Page 60 of Tangled Up In You

"Which is what?"

"She didn't ask. He didn't say."

"This is unbelievable. I just thought Phoebe's heart gave out, but maybe it was shock or fear or both."

"There's one other detail Nina gave me that doesn't affect you or Phoebe, but it affects me. The day Phoebe died was the day I was hit by that car, saving that little girl's life. It was a block away from the store. Nina described the car Ethan was driving when she saw him, and it matched the one driving away from the hit-and-run."

Surprise made her shake her head. "That's crazy. It's all tied together. But what are they looking for? And who is Ethan Mercer? Is he working alone? Is he working for someone in the family?"

"That's what I still need to figure out. I haven't been able to reach Caroline's attorney yet. I'd like to know what happened to the rest of her estate. I learned from a local Realtor that the house Caroline was living in was co-owned with Caroline's husband, Charles Weatherly. The Realtor has heard that Mr. Weatherly will probably put the house up for sale. But I don't know what happened to the rest of Caroline's estate. She had other properties: a house in Beverly Hills, a condo in Miami, and an apartment in Paris. She also had money and probably jewels and art. I'm hoping to get a list from the attorney."

"That might help us pinpoint what's missing. If it is Charles Weatherly who's behind this, it seems like he might be willing to say what he's looking for."

"I doubt he'd own up to three burglaries. And it may not be him. He's in his seventies now, and he was not divorced from Caroline, so any property in dispute will probably end up with him."

"That makes sense."

"Charles does have two adult male children in their forties. I need to figure out their story." He paused. "I also discovered something else that was interesting. Caroline's father, Elliot Peterman, died ten years ago, but he left behind two kids, a son and a daughter. They were apparently his stepchildren. His second wife, Janet Kenney, passed away twenty years ago, but the kids, adults now, Ray Kenney and Kim Collins live here in Whisper Lake. Ray is an auto mechanic on the north shore. Kim lives here in town. She works as a stylist at the Main Street Beauty Salon."

A gleam of excitement entered her eyes. "So these two people are Caroline's step-siblings."

"Yes. They were thirty years younger than her, though. Caroline's father was twenty years older than his second wife. He didn't marry her until he was in his late fifties. Ray is forty-two and Kim is thirty-eight."

"We need to talk to them. Or have you done that already?"

"I haven't. I just figured all this out a few hours ago. I'll talk to Kim tomorrow."

"Can I go with you?"

"No. This is police business."

"It's also my business."

"We need to tread carefully. We don't know who is involved. I need to see if I can find a link between Ethan Mercer and either Kim or Ray or anyone in the Weatherly family. I don't want to show my cards before I'm ready. So, let me take care of this."

"All right," she said. "It's not like I don't have a million other things to do. I put all of Caroline's boxes up in the apartment, or rather, Drew did. I haven't had time to look through them. I need to get ready to open on Friday, so it's probably going to be this weekend. But I did talk to the security company who told me you sent them over."

He shrugged. "You need to update everything."

"I don't disagree, and I appreciate your help. I should be in good shape once they put in a better system that includes cameras. They're also going to change the locks again and put some bars over the back window once it's replaced. I should be secure."

"Maybe you should stay here until that's done. I'm sure Lizzie has a room. It's the off-season."

"I don't want to impose."

"You wouldn't be. This is an inn. People stay here."

"I know, but I have to stand on my own two feet, Adam. I can't run scared."

"It's fine to be independent, but you don't know what you're up against."

"It's been a couple of days, and nothing has happened. Maybe Ethan Mercer gave up, or maybe he found what he was looking for."

His gut told him that hadn't happened, but he didn't want to scare her, even though a part of him didn't think she was scared enough. "I don't think he's given up. Don't make the mistake of getting too comfortable."

She gave him a disgruntled look. "I don't think I'm ever going to be too comfortable with you around."

"I'm not trying to make things worse."

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