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Before this case, Eli wouldn’t have either, which is why he didn’t call Cole, who was a stickler for the rules. Instead, he phoned Ryker. His best friend had always pushed against every boundary or rule he’d come across. In his youth, he’d been reckless. Now he was more careful about his choices, but his core character hadn’t changed. Ryker would always be something of a rebel.
Much like Sienna. She made up her own set of guidelines and followed them without apology, unwilling to go with the status quo if it ultimately resulted in the wrong outcome.
Once again, Eli was struck by the notion that his strict adherence to the rules might be hindering rather than helping him. It made him too quick to judge. Too rigid and hard. Of course, he would never willfully be a rule breaker, but there were times and circumstances that couldn’t fit neatly into a black-and-white guideline.
Like now.
He took a bite of his sandwich, the crusty bread giving way with a satisfying crunch as an explosion of flavor erupted on his tongue. Mayonnaise smeared onto his cheek. He wiped it away with a napkin before filling Ryker in on everything they’d learned. “What’s going on at the police station?”
Ryker frowned. “Jesse’s still refusing to talk. He did confess to being hired by someone to break into the house, but is refusing to say who. Chief Ramirez believes the Greer boys are responsible. Or someone in their family is.”
“Why would Albert’s cousins go after Amelia?” Sienna frowned. “That makes no sense if they believe I’m the one responsible for his death.”
“The chief doesn’t have an answer for that yet. I think he’s getting closer to accepting that Albert’s murder and Ruby’s disappearance are connected, but we need more evidence to convince him.”
Eli wiped the last of the crumbs from his hands. “Hopefully, these notes we’ve uncovered on Ruby’s computer will do the trick.” He tossed the crumpled napkin on his empty plate. “We’re going to interview Gideon Wade, the director of Fresh Start, tomorrow morning. Can you start digging into these invoices Ruby copied? Let’s see if these companies are real, and if so, who owns them.”
“I can try. Chief Ramirez may fight me on it though.” Ryker’s expression grew speculative. “Any chance there’s a link between Albert and Fresh Start?”
Sienna frowned. “That’s an excellent question.” She started tapping away on her laptop, and moments later, gave out a squeal of excitement. “Albert taught classes on commercial fishing for Fresh Start. He’s been doing it for the last two years.” She turned back to face the men. “I assumed that Albert saw something on the night of Ruby’s disappearance, but maybe that’s not true. Maybe he observed something while at Fresh Start.”
“Something that became significant after Ruby’s disappearance,” Eli said, following her chain of thought.
It was a breakthrough. A big one. His heart rate picked up speed. “Let’s talk this through. Ruby suspects someone is laundering money through Fresh Start. She starts investigating and keeps records. Somehow, Albert overhears a conversation or figures out something is going on. Then Ruby disappears.”
“The police chief refuses to investigate properly,” Sienna adds. “When Ruby’s grandmother receives a desperate phone call from her granddaughter, she hires me. I start digging into the case, and that makes Ruby’s kidnapper nervous. On top of that, I suspect Albert attempted to blackmail the person who kidnapped Ruby.”
It made sense with everything they knew about the fisherman. Albert had gotten in trouble for blackmailing people before. “It would explain how Ruby’s kidnapper knew about the meeting between you and Albert.”
Sienna nodded. “Albert told him. As a threat to convince him to pay up.”
“Except it backfires. Ruby’s kidnapper decides to get rid of two problems at the same time. He steals your gun and frames you for Albert’s murder. That way his blackmailer is dead and you’re sitting in jail on a murder charge.”
“The plan would have worked.” Sienna shot him a look of appreciation that warmed Eli straight through. “Except you showed up and bailed me out of jail. Now he has a PI and a Texas Ranger chasing him down. He moves into clean-up mode and hires Jesse.” She turned to Ryker. “Do we know if Jesse is responsible for the other attacks against me?”
“No. We’re still reviewing the evidence, but there’s nothing definitive connecting him to the prior attacks.” His expression was grim. “I think we need to assume whoever hired him might have others on the payroll.”
Eli didn’t like the thought of that. It was bad enough that one man was trying to kill Sienna. The thought of multiple people coming for her… his chest squeezed tight.
“There’s another problem.” Ryker tilted his head. “Why does Ruby’s kidnapper go to all this trouble? Wouldn’t it make more sense to kill her and be done with it?”
Eli paused, considering his colleague’s point. “Not if the kidnapper needs her alive for some reason.”
“What reason?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”
FIFTEEN
Fresh Start was located near the marina. It’d once been a commercial warehouse. Effort and money had turned the building into a modern red-bricked structure with three stories and oversized windows. Leafy plants in terra-cotta pots provided shade for a picnic bench in the small grassy yard between the sidewalk and the entrance.
It was an oasis in an otherwise desolate area of town. Most of the other warehouses were vacant, abandoned after the fishing industry died out. Dark streaks created by time and water damage marred many of the gray buildings.
Sienna shuddered as an icy wind whipped down the collar of her jacket. She disliked this section of town. Albert’s murder had only solidified the feeling. Would she ever smell salty air again and not remember the poor man’s body falling out of the chair?
Her gaze drifted toward the fishing vessels docked a short distance away. Albert’s boat was barely visible from where she stood. The crime scene tape had been removed and a makeshift dock had replaced the one the speed boat tore apart a few days ago.
“This place hasn’t changed much.” Eli said, joining her on the cracked sidewalk. He settled his cowboy hat on his head to block out the morning sunshine. “I thought the mayor started an initiative to change these old warehouses into something the community could use.”
