Claxton arrived and, after conferring with the North Topsail police, ushered them to a waiting ambulance. While a paramedic cleaned and stitched his wound, Cade related the evening’s events, moment by moment. The deputy’s attention switched to her. He must’ve come to the same conclusions they had, because his questions probed into her private life.
She twisted her hands together, wincing when her wrist protested. “I’ve dated off and on since college. Nothing serious until Patrick. My relationship with him lasted a year and a half.”
Deputy Claxton’s pencil hovered above the paper. “Patrick’s last name?”
“Livingston. We ended things last summer.” Keenly aware of Cade’s laser-like perusal, she was reluctant to add details.
The deputy wasn’t having it. “Occupation? Current location?”
“He’s, ah, in a correctional facility.”
Cade’s brows hit his hairline. “Tori—”
“Patrick embezzled funds from his company. I didn’t find out until the news of his arrest hit social media.”
The scowl on his face was at odds with the compassion filling his eyes. Unable to bear his pity, she dropped her gaze.
“Safe to say he isn’t our shooter,” Claxton said. “But that doesn’t rule out the possibility he orchestrated it from behind bars. Would you say he was angry with you? Did he expect you to stick with him through thick and thin?”
“Not at all. Patrick regretted pulling my name into it. Not once did he ask me to stay. We didn’t have that kind of relationship.”
While she hadn’t wanted to dwell on it at the time, their connection had been shallow. Nothing like what she’d had with Cade.
More scribbling. “Did you have any fractious relationships in your former workplace? Jealous coworkers? Friendships that soured?”
“I can’t think of a single person who’d want to hurt me.”
She made the mistake of glancing at Cade, whose eyes burned with righteous determination. “Think harder. There must be someone.” He paid no heed as the paramedic snipped off the thread. “You need to make a list of acquaintances, college buddies, professors—”
“I graduated years ago.”
“Write down every single employee at that library you used to work at, from the cleaning crew to the folks behind the check-in desk.” He counted on his fingers. “If you don’t know their names, we’ll get them from Human Resources.”
“How about you settle down and let me do my job, son.” Deputy Claxton shot Cade a dry look. To Tori, he said, “Make the list. I’ll be inputting the car explosion into the state database to see if there have been similar crimes.”
“You got the report back?” Cade asked.
“Our guys aren’t finished with the wreckage.”
“But you’re assuming it was an intentional act.”
Before he could answer, another deputy walked over to deliver the news that they’d scoured the area. The perp was in the wind. They planned to canvas the neighborhood and conduct interviews. There was a chance someone other than Tori saw him and could give them valuable information.
Cade studied the buildings around them. “No traffic cameras, but there could be private security cameras.”
“We’ll consult the individual businesses,” Claxon said. He left with a promise to contact her.
While Cade was being patched up, he caught the attention of a second paramedic and insisted Tori’s wrist be examined. As expected, it was a slight sprain. She was testing out the snug wrap when she noticed a pair of young men in heated conversation with an officer. She hurried over.
The lanky blond one spotted her and frowned, his gaze on her wrist. “That’s my sister.”
The officer twisted around and, seeing her, allowed them to pass. She wasn’t surprised to see her brother with his new friend, a shy but pleasant young man whom he’d met at the gym.
“Hello, Heath,” she greeted the redhead before turning to her brother. “Jason, what are you doing here? I thought you were working tonight.”
“Switched shifts with Billy, so I don’t go in until eleven. Heath and I were headed to Red’s to meet up with a few buddies.”
He reached up to smooth his hair, only to come up empty. Like her, he was still adjusting to his altered appearance. Without his wavy blond locks, he looked less like the surfer he was and more like a Marine. He’s eighteen. No longer the adoring little brother you left behind.
“What happened?”
A female officer speaking into her radio passed by. Jason watched the hushed activity around them, especially the subdued customers trickling out of the diner and waitresses huddled around the splintered window. Their faces were ravaged by the horror they’d endured.
“There was a shooting.”
Behind his glasses, Heath’s puppy-dog eyes filled with disbelief. “In Sneads Ferry?”
“Hard to accept, I know,” she agreed, wondering how she was going to tell Jason about the car and their suspicions.
“Was anyone hurt?” Jason asked.
“A bullet grazed Cade’s arm, but he’s going to be okay.”
Heath’s gaze shifted beyond Tori, and he snapped to attention. “Good evening, Staff Sergeant.”
She turned to see Cade approaching. He inclined his head. “Lance Corporal Polanski.”
“You two know each other?”
“Staff Sergeant McMann is my platoon leader,” Heath explained.
“Fortunate for you,” Jason said, his admiration plain.
When Tori transferred to a university in Knoxville, she got busy carving out a new life for herself. Meanwhile, Cade took Jason under his wing. She was grateful to a point. Cade was a good role model. But she couldn’t help but be a tad jealous of their close bond.
“Why would someone want to shoot up Red’s?” Jason mused.
Tori intercepted Cade’s probing glance. She reached for the ring on her right hand and twisted the silver dolphin. “We have reason to believe the shooter was after me.”
Deep grooves distorted his forehead. “What?”
Beside him, Heath paled, the smattering of freckles on his nose stark against his skin. “Why would you assume such a thing?”
“Earlier this evening, my car exploded. Right around the time I usually drive to the bank with the shop’s earnings.”
“I don’t understand.” Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why would someone target you? You’re a librarian.” He said it like it was the most mundane job in the world.
Cade shifted closer to Tori, determination gripping his features. “That’s what we’re going to figure out.”
“You can’t stay in the apartment,” Jason said. “This guy knows where you live.”
“I can’t abandon the shop. It’s Mom’s baby. Besides, there will be deputies parked outside.” For tonight only. They simply didn’t have the manpower to guard her around the clock indefinitely. But she didn’t tell her brother that. “Maybe he’ll come back tonight and they’ll snag him.”
“And what if he takes them by surprise and manages to get to you?”
The depth of her brother’s concern surprised her. She’d started to think he resented her to the point of dislike.
“I’m staying, too.”