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Darren took the offering. “Will do.”
“I’m taking her home,” Darren said. “To Pierce Ranch.”
“I believe I know where that is,” Deputy Lyle said.
“If you are inclined to drive past it every now and then, it wouldn’t hurt either of our feelings,” Darren stated.
“It definitely wouldn’t hurt mine,” Reese added.
“Will do,” Deputy Lyle said before escorting them to Darren’s SUV. They arrived safely despite the bad feeling Reese had while walking through the parking lot. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked, which was never a good sign. Of course, at this point, she might be spooked and freaking out. But still. She had no plans to take chances.
Darren helped her into the passenger side of his SUV. The second the door was closed, she got a whiff of smoke. As soon as he claimed the driver’s seat and turned on the engine, she cracked the window.
“You might want to crack the other windows, too,” she said. “I didn’t realize how badly these clothes smelled of smoke.”
He nodded, then pulled forward out of the parking spot. Before he got too far, he hit the buttons to lower all the windows a little. “How’s your head?”
“I have a monster headache but that doesn’t seem to be anything new,” she said.
“The guy back there,” he continued after a moment of silence. “Did you get anything from him? A general build?”
“He wasn’t big like you,” she said. “I only saw him for a flash, but he looked slightly average height and build.” Average for Texans in this area was six feet tall. “He was strong. His grip strength caught me off guard. He had grabby hands.”
“Did he say anything?” Darren asked after the muscle in his jaw clenched. “Did you hear his voice at all?”
“Not really,” she said. “When the nurse walked back in, he mumbled but I couldn’t get a clear take on his voice.”
“The person responsible for the fire at my house must have stuck around to watch the rest unfold,” Darren said.
“I didn’t think about that before, but you’re right,” she said.
“He might know my property if he knows the equipment building,” he continued. “Which means he might be local or someone who grew up around here.”
“Phillip Rhodes spent summers here for years, even after the camp closed,” she said.
“I’m almost thinking this person had to have grown up around here at this point despite the fact taking someone so close to home would draw attention,” Darren said. “Camree Lynn’s case was a long time ago. She might have been where he started.”
“So you’re leaning toward Aiden Archer?” she asked.
He nodded. “That seems to be the best name so far.”
It had been a long time since she’d been to Darren’s family home. A whole lot of good memories were stored there. Memories of going to his place after school to do homework, and stealing a few kisses when his mother wasn’t looking. They’d held hands under the stars while sitting on the tire swing in his backyard. Her thoughts were flooded with good memories as he pulled onto ranch property.
Reminiscing about the past was a good distraction from what had just happened to her. Another attack and they were further from answers than this morning. How could this person act alone? How would a single person have pulled off what happened at the equipment building? She could have sworn she’d heard more than one voice.
Then again, she’d been pretty out of it. The blow to her head might have caused her to mix up details.
At least her head had been spared the floor at the hospital. And yet, nausea was still settling in as a monster headache formed. Thinking hurt.
DARRENPARKEDINthe detached garage and then came around to the passenger side. He needed to do something about the lack of a cell phone. Being disconnected from his girls for the day caused a coil to tighten in his chest. Ever since their mother died, he’d worried something would happen to them. Like, maybe, he was cursed.
But the girls were thriving and, so far, hadn’t met any accidents that didn’t involve potty training.
“I need a phone,” he said to Reese.
“We should have stopped along the way and gotten one of those throw-away phones. They come with service,” she said. “I don’t think they cost much.”
“Can you make it to the store?” he asked.
