Page 14 of Murder in the Lighthouse

“We’ll manage that like we have everything else. Look, if we have to, we’ll fly to Connecticut and sit down with Delia. She must know the details. She’d know how you came to be in Rachel’s care. Are there adoption papers somewhere that officially make you a Brinell? We should look that up.”

“Let’s do it now before we tackle Bethany’s background.”

“You got it,” he said, taking her by the hand and leading her out of the kitchen. “We’ll search public records in Connecticut.”

They spent the next two hours scouring through court documents in Connecticut. When they found nothing that fit an adoption there, they expanded their search through three different adjoining states—New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts—but found nothing that matched.

“Does that mean I was never formally adopted?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Lucien cautioned. “There are many reasons why we didn’t find it.”

“Name one,” Brogan challenged.

“We’re looking under the wrong name.”

“How do you figure that? I’ve always been Brogan Cole.”

“Have you? DNA says your blood tie is with Rory Rossum Cole, not Brinell. Right? But was your name something else before you arrived in Connecticut with Rachel?”

“This is so confusing,” Brogan admitted, rubbing her forehead. “How am I supposed to know that name if it’s not the one on my birth certificate? If it isn’t Cole or Brinell, it might be—what’s a common Swedish name—Olsson.”

“There’s only one way to learn the truth,” Lucien suggested.

“I need to bypass searching online and ask Delia straight out to come clean. It’s time. No, it’s past time. I’m almost thirty years old, Lucien. I shouldn’t have to do this. No one should.”

“No argument from me. Do you want me to call Ewan Campbell and schedule a flight to Connecticut?”

“Yes, I think that’s the way to go. We wouldn’t be confronting her over the phone but face to face. It’s the only way that makes sense.”

Lucien immediately went to his office and picked up the phone on his desk. He dialed Ewan Campbell’s charter service, setting up a flight to Connecticut for the first available date. “Is that the earliest time you have?”

He pivoted toward Brogan. “Ewan had a family emergency. His dad suffered a heart attack. He’s taken leave until he’s better.”

“What about Blake Hartnett, his co-pilot?” Brogan asked.

“Their coordinator says Blake could get to us next week.”

Brogan chewed her thumbnail while pacing back and forth, her mind racing with questions. “Blake’s a great pilot. I trust him to get us there.”

“Okay, we’ll take the slot for next week,” Lucien told the coordinator. “But do me a favor, will you? If Ewan happens to return sooner, make a note to have him call me, will you?”

As he hung up, a sense of anticipation and anxiety settled in the room. “We could go with another charter service.”

“No, I trust Blake. The trip will have to wait. I can wait,” she repeated, trying to convince herself. She continued pacing, knowing this trip was long overdue, yet she couldn't shake the fear of what revelations awaited her.

Lucien stood up, his expression filled with concern and determination. “No matter what we find out, we’ll navigate through the answer as a team. Got that?”

“Got it,” she said quietly. “I need to get my mind off things. Did you set up the meeting with the Heywoods?”

“No, but I will.”

“Good. Let’s start that deep dive into Sam’s background. If we plan to solve his murder, it means getting to know the victim. The same goes for Bethany. We learn everything going on in her life right up to that Sunday morning. With any luck, we can spend the next week solving a murderanda disappearance before making the trip to Connecticut. Who knows? We might even find Bethany alive.”

Lucien knew hehad to do something about Brogan’s downhearted mood. He almost picked up the phone to confront Delia himself but understood it wasn’t his place to take that drastic step. Instead of doing anything stupid, he called Sam’s parents, Barry and Marta Heywood, and scheduled a time when they could stop by for a chat. Barry agreed to meet at two o’clock. Lucien hoped he could keep Brogan busy and her mind off the upcoming trip by providing details he’d discovered about Bethany and her brother Sam.

“You didn’t tell me Bethany worked for the sheriff’s department.”

Brogan looked shocked. “That’s because I wasn’t aware she did. Eastlyn never mentioned it either.”

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