“Wait,” Lou said. “You had video of the dead-body-toting deputy this whole time and didn’t share? Daisy!”
Daisy wasn’t paying attention to Lou’s scolding, because the video was missing. It had been the last thing she’d recorded, so it should’ve been right there. Frowning, she flicked through the thumbnails, checking her small collection of saved videos several times. “It’s not here.”
“What do you mean?” Chris asked. “I watched it. It was on there—what happened to it?”
Making a sound of frustration, Daisy scanned her videos again. “I don’t know. It’s just not on here anymore.”
“Could you have deleted it by accident?”
Although Daisy started to protest, to say that there was no way she could have done something so careless, she stopped. No one else had access to her phone. It had to have been her. “I guess I must have. Sorry, everyone. It was really dark, though, so I don’t think it would’ve helped much.”
“You thought he looked taller than Deputy Lawrence?” Lou asked, still sounding hopeful that he could be a viable suspect.
“Yes, but don’t assume what I saw had anything to do with the Gray case,” Daisy warned. “For all we know, it was Macavoy doing exactly what he said he was doing. Have you had any luck tracking him down?”
“Not yet. It’s like he just fell off the planet. None of the other deputies were close with him. Angel, one of the dispatchers, said she sent a couple of how-are-you messages to his personal email, but he didn’t respond. The guy’s disappeared. The way he ran and hid makes me pretty certain he’s involved in something illegal.” Blowing out a hard breath, Chris stood, looking at Ian. “Can I get copies of your reports on the arsons?”
“Sure. But since they’re my reports, they won’t have the law enforcement angle. Most of them will read, ‘Got there, dumped some water, went home.’ You’re welcome to look them over, though.” He stood, as well. “I’ll talk to the chief, too, and see if we can get some information on the arsons that happened when I wasn’t on duty.”
“No.” Ian had barely gotten out the offer before Chris sharply shut him down. “Don’t talk to Early about this yet.”
His eyes narrowing, Ian leveled a hard glare at the deputy. “You think the chief’s involved?”
Pacing parallel to the table, Chris shoved a hand into his hair and tugged. “Honestly, no. This whole thing is making me doubt everyone, though, so I can’t discount the possibility. I just would rather you not tip him off that we’re looking for a connection between the arsons and the Gray case. Not until we get a better handle on this.”
After a pause, Ian gave a tight nod. “Fine. For now. I don’t like keeping things from the chief, though.”
“I know,” Chris said. “So thank you.”
“It’s probably best if we don’t share this with anyone beyond this room, then,” Lou said. “You know how fast gossip spreads around here, especially among the emergency services groups. If this leaks out, the chief will definitely hear about it.”
Ellie looked around their circle and snorted. “I think we have the only nongossipers in Simpson here.”
“I’m probably the loosest lips of all of us,” Lou agreed, “and I can keep my mouth shut.” Callum gave her a teasing look of doubt, and she smacked his arm. “I can!”
“You know I won’t be blabbing to anyone,” Daisy said dryly. “Except for my dad, you guys are pretty much my entire social circle.”
“Not for long.” Lou bounced a little in her seat. “You already have one of the locks undone. Pretty soon, you’re going to be visiting me at The Coffee Spot.”
“And you can come to the range at my shop, so we don’t have to shoot out of your upstairs window,” Rory added.
“Road trip to Denver!” Ellie almost shrieked, flushing when everyone stared at her. “Sorry. I got excited.” With a small smile, George rubbed her back.
Hearing the possibilities out loud made Daisy simultaneously terrified and thrilled. It could actually happen. Until she’d made a step toward going outside, she hadn’t realized how resigned she’d been to never leaving the house again. With that one tiny unfastened lock, she’d relit a flame of hope in her chest. Daisy rubbed the spot, almost feeling the physical burn, and jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder.
“You okay?” Chris bent over so he could speak quietly in her ear.
She nodded, feeling the fire in her chest growing stronger. “I’m wonderful.”