“He’s not going to show up here,” I scoffed. “He never does his own dirty work. Besides, he no longer needs me alive. If he finds out where I am, he’ll send someone to kill me.” I set the rest of my sandwich down, no longer the slightest bit hungry.
“You’re safe at Max’s,” Marco said, his voice tight. “But I wish you were at Hank’s when I’m working. I don’t like the idea of you being alone.”
“So you think I did screw up?” My voice cracked.
“No. I’m just trying to be proactive. The chances of your father finding you because of an email are slim to none. If Tiffany was as close to your mother as you remember, she’s going to protect you. I can only imagine what she’d do to an assistant who betrayed her—and you—like that. You’re safe.”
“I hope she answers.”
“Me too. But if it doesn’t get past screening, I can do some digging and try to find out where she lives. Or we can show up at her business. I can flash my badge and say we need to speak to her about a case.”
I shook my head. “But it wouldn’t be about a Hensen County case.”
“It doesn’t matter, Carly.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t help thinking it would bother him to bend the rules for me again.
He tugged me closer. “You’re safe. Max and Tiny will protect you at the tavern, and I’m having a security system installed in my house next week.”
“Marco,” I protested.
“I needed one anyway, but the break-in got me moving. And now, I really want one to make sure you’re safe.”
“The expense . . .”
“Isn’t all that much, and the company doin’ it is gettin’ me satellite internet so the system can contact the authorities if there’s a break-in. Just think. No more having to work at the library. We’ll be able to access the internet anytime we want.” He squeezed my hip. “Now eat your lunch and I’ll tell you what I found.”
I picked up my sandwich and took a bite.
He gave me a grin, his eyes dancing, pleased that I’d done as he said. I rolled my eyes.
“Okay,” he started. “I found out an interesting tidbit on Georgia Carpenter’s husband, Joe.” He paused. “He used to work for Hank.”
I blinked at him. “What?”
“He had a minor possession charge that was dropped about fifteen years ago, but his file noted that he was a known associate of Hank Chalmers.”
“So Walter’s brother-in-law worked for Hank?”
“Yep.”
“Did the file say what he did for Hank?”
“No, but I’m pretty sure he was in the upper echelons.”
I stared out at the swings. “Big Joe,” I said softly.
“What?”
“One of Hank’s friends at poker night was called Big Joe. I wonder if he’s the same guy.”
“Do you think you could talk to him?”
“I doubt it. He made it pretty clear he doesn’t trust me. He carried my laundry basket out to my car, but the whole thing was a ruse so he could ask why I was living with Hank. I countered by asking where the hell he’d been for the last seven months if he was such a concerned friend.”
Marco grimaced. “How did he take that?”
“Not well, but I didn’t feel threatened. Of course, that might have been because I knew Hank was inside. I think we both knew that Hank would cut off his balls if he laid a hand on me.”
“So maybe going to see Georgia Carpenter is a bad idea,” he said.
“I don’t know. She might not know anything about me living with Hank. Or it could be a totally different Joe. It is a pretty common name.”
He scowled but didn’t answer. “Joe Carpenter did have another charge around the time of Walter’s murder.”
“I didn’t see anything about either arrest in the paper. Why not?”
“Someone either paid off the paper, or the sheriff’s department buried it. Especially since they dropped all charges.”
“What was his other charge?”
“Aggravated assault. His friend got into a bar fight at the tavern. Carpenter was hauled off to jail with him, but he claimed he was an innocent bystander.”
“Who was the friend?”
“Bruce Abernathy, and you’re never gonna believe the person he was in a fight with—Todd Bingham. Only Abernathy didn’t beat him up. He threw the first punch but ended up gettin’ the shit beat out of him. He instigated, though, so he was the one who was arrested.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Did this happen before or after Walter’s murder?”
“Two days after.” He lifted his brows. “Walter’s brother-in-law was in a fight with Todd Bingham two days after Walter’s murder.”
My jaw dropped. “You think Bingham had something to do with Walter’s murder?”
“I don’t know. Bingham being Bingham, he may have just been mouthing off. But we should keep it in mind.”
“Agreed.”
“I think we need to find out if Abernathy had a role in Hank’s business. There wasn’t any mention of it in his file.”
“Yeah.” Then a new thought struck me. “Thirteen years ago…Wyatt would have been running the tavern back then.”
“True.”
I stared at the swing set. “I doubt he’d talk to me about it.”
“I could try to ask him,” Marco said. “But after our discussion this morning, he’s liable to punch me in the face if I get within ten feet of him.”
I did a double take. “Wait. What? When did you have a chance to talk to Wyatt?”
He looked nonplused. “I did what we discussed. I stopped by his garage before I went to the laundromat and told him if he ever touched you again, we’d be filing charges and getting a restraining order.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t threaten to beat the crap out of him,” I said in surprise.
“Oh, I threatened that too, but I told him we’d try the legal way first.”
“What did he say?” I asked. “Was he surprised to see you?”
“No, he looked like he was expecting me. He listened to me say my piece.”
“He didn’t say anything?”
“Oh, yeah. He said his piece too.”
“Well?” I said in exasperation when he didn’t continue. “What did he say?”
“Let’s just say he tried to convince me that I was being a selfish bastard by keeping you here. I told him that you make your own decisions, and if he knew you at all, he’d know I can’t make you do anything.”
I studied him, and I could tell he was holding something back. “What else did he say?”
He took a breath, then looked down at his sandwich. “He said the longer I’m with you, the harder it will be for you to leave. That by bein’ with you, I could be gettin’ you killed.”
I gasped. “Marco. He had no right to say that.”
He nodded. “I know.” But he didn’t look totally convinced.
“There’s no denying I don’t want to leave you, but if we decide I’m truly in danger, we’ll figure something out.”