Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Aodhan, unruffled as always, shrugged. “We live on an island with the lowest crime rates in Scotland. Why waste money on security cameras?”
Ramsay looked ready to explode at that. “Oh, I don’t know, so that if two people are almost flattened by an assailant, we can ID the fucking vehicle?”
PC William cleared his throat to intervene. “This is getting us nowhere. Ramsay, I’ll ask you again to stay out of police business.”
At that, my friend had grunted and approached me and Taran. Forde had checked us over, and we were both okay. My back was a bit sore, and he’d warned me to keep an eye on that, but otherwise we were free to go once the police were done with us.
Ramsay lowered his voice. “I’ll look into it.”
In other words, he’d use his friends in high places to see if he could find any footage from town business security cameras that might have recorded images or video of the culprit.
Unfortunately, I’d been too busy making sure Taran was out of the car’s path to have noted anything about it. Taran thought the car was red, but that’s all she’d seen.
“A word.” I jerked my head to the side, and Ramsay followed me until we had space between us and the small crowd still gathered in the car park. The doors to the community center opened and the guests flooded out. My sister, London, and Tierney rushed toward Taran. “Is it possible this is about Taran?”
Ramsay’s brow furrowed. “Well, it’s got to be about one of you.”
“Her house was broken into two days ago. Now this.”
He nodded slowly. “It’s something to consider.”
“What can you do to find out about the car?”
Ramsay was relaying his plan to me when Cammie’s cursing screech made my heart falter. Our heads whipped toward my sister as PC William approached her. She waved her phone angrily in his face.
Ramsay and I were by her side in seconds. “What is it?”
Cammie shoved the phone at me, her arm trembling. “My neighbor Aileen just texted this to me.”
On her screen was a photo of my sister’s familiar secondhand sage-green Range Rover Defender. Spray-painted across the side were the words YOU’RE NEXT.
Forde yanked the phone out of her hand, his expression hardening as he stared at the screen.
What the fuck was going on?
My gaze flew past my sister to Taran and then back to Cammie.
Maybe … maybe this wasn’t about Taran or Cammie.
Aware of PC William’s presence as he insisted on taking the phone from Forde, of Tierney asking worried questions, Forde demanding Cammie tell him if she’d been threatened before, of London holding Taran close in comfort … I felt sick to my stomach.
“Quinn?” Ramsay seemed to sense my inner panic.
I tugged my phone out of my pocket and quickly typed up a sentence on my notes, then handed it to Ramsay.
His eyes glanced over the words.
I think I know who is behind all of this: Eoghan McCall.
My friend handed my phone back to me. “Tomorrow. We’ll talk.”
I nodded, the guilt and dread all-consuming.
The smart thing would be to tell the police, but I didn’t want to point fingers at a grieving man if I was wrong.
Once PC William had taken all the statements he could, he left with Cammie and Forde to go take photos of her Defender and collect statements from her neighbors.
I hugged my sister close and only let her go when Forde promised he’d make sure she was safe. Trusting my friend to do just that, I reluctantly bid her good night. Laird hovered over his wee sister until Taran insisted he take Finella and relieve my mum and Greg from babysitting duties. I knew I was in for a phone call from Mum within five seconds of Laird and Finella returning home. Murray left with them since his mother was looking after Kelly, and a local would more than likely have already texted her to let her know about tonight’s events. He didn’t want her to worry.
Ramsay and Tierney departed too, but Taran and London hung back. London kept her distance as Taran approached me. Most of the cars had left the car park, but Aodhan was still talking to another community council member outside the building.
“How are you doing?” I asked Taran.
It was difficult to read her expression in the dim light flooding from the building’s entrance. “A wee bit shaken. Worried about your back.”
“It’s fine. Just bruised.”
Taran shifted restlessly on her feet. “You saved me tonight.”
Guilt suffused me because I’d most likely saved her from a monster of my own making. “Taran—”
“Tomorrow. I’ll meet you at our cove. You can tell me your side of the story and I promise to listen.”
I knew her change of heart was because of my actions here. As much as I wanted to be the hero in her eyes, she had to know that I might be the reason she’d gotten hurt tonight. “Taran, I—”