Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Holly brought Nick a steaming mug of coffee, and the three of us settled around a table.
“What’s going on?” I asked, impatient to hear the news.
Nick took a long sip, closing his eyes for a moment. This was probably his first break of the day, but I wished I could drag what he knew directly out of his brain.
He placed the mug down on the table. “Kris brought Ellison in because the text on Susie’s phone asking her to meet on the roof was from him.”
“Okay,” I said. So far this wasn’t anything I hadn’t already assumed.
“But!” He held up a finger. “I took a look and knew that wasn’t his phone number.”
Holly inched closer, putting her elbows on the table. “Explain.”
“The text said something like ‘Hey, it’s Ellison.’ And then it asked her to meet. Susie replied that this wasn’t his number, and he said he’d gotten a new one.”
“So, someone else texted her and claimed to be him.” My heart started to race. “Whose number is it?”
“We dug in to find that out as quickly as possible, and unfortunately it’s a TracFone.”
I sank back in my seat. A prepaid phone with no contract. Anyone could buy one anonymously.
Holly’s eyes widened. “But you can still get information! I read about a case where—”
Nick held up a hand. “It’s what I spent all day doing while they were interrogating Ellison.
I found out where the phone had been purchased—at a convenience store about ten miles away.
Interestingly, one of the few that doesn’t have surveillance cameras.
The customer paid with cash. There’s no trail. ”
“When did they buy it?” I asked.
“A few days ago, but they only used it that one time. It hasn’t been turned on since.”
“It’s probably at the bottom of the pond by now,” I mumbled. The person had clearly done their homework. Or watched as many crime shows as Holly. “But this is still good. It’s clear that someone lured Susie to the roof by pretending to be Ellison.”
“Or he did it himself but wasn’t dumb enough to send the text from his own phone,” Nick said.
I bristled. “You can’t believe that.”
“No, I don’t,” he clarified. “But just because it was a second phone, that doesn’t eliminate him in the eyes of the law.”
“But so many people know about his history with Susie,” I insisted. “It’s a very small town, and everyone is all up in everyone else’s business. Anyone would know to use Ellison’s name to lure her.”
Holly wrung her hands together. “It doesn’t implicate him, but it doesn’t clear him. What are Kris’s thoughts?”
Nick shook his head. “Kris doesn’t have enough to hold him, but he’s still at the top of the suspect list.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because he’s the boyfriend,” Holly said. “Or ex-boyfriend. And that gives him motive.”
Not to kill all four people, I thought.
“Kris wants this settled quickly.” Nick looked at me. “And your boss is putting on the pressure.”
I stifled a groan. “Carol wants to save the town’s businesses. I understand that. But getting this right is more important than rushing to judgment and getting it wrong.”
The sheriff should know that. I briefly wondered if he had another reason to be hurrying things.
Meanwhile the real killer was still out there.
But I had to focus on the good news. Ellison was innocent.
The police may not have been convinced, but I was.
My eyes watered as relief flooded through me.
Ellison was not a serial killer. He didn’t send the text.
He didn’t lure her—for murdery or non-murdery reasons.
“Are they going to release him?” Holly asked.
Nick cradled the mug in his hands and drained the last of the coffee. “Yeah, but not quite yet. You know how it is.”
I chewed on my thumbnail. “In the meantime, there’s still a killer out there somewhere. Are there any plans for a curfew or lockdown?”
Nick shook his head. “Not yet, but Kris is trying to convince Carol.”
“Nature’s lockdown might help us out,” Holly mused.
“The storm?” Nick said. “I haven’t been paying attention. How many inches are they saying we’re going to get?”
In all of the chaos, I’d forgotten myself. Carol had told me about a big storm coming tomorrow.
Holly stood, taking off her apron. She grabbed his empty mug and brought it over to the counter. “The initial models were wrong, and now we’re looking at two feet. It’s a big one.”
Nick nodded thoughtfully. “That might help keep everyone home, at least, for a day or two.” He rubbed his eyes. “I need to get home and grab a few hours of sleep. Kelsey, can we drop you off at the inn?”
“Yes, please.” The sun had completely set, and I had no intentions of walking around town after dark.
Holly grabbed her coat and purse. Then she handed me a small cardboard food container. “Ham and cheese on a not-stale croissant and a 10 percent stale cupcake for dessert.”
My stomach growled in response. “Thanks. You’re the best.”
Nick gave his wife a kiss on the top of her head. Then he herded us out the front door toward the waiting cruiser. Holly double-checked the locks behind her and looked both ways up and down the sidewalk. The street was chillingly desolate.
