Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

Tex stepped back into the house. As he entered the kitchen, he saw the tense looks on everyone’s faces.

They feared the worst.

“Everything’s good,” he assured them. “It was just a family of deer. They ran off when they saw me. I guess I’ve been on edge lately after everything that’s happened.”

“Everything that’s happened?” Gilbert asked, a lilt of curiosity—and maybe something else—in his voice.

“You know.” Tex shrugged. “The brick through the window, someone breaking into Chelsea’s house. Then what happened today with Mikey. It’s just all been a lot.”

“Your house was broken into?” Anna asked with a gasp.

“Yes, I’m not sure why exactly. Of all the homes someone could have chosen, they had to be disappointed once they saw how little of value I had inside mine.”

“This whole world is going to pot, isn’t it?” Anna shook her head. Then she glanced at Gilbert and beamed. “That’s why I’m trying to convince Gilbert to retire so the two of us can move to Florida or maybe the Caribbean.”

Tex sat back down at the table and raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really. Are you seriously considering that?” He glanced at Gilbert.

He shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. The idea is very appealing, especially if Anna is with me.”

He squeezed her hand.

Things really had changed for the man since Anna had come into his life, hadn’t they?

They prayed and then passed the food around. Tex had just taken the first bite of his mashed potatoes when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Part of him wanted to ignore it. He knew he was being rude by taking another call.

But the other part of him knew that this might not be able to wait.

“I’m really sorry for this,” Tex said, pulling out his phone. “But there’s been an issue at work, and I need to take this.”

“I understand,” Gilbert said. “The food will be waiting here for you when you return.”

Tex escaped again, this time going into the bathroom so he could close the door to have more privacy.

It was a message from Gage. His colleague hadn’t been able to track the phone number Tex had sent him.

That wasn’t surprising. Most likely, the person who’d been sending out the messages had used a burner.

On a whim, Tex decided to call Patrick. He leaned against the wall as he waited for him to answer and then he spoke in a low tone.

“Tex? I thought I recognized your number.”

“Hey, Patrick. I’m sorry to interrupt you. But I had a question that couldn’t wait.”

“What’s going on?”

“It appears that several of us who were in foster care together here in Holly Ridge have been getting some extortion threats. I can’t help but wonder if you have been also.”

Patrick didn’t say anything a moment.

Then he said, “You’re being extorted?”

“That’s right. Someone is using the secrets from our past to get us to do dirty work for them. I’m not comfortable sharing all the details. But I don’t think we’re alone in this. Is there anything you want to tell me, Patrick?”

Again, silence stretched. Finally, he said, “As a matter of fact, I’ve been getting some threats also. I’ve been slipping several students some performance-enhancing drugs. I was told if I didn’t that they’d tell everyone that . . .”

“Tell everyone what?” Tex asked.

“They would tell everyone that I used to overprescribe opioids.” He paused. “Before you lecture me, I know I shouldn’t have done it. But some of my patients paid me on the side. I needed the money. I’m drowning in student loans.”

“Patrick . . .” Tex didn’t even have any words for him. The man was clearly in over his head and making poor choices as a result.

“Please, don’t tell anybody,” Patrick finished. “I’m nearly willing to do anything to make this go away.”

“Someone is banking on the fact that all of us are willing to do anything.” Tension stretched across his chest. “And they’re going to keep on doing this until one of us breaks.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I need to figure out who’s behind this.”

“Gilbert is the only one who makes any sense.”

Tex couldn’t argue with that assessment. “I agree. But we still need proof.”

“Let me know what I can do.”

Tex ended the call, his thoughts still racing. How could they prove who this was? If Aiden went to drop off money again, they could do a stakeout to see who picked it up. But that would take time, and time was something they didn’t have.

Realizing how much time had passed, he reached for the toilet and flushed it. Then he ran the water in the sink, trying to make his cover story believable.

As he turned off the water, he noticed the toilet was still running.

Great.

He took the lid off the back.

When he reached into the basin, he noticed a bag there.

He carefully pulled it out and shook the water off.

A cell phone was inside. When he hit the screen, a generic background with just a few apps filled it. There was no screen lock.

Out of curiosity, he took his own phone and texted back the person who’d threatened him.

Who’s this?

The cell phone in the bag buzzed. When he looked at the screen, he saw the message he’d just sent appear.

Chelsea glanced at her smart watch as it buzzed. A text message came through.

Feign an excuse to leave.

She blinked and quickly put her hand down before anybody else could see it.

Tex had sent this. But why? Had he discovered something new?

Whatever it was, it sounded like he wanted her to get out of here. To get away from Gilbert.

When Tex stepped back into the kitchen he sent her a look that made it clear he was asking if she had gotten his message.

She sent him a subtle nod.

Tex sat back at the table and apologized again.

She was desperate to talk to him. To find out what exactly was going on.

But that wasn’t going to happen if she stayed here.

She suddenly let out a fake cough.

“Everything okay?” Gilbert asked.

“You know, I’ve had the feeling that a cold is coming on. I’ve been sneezing a lot today, and my throat’s been scratchy. Now it’s hitting me like a ton of bricks.” She turned toward Tex. “Do I feel warm?”

He put his hand to her forehead, and his eyes scrunched. “Actually, you do. Maybe you should go home and lie down. I’d hate for you to be sick for Christmas.”

She frowned and glanced at her half-eaten plate. “I hate to leave when you spent so much time preparing this meal for us.”

“We hate for you to leave too,” Anna said. “But if you don’t feel well, then by all means you need to take care of yourself. I can give you a box so you can take the rest home.”

“That would be fantastic. I guess I shouldn’t have come over. I hope I don’t get anyone else sick.”

“You don’t worry about that. Just get some rest and feel better soon.”

As Anna went to get a plastic container, Chelsea stood. She picked up her fork to put the rest of her food into the container, but her fork trembled against the plate.

Tex stood and took over for her. “Here, let me help you.”

She was so grateful for him. Grateful for the time they’d had together.

There was a point in her life where she wouldn’t have been able to say that. But now she could see where forgiveness and restoration were needed.

Not that the two of them would necessarily ever go back to where they had been. But at least maybe one day she wouldn’t think of him with such heaviness in her heart.

“I’m going to walk her home, but I’ll be right back,” Tex announced.

Gilbert and Anna nodded.

Tex put his hand on the small of her back and led her outside. As soon as the back door closed, Chelsea turned to him. “What’s going on?”

“A lot,” he muttered.

He kept walking, getting her farther away from the house as if it was going to blow up at any minute or something.

They paused only when they reached her back door. Chelsea wasn’t going any farther until she had some more information.

“Gilbert has been extorting the foster kids who stayed with him years ago. Asking for anything from money to drugs to favors. Otherwise, he’ll spill the secrets he knows about them.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What? That’s terrible.”

“I know. He’s clearly desperate and I don’t think you should be around him a moment longer than you have to be.”

She grabbed Tex’s sweater. “What about you? You can’t be over there either.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“He knows you were Black Ops. He mentioned it when you walked away from the table. Did you ever tell him that?”

Tex’s jaw tightened. “No, I didn’t. But I did find the phone he’s using to send these texts. He hid it in the bathroom. Inside the toilet tank.”

“What? What are we going to do? Is the fact that the phone was found in his home enough to go to the police with this?”

Before he could answer, a stick cracked in the distance.

Chelsea knew they weren’t alone.