Page 15 of Cold Case Murder Mystery

“It was a Brink family scrapbook, discovered by Chloe while we were investigating the first two bodies. She brought it in to us, and then...” He trailed off, as if searching for the right words. “Well, I had it. It was stolen from me when...”

Brooke had been around enough to know the story. Feigning a call for help, Jen Rogers and the women who’d been working with her had knocked Thomas unconscious and then dropped him in the middle of the forest preserve where the cave was located. It was why he still had a faint pink scar from the stitches he’d had to get along the side of his face.

“When they took me...” he finally said, clearly still not overthat. “It was all a ruse to get their hands on this scrapbook. We never could figure out why. Particularly since Jen was only connected to the Brink family through marriage and it was a Brink family scrapbook. But we’ll look through it again with what we know, and we’ll consult Chloe and see if we can find some answers. Hopefully implicate Jen even more.”

No doubt it would, if it was in the cave. But Brooke couldn’t help but wonder if it might connect to what else she was thinking. She’d need a look at the scrapbook though. “If she doesn’t have any clear-cut answers, would I be able to take a look through it?”

Thomas raised an eyebrow at her. “Why?”

Brooke shrugged. “I don’t know exactly. It’s just... it has to connect some way, right? To those remains, if she stole it during the investigation into the Hudson murder. Maybe something would... jump out to me as a connection.”

Thomas seemed to give this some thought. “Possibly. I’ll run it by Laurel, and Chloe, for that matter.”

“Sure,” Brooke agreed, fully believing she’dneversee the inside of that scrapbook. But she couldn’t focus on that because a trickle of unease crept up her spine, tightening her shoulders. She looked around the bright daylight as Thomas got in his patrol car.

“You okay?” he asked.

Brooke nodded, forced herself to look away from the scenery and to Hart. “Of course. I’ll meet you at the station once I’ve eaten.”

“Sounds good.” He closed his door, but she knew he’d wait for her to get into her car and drive out first. He’d follow her to the highway. And then he’d go his own way and she would go hers, because he didn’t know someonemightbe following her.

But Zeke did, and she would just have to trust that he would take care of it.

Zeke appreciated that it was Hart with Brooke today. He knew a few of the deputies at Bent County, and for the most part he trusted Bent to do their job, but over the past few months he’d actually become friends with Thomas Hart. He’d do a good job looking after Brooke.

She’d definitely sensed Zeke watching her, though he’d stayed out of sight. He didn’t know if that’s because her instincts were that good, or because he was losing his touch. He didn’t love the thought he was rusty, but hewasgetting older. He’d been out of the following game for a while now, so his skills could have deteriorated.

On top of that, he wasn’t sure what to make of their early break for lunch. Brooke had only been in there working for about two hours.

It didn’t really matter, he supposed. No matter what she did, he was going to be there.

Zeke followed her throughout the rest of her day, and not once did he see any sign of a silver sedan. Following herorhim in his truck with the tracker now attached.

He wasn’t sure what to do with that. Did they know someone had moved their tracker? Had they given up because she’d stayed with him last night?

Were they better stalkers than he was?

That was a concerning question. Not one he’d let rattle him though. He’d find a way to protect Brooke no matter what. And she clearly needed protecting from something if someone was trying to track her—regardless of the whys.

Track, follow, but not approach. Not threaten. He didn’t know why, but that made him far more uncomfortable than a direct threat. He knew what to do with threats—stop them in their tracks.

What did whoever was following herwantfrom her if there was no threat? Without motivation, it was going to be harder to get to the bottom of who.

But not impossible, Zeke assured himself as he stood next to his truck in the Bent County Sheriff’s Department parking lot, waiting for Brooke to appear after she’d gone inside with Hart at the end of their afternoon shift at the cave.

He didn’t know what her plans were, but he knew that the tracker had to have changed things for her. She had to understand even more fully just how much potential danger she was in.

Viola gave a soft whimper from her spot in the passenger seat, head leaning out the window. Zeke watched as Brooke and Hart walked out of the station, practically shoulder to shoulder. Brooke was smiling, and she said something that had Hart doing the same.

A surprisingly sharp bolt of jealousy landed hard, right at the center of Zeke’s chest. He didn’t want it, knew he had absolutely no right to it, and still it settled there like an intense, squeezing pain.

Brooke stopped in her tracks when she saw him standing there in between her car and his truck.

Hart’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t stop walking, so when Brooke finally moved forward again, she had to walk quickly to catch up to the detective.

“Zeke,” Hart greeted. His expression waswaytoo close to amused. “Needing a detective?”

“No,” Zeke returned. And refused to explain himself, even if Hartwasa friend. Even if there was no reason to feel... competitive.

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