Page 7 of Silent Past

"Earth to Sheila," Finn said, waving a spatula in front of her face. "You want blueberries in yours?"

Sheila blinked, pulling herself from her thoughts. "What? Oh. Yeah, sure."

Finn raised an eyebrow. "You've been somewhere else all morning. Want to talk about it?"

She watched him slide a perfect golden pancake onto a plate. Normal. Domestic. Safe. Everything their life could be if she just let this go.

But she couldn't.

"I need to find someone," she said. "Carlton Vance. He used to work with my dad in Internal Affairs. Now he's gone—moved out of his house, disappeared."

"And you think he knows something about your mom?"

Sheila nodded, grateful for how quickly Finn understood. "He might have been involved. But how do you find someone who doesn't want to be found?"

Finn set the plate in front of her, his expression thoughtful. "Well, you're the sheriff now. You've got resources. Start with the basics—property records, DMV, tax returns. People leave traces, even when they try not to."

Sheila pushed her pancakes around the plate, considering. "I was thinking about checking with the post office—see if Vance left a forwarding address. Also, check with the realtor who listed his house."

"Good places to start," Finn said, pouring more batter onto the griddle. Star had finally looked up from her phone, her interest caught by their conversation.

"What if he's using a different name?" Star asked. "Like in witness protection or something?"

Sheila and Finn exchanged a look. It wasn't a bad question.

"That's possible," Sheila admitted. "But he'd need resources to set that up. Money trails, connections..." She paused, remembering something from the documents her father's contact had provided. "Meridian Holdings. The shell company that was making payments to his account."

Finn leaned against the counter. "Shell companies leave paper trails too. Incorporation documents, tax filings—"

"Bank records," Sheila said. "If we can track recent transfers from Meridian, we might find where he went." She stood up, her breakfast forgotten. "I need to get to the office."

"Hey," Finn called as she headed for the door. "At least take a pancake with you."

She turned back, managing a small smile as he held out a paper towel-wrapped pancake. "Thanks." She hesitated, then added, "For everything."

"I'll meet you at the station in twenty minutes," Finn said, already moving to turn off the griddle. "Just need to drop Star at your dad's gym."

"Finn, you don't have to—"

"Yes, I do." His voice was firm but gentle. "We're partners, remember? And not just at home." He glanced at Star. "That okay with you? Going to the gym a little early?"

Star shrugged, sliding off her stool. "Coach Gabriel's there anyway. He always shows up at dawn, like some kind of crazy person."

The gym had become the central focus of Gabriel's life after he stepped down from being sheriff. It was where he'd trained both Sheila and her older sister Natalie to fight, and he still regularly went there to stay in shape and to pass on his skills to future generations.

"And Bo," Sheila said. "He's gonna be keeping an eye on you."

Star rolled her eyes. "Really? A babysitter?"

"Just till things calm down. Besides, he can teach you a thing or two. He's got a nasty left hook."

"It'll be fun," Finn said, nudging Star. "You'll hardly even know he's there."

Star grunted. "Sure, I won't."

Sheila felt a familiar warmth in her chest as she listened to the two of them. This was her family now—cobbled together and unconventional, but real. She thought of her mother, of all the family moments Henrietta had missed, and her determination hardened.

"Okay," she said. "Twenty minutes. I'll start pulling what records we have on Meridian Holdings."

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