Page 64 of Fate's Unseen Shadow

Julia sat down at the dining room table. “I’ve been beside myself for the past month. I think you boys may be my only hope of uncovering what happened to Teddy and Elizabeth.”She shook her head, fiddling with her bracelet. “We know what happened to Teddy. Murdered savagely in his own home. But Elizabeth simply disappeared. I know you boys find people. I’m hoping you can find her. Maybe then we can figure outwhyTeddy was murdered.”

As agreed, Slater took the lead. Damon’s relationship with Ella had become too close for him to remain objective, and he refused to be the reason the meeting would possibly be spoiled. They needed information. Getting it from Julia without raising suspicion would be tricky.

Slater, a professional expression on his face, shook Julia’s hand. “I’m not sure we can provide the why you’re looking for, but I do hope that we can find her for you. However, we need some additional information before we officially take on the case. Let’s have a seat.” Slater sat down in the chair across from her.

Damon remained standing, giving him the full view of Elizabeth Cassin’s apartment. Why would Julia want them to meet here? It seemed odd that she had access to the place. They weren’t close. Had Ella given her a key? Damon shifted, crossing his arms and feeling antsy. He wanted to snoop. He wanted to find out everything there was to know about the old Elizabeth because they weren’t the same woman. Not anymore. Ella had experienced too much in a short amount of time to remain unchanged. Even she’d admitted to it. He caught himself before he smiled, thinking of her bartending and claiming Lacy as her new best friend. She’d never be the same again.

And neither would he.

Ryker took the seat beside Slater, opening his laptop. “If you give me a moment, I’ll log into our system. I’m Ryker. I’ll be taking notes for us today. That’s Xavier and Damon.”

Julia coughed discreetly and then nodded. “Nice to meet you all.” She coughed a few more times. “Excuse me. Summertime in the south. The pollen gets me every year.”

Xavier walked to the kitchen, opened a few cabinets until he found cups, and poured a glass of water from the sink.

Julia dipped her head, accepting it. “Thank you. As you can imagine, this entire thing feels like a nightmare. First, my husband is taken away too soon. And then my gorgeous baby boy is gone. And now, Elizabeth is missing. Just vanished.” She drank a sip, her eyes darting between Slater and Ryker. “They haven’t caught the killer.”

Slater folded his hands on the table. “We read the news articles about her after you contacted us. We know she’s listed as a suspicious person, but do you have any reason to think Elizabeth could’ve been hurt or kidnapped?”

“Well, I know she accused a man of stalking her. She spoke with Teddy about it several times. Even thought someone broke into her apartment a couple of months ago.”

Damon pushed off the wall. “Did you not believe her?”

Xavier shook his head, warning him to stay back.

Julia laid her hands flat on the table, her massive diamond ring too big for her thin finger. “The police found no evidence of whatever man she thought she saw.” She slumped, as though already exhausted with discussing Ella. “You must understand my stepdaughter. She’s overly dramatic. Privileged. There isn’t an ounce of concern in her body for anyone else but herself. Selfish to the core. Teddy was getting all the attention at Cassin Systems for being such an excellent leader. He was so much smarter than Elizabeth. I believe she made up the stalker to bring the focus back to her. She’s been a handful since her father died.”

Xavier wandered over toward Damon, blocking his view of Julia. “Chill. Your left eye is twitching, and I heard your teeth grind from across the room.”

“I’m starting to agree with the term Ella used to describe her,” he whispered.

Xavier grinned and popped him on the shoulder. “Me too, brother.”

Slater looked briefly at Ryker’s computer screen and then back to Julia. “I’m trying to put a few things together about the timeline.” He paused again to look at the computer screen as if he didn’t know every detail by heart. “The last time she reported the stalker to the police was on Tuesday, and?—”

“Honestly, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to stalk her. She was very plain. Sexless, really. Men weren’t interested. Or if they were, it was for her money.”

Slater gave Julia a bland look. “I see. She called out of work Wednesday because she’s scared to leave her condo. It says she worked from home that day.”

“Back in my day, you went to work. Sick or otherwise.” Julia looked down her nose at Ryker. “Young people don’t have any work ethic these days.”

Ryker dipped his head further behind his computer screen, hiding his smile. Neither Ella nor Ryker needed work ethic advice from Julia.

Slater breezed right past it. “On Thursday, she goes to work and reports to her secretary that she saw the man three times that day before she discovers Teddy. That’s according to the police report.

“And then she left. Just left my baby boy, lying there, his body cold, and she walks away like it means nothing.” Julia started to cry.

Giving Julia a moment, Slater looked at the computer once again, stalling.

Damon laid his head back on the wall behind him, not nearly as patient. Those tears were for Teddy, and not even he would begrudge a grieving mother her tears, but his focus was solely on Ella. Her safety. Her innocence. And they needed more information.

“Is it possible,” Slater began as Julia pulled herself under control, “that the person who stalked heralsoattacked your son?

“No.”

Silence settled after her one, absolute word. Xavier lifted his eyebrows. The oddly confident answer gave them all the wrong feeling.

Slater cleared his throat. “Alright. And the condo she lived in. The police report shows it’s at this address.” He glanced around him, as if putting it together for the first time. “Is this Elizabeth’s?”

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