I See You

CHAPTER 14 - Nothing Lasts Forever

It had been nearly two weeks since Emma had met up with Detective Lacey at Maggie's coffee shop, and she was at a dead end in trying to figure out exactly where Taylor was at the time of Wyatt's death. All the reports said he had been in client meetings, but the names of those clients had been redacted from her copy. The only thing she could make out was they were two businessmen from Seattle, both of which confirmed the time of their meeting. That had led Emma back to Mike, and though she knew he felt guilty for something, her gut said it wasn't murder. Still, she could be wrong.

Before they had gone camping, she had started digging into the lives of the three men that provided witness statements as to Michael Landers' whereabouts during the time of death. Their names had also been marked out, but Cam had given them to Emma when she promised to keep her distance. Looking into them took a little longer, and most of it was logical conjecture rather than concrete evidence, but the timing of their good fortune felt more than coincidental. Emma knew if she found anything noteworthy, Detective Lacey could find the proof needed to make it stick.

So she stuck with public records, social media posts, which were much more revealing when dealing with people who didn't understand how to utilize the privacy settings, and the company website. Landers Oyster Company enjoyed writing about both the business and the employees, celebrating wins, promotions, and acknowledging changes. It didn't take long for Emma to find that the lives of all three men improved drastically once the case was closed.

It had been done strategically, staggering their announcements, and none of them were too obvious with their increase in financial status. They had each moved up in the company, earning significant increases in salaries, and somehow paid off some serious debts within five months of their sworn statements. Two had signed on new homes, and the third bought a tricked-out Harley trike he proudly displayed on his Facebook page.

As the police department had already moved on, Detective Lacey hadn't followed up on them specifically, and when Emma sent her their credit reports and job history, Cam again warned her to be careful. And she was trying, but words on paper would only get her so far. If she really wanted to get answers, Emma had to do something drastic. She needed someone to talk, and after some light stalking paired with gossip from the farmers market and Maggie's, Leonard Kent, aka Jigger, was the most likely to do so. A late-night trip for feminine products that just happened to include a drive-by of a skeezy bar down by the harbor proved that Jigger did in fact spend his evenings at Crossbones. His cherry red Harley trike was the nicest thing in the parking lot.

Now, Emma had to figure out a way to get close to him, to convince him to talk to her. Even more difficult was finding a way to do that without Wyatt. He had made his thoughts clear on her looking into his death and other people's lives, but she was certain when the truth finally came out, he would understand. But would retribution take him from her? Maybe she should let this go. Was finding justice for Wyatt worth losing him completely? Or did these thoughts just make her incredibly selfish? She knew Wyatt wanted more. He wanted to be alive again, but that was impossible. But was he happy enough to stay as he was? Or would he be happier moving on?

Thoughts like these drove her anxiety to alarming levels. So Emma decided to give Wyatt the choice. She would do what she could to uncover the truth and then ask him what he wanted to do with the information.

It was now February, and Wyatt returned to his project of flooring the basement. Years ago, he had chosen gray and white checkered tiles for the laundry room, and he had done the same in both the darkroom and the bathroom that was finally finished. But Emma wanted something different for the large, open area, and she couldn't decide until they knew how the space would be used.

Wyatt had once thought it would be a large playroom for the family he had dreamed of, but that was no longer an option. They tossed ideas around for a man cave, game room, a larger office space for Emma, a downstairs gym, or even a theater room. However, Emma's practical mind won, and she convinced him to build a large bedroom that would include an en suite for potential rentals or guests. As the darkroom and laundry were both towards the front of the basement by the stairs, it would just be a matter of dividing the central area to create a room at the back.