Not the Only One (Book 1 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

Sixty-Nine - May 20, 2018

Miles

Luke and I had decided not to tell Adam and Jane what we'd found and that we'd turned William in. We didn't want too many people knowing while the police did their work. We hadn't heard anything in the past three days, but we had faith that Detective Walker was doing everything he could.

Since it was Sunday, I hadn't done much all day except lay around the house and watch movies. When I was halfway through IT, my phone rang, scaring the shit out of me.

It was Detective Walker.

I answered, breathless. "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Miles Jefferson?"

"Yes sir."

"Detective Walker. I just wanted to let you know that we have your father in custody."

I gasped. "You do?"

"Yes. We brought him in for questioning yesterday, searched his office and work last night, and we found the minivan in question."

"What? Where was it?"

"It was a minivan that belonged to Jefferson Properties."

That made sense. "Holy sh – crap."

Detective Walker laughed. "Yeah. It was quite a night."

"How did you get him to confess?"

"When we found the minivan, he got nervous, then he tried to get cocky. We kept asking questions and he accidentally revealed a detail he had been holding close to the vest – he mentioned the clothing James Cross was wearing when he was hit. After that, he knew we had him. He's being charged with vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident. And if you and your friends and family will make statements, we will be able to charge him with more than that."

"Okay. I'll tell them. And I will absolutely make a statement."

"Thank you, Miles. And thank you for leading us to the culprit. This is a case that has haunted my every moment."

"Of course... it was the right thing to do. So, is he being held in the Bay County Jail? And does he have a bond?"

"Yes, Bay County Jail. And no. No bond. Due to his financial situation, he is a huge flight risk."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Detective."

"It's really my pleasure."

I sent Rachel a text immediately.

Come over –to my old house - now! Great news!

Great news sounds fabulous. Your old house? Are you sure?

We will definitely be alone when we get there...

Ooooh... that sounds perfect. xo

xx

***

When I got to my house, it was dark. I flipped on the living room light and was shocked to see the mess.

Couch cushions flipped over, cabinets open in the kitchen, medicine cabinets opened in the bathroom. But my dad's office was the worst. It was completely torn apart.

I had heard about the mess that gets left when the police search a house, but I had never seen it firsthand. I shut the door to the office, not even wanting to touch anything in it.