“What can I do for you, Lucas?”
So much for small talk, apparently. Lucas had never been very good at it, anyway. “Tell me about what happened to Emily in October. I heard she was attacked.”
Wade’s eyebrows lifted. “She told you about that?”
“No. But I heard about it. I want you to tell me the details.”
Lucas watched as Wade’s eyes darkened and his expression clouded. “Emily walked into the house and was hit on the back of the head. She fell forward and hit a table. I found her unconscious a short while later.”
“How badly was she hurt?”
“She had a mild concussion. She was treated and released from the hospital the same night, so her injuries were relatively minor.” Wade rubbed a hand over his face. “My heart stopped when I found her lying on that floor. When I saw the blood, I...”
He stopped and cleared his throat.
Lucas found himself liking Wade Davenport a little more. Wade so obviously cared very deeply for Emily, and that, alone, was enough to earn him points in Lucas’s estimation.
“I heard there was a r
ash of home break-ins around that time.”
“Yeah. We had a few bored teenagers who decided it might be fun to start a burglary ring. The O’Brien kid, Kevin, was the ringleader. We caught them, and they confessed to most of the break-ins.”
Catching an undertone in Wade’s voice, Lucas frowned. “Most of the break-ins?”
“I could never get them to admit having anything to do with the one at Emily’s house. They talked about every other break-in that had been reported, but swore they didn’t go near Emily.”
“Do you believe them?”
“There would be good reason for them to deny it, of course. Emily’s was the only break-in that involved a physical attack. No one was home in any of the other incidents. It was just bad luck that Emily walked in on them.”
“But...”
Wade sighed. “But it doesn’t feel right. Never has. The break-in at Emily’s place looked like a standard burglary scene—a TV and VCR were stacked on the floor ready to be carried out, her jewelry box had been dumped and searched, drawers were emptied. But in the other incidents, the kids broke in, grabbed everything in sight and took off. Whoever was in Emily’s house took the time to conduct a pretty thorough search.”
“As if he was looking for something in particular?”
Wade nodded, his gaze on Lucas’s face. “It could have been seen that way.”
“You said there were some things left piled on the floor. Was anything actually taken?”
“Some cash. A couple of pairs of gold earrings and a gold necklace. And the gold bracelet Emily was wearing when she walked in.”
“Someone attacked her and then took the bracelet off her arm?”
“And left her lying unconscious on the floor.” Wade’s jaw was rigid. “If I’d had proof of who did that to her, I’d have knocked his teeth in, even if it meant losing my badge.”
Lucas wasn’t sure he would let the guy off with only a few missing teeth. He had to rein in his anger to continue speaking in the objective tone he’d used so far. “I’ve noticed Emily’s been wearing a gold bracelet every day since I arrived.”
“I gave her that one after the robbery. The one stolen from her was an antique. Very heavy links, and an ornate oval clasp. It belonged to her mother.”
Wade had just described the bracelet Lucas had buried in Emily’s time capsule—confirming Lucas’s suspicions that she had discovered it there.
“Now that I’ve told you everything I know about the break-in, why don’t you tell me why you’re so interested?”
Lucas shrugged. “My sister was attacked. Isn’t it natural for me to be interested in making sure someone pays for it?”
“You have reason to believe Emily was specifically targeted?”