Page 89 of Asher's Assignment
Time to go.
Esther went to the register and paid for her drink, then went outside. The white sedan with Amanda behind the wheel pulled in a few moments later. Lifting a hand, Esther flagged her down.
The driver’s window rolled down. “Hi. Are you Esther?”
“Yes.” She showed the young woman her phone with the reservation.
“Great. Hop in.”
“Thanks.” Esther got in the back and buckled up.
“Where to?”
She gave the woman the Tylers’ address. Amanda arched an eyebrow, recognizing the neighborhood, but said nothing. Within fifteen minutes, they were pulling up out front of the house.
“There you go. Do you need me to wait?”
“No, but thank you.” Esther opened her door, ready to step out.
“All right. Have a nice evening.”
“Yep, you too. Thanks.” Climbing out, Esther closed the door and walked up the driveway, leaving the woman a tip on the app as she went. She stowed her phone and knocked on the door.
Landon answered once again.
His face fell, and he crossed his arms when he saw her. “Back again?”
“Yep.” Esther stepped forward, aiming to walk past him, but he wouldn’t budge. She huffed and gave him a bored stare. “I don’t have time for this, Landon. Let me in.”
He held her gaze for another moment before shaking his head and stepping to the side. “Don’t get me in trouble again.”
A pang of misgiving went through Esther’s chest. She didn’t want to cause him problems, but there were far bigger things at stake than a reprimand from the police chief. So, she lied. “I won’t.”
“Esther?”
Connie looked up from her seat on the couch.
“Hey. Can we talk?” Esther tipped her head toward the kitchen.
Landon let out a soft groan. “Yep, I’m getting in trouble again.”
Esther ignored him and headed for the kitchen, knowing Connie would follow. Her gaze flitted over the window. Buster was outside, nose in the air, watching a butterfly. If she wasn’t so stressed, she’d smile.
Connie joined her as she sat down at the table.
“What’s going on?” Her eyes widened, and she lowered her voice. “Did something happen?”
Esther nodded. She reached into her bag and withdrew the note she’d received. “I got this at school today.” She slid it over the tabletop. “Don’t react when you read it. We don’t want to set off Officer Garner’s radar.”
A fine tremor went through Connie’s fingers as she unfolded the note. Her quick intake of breath was her only reaction. After she read it, she folded it up and pushed it back. “What do we do?”
“We’re going to sneak out of here. I don’t think he’s actually watching. I ditched my sister just to be safe and didn’t see anyone following me. I think when we go there, we’ll be watched, but right now—and when I got the note—he didn’t have eyes on me. Edie’s on it. She and the others will come up with a plan. But you and I are going to show up alone.”
“Okay.” Connie clutched the edge of the table. “How do we sneak out, though? This house is small. My car is in the driveway, but he could run out and block the drive before we can leave.”
Esther bit her lip, thinking. They needed to incapacitate him in some way without harming him. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
