Chapter Twenty-Three
Brian grinned at him knowingly as Eric walked into the mudroom from outside, pulling off his coat and hanging it on one of the empty hooks.
But Eric must have looked worried because Brian’s expression turned serious.
“We got your note. What’s wrong?” Brian asked. “What did Anya have to say about her sister getting pregnant?”
Eric grimaced. “You know what? We never even discussed Shanna much this morning. After we talked with Jake, we discovered that there are even more things going on than both of us realized.”
Brian looked taken aback. “Did Jake say it was okay to share?”
“Have you got any coffee made?” Eric asked.
“Are you kidding? With two sets of parents visiting, we have coffee and chocolate latte.”
Eric grinned. “I think I’ll stick with the coffee. Come and sit with me at the table, and I’ll tell you what’s going on. You need to keep it between us, although I think it would be fine to share it with Ashley.”
“Good. She’d worm whatever it is out of me anyway. What’s happened?”
Eric went on to explain about the phone call Anya had received from Shanna and detailed exactly what Anya had been doing to investigate Shanna’s disappearance.
Eric continued, “And then there are these two notebooks that Jake said they’ve been looking for since last year, when Ashley was kidnapped.”
Brian blinked. “He found the other notebooks?”
“He thinks so,” Eric admitted.
“Hopefully it’ll be okay to eventually tell Michelle and Jeff, since they found the first one at their place. They’re sticking close to home, which is right down the road. They would have visited here for Christmas except she’s pregnant and there have been all kinds of horror stories going around about pregnant women who can get incredibly sick if they get COVID.”
“I’ve been hearing about that too,” Eric agreed. “Anya actually had the notebooks. She thinks that her dad had possession of them, and her mom probably found them after he died. We’re wondering if her dad might have had something to do with the trafficking ring.”
“Wait a minute.” Brian’s eyes went wide. “I wonder…”
“What?” Eric asked.
“It’s too horrendous to think about,” Brian admitted, apparently concerned. “But from what I remember, their dad was such a slimebucket.”
Eric was suddenly stunned, realizing what Brian was thinking.
“It would explain Shanna’s behavior, wouldn’t it?” Eric finally said quietly.
Hesitating, Brian nodded his agreement.
“I’m not telling Anya,” Eric said grimly. “At least not now. First we’ll try to find Shanna. Jake’s going to provide Anya with a security clearance and a criminal database. Plus, she’s going to get paid for her efforts. And—what I’m most relieved about —he’s going to provide security and surveillance at the cabin just in case. Due to what Shanna said in her message, they’re exhuming their mother’s body to be sure that she died from natural causes.”
Brian shook his head in obvious disbelief. “Now you’ve got me worried.”
“Yes. Promise me you’ll keep an eye on things when I’m gone?”
“You’ve got it, Eric,” Brian answered firmly.
At that moment, Ashley walked into the kitchen, hauling Arielle in her arms.
Ashley looked from Eric to Brian. “What’s going on?”
When Mom popped into the kitchen behind Ashley, Eric winked. “Brian will fill you in when the two of you are alone. But Anya would love for you to take a look at the cabin and give her your advice on converting it into a four-season log home.”
“Great. Maybe I should do it while I’ve got both sets of parents here to babysit. How about tomorrow?”
“That would probably be as good of a time as any, since she’s got security being installed at the cabin, courtesy of Jake Loughlin. She’s going to be earning some extra money doing some research for him, so she might be able to afford to do things more quickly.” Eric cleared his throat. “Especially if I’m pitching in.”
Mom looked at him knowingly. “That was a beautiful ring she was wearing.”
“Yes,” Eric admitted, grinning. “That was from me, and of course, you knew that, Mom. It was more of a promise that we would be engaged soon. I need to reevaluate my career so I can be here in Crystal Rock too.”
Mom came over to the table, kissing him gently on the cheek. “I’ve loved that girl since the first time you brought her home for dinner. She’s always seemed so lost, except for when she was there with us at the house when the two of you were dating. I’m so glad you two found each other again, Eric.”
“We have our new beginning, Mom. That’s for sure,” he agreed.