Page 50 of Waves of Time

Hilary smiled. “When on earth did you become so responsible, Aria Coleman?”

“Just send me your address,” Aria replied.“Thaddeus and I will be there soon.”

True to Aria’s word, she and Thaddeus rushed into the parking lot at the gas station only twenty minutes later. Aria’s face was blotchy, and she threw her arms around her mother and said, “I’m so glad you’re okay,” as she shook uncontrollably.

On the drive home, Hilary explained more detail about what she’d seen, including how the two guys looked. Thaddeus wasn’t sure if he knew them.

“Frank kept us all separate,” Thaddeus explained. “Probably so we wouldn’t find a way to work against him.”

Hilary almost wept with joy when they pulled into the driveway. When they got inside, she poured herself a glass of iced tea and collapsed on the back porch, her legs shivering wildly. To her tremendous surprise, she received a text from Frank that moment— almost as though he’d sensed what she was about to do.

FRANK: Hey, babe. How are you doing? Can I convince you to go to dinner with me again this week?

FRANK: You’re probably getting the sense that I don’t take no for an answer.

FRANK: I can assure you that I always get what I want. :)

Hilary had the urge to throw her phone across the yard.

“These guys,” she muttered to Aria as she sat across from her on the back porch. “They think the world owes them everything.”

Aria sipped her hot tea. “This will be a wake-up call.”

“I just hope he hasn’t manipulated the Nantucket police force too much,” Hilary breathed. “Remember what happened in Martha’s Vineyard last spring? They really struggled to get that billionaire arrested because he had given so much money to the police force over the years.”

“Call Aunt Sam,” Aria urged Hilary. “The longer you wait, the more Frank’s stupid drugs get out into the world and ruin people’s lives.”

Thaddeus stepped out onto the porch with a can of Dr. Pepper, his eyes soft and sad. He sat next to Aria and took her hand over the armrest of the chair, studying the water. Hilary took a deep breath, then did something she rarely did over the years: she called her sister for help.

It didn’t take long for Sam to understand the situation. “That snake,” she muttered, clearly enraged. “I’m going to call a few friends down at the station. They probably already have their hunches about him and haven’t figured out a way to prove it.”

“Tell them about the little door in the crawlspace,” Hilary said quietly. “The guys just dropped it off forty-five minutes ago or so. Hopefully, it’s still there.”

Sam hung up, but called back in about twenty minutes to explain what was going to happen next. The cops wanted to speak to Hilary in person, of course— but they were also going to issue a warrant to search Frank’s property.

“There’s no reason Frank can pin this on you,” Sam assured her.

“But what if he’s watching my house?” Hilary demanded, suddenly terrified.

Sam thought about this for a moment. “He’s a clever guy, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is.”

“I’ll explain that to the guys at the station. Maybe they can just give you a call,” Sam said.

“It’s really for the best,” Hilary affirmed.

Not long after that, a police officer called Hilary to ask for a statement about what she’d seen and what she knew about Frank Wilmington. This was enough for them to issue the warrant to search his place, which allowed Hilary to breathe again. Just as she hung up the phone, there was a knock at the front door, and Hilary leaped up, frightened, before Sam called out, “It’s just me!”

Hilary, Aria, and Thaddeus laughed at themselves and hurried to greet Sam, who’d brought a box of donuts. She wrapped her arms around Hilary, saying, “I’m so glad you’re safe,” repeatedly. In her sister’s embrace, Hilary felt tears of relief run down her cheeks.

It had been one hell of a day. But it was only the start of a horrific week.

ChapterNineteen

The events that transpired in the wake of Hilary’s conversation with the Nantucket police station eventually found Frank Wilmington behind bars in the little Nantucket jail— screaming that he wanted to speak to his lawyer, who lived in New York City. According to Sam, it would be a very long road before they pinned him for all of the crimes he’d supposedly committed— but this was a start.

They learned that the Nantucket Police Station sent four of its officers to Frank’s place with a warrant, where Frank opened the door angrily and caused a scene. According to reports, Frank was frantic, saying all kinds of heinous things to the officers and calling them names as though he were a child. Because nobody knew what to do with this arrogant, handsome, and very rich man, eventually, one of the officers handcuffed him and put him in the car for obstruction of justice.

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