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Gennessey made a mental note of the military time for two thirty-seven in the afternoon.
“How can you be so precise?” BB sounded skeptical, and she realized she should have prepared him a little for meeting someone like Needham Crane.
“Mr. Needham doesn’t forget anything.” Gennessey turned her attention back to the older man. “Anything else you think we should check out? We’ll take any lead we can get at this point.”
“The kid who works at your uncle’s hotel. He’s up to something with the stranger who came to town two days ago and left right before the wedding.”
“Stranger?” BB asked.
“Tall guy, towheaded, wore jeans but reeked of money. Drove a white Caddy. Tried to blend in but wasn’t good at it. Didn’t even stay in town. Drove back and forth from Beaufort way. Never saw him talk to anybody much, but he popped up at different places around town. Including the park and the hotel.”
“He didn’t have a reservation at the hotel but was there a lot?” Gennessey tried to think if she had seen someone fitting the man’s description, but at a hotel, seeing a stranger to their town wasn’t unusual — not even one with fair hair and expensive tastes.
“I eat lunch at the hotel every day. He was always there. Saw him talking to the redheaded kid. The stranger slipped the kid some money the same day he left town and didn’t come back.”
“Thanks, Mr. Needham. You didn’t notice anything today that seemed a little unusual? If the shooter sneaked into town without you seeing, then I know he’s better than I was hoping.”
“I don’t know. Only one way in and out of town where I wouldn’t see him.”
“True,” she mused. “I was just hoping you got a glimpse of the shooter or even Autumn.”
“We’re not even sure if the shooter is a man or woman,” BB added. “We only got a glimpse, but we never got close enough to see too many details.”
“Sorry, son. Can’t help you there.”
“Thank you, Mr. Needham. We’ll leave you be.”
“Don’t be a stranger. It’s good to see you.” He winked at her, and she grinned. Then he scowled in BB’s direction. “You watch out for her, son. If she comes up shot, I’m coming for you.”
“I’ll protect her with my life,” BB vowed, and Needham nodded as if he was expecting that response.
Gennessey rolled her eyes at the two of them before turning to head back to the car, leaving BB to follow.
Chapter Twenty-Four
BB didn’t argue when Gennessey insisted on driving. He took the opportunity to study her.
Would he ever stop being surprised by her? He knew her – knew her well – and she was still a mystery to him. One he wanted to figure out. If for no other reason now but to understand why they were riding down an obscure road after talking to one of the most enigmatic men he’d ever met.
“Who is Mr. Needham to you?”
“Cohen and I used to fish at his pond, and sometimes he would fish with us. He would tell us stories of his life, and I don’t think he shared those with many people. Mom thought he wasn’t an appropriate influence on me, especially when I told her he inspired me to enlist.”
“Was he special forces?”
“No, but he was discharged as a colonel. He just doesn’t want to be addressed by his rank. His wife died while he was serving overseas, so he said calling him colonel is a painful reminder of how he put his career ahead of his marriage.”
BB exhaled a long breath. “That’s tough. Does he really not forget anything?”
“He doesn’t forget anything he sees, reads, or hears. He calls it his curse. He said the ability helped him to move up the ranks in the military.”
“And he considers it a curse because it kept him serving his country instead of being a family man.”
She shook her head, her eyes never leaving the road. “His wife was murdered by someone who broke into their home. She was raped and killed, and all their possessions were taken. His curse helped him protect his country, but not the woman he loved or the home they built. It broke him. They fast tracked his discharge then.”
“That’s awful. No one should have to go through that.”
“No, but I’m hoping this is one time his curse is actually a gift.” She slowed the truck’s speed, and he didn’t think it was because of the ruts in the road.
