Chapter 75: unfinished business

The drive back to the Faulkner home was quiet—too quiet. The boys, full from lunch and content from their pie, were dozing off in their car seats. Jordan, however, kept glancing at the side mirror, his gut telling him something was off.

Miss Harper must have noticed his restlessness. “Something on your mind?” she asked, her hands steady on the wheel.

Jordan exhaled, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t know. Just got a bad feeling, like this isn’t over.”

Miss Harper scoffed. “Frank Miller doesn’t strike me as the type to let things go easily, but Detective Singer’s got his eye on him now. If he’s smart, he’ll back off.”

Jordan wasn’t so sure. He’d seen that look in Miller’s eyes—rage, humiliation, and worst of all, determination.

As they pulled into the Faulkner driveway, Mrs. Faulkner was already on the porch, arms crossed, waiting for them. Jordan sighed. He knew that look.

“Alright, boys,” Miss Harper said, turning back to them. “Inside and wash up. Tyler, no complaints.”

Tyler groaned but obeyed, following Jake and Alex inside while Mrs. Faulkner waited for Jordan and Miss Harper to step out of the car.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to explain why Detective Singer called again? And why you weren’t answering your phone?” Mrs. Faulkner asked, directing her question more toward Miss Harper than Jordan.

Miss Harper sighed. “It’s been a long day.”

Mrs. Faulkner glanced at Jordan’s who's eyes began to shift back and forth. “I’m sure it has.” She turned her gaze back to Miss Harper. “Let’s talk inside.”

Jordan trailed behind them, feeling like a kid about to get scolded. As they stepped into the living room, Mrs. Faulkner sat down with an exasperated sigh. “Alright. Tell me everything.”

Miss Harper didn’t leave out a single detail—the diner, Frank showing up in the restroom, his attempted attack, and finally, Singer arriving just in time to catch him slashing the tire.

Mrs. Faulkner pinched the bridge of her nose. “So now we have a grown man holding a grudge against a fifteen-year-old and a detective who’s barely keeping him from pressing charges?”

“Pretty much,” Jordan muttered.

Mrs. Faulkner sighed. “Jordan, I need you to lay low for a while. No more incidents.”

Jordan scoffed. “Not like I go looking for trouble.”

Miss Harper gave him a look.

“Okay, fine. Not always,” he admitted.

Miss Harper nodded. “Mrs. Faulkner’s right. Let Singer handle Miller. If we escalate this, we’ll be the ones in trouble.”

Jordan exhaled sharply, nodding reluctantly.

Just then, there was a sound of a car pulling into the driveway.

Everyone froze.

Mrs. Faulkner stood, exchanging a look with Miss Harper before approaching the door. She peeked through the peephole, then relaxed slightly before opening it.

Detective Singer pulled into the Faulkner driveway just as the sun was beginning to set. He shut off the engine and sat for a moment, collecting his thoughts. The past few hours had been a whirlwind—tracking down Miss Harper, intercepting Frank Miller, and now showing up here to make sure everything was in order.

As he stepped out of his car, the front door opened, and Mrs. Faulkner stood waiting, arms crossed. "Singer, what happened? Why did you need to track Harper down?" He replies " you said her and the boys weren't home and wasn't picking up their phone"

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "I had to make sure everyone was okay. Frank Miller ran into Jordan and the boys at the diner. Things almost got physical again."

Mrs. Faulkner frowned. "Is he pressing charges?"

Singer shook his head. "Not at the moment. I convinced him to back down—for now. But he's not happy about what happened."

Miss Harper appeared in the doorway behind Mrs. Faulkner, her expression unreadable. "Well, he's got no one to blame but himself. If I hadn't been there, he would’ve swung first. And I don’t doubt for a second that Jordan could’ve dropped him again."

Singer chuckled lightly. "Yeah, well, let’s not make a habit of getting into fights, alright?"

Just then, the boys peeked out from behind Miss Harper. Tyler was the first to step forward, looking directly at Singer. "So… what now? Are we in trouble?"

Singer shook his head. "Not unless something else happens. But I need to ask—does Miller know where you live?"

Mrs. Faulkner and Miss Harper exchanged a glance. "No," Mrs. Faulkner answered firmly. "At least, not that we’re aware of."

Singer nodded, relieved. "Good. Keep it that way. If he starts asking around, let me know. I can keep him from causing more problems."

Jake and Alex stood close together, listening quietly. Jordan, however, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "So, what’s stopping him from trying again?"

Singer exhaled. "For now? Me. But I’d rather not keep putting out fires, so try to avoid situations where you run into him. If he sees you guys out and about, don’t engage. Just walk away."

Jordan rolled his eyes but nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Mrs. Faulkner sighed, rubbing her temples. "This is getting out of hand. Maybe we should just lay low for a while. Keep the boys close to home."

Singer nodded. "That might be best. Just until I can make sure Miller isn’t sniffing around where he shouldn’t be."

Miss Harper crossed her arms. "And if he does?"

Singer’s expression darkened. "Then I’ll take care of it."

Silence hung in the air for a moment before Mrs. Faulkner finally spoke. "Alright, we’ll be careful. And thank you, Singer."

He gave her a small nod. "Just doing my job. Keep in touch, alright?"

With that, he turned and walked back to his car, taking one last glance at the house before driving off into the night.

Mrs. Faulkner gestured for everyone to go back inside before closing and locking the door.

"Miss Harper, a word in my office. Now."

Miss Harper looked confused but followed her upstairs, glancing back at the boys and Jordan, who now had the responsibility of watching them.

Inside the office, Mrs. Faulkner shut the door and turned to Miss Harper. "Look, I know it’s your car, but you didn’t even tell me you were taking the boys today, let alone Jordan. So I want the Impala keys until this blows over."

Miss Harper’s brows furrowed. "You’re serious?"

"Yes," Mrs. Faulkner said firmly. "Until I can be sure we’re not being watched or followed. I need to know exactly where my boys are at all times."

Miss Harper hesitated for a moment before sighing and pulling the keys from her pocket, placing them on the desk. "Fine. But don’t think this means I won’t take them if I need to."

Mrs. Faulkner nodded. "Understood. But for now, let’s play it safe."

Downstairs, Jordan leaned against the wall, watching the boys play. "So, what do you think they’re talking about?"

Tyler shrugged. "Probably something about keeping us locked inside forever."

Jake and Alex giggled, and Jordan smirked. "Yeah, well, let’s just hope this all blows over soon. I’m not a fan of house arrest."

The conversation was cut short as Mrs. Faulkner and Miss Harper reappeared, the latter looking slightly annoyed. Mrs. Faulkner simply looked at them and said, "Alright, let’s just get through the night."

And with that, the house settled into an uneasy calm, knowing full well that the storm might not be over just yet.