“Her friends picked on him after they found out he had a crush on her,” Halsey explained. “My brother was already hanging around with the wrong crowd. The boys from Hardeeville were being bused to our school. Jenson wanted to be cool, I guess.” She shrugged. “And now he, like, what... How did it happen?”
“No one is certain until the report comes back but he was found in the lake with blood on the scene,” Audrey said as Stephanie winced. The sheriff might have explained his hypothesis on method of death. Of course, he would.
Halsey’s face wrinkled. “How did that happen? He never went into the water. He didn’t know how to swim to save his life.” She seemed to catch those last words too late as they left her mouth. The teenager shot a look of apology to her parents.
Being rejected by a girl and ridiculed could have caused Jenson to resent females. It could have been motive enough to lurk in the shadows watching Audrey, who was a beautiful woman. There might be any number of reasons he would have targeted her. She might have been nice to him at some point during an interaction that was routine for her but caught his attention. Made him feel like he might have a chance with her? Made her a target?
It was a logical progression that couldn’t be ignored. Also, it wasn’t uncommon for kids who were bullied to become bullies themselves.
Audrey released her grip on Duke’s hand underneath the table and made a motion like she was about to get up. She stopped herself and turned to Halsey. “What kind of shoes did your brother wear?”
She was smart to ask his fashion-conscious sister. The girl would notice these things.
“Vans,” Halsey supplied. “All the time. He doesn’t even own a skateboard.”
“What about boots?” Audrey pressed.
“Like cowboy boots?” Halsey’s face puckered like she’d crammed her mouth full of Sour Patch Kids candy.
“Work boots,” Audrey corrected. “Does he own a pair?”
Halsey laughed. That was the thing with teenagers, their emotions were all over the place and could change as easily as flipping the light on. “My brother wouldn’t be caught...” She stopped, and then shook her head rather than finish her sentence.
Duke figured now was as good a time as any to ask the all-important question. “Mind if we take a look in his room?”
STEPHANIE BALKED, and for a minute, Audrey thought they’d lost her.
“Is that really necessary?” Stephanie asked. “To disturb his room? I mean, tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll go check.” Her gaze bounced from Duke to Audrey and back. “Boots? Is that what you’re trying to find?”
“Yes. I’m looking for a certain kind of boot.” Audrey had taken note that Morris wore cowboy boots. Actually, he had on socks and no shoes, but his boots were stationed at the front door where she suspected he usually came inside.
Could he have work boots? Yes. Could they be somewhere else in the house? Yes. Did most men have more than one shoe? Yes. However, the shoe worn the most was either on their feet or kept near the door in her experience.
Jenson Napier fit the mold of a Peeping Tom since he wasn’t accepted by the opposite sex and was bullied for liking a female then became a bully himself. Based on what Halsey had said, he was a loner. But Audrey was still trying to pull an interaction out of her brain between the two of them and couldn’t. Could the young person who’d shamed him resemble Audrey in some small way? It could be as simple as that. Often times, the easy answer was the right one.
Of course, despite the circumstantial evidence, Jenson might not be the person they were looking for. He might have innocently been in the woods and then been spooked by a noise or realized they were coming for him.
No, it didn’t follow logic. Why would he be there except to watch her? Why would he run if he didn’t have something to hide? Did he know they’d figured out someone was watching her? The boot prints had been smeared, which would indicate Jenson might have intentionally blurred them.
Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest. “Can I ask what this visit is really about?”
“Isn’t it obvious, Mom?” Halsey chimed in. “Jenson probably committed a crime or something, and they’re trying to, like, prove it was him.”
“I get that,” Stephanie stated, her tone clipped. “But why? He’s gone. It isn’t like he can be brought up on charges anymore. My son is dead.”
Morris wrapped an arm around his wife. “This conversation is upsetting her. Is this really necessary?”
As unlikely as it might be, Audrey had to make absolutely certain there wasn’t someone else out there watching women. Peeping Toms escalated. Always. She had to be certain it was over or risk it happening to someone else all over again. Someone who wouldn’t figure it out before it was too late.
A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she was doing this for herself, too. She was attempting to gain some peace of mind. Because no one got to make her feel unsafe again.
“I’m afraid so,” Audrey said with as much sympathy as she could muster. She felt it, too.
“Why didn’t the sheriff ask any of these questions?” Morris asked. The man was clearly protecting his wife.
It twisted Audrey’s heart in her chest to tell these parents their son wasn’t the person they’d believed him to be. His sister had caught on. She’d assaulted his character. But her comment about him being rejected and made fun of by females his age made him a good candidate for becoming a Peeper.
“Sheriff Ackerman had to deliver the worst possible news to parents,” Audrey explained. “He didn’t want me here to say that your son might be implicated in a crime.”
“I’ll ask again,” Stephanie interjected. “What does it matter now?”
“Because if by some chance it wasn’t your son, there’s someone out there who needs to be locked behind bars before someone gets hurt,” Audrey said as calmly as she could muster.
Stephanie winced like she’d just taken a physical blow while Morris hung his head. Halsey huffed a few breaths out.
“I don’t know if my brother did what you think he did, but I can guarantee you that he wouldn’t be seen wearing work boots,” Halsey said, matter of fact.
“Then it shouldn’t be a problem if we take a look in his room,” Audrey hedged. It was a long shot at this point, but one worth taking.
Chapter Ten
Morris Napier stood up and looked Duke dead in the eye. “I think you’d better leave.”
Audrey opened her mouth to respond, but Duke knew when they needed to head out. He touched her arm to signal they should listen.
Clamping her mouth closed, she stood up. When she did speak, it was to apologize for the intrusion and to offer condolences once again. The Napiers’ emotions were still too raw to listen to reason, and they clearly rejected the idea their son might be a criminal.
Wasn’t that always the case? It was always the folks who swore their child would never do anything wrong who ended up being the most surprised when they found out otherwise. But this wasn’t the time to push this family while they were processing their son’s death.
