Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 127715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
But he didn’t think Trey was calling because he was rabid for Harry to get in his picks.
He glanced at his father, stepped away and took the call.
“Hey, Trey,” he said.
“Hey, Harry. You got a second?”
No.
“Yeah.”
“Listen, okay, this is gonna be weird,” Trey began. “I didn’t want to get into it with you yesterday, for obvious reasons, but Friday, Jenna got a call at the store. It was from Willie.”
Fucking shit.
“Yeah?” Harry prompted.
“Lillian’s ex. Like, way ex,” Trey informed him.
“I know,” Harry said.
“He wanted to order flowers sent to Lill, and he told Jenna to pick whatever she thought Lill would like from her shop and make a basket or something. Budget five hundred bucks. Jenna told him that wasn’t appropriate, but he insisted. Said he’d call someone else to send her something if Jenna didn’t do it, but he knew Lillian would prefer Jenna got the business. She took the order but decided not to fill it. Or, she’s going to, but she’s going to send it to the old folks’ home and make someone’s day there, because she knows Lill wouldn’t be a big fan of Willie horning in right now. That said, she also could send it, just anonymously, and when it’s a better time, tell Lill it was from Willie.”
Harry had little doubt Rita called her son and told him to lay off.
And Harry didn’t like what it said when a son who’d toed the line his entire life kept stepping over it in very visible ways.
Especially now, when he was imposing himself on Lillian’s life in a manner that Harry, the man in it, felt like he was staking some kind of claim in order to make some kind of unwelcome comeback.
“I can’t tell Jenna how to run her business,” Harry told him. “But I can confirm something you both know, this gesture would not be welcome by Lillian, now or in the future, anonymously or not.”
“Yeah,” Trey muttered.
“How did he pay for it?” Harry asked.
“Credit card.”
Harry turned to watch Wade rolling up in his cruiser.
“He’s got three warrants out for him in Fret County, Trey,” Harry said. “I’d appreciate getting the credit card number.”
“I’ll text it to you.”
“Obliged.”
“We’ll figure it out on this end, Harry. But you saying what we’re thinking, Jenna can just refund him in a few days. If he gets shitty, he can talk to me.”
Trey was no joke. He came off as a lovable teddy bear, but everyone knew you didn’t poke a bear.
“Great, Trey. And thanks for calling.”
“No problem.”
By this time, Wade was walking to him, his eyes on the house.
“Karl Abernathy,” Harry told him when Wade stopped at his side.
“Fucker,” Wade said in an undertone.
It was more than that.
A lot more than that.
Harry snapped a photo then opened up his text string to Rus.
Hate to interrupt your Sunday, but this happened. Got Abernathy on video doing it. Face obscured, but it’s him.
He sent the photo.
Then he saved the video and sent that.
Feeling heat, Rus pointed out the obvious.
Yep, Harry confirmed.
I’ll go get some plywood. You take care of Lillian. I’ll contact Wade or Karen and process the scene, then board up the windows.
Wade’s here. Lillian has a spa appointment this afternoon. I’ll be back to help. There won’t be anything, he wore gloves and a ski mask, but we’ll process anyway.
Figures. But gotcha. Later.
Harry shoved the phone in his back pocket. He sent his father a reassuring smile when he caught his concerned look, though he knew his father wasn’t reassured.
“I’m not thinking good thoughts,” Wade said.
“Nope,” Harry agreed.
“This isn’t about a file audit and shitty police work,” Wade noted.
“Nope,” Harry again agreed.
“I’ll go get my camera,” Wade sighed.
“Appreciated,” Harry said.
That was when Harry stood, staring at his house, making the decision that if he and Lillian went the distance—which they would—they’d move in here for as long as it took to blow out the back of her place and add on enough rooms for two to three kids, and whatever extra space she wanted.
They’d then sell this place to pay it off, and if there was extra, start college and wedding funds.
He also stared at it knowing this was only the beginning.
A man who didn’t know right from wrong was running scared.
Harry wasn’t that kind of man, but he dealt with them nearly every day.
There were three doors available to him.
Obviously, Abernathy wasn’t going to pick door one, come clean.
Equally obviously, he wasn’t going to pick door two, which was get out of town and as far away as possible.
He’d picked door number three, because he was far more familiar with what lay beyond it.
Threats and intimidation, going at both hard, then harder, until he got what he wanted.
Harry wouldn’t normally give two fucks about this.
But he did now.
Because he had Lillian.
He had something to lose.
And so did she.