"You spoke to Julia today?"
"She wanted to find out what AJ told me."
"And you shared information after I told you not to?" he asked, disappointment in his gaze.
"I didn't tell her much of anything," she said defensively. "I couldn't just cut her off. And I trust her, even if you don't."
"Did you tell her where we were going today?"
"Yes," she admitted.
He let out an exasperated sigh. "Haley, you have to stop talking to her. If you aren't willing to do that, then I'll have to reconsider what I tell you."
The last thing she needed was for Matt to cut her off from the investigation. "Okay. I won't tell her anything else." She paused as her phone began to vibrate. She pulled it out of her bag. "That's weird. It's my neighbor. She wouldn't call me unless there was a problem." She moved toward the hallway behind them to get away from the crowd, and Matt followed. "Hello? Mrs. Gonzalez? Is everything all right?"
"No, it's not," her neighbor said in a tense voice. "I saw someone running away from your apartment, wearing a hood over his head and dark glasses, and he had some tools in his hand. He knocked me down and called me some swear word and then disappeared. When I looked at your door, it was hanging on the hinges."
"Oh, no," she said in alarm. "You're saying he broke in?"
"Yes. I called the police. They're on their way. I didn't know if you were in there, and I didn't want to go inside, but I called your name and you didn't answer. Eli said he thought he heard you leave earlier."
"Thank you so much for letting me know. I hope you weren't hurt."
"No. But I don't like what happened."
"I don't, either. I'll be home soon." She ended the call and turned to Matt. "Someone broke into my apartment. I have to go home."
"We'll leave now."
"This is bad, isn't it?" she asked, meeting his gaze.
"Let's go," he said, not answering her question, but then, he didn't have to.
ChapterThirteen
Haley's stomach twisted with fear as Matt drove to her apartment. The twenty-minute drive felt like an eternity. She couldn't stop picturing her apartment torn apart, her private sanctuary violated by someone who wanted to hurt her—someone who had already killed her brother and maybe Sabrina, too. Her hands were clenched so tightly in her lap that her knuckles had gone white, and she could feel Matt glancing at her every few seconds as he navigated the familiar streets of her neighborhood.
When they turned onto her street, she could see a single empty patrol car parked in front of her building. No officers in sight.
"They must be upstairs," Matt said as they got out of the car and hurried toward the entrance.
They jogged up the stairs two at a time, and when they reached the second floor, Haley could hear voices. As they rounded the corner, her heart sank as she looked down the hall. Her apartment door hung at an odd angle, held in place by only the bottom hinge. The doorframe was splintered. Wood fragments were scattered across the hallway carpet.
Mrs. Gonzalez was standing nearby talking to one officer, while another headed into her apartment. Tim, a musician, who lived in the apartment on the other side of her, was also there, hovering near his door in shorts and a T-shirt, clearly trying to figure out what was happening.
"Oh my God," she whispered. "It's worse than I thought."
"Haley," Mrs. Gonzalez said. "Thank God you weren't home. I was so worried when I saw the door. I was afraid you were inside."
She drew in a deep breath, giving her neighbor a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Thank you for calling the police."
Matt flashed his badge to the officer talking to Mrs. Gonzalez. "I'm Special Agent Matt Lawson, FBI."
"Officer Connelly," the older man said, surprise in his eyes. "You live here?"
"I do," she interrupted. "I'm Haley Kenton."
"This break-in is most likely connected to an ongoing federal investigation," Matt said. "I'll be taking it from here."
