When we got to Colt’s truck, I realized my phone was still in my jeans pocket. I’d never ended my call with him, although I suspected he’d ended the connection himself.

I pulled it out anyway as Colt opened the passenger door for me, and one look at the screen erased any satisfaction I felt over what I’d learned from Roy.

You’ve been a bad girl.

“Maggie?” Colt’s voice was tight.

I held up my phone so he could read the text from the blocked number.

“Shit.” He leaned closer. “It came through five minutes ago. Was he talking about seeing Roy?”

“Could be. Or it could be what I told Detective Martinez. Or seeing Daddy. Or talking to Owen. It could be all of the above.” I stared at the words on the screen, trying to figure out which one he meant, but then I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself. The serial killer had threatened Belinda specifically in the past. She needed to know she was in danger.

She answered on the first ring. “Magnolia,” she said, her voice sounding far away. “I’m surprised to hear from you.”

“Belinda, I just got a text from the serial killer, and he’s pissed. I’m worried he’ll come after you to get to me.”

“Oh!” She took a moment, then said, “I’m at the office right now, and I have clients back to back today. I also have a gun and pepper spray. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

I was still worried. “Try not to be alone, okay?”

“I won’t.” She sounded sad. “I’m grateful you still care.”

“You’re my sister-in-law. Of course I care. But we really have to talk later.” I paused, about to hang up, but I was tired of letting things lie. “I know about Delilah.”

She didn’t say anything for several seconds. “Colt told you.”

“And Daddy,” I fudged.

She paused again. “You talked to your father?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you okay?”

A defensive part of me wanted to give a sarcastic answer. I felt so betrayed by her, but I still loved her. I wanted to give her a chance to explain before I made a final decision. “It was rough, but I’m okay.”

“What did he say?”

I glanced at Colt, who was sending me a scowl. He obviously didn’t approve, but I didn’t care. I didn’t answer to him. But he wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t fully trust Belinda after everything that had passed between us. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“I hate that we’re at odds, Magnolia. I miss you.”

“I miss you too. We just need to talk.”

“Thanks for not giving up on me.”

“How can I? Momma loved you too.”

I hung up, then immediately called Tilly.

“Tilly, where are you?” I asked as soon as she answered.

“I’m at the catering kitchen. Why? What’s wrong?”

“Are you alone?”

“We have that lunch today. We’re about to load the vans. In fact, Colt’s supposed to be here helping. Is he with you?” She sounded frazzled and at her wits’ end.

Oh crap. I covered the phone, then whispered to Colt, “You’re supposed to be helping Tilly with a lunch.”

The look he gave me—full of guilt but not surprise—told me that he’d known. He’d been willing to miss it for me.

“Tilly,” I said, “Colt had to drive me up to Nashville for an errand, but we’re on our way back. Sorry to keep him for so long.”

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine, but I need you to be careful. Emily’s killer is still on the loose, and I can’t help but think he might hurt other people I love. If anything happened to you . . .” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Just stay with lots of people today, okay? Stick close to Colt once we get there.”

“I will, sweet girl. Just hurry up and get here so I can make sure you’re safe too.”

I hung up and turned to Colt. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were supposed to work for the Belles today?”

He shrugged. “I knew you’d take off and talk to Roy on your own. And I’m not sure why you told her I’d come in. We need to find that camera.”

“We set the alarm,” I reminded him. “The cameras you and your friend installed outside the doors will show us if anyone tries to get in.”

“I still think we should make that camera our top priority,” he said.

Part of me thought so too, but it had waited ten years. It could wait a few more hours. Besides, I needed a short reprieve.

“You didn’t have to come in there and save me,” I said with attitude. “I was doing just fine on my own.”

“I know, and I knew I risked pissing you off, but I don’t regret it. I would much rather have shown up before he hit you than after.”

“You don’t know that he was going to hit me.”

“I think we both know there was a very strong possibility. Your brother’s been unhinged lately. Even more so since your momma’s death.”

I gave him a grudging nod. “You’re right. Thanks.”

A sexy grin spread across his face. “I love hearing you say that.”

“Thanks?”

“Nope. That I’m right.”

I couldn’t help but smile, even though my guts were tumbling with anxiousness and fear.

We were quiet until we reached the interstate. Colt was the one who finally broke the silence, and I could tell he’d been stewing on the words for some time. “So, Roy saw everything happen that night . . .” He cast a glance at me. “How do you feel about that?”

“I haven’t really had a chance to process it. Part of me is angry that he didn’t try to save me, but what could he have done? He was fourteen. He was a kid with no way to defend himself. He could have left me there, but he stayed.”

“Taking pictures,” Colt said in an ugly tone. “Sick fuck. I think he liked watching.”

My chest tightened and I forced out, “What?”

“Because he followed you out into the woods, hoping to watch you have sex. And because he kept the camera. Was it a digital camera?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Colt’s upper lip curled. “I bet he looked at those photos over and over.”

I gasped. “How can you say that?”

“Because Roy Steele is a sick fuck who likes abusing women. I saw the look in his eyes when he hurt you at that bar, Magnolia. He gets off on it. Maybe it all started when he saw the killer, but I guarantee you that he got off on looking at those photos.”

