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Well, maybe he is. Did Mike kill Lane?
And more…had he done more than that? Was he the one stalking Mia? Grant hadn’t looked into Mike’s background. He hadn’t thought he needed to.
Was all of this connected? His gut was telling him that it was. This was too strange to be a mere coincidence.
“I have a warrant for Ellers’ phone and computer,” Wallace said. “I’ve got both down at the lab and they’re combing through it to see what they can find. I’ll know more tomorrow. My theory is that Ellers killed his wife while she was sleeping, inflicted some minor injuries on himself, and then set off his own alarm all for the insurance money. Although, if he’s your stalker, then the motive could be more complex.”
“Are you going to bring him in for questioning?”
“I will once I have my ducks in a row. I want to make sure I know as much as I can about what truly happened last night. I only want to ask questions that I already have the answers to.”
Questions. There were plenty of them, and not enough answers.
Not yet. But Grant was beginning to see a few of the puzzle pieces fit together.
Mike Ellers had his full attention. And he wasn’t getting anywhere near Mia.
* * *
“What you’re saying is crazy,” Mia protested, still trying to take in all that Grant had told her. “Mike is not a killer. He adored Lane. Absolutely adored her. He would never hurt her. You’re making a huge mistake. The sheriff is just trying to find someone to blame so he can close this case.”
Grant’s brother Trey wasn’t saying much, sitting at the kitchen island while Grant had described what the sheriff had told him about last night and Lane’s death.
“Sheriff Wallace isn’t that type,” Grant argued. “I know that it’s hard to hear these things, but you have to admit that there are a lot of inconsistencies in Mike’s story.”
“I’m sure they all have rational explanations,” Mia shot back. “Mike would not kill Lane. I know him. He wouldn’t do that. And he wouldn’t stalk me, either. I mean…why would he? He was a happily married man.”
“Was he? How can we be sure? What we see isn’t always the truth.”
Her temper rising, Mia struggled to tamp it down. Grant was being protective, but this time he was going too far. She loved him for it, but… This was insane. He couldn’t actually believe this, right?
“I think I would know if my best friend’s marriage was on the rocks. Lane never said a word.”
“Maybe she didn’t know.”
Mia threw up her hands in frustration. He had an answer for everything.
“So what if the neighbors didn’t see a light? That doesn’t mean anything. And maybe Mike cleaned up the living room before the cops got there. Have you thought about that? The doorbell cameras don’t pick up everything, you know. If the men snuck in, they might not have been caught on camera. It’s all explainable.”
“Mike was barely injured, and his wife is dead.”
“But he was injured. He fought two men to keep Lane safe, but he couldn’t fight off two people with knives.”
“Exactly,” Grant replied. “He’s barely injured from fighting two men with weapons. Mia, if someone was trying to hurt you, they would have to cut off my arms and legs before I’d let them get to you.”
“You’re a cop,” Mia groaned. “You’re trained to fight. Mike is a financial advisor. He doesn’t know anything about self-defense.”
“What about the life insurance? You don’t think that’s strange?”
“They took policies out on one another. That’s what married people do. Grant, there is nothing you can say to make me believe that Mike killed Lane. Nothing. I know him. He’s like a brother to me. He wouldn’t do this. That sheriff has messed with your head. He’s looking for a suspect and I’ve been told that they always look at the spouse. He’s trying to pin it on Mike, but he was a victim, too.”
“Mia,” Grant said, his tone gentle as if he was afraid she was going to explode at any second. She wasn’t that upset, but she was pissed off. “This could all be connected. Mike could be the one stalking you. Getting rid of Lane was an escalation.”
This was simply too farfetched to be believed. How on earth did he get this far?
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this. Mike is not stalking me. There’s no way. Grant, I want you to stop talking about this right now.” She could feel the tears threatening to spill over any minute. It had been one of the worst days of her life, and she’d had some pretty shitty ones, too. “I won’t hear you say another word against Mike. Not one more word.”
The tears did come, and she couldn’t stop them. Grant bundled her into his arms, stroking her hair and telling her that everything was going to be okay. She wanted to sink in and lean on him, let him be the strong one. She could be weak and simply sit back and let him handle it all.
