Page 33 of Whispers Left Behind

“Sure.” Owen motioned to his friends that he wouldn’t be but a minute. Once he joined her, he widened his stance and crossed his arms as was his usual posture. “Are you doing okay? I saw the news about Gantz. Is that why dinner last Thursday was extra tense between you and Dad? You thought Gantz might be back in town?”

“No.” Kinsley internally winced when she realized her answer came a little too quickly. She could have used such knowledge as an excuse for the tension at dinner. The only individual in attendance who understood the significance of the month was Noah. “I just had a bad week at work. Anyway, I was hoping you could do me a favor. But since you brought up the family, I’d like this favor to stay between us.”

“Is this for the investigation?”

Kinsley hesitated, which prompted Owen to eye her suspiciously.

“Damn it, Kin.” Owen ran a hand through his already unkempt blond hair. “Thursday nights have become a broken record. We’re all stuck on that one song no one wants to hear but are forced to listen to it anyway. I’m pretty sure that Olivia muted us last week.”

Kinsley wouldn’t put it past Olivia to go about her own family dinner without the unwanted tension of the Aspen weekly get-togethers. There were times that Kinsley believed Olivia had been the smart one to move away from Fallbrook and start a brand-new life. Noah and Olivia were twins, but she had opted to attend medical school on the East Coast where she had eventually met her future husband. They had ultimatelyexchanged vows, attained accomplished careers, and were blessed with two adorable children.

Not even being over fifteen hundred miles away from home was an excuse to miss Thursday night dinner. Owen had been the one to set up a small television in their parents’ kitchen as a video monitor to include Olivia’s family in on the weekly tradition.

“Forget I asked, Owen.” Kinsley shouldn’t have involved her youngest brother in the first place. She patted his arm as she made a move to brush past him, only he side-stepped to prevent her from doing so. “Seriously, it’s not important.”

“It is, or else you wouldn’t have asked me in the first place. Is it about Gantz?”

“Gantz is gone,” Kinsley snapped, clenching her fists to reign in her frustration. “Sorry. I’m on edge. No, it’s not about Gantz. Okay?”

“Okay,” Owen repeated slowly before gesturing that she should continue. “What is it that you need?”

“Is it possible to enhance video footage from a home security system? I need better lighting on a sidewalk to see if anyone was using a large tree as camouflage.”

“Send it to me, and I’ll see what I can do.”

“The footage is from my security system, Owen.” Kinsley did her best to give a valid reason for her concern. “This case has stirred up some buried resentment. I think there are some members of the press who might be taking their jobs a little too seriously.”

“I spoke to Mom over the weekend. She mentioned that someone vandalized Dad’s car at work.”

“Like I said, people don’t forget,” Kinsley muttered, garnering a narrowed stare of caution from her brother. “I spoke to Mom, too. We both know that Dad won’t file a police report. My hands are tied, Owen. On the subject of Mom, she is the reason thatI would rather keep this favor between us. Okay? There is no need to worry her when she is already beside herself about Dad. Besides, I can take of myself.”

“Fine. I’ll keep this between us…for now.”

“Thank you,” Kinsley replied softly as she stepped forward. He lowered his arms and accepted her quick hug. “Alex is waiting for me. I’ll send that footage to you. Any chance you can enhance it by morning?”

“I’ll do my best.”

Kinsley weaved through the tables until she reached the last booth. Alex had already dug into his teriyaki chicken wings and fries, even going so far as to roll up his sleeves and tuck a napkin into the collar of his dress shirt.

“Everything okay?” Alex asked, his gaze drifting over her shoulder to where her brother had reclaimed his chair. “This isn’t Owen’s usual hangout.”

“He had a business meeting at the bank. Something about their website and mobile app.” Kinsley didn’t have to go into detail regarding Owen’s cybersecurity firm. He and a friend opened their own firm over six years ago, and they had made quite the name for themselves. “I was just saying hi. How did the interview go with Joe Cider?”

“What interview?” Alex shoveled a few more fries into his mouth before reaching for a napkin. He didn’t continue until after he had swallowed his food. “I spent the morning and early afternoon interviewing everyone at the car dealership. Who knew there were so many departments? Sales, finance, service, not to mention marketing. By the time I was able to concentrate on Cider, I found that he had moved to Mott. He works at a used car place down there, and he moved apartments, too. I’ll take a drive and pay him a visit tomorrow.”

“Learn anything else from the vic’s coworkers?”

“Nothing that stands out.” Alex took a sip of his beer. “What about you? Please tell me you turned in our reports.”

“I can tell you that Sebastian Hanson’s alibi is solid.” Kinsley smiled when Alex groaned at her omission. She hadn’t technically finished their paperwork, but she had made a good dent in it. “I drove to Bismarck this morning with the warrant in hand after discovering the three-million-dollar life insurance policy in Sebastian’s name. Needless to say, the hotel manager didn’t want a detective standing in their hotel lobby making a scene. Anyway, Hanson entered his room around eleven o’clock on Wednesday night. He didn’t exit until the following morning.”

“Hanson could have hired someone to kill his wife,” Alex proposed as he reached for the ketchup bottle. The man loved his ketchup. “You and I have already floated the theory that the brothers could have done it together.”

Kinsley would have responded, but the waitress suddenly appeared to deliver her order. She and Alex paused their discussion.

“Alex, can I get you another beer?”

“No, thanks.” Alex gave a pointed stare in Kinsley’s direction. “Someone didn’t keep their end of the bargain, and I have to go into the station early tomorrow morning.”

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