Page 42 of Elsie's Strong Shelter

He shook his head. “No.”

“Why not?”

“We follow the facts as they’re found. With Justin, that was tracing him through what was in his room then checking into his relationship with Malcom.”

“Mrs. Pauly mentioned she’d told her daughter Justin could stay with her as long he helped around the house. That would mean his mom was actively helping him find a place to live. Maybe he hadn’t been living with her, but he’d been in contact with her. Regardless, if we need to dig deeper into this guy’s past, his mom would be the logical place to start.”

“Good points. Let’s head downstairs and regroup. Maybe take a walk to get some fresh air while tracking down Justin’s mom’s information.”

A tiny smile poked through her misery. “Sounds good.”

He led the way back to the stairwell and downstairs, not bothering to shut off the lights. The sounds of chatter andclanking of dishes grew louder as they entered the restaurant. Ashley glanced their way from behind the bar.

“I want to give Ashley a heads up that deputies are on the way to go over the apartment,” he said.

“Good idea.”

He made a detour toward the bar and lifted a finger to gain the server’s attention.

“All done?” Ashley asked.

“Yeah. Full disclosure, we found a key and went upstairs.”

Her mouth fell open, eyes widened.

He lifted a palm. “You’re not on the hook for anything we did. We found some things upstairs and called Deputy Pennel. She’s sending some people over to take a look. If you haven’t told the staff about Malcom, you might want to either do that now or let the deputies handle it when they get here.”

Her hands shook as she filled two glasses with dark soda.

“Thank you for everything,” Elsie said. “And good luck. I hope this place finds a new owner soon.”

Ashley offered her a small smile. “Me, too.”

“Ready for that walk?” Dean asked. He wanted to stretch his legs a little and enjoy the outdoors, even if only for a few minutes. Something to recharge and maybe help calm Elsie’s nerves. Exercise had always done that for him, especially exercise that could be done with the sun on his face.

“That actually sounds really nice right now.”

Before they reached the door it swung open, sunshine pouring into the dimly lit room.

Gina walked in and beamed. “Hello, again.”

He stopped, shoulders stiffening. “Hey.”

“Gotta love small towns,” Gina said with a laugh. “Sooner or later, you’ll always run into the people you want to see. I stopped in for a late breakfast. Dean, would you like to join me?”

Elsie took a step away from him, wrapping her arms around her stomach. “I’ll leave you two alone. I have some calls to make.”

Gina’s smiled widened. “Perfect.”

Elsie made a move toward the door.

Damned if he’d make the same mistake as earlier, he snagged her hand before she could escape. She hadn’t wanted to discuss Gina earlier, but this time, he’d make sure she was present for the entire conversation. He wanted her to know exactly where his head—and heart—stood regarding Gina and their failed marriage.

“No thanks, Gina. Elsie and I have other plans.” He kept his voice firm, clipped and steady as he spoke. He didn’t have time or emotion left to waste on his ex-wife. He didn’t wish her ill-will, but she’d made her choice. A choice that had nearly destroyed him.

And now that she regretted what she’d done, he wouldn’t let her believe there was even an ounce of him that wanted to revisit their failed relationship.

Gina frowned. “But your friend said she had calls to make. We could talk a little while she does that.”

---