“You don’t need to worry about everything and everyone all at once,” he said. “You also can’t control or predict how people will feel. Let’s work with what we have, let’s deal with the now, and I promise you what comes next, I’ll help you with. Okay?”
With his other hand, he tapped the bottom of her chin and smiled.
“Soak in the tub, not in what-ifs.”
It took a few moments, but JJ cracked a smile.
“That was incredibly cheesy, Deputy Collins.”
He shrugged.
“Doesn’t mean it wasn’t true.”
She admitted he was right, and their conversation went to the bathroom around them, then the house renovations as a whole. It was normal and comfortable. JJ also held his hand the entire time.
It wasn’t until she was finished, dried and dressed that Price made his way down to the kitchen to start breakfast. Winnie was just waking up and JJ stopped in her room to chat. He smiled as he descended the stairs to the sound of them talking in the background.
That smile was still playing at his lips when an alert on his phone and a text came in at the same time.
It was the sheriff. He was outside and wanted to talk.
Price didn’t waste time. He threw on his boots and was at the sheriff’s truck in a flash.
Liam looked like he hadn’t slept much. He had a sandwich bag in his hand and threw it to Price when he was close enough.
“I went to Josiah’s to have another look around to see if there was anything we might have missed. I found that in his room. I saw its partner yesterday or else I wouldn’t have thought anything about it.”
Price knew instantly what the small item inside the bag was.
An earring.
A blue one. Identical to the one JJ had on the day before. Price had meant to ask her where the missing one had gone but so much had already been happening.
Including Price’s decision to keep JJ’s search through Josiah Teller’s house a secret.
He opened his mouth now to saysomething, but the sheriff cut him off.
“I’m not here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about the man who JJ fought in the woods.” He let out a long, dragging breath. That tired came out strong with it. “He succumbed to his injuries late last night.”
Price felt cold.
“He died,” he said bluntly.
The sheriff nodded.
“That in itself would be a lot, especially for JJ, even though it was self-defense, but something else happened.”
Price’s already-bad feeling only deepened.
Hearing the words only added anger into it.
“Your neighbors called in about half an hour ago. Someone tore up your house, Price. And they left a message behind.”
Price was seeing red, but he managed to read the note from the picture Liam held up for him.
He read it aloud, fire and ice in his veins.
“‘A life for a life. Your daughter’s next.’”
