Ninety Two

Mr. Fletcher was out of the hospital a week later, and all thanks to Tyler, the hospital bill was cleared. After that, he started on the trail of the shooter, and now, he had been able to get the footage from the coffee shop they had gone to that night. 

He had also been able to get one from across the street as well, so they were surely going to get a good look at him.

Tyler should be back home any minute, Raina was sure of that. She glanced down at her wristwatch, hoping that he would arrive soon as he had said on the phone when she called him to confirm his location. 

“Just calm down. I’m sure everything should be all right.” Amber said. She was sitting with Raina in the living room, waiting with her basically. 

Raina looked at her with a nod. “Yeah, okay.” She said. 

“I’m serious, calm down. You look like you might freak out or start hyperventilating anytime soon.” Amber said and Raina sighed. 

She waved her off. “Oh, please. That’s not true. I’m just anxious, that’s all. I really can’t wait until I see the footage. I want to be sure it’s a random shootout, or else, I might explode from the suspense.” She said. 

It might not look like it, but she was actually trying not to freak out. She was trying to even her breathing and look calm. Perhaps, she was not doing a good job. “But I hear you.” She added when Amber gave her a look. 

Amber chuckled softly, shaking her head. "You know, for someone who's trying not to freak out, you're doing an amazing job of looking like you're about to crawl out of your own skin." 

Raina shot her a mock glare. "Very funny. I would like to see you stay calm if you were in my shoes." She told her. 

"Well, to be fair," Amber teased, leaning back against the couch, "if I were in your shoes, I would probably already have worn a groove into the floor with all the pacing." She said. 

Raina rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the small smile tugging at her lips. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." She was glad she knew she was even doing better than most people would. 

She wasn’t pacing like she knew somebody else waiting for something would have been doing at the moment. 

Amber smirked. "That’s fine. But seriously, do you think Tyler will have everything figured out tonight?” she asked, pushing her brows up in question. “I mean, these things can take time, Raina. Don’t pin all your hopes on one piece of footage." She said. 

"I know," Raina said as she folded her arms across her chest. "But I can only hope that I get something out of it.” What else could she do anyway? 

Amber gave her a thoughtful look, then shrugged. "Fair enough. Hoping isn’t a bad thing. Just don’t let it crush you if it doesn’t work out right away.”  

Raina sighed, rubbing her palms together nervously. "I hear you. Really, I do. But it’s hard not to feel like this is our best chance, you know? If this doesn’t lead anywhere, we’re back to square one."  

Amber nodded, leaning forward slightly. "I get that. But Tyler seems pretty determined. If anyone can figure this out, it’s him."  

Raina glanced at her watch again, biting her lip. “He should’ve been back by now. He said he was close.” 

As if on cue, the rumble of a truck pulling into the driveway reached their ears. Raina shot up from her seat, her heart racing. “That’s him!”  

Amber stayed seated, watching her with an amused smile. “Well, go on, then. Don’t just stand there!”  

Raina rushed to the front door, pulling it open just as Tyler climbed out of the truck. He looked tired, holding a small bag in one hand and his laptop in the other.  

“Hey,” he greeted, his deep voice steady. “Sorry I’m late. Traffic was worse than I thought.” He said.

“It’s okay,” Raina said quickly, stepping aside to let him in. “Did you get the footage?” she asked. 

Tyler nodded, lifting the bag slightly. “Got it all right here. Took longer to get my hands on it than I expected, but it should be worth it.” He turned back to Raina, his expression more serious. “Let’s head to the office and get this set up.” 

Raina nodded eagerly, leading the way as Tyler followed. Amber trailed behind, curious but giving them space.  

Once they got to the office, Tyler placed his laptop on the desk and pulled out a USB drive. “This has the footage from the coffee shop and the camera across the street,” he explained, plugging it in.  

Raina hovered behind him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. “Okay. So did you check the footage, did you see the shooter’s face?” she asked. 

Tyler glanced at her, his grey eyes steady. “Not yet. I just got it and came straight him. We’re going to watch the moments leading up to the shooting.”

Raina nodded, trying to push down the nervous flutter in her stomach.  

The screen lit up as Tyler started the first clip. The footage showed the coffee shop’s bustling interior, customers chatting and sipping drinks. Tyler paused it and pointed to a figure in the corner.  

“That’s the guy I noticed back at the café,” he said, leaning closer to the screen. “He doesn’t order anything, just sits there watching people.”  

Raina leaned in too, her eyes narrowing. “You think he’s involved?” 

Tyler hesitated. “Not sure yet. Let’s keep watching. He might just be a regular guy, but…”  

Raina nodded silently, her gaze glued to the screen as the playback continued. Amber stood in the doorway, watching with wide eyes.  

“Stop!” Raina suddenly said and Tyler did as asked. 

Tyler gave Raina a look to see she had paled. “That’s the guy.” She said.

“How did you know that?” he asked. 

“See, he has a scar on his cheek.” She pointed out. 

Shaking his head, Tyler said. “Are you sure? I mean, a lot of people sure have scars.” He resumed the footage again. “Let's see.” 

The guy Raina had just pointed out slide into the booth the other guy Tyler had said he noticed, and they spoke for a couple of minutes. The other guy seem to gesture towards Tyler, Raina and Mr. Fletcher, then he slid something in a white envelope to him. 

About a couple of minutes later, the guy Raina had pointed at stood up, and then he started shooting turning everywhere. “Well, I told you. But why is he shooting everywhere like that? It’s obvious he’s after me, or maybe even Mr. Fletcher for talking to us.” She said. 

Tyler shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think he’s just after you. Mr. Fletcher was just in the way. I mean, if they sat where we just saw them sit, it means they probably heard our conversations. They knew he didn’t know much.” He said. 

“But you said he told you the guy’s street name. Maybe that’s a motive.” Raina said. 

Nodding, Tyler said. “Maybe, but I’m glad you’re fine. And I think he was shooting that way just to make it look random. It would be very suspicious if the bullet had hit just you, and no one else.” 

“Oh!” she said, and felt Amber rub her shoulder from behind her. “How did they know I’m there though?” Raina asked. 

“I’m not sure yet, I think we should move you to one of the safe houses that’s free.” He said. 

Raina frowned. “What? Why? I thought this place was safe.” She said, and he nodded. 

“Right. It is, but I can’t take any chances. I want to enhance your safety, and that place is one hundred percent safe. Plus, no one would know you’re there aside from my home staff.” He said. 

Raina was not sure what he was saying but she was just going to have to trust him and let him do what he thought best. 

“Don’t worry, Raina. We’re close to nailing them.”

Raina exhaled deeply, nodding. “Okay. If you think it’s best, then I’ll have to go.”

Tyler gave her a reassuring look. “It’s temporary, just until we figure this out. I’ll go with you, anyway. So don’t worry about a thing.”