Page 81 of Lost Lake
“You filling the carafe or starting a fountain?” El gave a pointed look at his hand.
He glanced down to discover water flowing over the top.
“Sorry.” He turned the handle. “Lost in thought.”
She rested a hip against the counter, her expression perking up. “About?”
“Nothing important.”
“Is that true or do you not want to share it with me?”
“I do want to share it with you, and I will, but now isn’t the right time.” He tipped his head toward the living area. “Especially not with a deputy waiting for you.”
Gabe looked in Price’s direction. He was lost in his phone, the screen reflecting off his face.
She squeezed Gabe’s hand. “I know things aren’t good tonight, but I feel like it’s set my priorities and brought us closer together.”
“Agreed.” He clung to her hand, but needed to clear his brother’s name before this could go any further. “I’m not trying to pressure you, but how soon before we can interview Brad?”
She arched an eyebrow, but didn’t speak.
“Honestly, I respect your skills and experience, and I’m good to do whatever you say.”
“You said you suspect him of killing Kenna, but when you think about it now, do you really believe he did?”
“He’s been a criminal all his life,” Gabe said. “But I’d like to think murder wasn’t part of his ethos.”
“And if you believe what Jude had to say, then we would think if a boyfriend killed her, it would be an unplanned rage-filled incident. Sure, the strangulation could’ve been anger-induced, but everything else points to a more controlled incident.”
He nodded as he was starting to believe she was right. But was he buying into it because he didn’t want to believe his brother was a killer or because he really believed in his innocence?
How could he know? How could he separate family from his work even though he was no longer part of their lives?
The very reason he needed El to make the decision on how and when to approach Brad.
“Do you think he’s holding Lucy?” she asked.
“Again, I don’t think kidnapping is in his wheelhouse. I know criminals escalate, but they don’t usually go from petty burglary to murder and kidnapping without something in between.”
“True, but if he did kill Kenna, and if Lucy saw him do it, then he couldn’t let her go.”
“So what do you want to do?”
“Get a warrant to search his place before we talk to him and tip him off that we know about his involvement. We don’t want him disposing of any evidence. Until then, we hang back. He doesn’t know we’re on to him, so I doubt he’ll flee. Means there’s no need to track him down in the middle of the night.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he said as the coffeemaker gurgled its readiness.
He respected her strategy, and he would abide by it, but there was no way his brain would quiet down and let him sleep tonight. Not only because of his brother, but because he wanted to be sure no one broke in to hurt El.
He certainly hadn’t backburnered finding Lucy, though. Time was ticking down, and his drive to locate her pressed harder on him than ever.
Even if it meant accusing his own brother of murder and kidnapping.
19
The inn’s guest room carried a faint lavender scent, very calming after the trauma El had just experienced. Gabe put her suitcase on a bench at the end of a plump bed covered with a soft, beige comforter and holding large fluffy pillows in immaculate white cases.
Feeling very much at home, El almost sighed, but sudden fatigue took over her body, and she collapsed on the sleek sofa. By the boxy design, she expected it to be uncomfortable. It was. Not the entire cushion, but a hard object protruded beneath her. She scooted down a couple of feet, and the cushion was plump and comfy.
