Page 60 of The Murder Club

Dom nodded. “She introduced him as her assistant, but they bickered like they were married.”

Bailey dropped the file and surged to her feet, heading to the laptop that was still open on Kaden’s desk.

“We should check them out,” she said. “If the man was Pauline Hartford’s grandson, then we have a direct connection to Pike.”

Dom joined her, standing close enough to wrap her in the warmth from his body. Bailey breathed in his clean male scent, savoring his unwavering strength. She was trying to pretend that she was in control as she focused on the latest clue, but inside she was freaking out.

It was bad enough to have the creepy stalker texting her as if they were old friends. But realizing that he’d been lurking around the nursing home when she was standing in the parking lot was terrifying. Had he followed her there? Did he work there? And what about his warning of more cases?

With an effort, Bailey leashed her rising panic. Fear wasn’t going to keep her safe. Discovering the identity of the killer was her best hope.

Pulling up a search engine, she typed in Images by Lisa and pressed Enter. A list of links appeared.

“There’s no website, but she’s on Facebook.” Bailey clicked on the page and studied the collection of photos she had posted, along with the address for her photography shop. Scrolling down, Bailey searched for any mention of Lia or Kaden or pictures of their private property. “Nothing on here,” she muttered. “Let me check for a personal page.” A minute later she located a Lisa Callum Hartford from Grange, Wisconsin, and pulled it up. “Here we go,” she said, instantly recognizing the profile picture of a woman with a round face surrounded by blond curls. She glanced through the info page. “‘Lisa Hartford,’” she read out loud. “‘Thirty-three years old. Making the world a prettier place to live. Mom of three. Hobbies include photography, baking cookies, and scrapbooking.’” Bailey frowned as she scrolled down. “No mention of her husband.”

“And no pictures of him,” Dom murmured.

“Lots of kids and cookies.”

He pointed toward the image of two white poodles with matching bows tied around their necks.

“Even dogs.”

“Says a lot about the marriage,” Bailey murmured, closing the laptop and turning toward Dom. “The photography shop is close to the grocery store,” she told him, not bothering to mention that Grange was bigger than Pike but still small enough that everything was close together.

He arched his brows. “Two birds and one stone?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, although that’s kind of disgusting.”

“Noted.” He glanced toward the door of the office, where the four dogs had curled into a pile and fallen asleep. “Let’s leave the beasts inside. They can keep an eye on the place.”

After double-checking the locks, they returned to Dom’s Land Rover and drove the fifteen miles to Grange. As Bailey had predicted, Images by Lisa was just a couple of blocks from the grocery store. They parked along the street and crossed the sidewalk to stand in front of the shop. Bailey skimmed her gaze over the photographs that were artistically arranged in the large windows. Weddings, graduations, and a family all wearing overalls and flannel shirts. Was that a thing? With a shake of her head, she reached out to push open the front door only to frown when it refused to budge. Belatedly, she noticed the handwritten sign that was taped to the glass.

Closed for a death in the family.

“She has to be related to Pauline.” Bailey turned to find Dom peering between the photographs inside the darkened shop. “There can’t be that many Hartfords dying in Grange.”

“It’s a reasonable hypothesis,” he agreed, his jaw tight. “And it would implicate Kevin Hartford as your stalker. But how is he connected to Nellie and Gage?”

“It’s possible there’s a family relationship,” she conceded. “I could ask Dorinda. She knows everything about everyone in the area.”

“Or they could have a connection through the lumberyard. Or even the school where Pauline Hartford was superintendent.” He made a sound of frustration. “If we could discover how the three of them fit together, we might be able to figure out if Kevin is the one behind the deaths.”

“We need to let Zac know what we’ve found out,” Bailey announced, heading back to the SUV. She didn’t want to admit she felt exposed standing on the sidewalk. As if the stalker was lurking just out of sight. “But first the groceries. I’m in need of a distraction.”

“Will there be cake involved?” Dom teased, as if sensing her need for a distraction.

“If you want.” She halted near the curb. “What kind?”

He sent her a glance of pure disbelief. “There’s only one kind of cake. Chocolate.”

She rolled her eyes. “I suppose that can be arranged.”

“With chocolate frosting?”

“Greedy.”

“For you?” He moved to stand a breath away, his eyes smoldering with a hunger that had nothing to do with chocolate cake. “Yes.”

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