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“Who is he?” Faith asked.
“Silas Evans, Hillary’s brother.” Aiden leaned back in his chair. “He’s bad news. Silas has been arrested a few times for assault, domestic violence, and driving while under the influence. He lives in Austin and, according to the daycare Hillary was working for at the time she died, is her closest living relative. Their parents are deceased.”
Chase turned over the new information. “Does he have a motive to want his sister dead?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Hillary inherited a substantial sum of money from her grandmother last year shortly before she moved to Austin. Silas didn’t receive a penny. According to Hillary’s friends, her brother was angry about it. Neighbors in her apartment complex witnessed several heated arguments between them.”
Faith’s gaze shot between Aiden and Chase. “I’m confused. What difference does it make if Hillary inherited money from her grandparents?”
“Silas may want to get his hands on it,” Aiden said. “If Hillary dies, Anna would inherit the money.”
Beside him, Faith inhaled sharply. “That’s why he tried to kidnap her from the grocery store.”
Chase kept quiet. He didn’t want to scare Faith unnecessarily, and there was no proof of the dark suspicions running through his head. Faith opened her mouth to say something else but was cut off by her cell phone. She glanced at the screen. “I’m sorry. I need to take this. My parents are still on vacation, and this is their next-door neighbor.”
She rose from her chair and slipped out of the office. Chase watched her through the glass wall. Nearby, Holly was holding Anna, rocking the little girl gently.
People did horrible things, but it was beyond comprehension to harm an innocent child for money. Yet that might be exactly what was happening here. While Chase didn’t want to scare Faith, he had no compunction about voicing his theory to Aiden. “It’s unlikely a judge would grant Silas custody of Anna, given his criminal background. He’s not interested in becoming her guardian. He needs her gone.”
Aiden heaved a sigh. “I agree with you. Silas has deadly intentions toward that little girl. Getting rid of her is the only way he’ll get the money.”
Chase kept Faith in eyesight but directed his question toward Aiden. “Have you interviewed Silas?”
“We tried.” Aiden glowered. “He’s missing. Silas hasn’t been seen since the night Hillary disappeared. He doesn’t have a permanent residence, usually bunks with a rotating list of friends. He also doesn’t own a car.” He flipped to a few more photographs on the tablet. “These are stills taken from the surveillance video of the grocery store parking lot. The attacker used a silver truck as a getaway vehicle. It’s the same make and model as Hillary’s vehicle.”
“He’s using her car.” Chase blew out a breath. “Wow.”
“I’ve got every officer in the state looking for Silas and this vehicle. We’re going to find him.”
Chase didn’t doubt his boss’s determination or investigative skills, but if they were right about Silas, the man had nothing to lose. He would try to hurt Anna again, and he’d tried to eliminate Faith as a potential witness to his sister’s murder. They needed to get him off the streets. Immediately.
Faith hurried back into the office, panic stamped on her pretty features. Chase shot to his feet. “What is it?”
“It’s my parents' house. A water pipe burst and it’s flooding.” She grabbed her purse from the chair. “We have to go.”
“Leave the baby with Holly and me,” Aiden said quickly. He shot Chase a concerned look. The message was loud and clear: be careful.
Chase nodded, his own mind already whirling with possibilities as he followed Faith out of the office. The burst pipe could be a coincidence. Or Hillary’s killer could have broken into the house and busted the pipe, knowing Faith would be called over to check things out.
Were they walking into a trap?
