Page 53 of Murder in the Lighthouse

Amused, Brogan hid a laugh. “Sometimes, more so.” She was about to go into more detail when her cell phone rang. “It’s Professor Lockney. Hello? Did you find Britta?”

“I knew that would be your first question. The answer is no. I need to explain something about the Swedes, which I should’ve done during our first conversation. I’m sorry it slipped my mind. First, Britta is a very common name among females throughout the Scandinavian region, including Denmark and Norway. You can thank Saint Bridget of Sweden for that distinction. She even has her own religious order calledtheBridgettines. Even though shedied in 1373 and was canonized in 1391 by His Holiness Pope Boniface IX himself, the name is viewed as inspirational. But that’s a story all by itself. Now, where was I? Oh, yes.Secondly, the Swedes aren’t particularly curious about their lineage. They never have been, so they tend not to upload their DNA into databases related to ancestry. Of course, there’s a criminaldatabase. Every country has one. Sweden is no different. But I doubt who you’re looking for is in that one. Nonetheless, I have a friend who will research that angle for me. I called because I wanted you to know it may take some time to find your particular Britta.”

“Whatever you can find out is appreciated,” Brogan said. “It’s more than I could do myself without going to Sweden. Take your time. There’s no rush.”

“You still want me to proceed then?”

“Absolutely.”

“Thanks for trusting me with your information. Just so you know, I’ve been ruling out every Britta who doesn’t fit the timeframe, looking for models with that name having a birthday that matches the age she would’ve been at the time of your birth. But it’s a lengthy process.”

“I realize the task is daunting, like looking for a needle in a haystack, but I have faith that eventually you’ll find the right Britta.”

“I like how you aren’t expecting miracles,” the professor said. “It makes me want to work harder to find you an answer.”

“Thanks for that. Under these conditions, I’m realistic enough to know that it might take six months of research. I appreciate you sharing what you know about the Swedes.”

“It’s only fair you know what we’re up against. But I’m very persistent.”

“I’m counting on it,” Brogan said, ending the call just as a text came in from Lucien. “Jade, look at this. Oh, my God, they’ve found two graves buried in a pump house at the edge of the winery’s property line. One body they can confirm is Bethany. They’re not sure about the other one. But it’s male, probably Owen Quinn.”

“We should’ve gone with them.”

“Why?”

“Because without us there, they have no excuse to leave. You know what that means, right?’

“Knowing Lucien and Birk, they’ll stay there and make sure they won’t miss any of the action. They won’t be home until morning.”

“I don’t need to stay overnight. I could always head home,” Jade offered.

“You want to leave? Is it because you need to go home and check on the dogs?”

Jade looked uncomfortable. “Ellie Woodside has been dog-sitting Mia and Miles. No, the dogs are fine. It’s just that I’d rather not stay in the guest house alone.”

Brogan broke into laughter. “Why didn’t you say so? There’s a guest room down the hall. I’m not forcing you to stay out there by yourself. I was thinking of your privacy.”

“Screw privacy. I’d rather we stick close together. That sounded weird.”

“No, it didn’t. Are you picking up a vibe or something?” Brogan wondered.

“While you were talking with Delia, I saw Scott leaving the guest house. Then he wandered around the backyard like he was on sentry duty. No matter how often it happens, seeing the town’s resident ghost walk around so casually makes a girl think twice about being alone at night, even if the guest house is just across the courtyard. And I haven’t had that much to drink tonight.”

“Experiencing Scott up close is not for the faint of heart. I love the way he sticks around and tries to offer up valuable advice.”

“You’re very casual about this, as if you’ve experienced it many times. When was the last time you saw Scott?”

“Halloween night, after the party was over and I’d opened my DNA test results. Lucien and I talked about it, but he headedupstairs to get out of his Hatter outfit and take a shower. I still needed to vent my frustration to someone.”

Jade’s eyes widened. “So you called on Scott to make an appearance. And he showed up?”

“That sounds insane. But yes. We had a conversation about the DNA versus Rachel. He cautioned me about heading down a rabbit hole and diving into it headfirst. Could I handle knowing the truth? That sort of thing.”

“Obviously, you decided to move forward.”

“I needed to know. Wouldn’t you want to know the truth?”

“Absolutely. But I’m more curious about your Scott connection. How does that work? Do you summon him whenever you need to talk?”

---