Page 127 of It Runs in the Family

I nodded, a large lump filling my throat, but I still forced out, “She knows Deanna McElroy. They follow each other on Instagram.” The last part ended with a croak.

He sat down next to me. “You can bow out, Iris. You’ve already helped a ton and figured out more than the sheriff’s department about what’s goin’ on. I can take over from here.”

He was giving me an out, and I had to admit it was tempting. Had I done enough to change my vision? Or had I only moved myself closer to the bullet hole in my head? I considered forcing another vision, but I’d just had two a short time ago, plus the one of Garrett this morning. If I forced too many too close together, I ran the risk of getting a migraine. Then I’d be sidelined.

If my death were inevitable, which it might be, I’d rather go out making a difference than hiding. My grandmother thought I was destined for better things, and so far, I didn’t have much to show for my twenty-six years. What if this was it? I couldn’t save Rebecca, but maybe I could save Selena and Cody.

“No,” I said quietly. “I’m in this to the end.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Boone stood next to me, pivoting in place to take in the businesses on Main Street. “That’s an electronic repair shop across the street.”

I turned to see where he was looking. Sure enough, half a block down on the other side of the street there was a building with a sign in a window reading Winston’s Electronic Repair.

“That has to be new,” I said. “I’ve never seen it before.” Then again, I hadn’t been on Main Street in a couple of months.

“Let’s see if they’ll work on Selena’s iPad while we wait for my contact to get back to me.”

“Okay.”

We crossed the street. I waited on the sidewalk while Boone got the iPad out of his truck, then we walked to the shop in silence. When we reached it, he held the door open for me, and I walked into the small waiting area and up to a counter. No one was behind it, but there was a bell on the counter, so I rang it and waited.

About a half minute later, a guy who looked like he couldn’t have been more than twenty came out of the back, looking haggard.

“Hi,” Boone said in a friendly tone. “Do you work on iPads?”

The kid took one look at the device in Boone’s hand and groaned.

“Is that a no?” I asked.

“We do,” he said. “But we have about twenty other devices ahead of you.”

“How long do you think it will take to get to it?” Boone asked.

The kid tilted his head as he looked at it. “What’s wrong with it?”

“It won’t charge,” he said. “I think it might need a new battery.”

The boy took it from Boone and turned it over. “That’s gonna cost you. This thing’s so old you’d be better off gettin’ a new one.”

“I need the information that’s on it,” Boone said. “Can you transfer it onto something without replacing the battery?”

“No can do,” the kid said. “You should’ve backed it up to the cloud.”

“Woulda, coulda, shoulda,” I said, growing frustrated by his lack of customer service and the dark room. The windows were painted over, letting very little natural light through, and it was making me anxious. “We didn’t back it up and we need access to what’s on it. If you have to replace the battery to access it, then that’s what you need to do.”

“Okay,” he said, giving me the evil eye. “Then you’re gonna have to wait three or four days.”

Boone rested a hand on the counter and leaned closer. “Don’t mind her. She didn’t get enough coffee this morning. But it is important we get what’s on that iPad. Is there any way we can move it to the front of the line?”

The boy looked Boone up and down, then held out his hand as he looked away.

Boone glanced down at his palm before turning to me.

“He wants a bribe,” I stage-whispered.

“Not a bribe,” the boy snapped, still looking away. “It’s a rush fee.”