“Trey wouldn’t be the first seventeen-year-old to seek solace at the co-op.” He flipped closed his notebook. “I’ll take my truck and see if he’s up there. Mind you, this time of night, things’ll be pretty quiet on the mountain.”
“They do sack out kinda early. Up with the sun, down with the sun,” Althea concurred, nodding. “Officer Griffiths, I’ve never had a bit of trouble with the co-op folks, so if he’s there, I’m right sure they aren’t doin’ anything wrong. I think there’s another force at play in this case.” She tapped her temple. “You keep that in mind, ya hear?”
“We’ll see, ma’am. I’ll let you know what I find out. And if Trey isn’t there, then we’ll decide on the next step.”
I walked Sean out to the porch. The rain had stopped, and the night was quiet. The scent of after-rain freshness hung in the air. “There’s something else I need to tell you,” I said as I pulled out my cell phone. “My house in Dunston was vandalized with what I believe is a threatening message.” I showed him the photo I’d taken with my phone. “It was painted with glow-in-the-dark paint, so it only shows up at night. I think the person who did it doesn’t know that I’ve moved out.”
In the dim light of the porch, Sean’s face darkened. “This is serious. What is it you’re supposed to stop looking for?”
“I think it has to do with Marlette. I’ve been asking questions at work and looking around the places where Marlette used to go. Nothing that would interfere with the official police investigation,” I hastily added when I saw a glint appear in Sean’s eyes. “I think somebody wants me to stop.” I closed the phone, not wishing to see the photo anymore. “Somebody doesn’t want me to find out what really happened.”
Sean expelled a loud sigh. “You have to report this, Lila. The Dunston police need to send a unit to your house. And you need to stop trying to do our job. Stop putting yourself in danger.”
“But you said yourself the police aren’t dedicating any manpower to Marlette’s case. Nobody even came for the diary until today?”
He shrugged. “It’s not high priority at the moment. The arson case has become our priority. See, someone was locked inside the building when the fire was set, and so now we’re dealing with murder, arson, and insurance fraud all wrapped up in one case. It’s got precedence, especially with all the media attention surrounding it. We’ll figure out what happened to Marlette eventually. Heed the warning and stop poking around.”
“But—”
He touched his finger to my lips. “Shh. You have enough to worry about.” His touch seemed to burn me with a delicious warmth, and for a moment, I forgot why he was there. I was jarred back to reality when he dropped his arm and said, “I’d better go look for Trey.” He started down the steps, then stopped and turned. “Try not to let too many people know you’re living here. If the vandal is an unstable individual, we don’t want him or her to be able to find you.”
As I watched Sean walk to his car, my gaze fell on my mother’s blue truck, looking in the darkness like an oversized, shadowy creature of the deep. Tomorrow I would look for some mode of transportation that didn’t scream I live with a fortune teller.
“Sean?” I called just as he was climbing into the car.
“Yes?”
“Is there a chance that Trey’s disappearance is related to the vandalism?”
Even in the dark, I could see his frown. “No. I think Trey’s just being seventeen. But you can’t be too careful.”
I hoped Sean was right about Trey, but I wasn’t going to heed his advice about my investigation into Marlette’s murder. Someone had to find justice for the poor man, and I seemed to be the only one trying to do that. My probing may have made the murderer nervous, and if that person thought a little spray paint was going to deter me, he or she was dead wrong. If anything, I was even more determined to find out the murderer’s identity. I would just have to be more careful.
My mother joined me on the porch, and we both watched the red taillights of Sean’s truck burn through the night.
“That man’s got a fascinatin’ aura, Lila. He could be trouble for you.” She smiled enigmatically. “Then again, he could be just what you didn’t know you needed.” She handed me a cup of coffee. “No sense goin’ to bed. It’s gonna be a long night.”
Chapter 9
ONCE AGAIN, ALTHEA WAS RIGHT. IT TURNED OUT TO BE a very long night.
When I heard the rumble of Sean’s truck and saw the headlights twinkling like will-o’-the-wisps through the trees lining the mountain road, it was quarter past one in the morning.
My mother was asleep in her chair with her head rolled back and her mouth hanging open. She snored gently, a tumbler holding an inch of whiskey dangling precariously in her right hand.