Page 47 of Elsie's Strong Shelter

Appreciation for Sadie’s gentle prodding tightened his chest. Elsie hadn’t eaten much the last two days. He didn’t want to make a big deal of it, she was a grown woman who understood what she needed, but that didn’t stop him from worrying.

Dean set out glasses, filling two for him and Elsie with water, then balanced the cups with his plate filled with pizza as he made his way to the table. He sat next to Elsie and waited for his guests to get settled before digging in. Warm cheese spread onto his tongue, and he closed his eyes on a moan. “So good.”

Comfortable silence settled around them as they ate. Their problems weren’t going anywhere. Might as well enjoy a warm meal before dissecting all the ugliness they’d uncovered.

Finally full, Dean shoved his plate toward the center of the table so he wouldn’t keep eating what little remained. “Thanks for that. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

“Same,” Elsie said. She picked a pepperoni off the plate and popped it in her mouth, licking the marinara off her fingers.

His stomach muscles clenched. He focused on Tommy across the table from him. “I guess it’s time to get down to business. What brings you two here?”

Tommy took a sip of water then cleared his throat. “Honestly, we wanted to check in and see how you two are holding up. We’re treading water over at the station, searching for anything to lead us to Mila.”

“We spoke with Malcom Miller’s sister,” Sadie said. “She shed a little more light on her brother. The house was left to her when their mother passed away, and she let Malcom crash there whenever. Said she’d rather he stay in Tennessee than bother her and her family in Alabama.”

“Did she have any information about the poker stuff we found?” Elsie asked.

“Malcom’s more of an entrepreneur than a gambler.” Tommy picked up the line of conversation. “Always looking for a big score. His sister mentioned he’d always hosted card games for friends and tried to make it bigger and bigger.”

Dean wiped his face with a napkin then tossed it on his empty plate. “How did he have money to fund this type of game? Based on what we found, he and Justin were bringing in a lot of cash. That means either a lot of high rollers were joining the game, or they have a large number of players. Either way, they’d need startup money to fund the operation. A channel of some sort to get the word out to the right people about illegal gambling.”

“Malcom’s held a job as a long-haul trucker,” Sadie said. “I spoke with his former employer. He never had trouble with Malcom. He was reliable and kept his nose clean, most of that we knew based on his background. Sounds like he found other people to do his dirty work, which is where Justin Pauly comes in.”

“But how does that tie in with Mila?” Elsie asked. “And don’t try and tell me that my roommate had some secret life working with an illegal gambling ring, finding poker players to fill some game at Town Tavern. I would know.”

Tommy shook his head. “Chances of that are highly unlikely. We’re assuming Mila went to check on Mrs. Pauly and saw something she shouldn’t. But we won’t know for sure until we find Justin and Mila.”

Dean considered the new information, struggling to figure out what the missing angle was that would point to the key. “Malcom had to have done this before. We need to find other people connected to him, Justin, or the poker games. Someone who can break this thing wide open with more information.”

Elsie straightened. “Ashley mentioned getting a call that people were trying to get into Town Tavern in the middle of the night. What about camera footage? Maybe someone can be identified. Someone who’d tell us what we need to know.”

Dean rested a hand on Elsie’s and squeezed. Her idea might give them what they needed to find Mila, he just hoped that when they finally found her, she’d still be alive.

Elsie placedthe last dirty plate in the dishwasher then wiped her hands on the towel draped around the oven handle. The impromptu dinner had eaten up a large chunk of time, but she and Dean still had an hour before they had to meet her parents and Jimmy.

Dean came in from the back door after depositing the trash in the bin. “Thanks for cleaning.”

“No problem. Mila and I are seldom home at the same time, so I’m used to being the only one tidying up after a meal. Having an extra set of hands always makes things quicker. Jimmy helps as much as he can, but sometimes he creates more of a mess.” She let out a long sigh. “I can’t wait to hug him.”

Dean placed an arm on either side of her, bracing the heels of his hands on the counter. “I’m sure he’s just as excited to see you.”

She rested her forehead on his chest and breathed in the smell of him. The familiar hints of sandalwood and citrus still clung to his skin after a long day. “What do you think about what Sadie and Tommy came to tell us?”

“I think they stopped by more to see how you’re doing than to give us any real information. I agree with their train of thought—that Mila saw something at Mrs. Pauly’s house and Justin acted on impulse. It makes sense.”

“But where would he take her? His mom’s convinced he wouldn’t hurt anyone. If that’s true, maybe he took her somewhere until he figured out his next move. I mean, she has to besomewhere.” Her voice cracked. She wasn’t an idiot. She understood that Justin might have hurt her and tossed her body in a place they may never find.

But even if that was the case, Justin hadn’t just vanished. And once they found him, she’d have all the answers—even if they were hard to learn.

“Hey,” he said. “Look at me.”

She tilted her chin to stare directly into his eyes.

“We’ll figure this all out, okay?” His warm breath tickled her cheeks.

Gone were his promises of bringing Mila home safely, but she needed that hard, cold truth right now. Not empty promises of happily ever afters that may not come to fruition. But she’d fall apart if she allowed her mind to walk down that path.

“Okay,” she said. “But not right now. Right now, I just want to forget all the ugliness we’ve witnessed. I want to put all the fear and worry away and find a way to just feel good. To remember that there is still a world around me I want to experience.”

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