Page 37 of Tangled Up In You

He was one of five detectives in the department, a promotion he'd gotten a couple of years ago. While he sometimes missed being on the front lines, he very much enjoyed seeing a case all the way through to its conclusion.

His office was small, with two desks, one of which was used by Detective Jada Burton, who was currently on maternity leave. Sitting down in a worn, creaky leather chair, he felt better than he had in ten days. This was where he belonged. Work was what he was good at. Protecting the community of Whisper Lake was a clear-cut goal, and he liked having a defined purpose in his life. He also liked taking care of his family and his friends. This town had worked its way into his heart.

He'd originally come here for a change of pace, and to keep an eye on Lizzie and Chelsea, but since then, he'd become a part of the community. He knew most of the business owners in the downtown area. He knew the troublemaking kids, who were just on the edge of making one too many mistakes. He even knew some of the outliers, the recluses in the woods, the loners looking for peace and isolation. He also knew that despite the beauty of the resort town there were elements of crime and ugliness that were on him to find and to get rid of.

Getting onto his computer, he pulled up his email, pleased to see a digital file from Rob Jonas, the manager of the bank around the corner from Molly's store. He'd left a voicemail for him yesterday and appreciated the answer to his request.

As he looked through the video, his pulse sped up as the man who had been in Molly's store came around the corner. He hopped into a silver sedan and sped off.

Adam tapped in the license plate number. The car was a rental. It had been rented at the Denver airport Friday afternoon. Picking up his phone, he called the rental car company and identified himself. After working his way through several reps, the owner of the company provided him with the name, address and phone number of the renter: Ethan Mercer, who lived in Aurora, Colorado, a few miles outside of Denver. He dug a little deeper. Ethan Mercer worked as a bouncer at a club in Denver called Bogey's.

Picking up the phone, he called Bogey's and asked to speak to the manager.

"This is Stu Tompkins," the manager said a moment later. "What can I do for you, Detective?"

"I need information on one of your employees, Ethan Mercer."

"Ethan quit two weeks ago. Said he got a better gig."

"Did he say where he was going?"

"No. He bailed last minute, so we didn't have a conversation. He hung me out to dry on a busy Friday night."

"Can you tell me anything else about him? Was he married? Girlfriend? Friends at the club who might know where he ended up?"

"Maybe Tara could tell you something. She's a waitress here. They hung out."

"Can you give me her number?"

"Sure. Hang on." He rattled off the number and then said, "Is that it?"

"For now. Thanks."

He tried Tara's number, but there was no answer, just a voicemail. He left a brief call-back message without referencing Ethan Mercer. Hopefully Tara would call him back.

As he set down the phone, he thought about the Denver connection. Caroline had been living in Beverly Hills before her return to Whisper Lake three months ago. It seemed unlikely that there was a connection between her and Mercer. But there could be a connection between someone in her family or someone who had worked for her while she was in Whisper Lake.

He didn't know for certain that the break-ins were connected to Caroline, but it seemed likely. She'd traveled the world. She'd been rich. And she'd left a lot of her things to Phoebe. Phoebe had never had any trouble at the store before Caroline died.

He needed to learn more about Caroline. He looked up as Brodie entered the office. He was in uniform today and was just getting ready to start his shift.

"You're back," Brodie said, with a pleased smile. "How does it feel?"

"Good."

Brodie sat down in the chair across from his desk. "So, what's going on with you and Molly?"

"Is that question coming from you or Chelsea?"

Brodie laughed. "Chelsea. And since she's pregnant and not feeling good, I couldn't say no when she asked me to find out what was going on."

"Nothing is going on," he lied. "I'm concerned that there have been two break-ins at the store since Phoebe passed away, the most recent one Saturday night."

"Wait, what?" Brodie asked, losing the smile as his gaze turned serious.

"When I drove Molly home, I dropped her off at the back door to the shop. Before she could enter, a guy came busting through the back door, knocking Molly off her feet. I tried to go after him, but this damned boot on my foot made that impossible. At any rate, I have managed to ID him from the bank camera around the corner. Ethan Mercer, out of Aurora, CO. He was driving a rental car, which he picked up at the Denver airport Friday night."

"Where's he staying?"

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