Page 15 of Mine to Protect

“What about their place of employment? What do they say about their disappearance?”

Rhett rubbed the side of his face. “Shelby was told that her brother and Jackie took a vacation with her uncle, which I find odd because I believe her brother would have mentioned it. She called the officer that she filed the report with to give him the information. I believe that squelched the missing persons case.”

“She was probably seen as an overprotective, overbearing sister,” Emmerson said. “I’ve seen one or two of those in my day, and while Mom won’t let us brush them off, it’s hard not to because, half the time, whoever is missing is simply looking for a little time and space.”

“I get that.” Rhett had seen it, too, especially in cases like these. But Shelby had mentioned more than once that she hadn’t been worried about her brother at all except for a brief time after their father’s death.

And then these last several weeks. And only based on behavior.

What he needed to do was look at her phone and read the text exchanges between her and Chris without making it seem too weird. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe everything she’d told him, because he did. Still, he needed to gain a better understanding of the relationship.

“I have to admit, the counterfeit bill was pretty fucking good, except for the fact that we’d already seen a few pass through the marina this week. It’s one of the reasons Mom has been in an uproar over this possible connection to the Mortellis.”

Rhett arched a brow. “Why is this the first I’m hearing of that?”

“Mom wasn’t sure she even wanted you to know,” Emmerson said. “She sent the bills to the state crime lab, but initial comparison shows they are from the same print run, which means the bill Chris was carrying came from whoever handed it off at the marina.”

“And you have no idea who that was?”

“We have a lead,” Emmerson said. “Cole Laurita is back in town. He has a slip at the marina, and we’ve got him on security surveillance footage with packages being transported on and off his boat. But we can’t put him with the counterfeit money that came into the marina. Not yet, anyway.”

“Shit. How’s Mom with Cole being back?”

“She’s constantly rubbing her lower back where he shot her, but other than that, she seems fine. Dad asked me to keep an eye on her. He’s always been concerned about when Cole got out.”

“We should be worried about Dad and what he might do.” Rhett said. “They might not be married anymore, and they probably should have gotten divorced long before Jamison was born, but you know how Dad gets when he feels like his family—and he considers Mom part of that—has been threatened.”

“I know. Seth’s keeping a watchful eye, so we’ve got all bases covered,” Emmerson said. “Thing is, we all have a bone to pick with Cole Laurita, but he’s not worth any of us getting ourselves in hot water over.”

His brother had a point. “How were the bills not checked?” Rhett brought his thought back to the current case. Most places taught their employees to check larger bills, and it wasn’t that hard. But these bills were well done. A teenager might not notice the difference, but they should have gotten a manager.

“Good question. I don’t have an answer. Mom and Emmett are taking lead on things with the marina. I’ve got this situation.”

“I’m sure you’re all looking forward to when Nathan comes back from vacation.” Rhett knew how hard it was on his brothers and his mom when one of them took even a day off. It wasn’t easy being a small-town police department mostly made up of family, but they made it work.

“Mom keeps putting off setting a wedding date because there’s no way in hell we can all take time off together.”

“She and Steve should just elope,” Rhett said. “Or she should retire.”

“We are hiring, so that should help.” Emmerson pushed from the hood of his vehicle. “We need to clean up that room. I have no reason to keep it. But something tells me we’re missing a clue. Do you mind bringing that stuff back to your friend and going through it with her?”

“Not at all. I only wish we had found something useful.”

“You and me both,” Emmerson said. “I’m glad she’s staying with you. How long do you think that will last?”

“I don’t know. I can’t force her to stay, but I’m thinking if we don’t find him, it’ll be three or four days at most before she gets antsy. Unless we get some good leads,” Rhett said. “Any chance this counterfeit money and Cole are attached to the drugs washing up on the beaches?”

“That’s what Mom thinks. But if that’s the case, it could bring all this back to Chris and Jackie, and that’s not going to be good for your friend.”

Rhett didn’t like the sound of that because it meant that Shelby’s brother could be using again, when it sounded more like he’d been on the run from something nefarious. Rhett would prefer it to be the latter, at least for Shelby’s sake. Rhett knew how much she loved her brother and wanted Chris to be healthy and happy.

“You look like you’re either constipated or stepped in dog shit,” Emmerson said, waving his hand in the air. “No one believes Shelby has anything to do with this.”

“But you all think Chris and Jackie do.”

“No one is saying that. Right now, we have a hotel room with all their shit left behind. And counterfeit money that might be tied to a known drug dealer who’s recently been let out of prison.” Emmerson waggled his finger. “We still need to find out who he had contact with while he was locked up.”

“But Jackie’s family is potentially tied to the mob.”

---