“You don’t know that. Besides, why would he let them brick the camera into the fireplace if he wanted to see them?”

“I bet part of him was horrified that he liked to look at them.” His expression had turned grim. “Bricking it up into a fireplace seems drastic, don’t you think? If he really kept it for insurance, he’d want to keep it closer, more accessible.”

“He was fourteen, probably fifteen by then. Most teenage boys aren’t known for thinking things through.”

Colt shook his head. “I still say it smells fishy. And if the camera’s really in the fireplace, why would he freak out about you getting the house? Why not let the camera stay there forever? You never would have found it on your own. And why hide the entire camera, anyway? Why not just bury the memory card?”

“I don’t know. Again, he was a teenage boy.”

He shook his head. “I’m not buying it. He’s worried about someone seeing what’s on it, but not because of the evidence on there. He’s worried about something else.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know.”

I shuddered. I refused to seriously consider what Colt was saying, mostly because I worried there might be some truth to it. “But he tried to save me when I came back to town. He gave me money to leave.”

His mouth pressed into a thin line. “Maybe.”

“What does that mean?”

“There’s more to all of it. I can feel it.”

I studied him for a moment. “Is there more that you’re not telling me?”

He jerked his eyes to mine. “No. You know everything I know.”

“If I find out you’re lying to me . . .”

“I’ve told you everything. I swear.” We were quiet for about a half minute before he asked, “So what do you want to do now? Maybe you should call Detective Martinez and find out if she’s gotten anywhere.”

I shook my head. “She wouldn’t tell me anything. Brady would be more likely to share, but I don’t want to call him. After what Roy told me, I know he was lying about his conversation with my brother. Belinda’s story matches Roy’s.”

“Unless Roy and Belinda are trying to make you not trust Brady.”

“You think they agreed to purposely lie to me?” I asked in surprise. “Why? To what end?”

“I don’t know, Maggie. I don’t know anything.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I still think we should leave town. Everything seems to be coming to a head. It’s not safe for you here.”

“No,” I said firmly. “I’m not going anywhere. I need to see this through.” I softened my voice. “But if you want to leave—”

His jaw tensed. “No. If you stay, I stay.”

“Colt. If anything happens to you . . .”

His eyebrows shot up. “Do you really think I could leave you? I’m staying with you to the end, no matter what that means.”

It was the no matter what that bothered me.

“So what next?” he asked.

I ran through my mental list. “We need to find the camera. Why don’t you drop me off at Momma’s house? I can try to find it while you help Tilly.”

“No fucking way am I leaving you alone, even with the alarm system. You can come with me and help work the lunch. Then we’ll smash the fireplace.”

I didn’t really want to be alone either, so I saw no reason to fight him on it. “Crap. I should have asked Roy about the Duncans. He might have told me something we could use.”

“Do you really think there’s a connection between Duncan and the serial killer?”

“I’m not ruling anything out, and apparently neither is Owen since he’s checking on Clint Duncan today. There are too many things that tie the serial killer murders to Daddy to be a coincidence. It makes sense that it would be someone who holds a grudge against him. Seems to me that Brian Duncan has a lot of reasons to hate him.”

“Or the serial killer could be working to help your dad. Amy’s faked suicide covered up your father’s murders.”

“Yeah . . . but I’m not so sure. Daddy claimed he didn’t even know about the killer.”

“Asking Roy wouldn’t have done you any good, so don’t beat yourself up about it. I doubt he would have answered any more questions. He was already worked up past the point of reason. And what are the chances he was looking that far back into your father’s past? Wouldn’t he have focused on the Jackson Project to help Belinda get her revenge?”

“Not necessarily. Roy thinks our father wronged him, and I’m sure he thinks he’s owed compensation. After Brady questioned him and Bill James at the office, Roy told me I was ruining everything. Sure, he might be interested in revenge like Belinda, but I’d bet Momma’s house that he’s more interested in that money.”

“You could ask Belinda about Eric Duncan,” Colt said.

“She was there when Tilly told us about him. If she knew anything else . . . anything she was willing to share, she would have told us on Monday night.” We had another possible source of information, but she might not be so receptive this time. “I’m sure Ava knows more about the murders. Maybe she even knows how they’re linked.”

“She definitely knows about Tiffany Kessler, but I don’t think she knows about the others.”

Ava had mentioned a murder three years ago, but there hadn’t been a file in Brady’s packet of files. “What do you know about a murder three years ago?”

“Nothing. That would have been before I worked for her, and while I knew she was concerned about something that had happened in that timeframe, I didn’t know any details.”

I narrowed my eyes.

He lifted a hand in self-defense. “I don’t know anything, Maggie, I swear. My number one priority is protecting you, and if any information I have from anyone could help you find the killer, I’d share it.”

“What time is it?”

“Ten thirty. Why?”

“Because I’m not going to the catering kitchen with you.”

He sat up straighter in his seat. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

I smiled, but I didn’t put any warmth into it. “I’m going to a Bible study.”