The next morning while Cam was at her office, Ian was looking over the security tapes from her house. He’d seen them more times than he could count.
The ones around her property showed nothing out of the ordinary. Not even a view of the street showing traffic driving up and down. The cameras inside were hidden well, but just broad shots of the doors and windows on the first floor. Nothing more.
Whoever threw the rock through her window was too far away to trigger the cameras or any security lights. Either they had one hell of an arm and aim, or they got lucky.
They’d gotten a judge to sign off on a court order for a look into Simon Arrow’s finances this morning also. Nothing, again.
No traces of withdrawals or deposits. Nothing that stood out to make them look even further. That didn’t mean cash wasn’t exchanged, but again, nothing to trigger a deeper dive. And Simon’s legal team was tough as nails and they weren’t cooperating in the least.
Either Simon was doing his own dirty work—which Ian sincerely doubted—he had someone else pulling the strings, or an account they didn’t know about...or it wasn’t him.
And if it wasn’t him, then who could it be? It wasn’t the Buckleys either. No signs of any dealings there and the Buckleys openly offered all their finances to be looked into. Told them that the sooner they stopped wasting their time looking at them, the sooner they could find out who it was, because they didn’t want anything to prevent David Arrow from getting his due.
Ian was still waiting for a call from the security company regarding Cam’s keycard on if there was a way to track it since they hadn’t found it yet. Ian was thinking whoever had that card, whoever took it, was the one responsible for the fire. The one that hoped to trap her in the building and possibly kill her. Stop her from testifying.
They just didn’t do a good enough job and he was hoping they didn’t think to try again.
Ian had stayed with Cam all night, stayed by her side this morning, until he brought her to the station with him. She was riding to the courthouse with Captain Taylor.
She’d be safe; she’d be fine. She’d give her testimony and he’d be sitting there watching it, and then he’d take her home.
When his phone went off, he picked it up, knowing it was the alarm for him to get to court.
The outside was swarming with people waiting to hear the verdict. The courtroom was probably packed as well, but he’d be let in. No way was he waiting outside.
He’d made his way in, standing at the back, just in time to see Cam sworn in. She answered all the questions like the pro she was. She explained what had happened during her interview with David Arrow the day before. When Priscilla Arrow shouted out Cam was a liar and David turned and told his mother to shut the hell up, the courtroom erupted in chaos.
Ian was positive it wouldn’t take much time to get the verdict and it sure the hell didn’t. Not thirty minutes later the judge announced David Arrow was guilty of murder in the first degree. Sentencing would be at a later date, but he was on his way back to jail, then prison to serve out his term.
Priscilla was openly sobbing, then launched herself at Cam. “How could you? How could you lie like that? You’re all the same. None of you have ever helped him. Have ever even tried to treat his sickness.”
Simon yanked his wife back, saying, “She’ll get hers,” and left while Ian nodded his head to an officer to follow them out. He escorted Cam out the back door to his SUV and out of there, hoping it was finally over, but knowing it might have just gotten worse.
***
“It has to be them,” Cam said on the drive back to her office. “You heard them. They blame me for this. David was sick, but it wasn’t an illness. He’s just evil. A spoiled rotten kid that has gotten everything he’s wanted in life. He doesn’t have an ounce of compassion in him. Everything in his life is a possession that he has to have. If he doesn’t want it, he doesn’t try. If he gets it and decides he has enough of it, he discards it like a piece of trash on the side of the road. He doesn’t deserve to be lumped in with those who truly have a mental illness.”
“I’m putting patrols around your house tonight, but you’re staying with me at my place.”
She hadn’t seen his place yet and as much as she had wanted to, she didn’t think this was the way it’d happen. “Why?”
“Because they don’t know where I live and whoever is doing this knows where you do.”
“If it’s Simon Arrow, he’s got enough reach to know who I’m dating and where you live.”
“I’d still rather have you in my house. It’s smaller and I’ve got more weapons there.”
“Guns, you mean. You’ve got more guns at your house?” Seriously. This was getting out of hand. Guns were worse than being trapped in her office while it was on fire. No, definitely not. They were equally as bad. Being trapped was worse than anything in her mind.
“Yes. And I’m going to teach you how to shoot one. You should get your permit. It wouldn’t hurt for you to carry one with you.”
“Not happening. Sorry. The day I’m too scared to treat my patients is the day I stop treating them at all.”
There was one thing about wanting some thrills in her personal life, but another when it came to her livelihood.
She’d changed her specialty once before, not out of fear but failure. If it was fear this time, then she’d have to hang the closed sign on her door after all.
He pulled in front of her building and parked. “You don’t need to go up with me.”
“Yes, I do. I want to make sure you’re in your office and I’ll come get you at five. Then we’ll go back to my house. No arguing. Let me cook you dinner tonight. Let me take care of you for once.”
They got out of his car. “That does sound nice. Who would have thought I’d get this kind of treatment from my boyfriend? Guess all I needed to do was get threatened.”
He shook his head and followed her through the building and into the elevator, then her office.
“Hi, Tiffany,” Cam said. “Any calls?”
“It’s been pretty quiet,” she said, laying her cell phone down. Cam figured every time she was out of sight Tiffany was probably on her phone. But her work was done, so Cam couldn’t fault her there. “I was just reading the newsfeed on the trial.”
She was shocked Tiffany read at all, let alone the news. “It’s over with now.”
“That’s good. Now maybe the phone calls will stop.”
“What phone calls?” Ian asked.
“Just people calling and giving their opinions. You’ve always told me to just hang up on them, so I have been,” Tiffany said.
“Opinions on what?” Ian asked.
“High profile cases like this often get reporters calling, concerned citizens,” Cam said. “People wanting to tell me how to do my job. It happens. There were probably more with this case than others, but nothing out of the ordinary, right, Tiffany?”
“Not that I could tell,” she said, picking up her soda and taking a drink. That girl always had something in her mouth. If not food or candy, then something to drink.
“See. Nothing to worry about,” she told Ian.
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“What’s the problem?” Tiffany asked, looking confused.
“Nothing,” Cam said.
“If the Arrows or anyone from their camp calls, I want to know right away,” Ian said to Tiffany.
“Will do,” Tiffany said, her eyes traveling the length of Ian.
Cam fought from grinding her teeth. “I’ll call you when I’m done,” she said, leaning into Ian and giving him a kiss.
They still needed to pretend, right? Or had that all gone out the window too?