw locks as tears sting my eyes. Even after Gage had died, I hadn’t cried. I sat through his funeral and watched as his mom crumbled on the floor near his casket, weeping over the loss of her son. I watched as the pallbearers carried him from the hearse to the grave site and lowered him into the cold, hard earth.
I went through the motions of packing up my bags, my life, and said goodbye to the people closest to me because I believed they deserved a life without me around. A life where my decisions didn’t put them at risk too.
Sitting here in front of this man, I feel the tears fill my eyes and the urge to cry, but I don’t.
Taking a deep breath, I let the oxygen fill my lungs as I slowly release it.
“What does this mean?”
“I’m sorry, I know this is upsetting to hear. With you being back in Arbor Creek, we felt it was important you knew. We believe this was done in retaliation for Gage’s involvement in putting Isaac in prison. Right now, we don’t have enough evidence to arrest him. Gage was my friend, Graham, and like you, I want justice for him. If this was out of revenge, I wanted you to know so you can keep your eye out and stay safe.”
“Why do you think Marc was responsible? What do you have on him?”
“That I can’t say,” he says, not giving me anything more.
Flexing my jaw, I know he’s not going to give any more details away.
“You bring me down here and tell me all of this, but you can’t tell me why you think it’s him?”
“This is still considered an ongoing investigation, Graham. Sharing anymore information I have right now could hinder the chance of us putting him away. I need you to trust me.”
I can feel heat under my skin, the anger building up. Pressing my lips firmly, I nod my head in agreement.
“Promise me you will leave this to us,” he commands.
Gage had so much of his life ahead of him when he was ripped from this world. Even though I’ve thought about this a million times and told myself he wouldn’t want me to feel the way I do I carry a tremendous amount of guilt over my decisions being what led him to be on the road that night.
They were my decisions that led to the accident and where he is now.
Gage grew up wanting to be a police officer. It was all he had talked about from the time we were young. I remember watching him play Cops and Robbers with his friends. Gage, without fail, was always the good guy. He wanted to be the one that protected people, especially the ones he loved. I wanted to honor him by doing the same thing. Gage was more of a big brother to me than my cousin.
“The minute anything changes, I want to be the first person you call.”
I curl my hands into fists, tension coiling in my body. Everything in me wants to grab him by the neck and demand he let me help, but it is futile.
I need to trust they are doing everything they can to investigate this and put the person responsible for killing Gage behind bars.
Reaching my hand out, I shake Keller’s and we both agree if we hear anything more, we’ll be in touch. As soon as I step out the door, I unlock my phone and press the button connecting the call to Dean.
“What’d they have to say?”
