Chapter 13
Gabe knocked on the front door of El’s house, thinking it resembled her in many ways.
She wasn’t square and boxy like her small ranch, but she was no-nonsense.
No frills. Basic, like the colors she wore even off duty.
Not that he’d seen her off duty more than a couple of times.
She certainly didn’t dress flashy, but fit in well with her nondescript house, painted a simple green and white.
The door swung in. El stood before him, her hand on the knob and her hair hanging wet to her shoulders. Ah, they thought alike and she’d showered too. He’d not only needed to wash away the crime of the day, but to eliminate the cobwebs in his brain for a long night ahead.
She’d dressed in a rust-colored sweater and baggy jeans, her bare toes poking from under the hem. She looked far more casual than he’d ever seen. Soft and curvy and way more approachable. A good thing, and yet not a good thing.
He steeled his resolve to keep this evening all business and held out a pizza he’d grabbed on the way. “I didn’t have time for dinner and figured you might not have either.”
Flashing a generous smile that went straight to Gabe’s heart, she leaned toward the box and inhaled deeply. “Bless you for thinking of that.” Apparently unaware of her effect on him, she spun. “Follow me, and I’ll get some plates and drinks.”
She led him into the combined living-dining room. “Have a seat, and I’ll be right back.”
Before he could ask her about the many moving boxes in the room stacked to the ceiling, she went into the kitchen.
He placed the pizza on her glossy white table and set the reports he carried next to it, then sat in one of the green velvet chairs.
She’d decorated the place in oranges, greens, and mustards, totally different from her work wardrobe.
Surprising. Maybe he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did. Nah. He knew the important things. Maybe not her decorating style, but the person deep inside. Still, what was up with the boxes? There were even more in the living area.
She rushed into the room, carrying green plates, napkins, and a pitcher of water along with two glasses.
“So, the moving boxes,” he said and reached for the pizza box. “Coming or going?”
She quickly laid things out. “Neither.”
“So, you just moved in then?”
“I’ve been here for almost a year but haven’t had a chance to finish everything.” She poured the water. “The job, you know? Takes up all my time, and I pretty much only sleep here.”
“But you had time to paint, right?”
“Not me. Hired a painter to do the walls before I moved anything in. Figured if I didn’t have time to finish the place the way I wanted, I’d at least have something that made it look like it was mine.”
“I like your choice of colors.”
“Thanks. I’m a big mid-century modern fan, and it took me a while to find a house that fit my aesthetics.”
He opened the pizza box and pushed it closer to her. “I didn’t know what kind you liked so I got pepperoni. Figured it’s easy enough to remove if you didn’t like it.”
“I love pepperoni.” She grabbed two large slices and put them on her plate, then dropped into the chair across from him. She chomped off a large bite and pointed at the documents he’d brought. She swallowed. “That Hayden’s report?”
He’d also grabbed a few slices, one of which he’d taken a large bite from, and nodded. Before he could swallow and say anything, she reached for the report and started reading.
Her head popped up. “Mason was a retired police officer?”
“Twenty-five years on the force in Seaside Harbor.”
Her eyes widened. “Your and Kenna’s hometown,” she said more to herself than to him. “Then Faye has a better chance of finding his fingerprints in the database and giving us a concrete ID.”
“Unless his department chose not to enter officers’ fingerprints in the database.”
“Right,” she said. “Do we have any indication he knew Kenna?”
Gabe polished off his first slice. “Hayden didn’t find anything to connect them, but he’ll keep after it.”
“Living in the same city as Kenna means there could be a chance he knew her. If Faye gets a positive confirmation on his prints, I’ll notify his daughter tomorrow.
Hopefully, she can shed some light on any connection to Kenna.
” El bit into her pizza. She chewed and got a faraway look in her eyes.
“It’s odd that he lives near the ocean and owns a lake property. ”
Gabe tapped the report as he grabbed more pizza. “Wasn’t meant to be his full-time residence. Just a fishing getaway he bought about a year ago. Maybe he liked freshwater fishing better than saltwater.”
“A year ago, huh? He was probably the one who cleaned up the boathouse. I would’ve started with clearing out that house. Even if it was only a lake home, how could he possibly stay there?”
“You said it didn’t seem like anyone lived there. Maybe he camped on the property instead.”
“We didn’t find any evidence of camping, but it’s another question for his daughter.” Her eyes lit on something in the report, and she snatched it from the table. “Says here Mason made a few substantial bank deposits this past year.”
Gabe swallowed the last bite. “Hayden’s searching deeper to locate the payment source.”
“Could mean something to our investigation, or he could simply be getting a single payout for contract work or something like that.”
“Again, more questions and zero answers.” He turned his attention to eating and powered through several slices of pizza.
She picked at hers.
He got it. It was often hard to eat in a murder investigation.
He didn’t have that problem. Especially if it was a juicy burger.
But now with a full stomach, his mind focused in on Kenna.
He shoved his chair back to get up. He stretched his tired muscles in his back and shoulders, then walked the length of the room and back.
El stepped in front of him. “Looks like you should be home getting some shuteye.”
“I might look exhausted. I am, but with Lucy still missing, I won’t be able to sleep. I’ll just lie there and think about the condition she might be in. I’d rather stay here and start looking at your ViCAP investigations.”
“Okay, sure,” she said. “But at least take a quick break with me.”
“I don’t—”
“This isn’t up for discussion.” She took his hand and tugged him toward her sofa.
He relented and followed her. She sat and drew him down next to her.
He expected her to let go of his hand, but she took it in her other hand and turned it over to study.
“I know we’re putting our personal stuff with each other aside for now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t tell you how much I feel your pain.
I didn’t know Kenna, and I don’t know Lucy, but I do know if you care this much about them, they’re both special. ”
Her kindness was nearly his undoing, and he had to look at the ceiling and count to ten before he could speak. “I can’t imagine life without my best friend, and I refuse to imagine it without her daughter.”
“How do you feel about raising Lucy?”
“I haven’t had much time to think about it, but I’m honored that Kenna wants me to do it. Scared to be a parent too, but terrified we won’t find her, and I won’t get a chance to try.”
She tightened her fingers on his. “We’ll find her.”
“I don’t know how you can say that with such confidence. You know even better than I do that each passing day means the outcome might not be as we would hope.”
“Then we should pray about it again. Trust that God will bring her home to you.”
“There’s that pesky word trust again.” He leaned his head back against the couch. “If anything, I’m heading the opposite direction. Seeing my family today didn’t help.”
She turned his head to face her. “Do you trust me?”
Her eyes were wide with expectation and maybe, just maybe, the same strong feelings he had for her. He’d never wanted to kiss a woman as much as he did right now. He cupped the side of her face.
She pressed her cheek against his hand. Her skin was soft against his rough palm. But then she lifted her head, her eyes filled with questions. She hadn’t forgotten about what she’d asked him.
He wanted to answer right away. To say, “Of course I trust you. No doubt.” But he didn’t know if he did. He just didn’t know. And as long as he couldn’t give her the answer she wanted, he couldn’t kiss her and lead her on.