Parker’s expression hardened. “They got smart after Sean almost blew their operation sky-high. We know drugs still come through the islands, but whenever we bust a single player, they’re locked up tighter than a drum. Anything on their cell phones is in a code we haven’t been able to decipher.”

“Sean’s your dad?” I asked.

Caelyn nodded, her fingers wrapping tighter around her bag. “So the people he worked for…they’re still here?”

“I don’t know if it’s the same people or a new crop. They’ve never made a move against you, so I doubt this is them now. Not really their style, either. They’re more of the burn-down-a-building type.”

“Parker…” I warned. Caelyn did not need that kind of shit in her head. And neither did I. I was already two breaths away from losing it.

Parker winced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out. This is just way out of their wheelhouse. I think you can take a breath. Chances are it’s your mom getting in a pot shot. I’m going to talk to her parole officer and make a personal visit to her residence. In the meantime, I’ll drop this note off at the lab and see if anything pops.”

“Thank you, Parker. I really appreciate your help with all of this. You always seem to be the one who steps in when my life is falling apart.”

I looked between the two of them, wondering if there was something a little more personal going on. Parker caught my look and gave a small shake of his head. “I was on call the night someone broke into the O’Connors’ home.”

Caelyn’s expression went stony. “He’s being polite. Parker responded to the call as a deputy when Will, only ten years old at the time, called me in a panic because my parents had disappeared for days and someone had just broken into the house. He barricaded himself in a bedroom with Ava and Mia. I could hear the man pounding on the door and screaming for his drugs. I was in college in Seattle then.” Her voice hitched. “I couldn’t get to them, wasn’t there to protect them. Luckily Parker got there in time.”

Her words for Parker made sense now. As did the rage burning in her eyes. Caelyn loved her siblings fiercely, and I knew what it felt like to fear you were going to lose someone you should’ve been able to protect.

“I was just doing my job. And you know I’ll do anything I can to help you and those adorable hooligans.”

Caelyn shook her head, tears filling her eyes. “It’s not just you doing your job. Not to me.”