Page 27 of Elsie's Strong Shelter

“Malcom?”

“Yep.” He took a sip of water and zeroed in on what he wanted to order as he formed a plan in his mind. “Easy to get a full name and plenty of information. We can always returntonight to see if Justin shows up. If he doesn’t, we’ll talk to Malcom. At least we found someone who knows Justin. He may be the key to finding him.”

11

With a heavy heart, Elsie disconnected the call with her mom and welcomed the cool, night air. Bistro styled lights hung over Jenna and Calvin’s patio at their century-old farmhouse. A fire flickered in the stone pit, sending whirls of smoke heavenward. Stars blanketed the sky, mirroring the pretty lights, and a shadow of the Smoky Mountains provided the most beautiful backdrop.

Dean sat with Calvin at the round patio table. They ducked their heads together as they studied whatever was on the computer screen.

“Am I interrupting?” she asked, hesitating by the sliding glass door that led to the kitchen. She didn’t want to sit alone with her darkening thoughts, and Jenna was putting Oliver to bed. A sacred routine Elsie was smart enough not to disturb.

“Never,” Dean said, sliding a chair out next to his own. “How was your call?”

Exhausted, she fell into the seat. “Tough. I told my mom about the break-in at the store.” An image of the destroyed shop flashed in her mind, burying her in fresh anger and fear.

Dean winced. “I’m sure that was a hard conversation.”

“She wants me to stay with her and Dad until things settle. She’s afraid I’m putting myself in danger.” Her mom’s frantic pleas rang in her ears. She hated that her mom was so worried but no way she could abandon ship and do nothing to help Mila.

Not to mention the thought of not being next to Dean made her skin itch, but that was a problem she’d have to solve another time.

“I’m sorry to hear you were targeted,” Calvin said, bringing her attention back to the matter at hand. “I agree with what Dean already said. Someone doesn’t like you snooping around their business. And if I had to guess, the cash you found stashed under Justin Pauly’s bed is connected to whatever that business is.”

“Justin’s friends with the bar owner. Could the bar be involved in something illegal?” she asked.

“You’re thinking like an investigator,” Dean said, resting his arm behind her on the back of the chair. “We’re digging into Malcom Miller right now.”

She wasn’t sure if it was his praise or the rush of excitement at his touch that made the heat rush to her cheeks, but she enjoyed both.

Enjoyed his touch a little more.

Which confused the hell out of her. He’d stayed so close, casually placing a hand on hers or providing comfort anyway he could, but he’d clammed up when she’d asked him personal questions. She should put distance between them until she figured out what he wanted—if anything—from her. Maybe he was just being a good friend, even if she’d never had a man make her feel the way he did with just a simple brush of his palm on any part of her damn body.

It didn’t matter. She had more pressing issues than figuring out if a man liked her.

“Am I too optimistic to hope you find he’s a criminal mastermind who takes women and puts them somewhere safe and warm until they can be rescued?”

Dean tucked in his lips and let his fingertips drop to the top of her shoulders. “A little. But we have found some interesting information.”

“Such as?”

Calvin turned the computer so she had a better view of the screen. A picture of a man with ginger hair and a thin mustache stared back at her. “This is Malcom Miller. Does he look familiar?”

“Not at all,” she said.

“I’ve never seen him either,” Calvin said. “Which I find pretty odd considering I actually live in Water’s Edge. Turns out he bought the bar not long after the fire. Everyone in town was thrilled that someone wanted to invest the money to get such a well-loved community staple back on its feet.”

The back door slid open. Jenna stepped outside and sat in the chair between Elsie and Calvin. “Who haven’t we all seen?”

“The new bar owner,” Calvin said, resting his hand on her knee. “The guy Dean’s looking for has been at Town Tavern talking with him at closing time. Sounds like he only shows up at the end of the day and doesn’t do much work.”

Tilting her head to the side, Jenna scrunched her nose. “Now that you mention it, I don’t know if I’ve ever met the new owner. I mean, we don’t go in there very often. Not exactly the best place to take Oliver for a meal, but I pop by occasionally to grab food to go. The staff is pretty much the same as before. If the boss isn’t in to help, how can he keep the business going?”

Elsie rubbed her closed eyes as her mind spun. She wanted to scream and yell and ask why it mattered if the bar owner worked a nine-to-five shift or not. Hell, they needed to find Justin Pauly, not Malcom Miller. But it seemed like as soon as they found onelead, it did nothing but produce a tangle of knots that needed untied.

“You okay?”

The concern in Dean’s velvety voice opened her eyes. “I’m overwhelmed. I trust you and Calvin. You two have tons of experience with investigations, but it’s hard for me to follow your train of thought when I feel like everything around me is falling apart. I’m just struggling to keep afloat.”

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