does that again, jail is going to be the least of his worries.”
Chapter 9
Push
Tyler’s heart was pounding in his chest when he noticed the black SUV in front of Karla’s house. He gripped the steering wheel and tried to calm down before he made his way to her front door. He knew nothing about the woman who was replacing him as Karla’s escort to the sheriff’s office.
Karla called him late Sunday afternoon and told him that he didn’t need to show up for their Monday morning ritual. When he asked questions about the stranger staying in her home, Karla wouldn’t give him a direct answer. She kept repeating that she was a friend from Miami who was there to help her and give him a break. The answers weren’t good enough for Tyler.
“Well, good morning,” said Karla, greeting him at the door. “She said you’d be coming. I didn’t believe her, but here you are.”
“What’s going on?” asked Tyler. “Who is she? What does she want?”
“To find Emily,” said Kate, coming out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee. “You take yours black with sugar, right?”
Tyler watched the stranger place the coffees on the table as if she had been living there for years. Karla took a few steps to the side and sat in her chair. As she settled, the stranger walked towards him.
“My name is Kate Freeman,” she said, extending her hand.
“I guess you already know who I am,” said Tyler, accepting her handshake.
“I do,” said Kate, taking a seat on the couch. “You’re Karla’s rock. Please sit down. I know you must have some questions for me.”
Grey put his ear closer to the crack in the door. He insisted that he be there when Tyler came to the house. Kate conceded, but didn’t want him to make his presence known. Concealed in Emily’s room, he could hear the conversation with ease.
“I run a support group for families of missing persons and victims of violent crimes. Ms. Karla reached out to us some time ago needing help. We decided the best place to give that help was here in Boudreaux.”
“We?” asked Tyler.
“Yes,” said Kate. “My team is made up of former FBI agents and police officers. It allows us to investigate at a higher level with fewer constraints and red tape. We don’t have to follow rules of jurisdiction.”
“Wait, investigate?” asked Tyler. “I thought you said you run a support group?”
“That’s how we give our support” said Kate. “But we’re still going to need your help. Can we count on you for that?”
“I’m not very comfortable with this,” said Tyler, looking over at Karla. “We don’t know anything about these people. What if she’s a reporter just trying to dig up dirt about Emily. God knows she’s been through enough of that crap, and so have you.”
“She’s not a reporter, Tyler,” said Karla. “I know her and I trust her. So should you. They’re going to help us find Emily and anyone responsible for her disappearance.”
“We don’t know if anyone other than Emily is responsible for that, Ms. Karla,” said Tyler, standing. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this right now. They’re going to get you all worked up and you’re going to end up in the hospital. I can’t be a part of that. We’ve been through too much already.”
“Tyler, sweetie, please sit down and talk to her,” said Karla. “Do it for Emily. She needs all of us right now.”
“Everything I’ve done has been for you and Emily,” said Tyler, through gritted teeth. “You’re the only family I have left, but you’re willing to let this stranger pull us apart. This one is on you, Ms. Karla.”
“Tyler,” said Karla, trying to stand as he was walking out.
“It’s okay,” said Kate. “Let him go.”
“Oh, no,” said Karla, falling back into her chair. “That was horrible. He’s been so good to me.”
“You know why we had to do that,” said Kate, coming to her and kneeling beside her chair. “We needed to see his reaction to an outsider
Chapter 9
Push
Tyler’s heart was pounding in his chest when he noticed the black SUV in front of Karla’s house. He gripped the steering wheel and tried to calm down before he made his way to her front door. He knew nothing about the woman who was replacing him as Karla’s escort to the sheriff’s office.
Karla called him late Sunday afternoon and told him that he didn’t need to show up for their Monday morning ritual. When he asked questions about the stranger staying in her home, Karla wouldn’t give him a direct answer. She kept repeating that she was a friend from Miami who was there to help her and give him a break. The answers weren’t good enough for Tyler.
“Well, good morning,” said Karla, greeting him at the door. “She said you’d be coming. I didn’t believe her, but here you are.”
“What’s going on?” asked Tyler. “Who is she? What does she want?”
“To find Emily,” said Kate, coming out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee. “You take yours black with sugar, right?”
Tyler watched the stranger place the coffees on the table as if she had been living there for years. Karla took a few steps to the side and sat in her chair. As she settled, the stranger walked towards him.
“My name is Kate Freeman,” she said, extending her hand.
“I guess you already know who I am,” said Tyler, accepting her handshake.
“I do,” said Kate, taking a seat on the couch. “You’re Karla’s rock. Please sit down. I know you must have some questions for me.”
Grey put his ear closer to the crack in the door. He insisted that he be there when Tyler came to the house. Kate conceded, but didn’t want him to make his presence known. Concealed in Emily’s room, he could hear the conversation with ease.
“I run a support group for families of missing persons and victims of violent crimes. Ms. Karla reached out to us some time ago needing help. We decided the best place to give that help was here in Boudreaux.”
“We?” asked Tyler.
“Yes,” said Kate. “My team is made up of former FBI agents and police officers. It allows us to investigate at a higher level with fewer constraints and red tape. We don’t have to follow rules of jurisdiction.”
“Wait, investigate?” asked Tyler. “I thought you said you run a support group?”
“That’s how we give our support” said Kate. “But we’re still going to need your help. Can we count on you for that?”
“I’m not very comfortable with this,” said Tyler, looking over at Karla. “We don’t know anything about these people. What if she’s a reporter just trying to dig up dirt about Emily. God knows she’s been through enough of that crap, and so have you.”
“She’s not a reporter, Tyler,” said Karla. “I know her and I trust her. So should you. They’re going to help us find Emily and anyone responsible for her disappearance.”
“We don’t know if anyone other than Emily is responsible for that, Ms. Karla,” said Tyler, standing. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this right now. They’re going to get you all worked up and you’re going to end up in the hospital. I can’t be a part of that. We’ve been through too much already.”
“Tyler, sweetie, please sit down and talk to her,” said Karla. “Do it for Emily. She needs all of us right now.”
“Everything I’ve done has been for you and Emily,” said Tyler, through gritted teeth. “You’re the only family I have left, but you’re willing to let this stranger pull us apart. This one is on you, Ms. Karla.”
“Tyler,” said Karla, trying to stand as he was walking out.
“It’s okay,” said Kate. “Let him go.”
“Oh, no,” said Karla, falling back into her chair. “That was horrible. He’s been so good to me.”
“You know why we had to do that,” said Kate, coming to her and kneeling beside her chair. “We needed to see his reaction to an outsider
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