Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

It didn't take long to reverse track the phone number Kinley had given him. Corey Hayes, forty-two, lived just outside of Brookhaven. And it appeared that this wasn't the man's first brush with the law.

A list of petty crimes associated with Hayes appeared on his screen: fraud, minor theft, and a few counts of breaking and entering. It was no surprise, considering Hayes had just swindled Kinley out of thousands of dollars. Cam's jaw tightened as he read through the offenses. The man was a professional scam artist, preying on unsuspecting victims.

Cam grabbed his keys and headed out the door, his mind churning as he drove toward the outskirts of town. Was Hayes the one who'd been in Kinley's house, leaving the door open? And, if so, what was his motive? Was he just trying to scare her? Cam couldn't come up with any other rational reason. Why not just take whatever he wanted and leave?

Of course, that was assuming Kinley hadn't mistakenly left the door open herself. But twice seemed like too much of a coincidence. She truly believed something was going on, and Cam owed it to her to find out. Even if Hayes wasn't responsible for breaking into her home, he'd stolen money from her under the guise of securing work.

When Cam arrived at the address listed in the man's file, he parked a few houses down and observed the property for a moment. The paint on the small run-down house was peeling, and the yard was wild and overgrown. It was clear that Hayes wasn't particularly concerned with appearances.

Cam approached the front door and knocked, listening intently for any sounds of movement inside. He waited nearly a full minute, but there was no answer. He knocked again, harder this time, but still, no response. He peered through a front window, but the curtains were drawn and he couldn't see inside.

He decided to look around the property, hoping to find any clues as to where Hayes might be. As he walked around the house, he peeked through the windows, but everything inside seemed normal, if a little messy. Beer cans and an empty pizza box littered the coffee table in the living room, and clothes appeared to be haphazardly strewn over the floor.

Cam glanced around the yard, noting the signs of neglect. It looked like Hayes hadn't been home for a while. Frustrated, he made his way back to the front yard.

As he rounded the corner, he noticed a neighbor watching him from the yard next door. An elderly woman, watering her garden, eyed him curiously, and Cam lifted a hand in greeting. He flashed his badge approached. "Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm Lt. Campbell McCoy with Brookhaven Sheriff's Department," he said politely. "I'm looking for the man who lives here, Corey Hayes. Have you seen him around recently?"

The woman squinted at him, then shook her head. "No, I haven't seen him for a while now. A week or more, maybe. He comes and goes at odd hours. Keeps to himself mostly."

Cam nodded, taking in the information. "Thank you. If you see him, could you let him know I'm looking for him?"

She nodded, her curiosity piqued. "Will do."

Cam returned to his car, frustrated with the lack of progress. Hayes's absence was suspicious. If he was behind the incidents at Kinley's house, perhaps he had gone into hiding. Or maybe he was planning something more sinister.

Determined to find answers, he decided to drive by a few local places in hopes that someone recognized Hayes and could point Cam in the right direction. He checked a couple of bars, a hardware store, and even a local diner, but there was no sign of him. It was as if Hayes had vanished.

His thoughts turned to Kinley as he climbed back into the car and steered toward her house. She was strong, but she had been through so much. The idea that someone might be targeting her made his blood boil. Maybe Hayes preyed on single women, using his access to their homes to intimidate or manipulate them.

The thought made Cam's skin crawl. More than ever, he wanted Kinley to get out of that house. She needed to be somewhere safe, away from the memories and the potential danger.

Cam pulled into the driveway and parked next to Ainsley's car, then jogged up the walkway to the front porch. He'd just lifted his hand to knock when the door swung open. Ainsley greeted him with a wide smile. "Hey. Good timing."

She turned and gave Kinley a little wave. "See you later!"

Cam waited for Ainsley to pass then stepped inside. Kinley grinned as she held the door wide and waved back. "Bye, Ains!"

Kinley watched her sister for another moment before she carefully closed the door and turned to face Cam. Her smile slipped away, her expression morphing from happiness to anger, and Cam let out a grunt as she drove her fist into his midsection.

"What the hell, Kins?"

"Don't give me that shit." She started to stomp away then thought better of it and whirled back to him. He jerked back to avoid getting punched again as her eyes flashed with fire. "Seriously? You sent my sister over here to babysit me?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "I'm just fine. I don't need someone watching over me, so you can go home, too. Asshole."

He grabbed her wrist as she stormed off again. "Kins?—"

"No." She slapped her free hand against his chest and shoved. "Fuck you. Everything you said last night was a lie. You made me think?—"

"I did not lie to you," he spoke over her. "I just?—"

"What? Think I'm crazy?" She glared at him. "Is that it?"

"No," he said harshly. "I just want you to be safe."

She crossed her arms over her chest, her face set in a mulish expression. Cam sighed, knowing nothing less than the truth would appease her. "Something is off, he said. For right now, I don't want you alone. I figured it was better to have your sister here."

"Why?"

She refused to budge an inch, and he sighed. "I couldn't find Hayes. He's not at home, not at any of the local hangouts. His neighbor said she hasn't seen him for a while. I don't want you alone until we figure out what's going on."

The tension in Kinley's shoulders began to relax, and she dropped her defensive pose. "I understand. I put new locks on the doors, just in case."

Cam nodded, walking over to inspect the locks. He trusted Kinley, but his instincts compelled him to check anyway. Satisfied with her work, he turned back to her. "You did a good job. These should hold."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks. I do feel safer."

"Let me stay the night again, just to be sure," Cam offered, his tone more pleading than he intended.

Kinley shook her head gently. "I appreciate it, really, but I'll be fine. You need to get some rest, too. You've got a lot going on right now. This"—she waved one hand toward the door—"isn't a huge deal. We'll figure out what's happening, but for now everything is fine."

He frowned, the idea of leaving her alone gnawing at his insides. "If anything happens—anything at all—call me. Understand?"

She offered a small smile. "I will. Promise."

Reluctantly, Cam stepped back toward the door, his chest tight with worry. "All right. But I'll be back first thing in the morning to check on you."

As he left the house, a sense of unease settled over him. Something about the situation didn't feel right, and his instincts screamed at him not to leave her alone. Yet, he forced himself to respect her wishes, a sinking feeling in his gut as he left her house and headed home.

Back at his place, Cam paced the floor, unable to relax. Hayes' disappearance was troubling, but the nagging worry for Kinley overshadowed everything else. He checked his phone repeatedly, half-expecting a call from Kinley. But the phone remained silent, and the night dragged on, each passing minute amplifying his anxiety.

"Damn it," he muttered to himself, sinking into the couch. He tried to distract himself with television, but his mind kept drifting back to Kinley.

In the quiet of his apartment, Cam made a decision. He would head back to Kinley's place before dawn, unable to wait until morning. He needed to be sure she was safe. Until then, he would remain vigilant.

As he finally drifted into a fitful sleep, one thought echoed in his mind: something was very, very wrong.