Gavin eyed her with . . . what? She raised a brow.
“He cares about you,” he said.
“He’s using my neighbors to spy on me.”
“He’s worried about you. If my sister or daughter was living here, you’d better believe I’d have some kind of spy network in place.”
“You . . . you . . . ahhh . . . never mind.” Unable to figure out how to make him understand that the man didn’t worry about anything but his precious career, she let it go. For now.
Gavin’s phone rang and he snapped it to his ear. “Caden? What’s up?” He listened for a few seconds, nodded, and caught her eye. “Thanks for the update.”
He hung up.
“What?” she asked.
“They found Max.”
“And?”
“He’s dead. He was killed in a car wreck a few weeks ago.”
Gavin stayed next to Sarah as she walked up the front steps of her father’s home. When they’d arrived, she had to have him buzz them in.
Now she rang the bell and Gavin marveled at the differences between them. When he visited his parents, he simply walked in and hollered that he was home. Granted, those visits had been few and far between lately, but that was one constant that would never change. He’d always be welcome in his parents’ home and he’d never feel like he had to knock to gain entrance.
“They have the wrong Max,” she said staring at the front door. “Wilmont said Max told him to deliver the pills. That Max has to be very much alive, because that was yesterday.”
“I know, but it doesn’t make sense that that’s the only Max they were able to find at the hospital. And he wasn’t even an employee.”
“But he was there on a regular basis. Dressed in scrubs and wearing an ID badge.”
“I agree. It’s not adding up.”
The door opened and an older woman with gray hair slicked back into a neat bun smiled at Sarah. “Sorry it took me so long to get the door. Come in, come in. Your father’s in his study.”
“I don’t need to see him. I just need to get whatever mail he has.”
“It’s in a box in the kitchen.”
She raised her brows at Gavin, and Sarah sputtered. “Oh, Mrs. Lawson, this is my friend, Gavin Black.”
Mrs. Lawson inclined her head at Gavin. “So nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Gavin said.
“Why don’t you follow me?” She turned on her heel to lead them through the foyer and into the small hallway that led to a kitchen any cook would be proud of.
A white box sat in the middle of the ten-person table. Sarah made a beeline for it and pulled out a thick manila envelope. “This is the only thing that could pass as a package,” she said. She glanced at the front. “And it’s got my name but Mrs. Howard’s address on it. From Dustin.” Tears welled and she swallowed hard while still looking at the piece. Her fingers trailed her brother’s name in the left-hand corner.
Gavin stayed put, giving her the moment.
Footsteps in the hallway caught his attention, and Sarah stilled when her father stepped into the room. Gavin noticed her instant defensive stance. If she’d been a porcupine, every quill would be in the man’s throat.
Sarah ignored him and slid a finger into a small hole at the flap and pulled. She reached inside and removed a stack of papers, a notebook, and what looked like a white envelope. “It has my name on it.” She opened the seal and pulled out a handwritten letter.
“‘Dear Sarah,’” she read, her voice low and gravelly. “‘I miss you, baby sis.’” She looked at Gavin. “I was older, but he called me that because I was smaller than him.” Her eyes dropped back to the letter. “‘I’m sending this to Mrs. Howard because I know she’s getting your mail. I’d give this to you in person, but something happened the other day that’s got me a little paranoid. I think someone tried to kill me.’” She winced and Gavin held still, knowing she needed to do this. “‘I’ll tell you about that later after I find out if I’m right or not. If Caden hasn’t already told you, I’m doing an inpatient program at the VA hospital here in Greenville. I told myself it was to find out what happened to a friend of mine, but the truth is, I probably was hoping it would help me in my own struggle. Things are tough, Sarah, and I’m tired. Don’t tell the general, he’ll think