Nor had Sam mentioned that the bakery that had burned down before that had belonged to her grandparents, and the fire had conveniently occurred while Sam was away at college. Coincidentally, it was the same bakery that had supplied bread and baked goods to the Winston resort—goods routinely delivered by a teenage Sam.
And the apartment that had caught fire? Sam’s.
Bree had a hard time reconciling Lenny’s reveals with the quiet, down-to-earth woman she’d spoken with. When she’d asked what possible motives Sam could have had, Lenny had described Sam as a loner, someone on the fringes who didn’t have friends. According to rumors, Sam had had a crush on Matt Winston and was devastated when he joined the service. It was shortly after he left that the fires had started.
“She tried to blame everything on a stalker,” Lenny told Bree, “but there was just too much that didn’t add up. We never found the guy, of course. Then, when the Sanctuary guys came to town, she managed to convince them she was a victim, even took up with one of them.”
Lenny didn’t stop there. He cited multiple reports of unusual activity at Sanctuary by the county and state-licensed inspectors who’d gone to the site during the initial rebuilding phase. “Despite what it looks like on the outside, the place is more of a military compound than a civilian facility,” Lenny told her. “They don’t take kindly to outsiders. Surveillance equipment everywhere, trip wires, perimeter alarms—not to mention, bunkers and God knows what else.”
Lenny continued, conveying a conversation he’d had with one shaken county inspector who’d wandered inside and discovered an entire room set up like a command center of operations—with monitors and maps of the area. He also spoke of one unfortunate local soul who’d wandered onto Sanctuary property the previous year and ended up in the hospital for six months because of it.
Images of the many Private Property and No Trespassing signs on the trail popped into her mind. So did the box of video cameras she’d seen in Nick’s trailer along with phrases he’d used, like “perimeter checks” and not wanting “anyone getting shot inadvertently.” When Nick had explained those things, it had been in the context of precautionary and safety measures, not malicious intent.
When she said as much to Lenny, he came back with, “But you weren’t allowed to wander around, were you? Someone was with you the whole time, controlling where you went, what you saw, who you talked to.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Matt Winston had told her up front that they respected and protected the privacy of those at Sanctuary. For the rest of it, Nick had been with her, the only exception the brief time she’d been alone in his trailer. Nick’s cautionary warnings suddenly took on a more ominous tone.
Still, it didn’t mean they were up to no good.
“That’s all very interesting,” she said, “but you haven’t given me anything I can prove.”
“You’re right, and that’s part of the problem. There is no proof because they make sure of it,” Lenny said, contempt lacing his tone. “They’ve got friends in high places. After having a couple of beers in town one night, one of them stole a police vehicle and assaulted two officers. Shortly after the warrant was issued, the chief received a call from the governor. All charges were dropped, and we were told to back off.”
Given the vehemence with which he spoke and the fact that Sumneyville had a minimal police force, Bree guessed that Lenny was one of those officers assaulted. It wasn’t a far jump to assume that it had been a humiliating experience as well. A local cop was no match for a highly trained Navy SEAL.
“That’s why people don’t trust them,” Lenny said. “At least the ones capable of seeing through the self-sacrificing hero bullshit anyway. Like you said yourself, it’s not a matter of patriotism. we’re proud of our military and the men and women who’ve served, but these guys place themselves above the law. Don’t take my word for it. Use your resources. Look into their backgrounds. I’d bet my badge that if you dig deep enough, you’ll find evidence of misconduct that’s been swept under the rug. These guys are dangerous, Bree. They’re psychologically unbalanced. They hide it well, citing sympathy-inducing claims of PTSD and whatnot, but the truth is, they’re masters of manipulation. What’s worse, they’ve taken to seducing local women away from their families and friends to join up with them.”
Bree remembered the conversation that day at the fire hall and some of the comments the Ladies Auxiliary had made. “You mean, like Kate?”
“Yes,” he confirmed, his expression grim. “Kate’s a perfect example. She was very active in the community. Liked by everyone. Delivered meals, raised money for charity, worked in her dad’s store. Then, one of them set his sights on her, and in less than two months, she walked away from her family, her home, her job, her fiancé—everything. And for what? To live in controlled isolation, away from everyone who cares about her?”
The passion with which Lenny spoke suggested a more personal connection. Another prior discussion came to mind—the one at the salon when someone had mentioned a friend of Lenny’s getting involved with one of the guys at Sanctuary.
“Have there been others besides Kate?”
He nodded, confirming her theory. “A good friend of mine. We grew up together. She got this great job in the city, something she’d been dreaming of her entire life, and then just gave it all up to be with one of them. If I sound bitter, it’s because I am. I tried talking to her, tried to get her to see reason, but she wouldn’t listen. It was like she wasn’t even the same person anymore.”
“You make it sound like she was brainwashed or something.”
“Maybe
