Page 104 of Building What's Meant to Be

“That too.” I smirk though only one woman comes to mind.

“So you got the Kravens in trouble?” Nash asks, impressed.

“I did and have been watching my back ever since. They’re a vengeful, merciless pair. Back to the story. Gatlin got in over his head gambling. Unbeknownst to his wife, he sold off everything they owned to cover the gambling debt. Then he met a guy named Gannon Barnes. Some of you may know him.”

Louella Belle bristles.

“Your brother?” Camellia asks.

She nods regretfully.

“The two ran countless scams and just when it looked like Gatlin was going to recover, he lost it all, including Estelle. She left him. That is until he made his way here, and became the mayor. However, the Kravens still wanted their money so they blackmailed him into participating in their shady dealings. He became their puppet.”

“Hydro-pro, among the other arrangements?” Buck asks smartly.

“You got it.”

“So the Kravens don’t only own the casino?” Christina asks.

“They owned Gatlin and have their fingers all over every piece of dirty money in this country. Now, I can prove it,” I say.

“What about the cat?” Aggie asks.

I nearly forgot she was here. “Stoll wanted to prove to his wife that he wasn’t a complete loser and made the mistake of reaching out to her. After multiple failures with Hydro-pro, the tax stuff, falsifying documents, deeds, liens, and reallocating town funds into his own account, he made a final gambit. He’d sell Butterbury to the Kravens. It was the perfect plan.”

“He can’t sell a town.”

“No, but a certain Gannon Barnes convinced him he could.”

Louella Belle puffs her cheeks as she exhales. Bo rubs her shoulders.

“The Kravens took Estelle as collateral to make sure Gatlin was good for the deal.”

“What about the cat?” Aggie repeats.

“I’m getting there. The Kravens kidnapped Estelle. Gatlin got word and went to get the cat because Cindy Clawford is listed as the heir to his estate. Not that there is one.”

“Then why did he leave the cat in the garage?” Camellia asks.

“What about the Hawaiian shirt?” Bess asks.

“Where is Stoll?” Mae follows up.

Aggie gets to her feet and picks the scrapbook up off my desk, skipping the gloves this time.

“You would’ve made a fine agent, Aggie,” I say, confirming her suspicions.

“Stoll is in Hawaii where he and his wife spent their honeymoon. You could say he got cold feet and has been trying to negotiate Estelle’s release from the Kraven’s clutches.”

“I thought Gatlin was broke, how did he afford a plane ticket?” Bess asks.

“Don’t tell me he used tax money,” Taylor growls.

“Nope. Tinsley realized the cat’s collar had a number on the inside.”

Christina gasps. “To a safe.”

I nod. “When Sheldon Gatlin Hebert got carried away and gave away their house, Estelle Joyce Blanchard took the remains of her inheritance and put it in a safety deposit box at a bank in Nevada.”

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