But Not For Lust by BJ Bourg (comprehension books .txt) 📕

scared? That’s definitely not normal behavior. And I have a wife and two babies inside the trailer, so I didn’t want any trouble.”

I quickly nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. So, what happened next?”

“When he looked away, I tiptoed back to the steps. I was about to open the door to go inside when I heard a car coming fast from the back of the street.” He shook his head. “People are always speeding down this street. When my girls are old enough to walk, I think we’re gonna move. It’s just too dangerous. Anyway, the car was coming so fast that I thought it would run right over Ty. I wanted to go inside and not be a party to anything—I mean, I had to be at work early yesterday morning—but I didn’t want him to get killed, so I hollered at him to look out, that a car was coming.”

“What did he do?”

“He jumped up and looked right at me,” Logan said. “That’s when the driver must’ve seen Ty, because the car screeched to a stop. That’s when Ty saw the car for the first time. He slapped the hood of the car and screamed really loud at the driver. It was so loud, in fact, that I thought it would wake up everyone in town, but Joselyn was sound asleep when I went back to bed.”

“Did he utter any words when he screamed?” I asked. “Or was he just making noise?”

“No, he said some things, but it was hard to understand everything he said. I think he thought the car was an army tank and he thought they were trying to kill him.”

“What did the driver do?”

Logan shook his head. “I don’t know. I ran inside, locked the door, and went to bed. Like I said, I had to go to work early yesterday morning. Besides, I didn’t want any part of what was about to happen.”

“What do you think was about to happen?”

He shrugged. “Who knows? Ty slapped that car pretty hard. I imagine any man would’ve been mad at someone for hitting his car that loud, and he might’ve wanted to fight with Ty. I didn’t want to be a witness to anything crazy like that.”

“So, the driver was a man?”

Logan’s squinty eyes narrowed even more. “You know what? I don’t even know. I didn’t see the driver, but I naturally assumed it was a man.”

“Why’s that?”

“I guess because it was so late at night and I wouldn’t want my wife driving around that late.”

“What kind of car was it?”

“I don’t know that either.” He shook his head. “I’m not good with cars and it was dark. It was definitely a car and not a truck, but I didn’t even notice if it had two doors or four and I don’t remember what color it was.”

“Do you remember if the color was dark or light?”

“Um…I think it was a lighter color, because I don’t remember it being dark.”

“Did you recognize the car?” I pressed. “Like, do you think the driver lives down this street?”

“If they do, I’ve never seen the car before.” He quickly lifted a hand. “And that doesn’t mean they don’t live here, because most of the people on this street are renters—us included—and people come and go. I can’t keep up with my neighbors anymore, especially those who live toward the back of the street.”

“And what time was this?”

“I don’t know exactly, but it was definitely after two in the morning, because I remember thinking I only had a couple of hours left to sleep, so I wasn’t too happy.”

“What about last night?” I asked. “Did you hear or see anything suspicious from across the street last night?”

He was thoughtful. “No, I don’t remember hearing anything. I did get up to use the bathroom, but I don’t know if something woke me up or not. I know I didn’t hear anything once I was up.”

“Did you have to come out here and get your cell phone again last night?”

“To be honest, I was scared shitless after Friday night.” He paused and quickly checked over his shoulder. I figured it was to make sure his wife wasn’t listening. “After the way he looked at me Friday night”—Logan shook his head—“I would’ve left my phone sitting out there all night.”

I absently hoped his wife was capable of defending herself and her babies in case an intruder invaded their home, because it didn’t look like he would do much good.

Dismissing the thought, I indicted Ty’s camper. “Did you notice the mess on the driveway when you left for work this morning?”

“Oh, no,” he said with a shake of the head. “It’s dark when I leave in the morning. I didn’t see anything over there.”

“Did you notice the door to the camper was open?” I pressed. “The lights were still on, so you should’ve been able to see that at night.”

He scowled. “I usually see the lights on across the street in the mornings when I leave, but I don’t remember noticing that the door was open.

I sighed. He’d been helpful, but I had hoped for more information—like the name of a suspect. After asking a few more questions, I thanked him for his help. As I turned away and headed back toward Ty’s house, I heard Logan curse as he tried to open his truck door, apparently forgetting he had locked it earlier.

I snickered to myself, but my amusement quickly turned to dread as I considered what I knew—or didn’t know—so far about the case. I couldn’t help but think that this was gonna be a long week.

  CHAPTER 12

Five thirty came especially early the next morning. Sure, it arrived at the same time every day, but it sure felt like it had arrived a few hours earlier than usual, thanks