Page 13 of Rebels and Roses

Cooper had also given that a great deal of thought.

“Maybe. Tom isn’t James Bond. He might not have covered his tracks nearly as well as he thought he had. But…”

“But?” Finn prodded.

“Sure, some women will pretend they don’t know. They want a big, dramatic moment. But most women…they won’t wait. They want to confront at the earliest opportunity. The question is, which is Erica?”

“Do you speak from experience here?”

“I’m always clear and honest with a woman,” Cooper replied firmly. “At least in my adult years. I learned early that it’s easier to be truthful up front. But I cannot deny a few missteps in my teenage years.”

An image of Jane floated through Cooper’s mind despite his efforts to concentrate on the conversation at hand. This was happening far too often. He was thinking of her at the most inconvenient moments.

He’d been honest with her, though. He respected the hell out of her, and he didn’t want to be a lying cad to a nice person. She didn’t deserve another asshole in her life. She’d already had that when she was married.

Cooper might be a terrible romantic partner, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be a decent friend.

“You gave him some good advice,” Cooper said. “I hope he hires someone to look into the burglary, and maybe follow him around. If anything, it will make him feel less helpless.”

“I figured it would help him if he was taking some action,” Finn agreed. “This is a good segue to why I wanted to talk to you. The private investigator firm reached out to me this morning. They’ll be here in a few days to start looking around. I know they’ll want to talk to you and your brothers and sisters.”

The news was like a punch in the gut. It was good, but it still brought up painful memories. His mother’s mysterious disappearance was still an open wound for the family.

Not for their father, of course. But for Cooper and his siblings.

Joel Winslow didn’t give a fuck. Had he ever? Cooper didn’t think so.

He despised his father for being such a jerk - a terrible parent, an awful and neglectful husband, and a shady businessman. And through it all, Joel Winslow walked aroundlike he thought he was a god. The sun shone out of his ass, and the sun rose and set because he told it to. The sheer hubris in the Winslow house was mindboggling.

“I’m going to give them all the cooperation that I can,” Finn continued. “But the fact is that we don’t have much in terms of hard evidence.”

Law enforcement in Winslow Heights at the time of Lily Winslow’s disappearance had been sloppy at best and downright negligent at worst. He couldn’t say for a fact that his father had discouraged any actual investigation, but he wouldn’t be shocked to find it true. Joel Winslow had wanted to “move on” practically hours after his supposedly beloved wife had vanished into thin air.

“I know,” Cooper replied. “I’m hoping they can turn something up after all of these years. I know that you don’t want to raise my hopes. This could all be for nothing.”

“Time is the enemy when it comes to an investigation like this. Memories fade. Witnesses pass on. Physical evidence is lost or degrades. It’s an uphill battle, for sure. Do you or your siblings want to be there when I go over the case with them?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Cooper said. He didn’t even need to think about it. “I know Tate will want to be there, too. Zack is heading out of town for some business, but I’ll check with the others. Can I give you a call later?”

“That’s fine.” Finn appeared to hesitate for a moment, which was unusual. The man rarely had trouble with words. “I have to ask this. Do you want me to do some digging around in your brother-in-law’s life and business? There might be something he’s not telling us.”

“I think we may not be hearing the whole story,” Cooper agreed. “I think researching him would be an excellent idea. If you don’t have the resources, I can call up one of my…friends.”

Cooper kept friendly ties to law enforcement due to needing advice on occasion when working on his books. He knew a few people - now retired - who would jump at the opportunity to do some background work. He’d already been thinking about making that call when Finn suggested it.

“It’s a slow week in our little town,” Finn laughed. “I got this. Just give me twenty-four hours, okay?”

“You’ve got it.”

Were there any skeletons in Tom’s closet? Was the younger man telling them the truth?

Most importantly, just how long was Tom Kemp planning to stay in Winslow Heights?

Cooper wasn’t a man who liked looking in the rearview mirror when it came to life. Fiona - and the Kemp family - were part of the past.

He wanted to keep them there.

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