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He frowned. “She never mentioned anything specific. I know her classes were unusually hard last semester, and she struggled to keep up with the workload.”
She kept her gaze locked on his face. “What about here? Did Ruby have any troubles with anyone or anything at Fresh Start?”
“If she did, she didn’t mention it to me,” he answered smoothly.
The words came too easily, as if they were well-rehearsed. Sienna didn’t believe him for a moment. If Ruby uncovered someone was laundering money through the charity, she probably would’ve taken it straight to Gideon. He was the director. Unless… unless she’d suspected he was involved.
Sienna’s heart broke for Ruby. It must’ve been awful to discover someone—or multiple people—were using the charity to hide criminal activity. The only thing worse was not knowing who to trust with the information. No wonder she’d been losing sleep.
“You mentioned Ruby scheduled the teachers.” Eli had taken out his new cell phone and was typing notes. “What was her interaction with Albert Greer like?”
His forehead crinkled. “I’m not sure she ever interacted with Albert. He taught here a couple of years ago, but it’s been a while.” He swiped an invisible fleck off the slick desktop. “Not to speak ill of the dead, but Albert wasn’t one of our favorite teachers. He yelled at the students, and after many complaints, we let him go.”
Sienna wasn’t surprised. Albert’s rough attitude was well known. “His name is still listed as a teacher on your website.”
He waved a hand dismissively. “Our website needs a complete overhaul. We add photos from events and update our fundraising campaigns, but the rest of the pages are sadly out-of-date. It’s one of the many things on my to-do list.” He frowned. “Why are you asking about Albert? Do you believe his death is connected to Ruby’s disappearance?”
“It’s an avenue we’re pursuing.”
He arched a brow. “The police chief seems certain you’re responsible for his death, Ms. Evans. You’ve been charged with his murder.” The polite veneer melted away from Gideon’s face. His lips hardened. “I’m concerned you’re attempting to link Albert’s murder to Ruby’s disappearance for your own sake. No one benefits from that, especially Mrs. Morales, who must be worried sick about her granddaughter.”
A flare of anger heated Sienna’s blood, but she kept the evidence of it from bleeding into her voice. “My reputation as a private investigator speaks for itself. I would never use a family’s pain for my own benefit.” She met his gaze. “We have evidence that Ruby is in trouble. Our intention is to find her and put whoever harmed her behind bars.”
The room crackled with a silent tension.
Then Gideon slicked on a smile. “Well, I certainly hope you’re wrong about Ruby, and she’s simply taking a break from an overwhelming schedule.” He pushed away from the desk and rose. “Forgive me if I sound accusatory, Ms. Evans. It’s not my intention. Ruby is a special young woman. I know her grandmother loves her dearly, and I’ve seen people be taken advantage of when they are vulnerable.”
His apology rang with sincerity, and Sienna questioned her own intuition. Perhaps she’d misread him. “My own sister’s murder was unsolved for years. I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on anyone. All I’m interested in is finding Ruby. To that end, we’d like to question some of your staff.”
“No.” His tone brooked no argument. “Neither of you are law enforcement officers and I won’t subject my staff to questioning that would disrupt the important work we’re doing.”
Eli rose to his full height. “Don’t you want to do everything you can to help find Ruby?”
“I have. I’ve answered your questions and made my staff available to Chief Ramirez.” He circled the desk and headed for the door. “I promise to alert the authorities if I learn anything that can help. In the meantime, allow me to escort you back to the front desk. Our offices are a maze for newcomers.”
Sienna wasn’t quite ready to leave yet. “What about Jesse O’Neal? Do you know him?”
Gideon’s posture stiffened even more. He turned to face them, anger etched across his features. “Mr. O’Neal was a member of our community, but hasn’t been for quite some time. I was informed of his arrest by Chief Ramirez, who warned me you’d stop by to ask questions about him. While I can appreciate the concern over Ruby’s whereabouts, I won’t have my charity’s good name besmirched. Attempting to link Albert’s murder or Jesse’s attack on Mrs. Morales to Fresh Start won’t be tolerated. We have nothing to do with those terrible incidents.”
He marched to the door and opened it wide. Sienna hesitated but decided she’d pushed things far enough. Gideon was protective of his charity’s good name, which was understandable, but was his reaction genuine? Or was he simply nervous they would uncover his money-laundering scheme?
She needed more information about him, and it wouldn’t happen now. The meeting was over. Sienna shared a glance with Eli before heading for the door. She crossed over the threshold and rounded the corner, her steps fueled by frustration and disappointment. They were no closer to uncovering Ruby’s whereabouts. She’d hoped to question staff members, but that wasn’t to be.
Sienna ran smack into a wall of muscle. With a yelp, she fell back. Two warm hands grasped her elbows lightly, halting her momentum before she landed on her backside. She tossed curls out of her eyes, the face of the man still holding onto her arms coming into full view.
She gasped. The slope of his mouth and the curve of his jaw were all too familiar, as were the sky-blue shade of his eyes. Sienna’s brain froze, unable to process what her eyes were telling her. It couldn’t be. But it was.
The man she’d run into was Dalton.
Eli’s younger brother.
SIXTEEN
Shock ripped through Eli. It took every ounce of his training to keep the emotion from leaching onto his face as he stared at his younger brother.
Dalton looked so much like their father. Nearly a carbon copy down to the chestnut highlights in his hair and the slope of his nose. Time had etched faint lines along the corners of his eyes and deepened the cleft in his chin. He’d put on weight—at least sixty pounds—most of it sheer muscle. For a moment, flashes of hurled insults mingled with the memory of flying fists as Dalton’s image melded with their father’s in Eli’s mind.
He blinked, willing the thoughts away, all too aware that Gideon was standing in the hallway, observing this family reunion with a slanted look of suspicion.
