Page 71 of Out to Get Her
Trey was silent for a good long time. So long that when the wind rattled the house again, she thought maybe they lost the cell signal.
Finally, he said, “I don’t think either of them murdered Paul.”
Erin’s back straightened. She hadn’t wanted to believe Samantha would really break the law to protect anyone, but she clearly wasn’t the only one who had doubts. She didn’t know if that made her feel worse or better. “But you think she’s covering for someone. Who?”
“Not necessarily.” His voice was hesitant. Whatever he was getting at, he didn’t like being the one to say it.
“Well, what then?”
“I remembered something. A couple things, but one thing in particular. It might not mean anything, but it’s been bugging me all night. Remember when we met for lunch, and you went outside and your tire was slashed?”
“How could I forget? You know someone who hates me enough to do that?”
“No, not exactly. But I do remember leaving to meet you and seeing someone near your car. They weren’t doing anything, just standing and looking around, and I didn’t know your car was there. But I did realize I forgot my phone and went back in to work to grab it. When I came out again, he—”
Trey was quiet again.
“He who?” she asked. “You know who it was?”
More silence.
“Trey?”
She looked at the screen. The call had dropped. She tried to call him back, but the signal was gone.
Zach walked in as she was holding the phone in the air and swinging it around the room, trying to get a signal again. He put a puzzle on the table. It was an illustrated fishing village. Colorful. Lots of little details to make it easier. Good thing, because it was two thousand pieces.
“Cell tower’s probably out. Hardly ever happens, but I guess we got lucky this time.”
She stared at her phone. Erin knew she should stay put until the storm passed. She should wait for a signal and call Trey back.
But she couldn’t sit still for another second. What if whoever slashed her tire was tied to the murder somehow, and Trey might have a missing piece to this whole thing? He might have some clue about the real reason Samantha left and was hiding things from her.
“What are you doing?” Zach asked as she grabbed her keys from the counter.
“Where does Trey live?”
“Out on Benoit Road. Just past Mr. Fontenot’s farm,” he said. “What’s wrong? Are they okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. He was about to tell me something before the signal cut out. He sounded upset.”
“Wait, I’ll come with you.” He reached to shut off the lantern.
“No, you stay here. Please. Keep an eye on the place and let Sam in if she gets back before me.”
He didn’t look happy with that. “Erin, you shouldn’t go out in this.”
“It’s fine. I’ve driven through worse. And the rains aren’t bad enough to flood anything yet,” she said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
With a reluctant nod and a sigh, Zach said, “I know better than to think I can stop you once your mind is made up. Just be careful.”
* * *
Main Street was dark and empty. No cars parked along the road. No lights on in shops as people closed up for the night. Not even the street lamps were on. Power must have gone out during the drive over there.
Samantha parked in front of the station and struggled to close the door against a gust of wind whipping from the opposite direction. She braced herself and fought her way to the station door. Once inside, she followed the bright glow of an LED lantern coming from Chief Vidrine’s office.
She felt like a moth being drawn in. Only it wasn’t the light she was drawn to. It was the promise of solving this case.
