Page 37 of Colton's Second Chance
He rose from his chair and split a look between Noelle and his cousin. “I don’t want to say anything yet. It’s probably nothing, but—” He flexed and balled his hands at his sides, and his mouth tightened. “I want to run an errand and check something. I’ll be back soon.”
Noelle stood as well. “I’ll come with you.”
His gaze shifted to his partner in the hospital bed. “I don’t want to leave Asher—”
“Go,” Kansas said. “Do what you need to. I’ll stay with Asher.”
Eli lifted one eyebrow. “If you’re sure?”
“I am.” Kansas waved him out of the room. “Both of you go. Do your thing. I’m fine.”
Noelle followed Eli out of the room, having to take two steps for every one he took to keep up with his brisk strides. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”
“Not yet. I don’t want to alarm anyone if I’m wrong.”
“Wrong about what?”
“Let’s just say I don’t believe in coincidence, and I’ve just realized something important about the Fiancée Killer investigation.”
“Can I help?” Noelle asked. “Maybe run some new data through the algorithms? I have my laptop.” She patted the messenger bag that hung from her shoulder.
“Not yet. First I want to talk to my father.”
Not the answer she expected. Noelle ran a few steps to get ahead of Eli and stood in front of him to stop him. “Your father? What does he have to do with any of this?”
“Hopefully nothing.” He took her hand and towed her forward with him as he plowed through the hospital door and into the parking lot. “But I’m afraid he can shed an important light on a disturbing angle of the Fiancée Killer investigation.”
Chapter 13
Eli was largely silent and brooding on the drive to his parents’ house. Noelle didn’t pester him about his disturbing hunch and questions for his father. If he wanted her to know, he’d have told her what he suspected. Besides, she had her own preoccupying thoughts swirling in her brain.
Eli’s parents.She was about to meet Eli’s parents. Not in the way that a couple announced their serious intentions toward each other, of course, but she was nervous just the same. They were Eli’s parents, after all.
Despite him asking many times in college for her to accompany him home, she’d always put him off. Healthy family dynamics were not her forte, and she’d feared that after meeting her, his family would disapprove of their relationship. If her own birth mother and adoptive family could all shun her, what other family could ever want her part of their ranks?
Eli parked at the side of his parents’ house, a beautiful home outside town with views of the Chugach Mountains from their front porch and tall trees in the backyard.
Noelle took a deep breath of the pine-scented air as she climbed from the passenger seat. “You grew up here? In this house?”
“After about age six. We moved here from California, and my father and uncle opened the outdoor adventures business the younger Coltons still operate.” Eli hitched his head toward a building behind the main house. “Let’s try back here first. Dad’s probably hanging out with Mom while she works.”
“While she works? Visitors don’t distract her?” Noelle asked. She couldn’t imagine having people around, talking and bothering her while she tried to concentrate.
“On the contrary, she claims people give her more creative energy. She loves having Dad’s company.”
“Creative energy? What does she do?”
“Come see.” Eli took her hand and led her to the door of the building. He paused and stuck his head inside, calling, “Hello? Anybody home?”
Noelle heard joyful voices reply, “Eli! What a treat.”
“Come in!”
Eli tugged her forward, and Noelle shuffled into the brightly lit space that was nothing she’d expected. Muddy-looking tables and shelves were filled with earthenware in varying states of completion. The works in progress cramped one end of the large room, while a pottery wheel and large kiln took up most of the far side of the room. The mingled scents of clay, paint and the herbal scent from an essential oil diffuser perfumed the air, while classic rock played from the speakers mounted on the walls.
A petite woman, with a face much younger than her silver hair would imply, rose from behind the pottery wheel, wiping her hands on a towel as she crossed the room. Her long hair was twisted into a messy bun, and her blue eyes were so like Eli’s as to identify her as his mother even without context. She wrapped Eli in a tight embrace and kissed his cheek. “It’s so good to see you, sweetheart!” The smile on his mother’s face faltered as her eyes dropped to Eli’s hip, where he wore his service weapon. “Oh, son. You know I don’t like you wearing that thing when you’re here.”
“Sorry, Mom. But I’m on duty.” With a wave of his hand, he gestured for Noelle to step forward. “Mom, Dad, this is Noelle Harris. She’s a friend from my college days, and she’s helping mewith my current case.” He motioned from Noelle to his mother, then to a man with salt-and-pepper hair, who moved out from behind a table in the corner of the room. “Noelle, my parents, Will and Sasha Colton.”