I appreciated the door-to-door service. But I hoped that was the first and last time I had to ride in the back of a squad car. It made me feel strangely guilty. I had the urge to confess to the candy bar I stole from a store in second grade on a dare.
The lobby of the inn was eerily empty, as if it were the middle of the night. The tree and decorations were lit, but the logs in the fireplace had smoldered out. It was too early for Grace’s night hours sign, but I supposed no one had to man the front desk if there were no patrons.
I took the turn to head toward the staircase and spotted someone out of the corner of my eye.
Grace sat in the dining area, alone, huddled over a glass of red wine.
The soft glow of Christmas lights bathed her in warm gold, but even that couldn’t hide the slump of her shoulders.
I was tempted to head straight up to my room—small talk wasn’t exactly on my wish list, and there was a decent chance she didn’t want company either.
Still, just in case she needed someone to talk to, I walked over.
The room smelled faintly of cinnamon and pine. A vintage ceramic Santa perched awkwardly on the corner buffet, watching over the empty space like a forgotten guardian.
“Hey,” I said as I approached the table. “Try to keep the pity party down, will you?”
Admittedly, not my best joke. But I tried.
She gave me a weak smile. “I think everyone in town is having this kind of night.”
I gazed around the room, ears perked for any other sign of life. The room was unusually still. A half-decorated gingerbread house sat abandoned on a side table. “It’s so quiet.”
“Half of the guests have checked out.” She took a long sip of wine. “Another chunk will be leaving soon to beat the storm.”
Her voice had an edge I wasn’t used to. Her eyes held a vacant gaze. It was the look of someone who’d lost all hope.
I pulled out the chair beside her and sat down. “They’re going to catch this person. And everything’s going to go back to normal.”
She looked up at me with wet eyes. “What if normal wasn’t all that great either?”
That didn’t sound like her. “What do you mean?”
She pushed the glass away, and it became clear that it wasn’t her first. “Don’t listen to me. I’m just tired. And not the kind that a good night’s sleep can fix. I’m soul tired.”
I leaned forward, catching her eyes with my own. “Grace, you work so hard. I get tired just watching you sometimes. I wish you would be a bit easier on yourself. You’ve been through so much. The loss of a spouse, single-parenting, and now managing a business through a crisis. It’s a lot.”
“If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone else?” Her voice sounded small and sad.
“Of course.”
She pulled the wineglass back toward her and ran her finger along the rim.
“Tonight, for the first time, I’ve been thinking that I wish we’d sold the inn after my husband died.
I could have gotten some nine-to-five job somewhere.
Had an easier time of it. But then I feel guilty.
This place was my husband’s pride and joy.
He inherited it from his parents. He insisted it to go Rudy one day.
And I was just going to quit and sell it off to strangers?
My son’s inheritance? His future?” She shook her head, angry at herself.
I shifted in my seat. “Do you want to know what I think?”
“Okay,” she said, looking at me with a deep vulnerability.
“I think those are completely normal thoughts. And I think, if your husband had any way of communicating to you, he’d want you to know that his top priority was your health and your happiness. Not a building made of wood and nails.”
She took that in, thinking it over and blinking back tears. Then she reached out and squeezed my hand. “I’m going to miss you when you find your own place.”
I shrugged. “Don’t worry. I’ll stop by to steal coffee all the time.”
She threw her head back in laughter, wiping an errant tear from the corner of her eye. “Thank you, Kelsey.”
“For what?”
“For cheering me up,” she said simply. “You could have just gone up to your room. But you care.”
Back in my room, I devoured the food from Holly and watched the local news.
They didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.
Being friends with a town cop probably gave me an advantage there.
My parents and brother texted me, checking in, and I wrote back quickly.
It looked like I’d have to manage their anxiety in addition to my own until the killer was caught.
I wondered if Ellison had been released yet. I thought about texting him, but figured I’d wait. He may not want to talk quite yet. He would be exhausted.
I cleaned up dinner crumbs from my little table and changed into pajamas.
Since I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything, I might as well settle into bed and see if I could find a movie to lose myself in.
I had just pulled the comforter up to my chin and grabbed the remote when someone knocked on my door.
Ellison!
I whipped the covers off and rocketed out of bed. He was here! They’d released him, and he’d come here. My heart swelled. I couldn’t wait to pull him into my arms and comfort him.
But when I checked the peephole, the smile dropped off my face. I hesitated, then flipped the deadbolt and unlocked the door. I opened it, only a foot, and poked my head out.
Aaron stood, his face flushed. He wore a casual sweater and jeans, off brand for him. “Can I come in?”
“Why?” I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Because I’m ready.”
Ominous, but okay. I blinked quickly. “Ready for what?”
His eyes bored into mine. “To tell you the truth.”