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Dawson snorted. “Turns out, he is a local with a very long rap sheet. He also went to school with Andy Samuels. I know that you suspected Andy to be the one who hired these gentlemen.”

“I did. And this pretty much proves it, doesn’t it?”

“I’m not convinced.” Sergeant Dawson said. “I’ve had my team working over Andy’s financial situation. That man is in debt up to his eyebrows. There’s no way he’d be able to afford fifty thousand dollars to pay our professional. Much less the other guy.”

Brody whistled. “That’s like buying a pickup truck or a very small house. I wonder if he promised part of Jenna’s inheritance. Maybe he was already spending against that.”

“Maybe. I’m not sure how he’d get his hands on it, though.”

Brody wasn’t sure either. “I’m still working on that one. Thanks for the information.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything else. I’m sending someone out to pick up Andy Samuels as we speak.”

Brody wished he could be present for that interview. He wanted to see Andy’s face. His mind was mostly convinced Andy was the criminal, but learning about his level of debt made Brody pause. A real hitman wouldn’t accept payment on money that wasn’t available yet. Not in his experience.

He put his feet up on the coffee table and sent a text to Cameron.

A few minutes later, his buddy and partner called. “I have some real interesting information for you. It seems that you were right about the connections. Andy’s grandfather and Jenna’s grandfather were brothers. They were both set to inherit a large sum of money when Lewis Ellis passed away. The one son, Daniel, married Claudia and joined the family business. The other brother, Drake, got into trouble a lot. He gambled, drank too much, and spent some time in prison. When he attacked a woman at Lewis’s corporation, that was the last straw.”

“His father disowned him.” Brody guessed.

“Got it in one. Disowned and wrote him out of the will. He ended up going to prison, leaving his wife and daughter, Andy’s mother, destitute.”

“The family must have felt cheated.”

Cameron made a sound of agreement. “She’s long gone now, but I wouldn’t doubt that Andy’s mother spoke bitterly about the money that should have been hers. You know, all the nice things they would have had. If it hadn’t been for Lewis.”

Never mind Drake’s own culpability. If it was easier to blame someone else. “It seems that greed and selfishness got passed along to his grandson.”

“You are going to have to tell Jenna, that Andy is her cousin.”

The clock read eleven-thirty.

“It’s late. I’ll tell them in the morning. Thanks, Cameron. I hope to have this case nailed shut tomorrow.”

Once it was closed, Jenna and Claudia would be safe.

Brody cleaned up and ate a quick snack. He listened at the door. When he heard a soft laugh, he relaxed. They were fine.

He set his alarm for six in the morning. Tomorrow, Andy Samuels will be held responsible for his crimes.

Jenna and Gram talked until almost one in the morning. They laughed and cried many times. Jenna smiled to herself. Their emotions swung back and forth more than a pendulum. Anyone watching them would think they’d both lost it.

She didn’t care. While she didn’t yet love Gram the way the older woman appeared to treasure her, she no longer felt apprehensive about the relationship. If they had met by chance one day, she would have gladly become friends with Claudia. Her grace and wit, and the faith she shared with Jenna, made her feel easy in her presence.

By the time they stumbled into their beds, Jenna could barely keep her eyes open. She stayed awake long enough to brush her teeth and put her hearing aids on the charger. She sat down on the bed. Her bag was on the other side of the room. She was too beat to get up and change into her pajamas. Maybe she would lie down for a few minutes. Then she fell back and burrowed into the pillow and snagged the thick comforter over herself. She drifted off within minutes.

A hand over her mouth jolted her from her sleep. There was no light in the room except for the red neon glow from the digital clock on her bedside table. It read five thirty-six.

Rough hands pulled her from her bed. Breath landed on her ear. Like someone giving her directions.

But she couldn’t hear them. She couldn’t hear anything. Her hearing aids remained on the charger where she’d plugged it in only a few hours before.

Gram! She strained her eyes, struggling to look around the room and find her grandmother. Nothing.

Her heart pounded in her chest. Her abductor half dragged her, half carried her across the room. She fought until she felt a blade touch her neck. Immediately, she stilled. Her breath, already coming too fast, stuttered in her throat.

Her head buzzed.