AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If anything makes you uncomfortable we can stop, or find a way to work around it.”
“I had no intention of ever speaking to you.” This whole conversation brimmed with understatement, that comment being the most understated of all. Elisa had gotten good at hiding and had planned to stick with that strategy.
Shelby nodded. “That’s the impression we got.”
“‘We’?”
“The Ashburn of Ashburn and Tanaka is Martin Ashburn, my partner.”
Interesting. “Husband?”
“Ex-husband’s uncle, actually.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s a long story.”
Even more interesting.“Sounds it.”
Shelby laughed. “If you come inside, I’ll tell you all about it.”
As icebreakers went, that was a tempting one. And Elisa had showed up today for a very specific reason. A personal one. “I actually have a deal for you.”
Shelby stopped in the middle of shifting toward the door. “I’m listening.”
“It’s about this.” Elisa took out Abby’s laptop. “I need help tracking where the messages came from. I’ve tried. Even followed directions on this video I found online, but I didn’t get anywhere. But it’s not just this. It’s other things.”
“Such as?”
“Investigating people. An Internet search can only get me so far.” Following Rachel had turned out to be scary and potentially dangerous, so she was ready to seek out some expertise. “You help me and, in return, I stop trying to avoid you.”
Now the other woman just looked confused.
Elisa didn’t blame her. Nothing about this situation felt or sounded right. Very little could drag Elisa out of the safety of her house and away from her kitchen and yard, but this topic did.
“You’d be paid, of course.” Elisa didn’t stammer around. She plunged right in just as Shelby had done. “I think mybrother-in-law is a killer and that he knows I think he is one and is trying to drive me over the edge before I can unravel his secrets. Make me doubt my own mind.”
Shelby’s eyes widened a bit but there was no other outward sign of surprise or confusion. “Ah. Well, then. It sounds like we have a lot to discuss.”
“I’m serious.”
“Ms. Wright—”
“Elisa.”
“Elisa.” Shelby put her hand on the doorknob and waited. “We’ve been tasked with doing background on the shooting, the individuals involved, and the hospital. We’ve looked into everyone’s situation.”
Elisa could hear a hint of an underlying message but she didn’t quite get it. “Meaning?”
“I know a lot about your family. Your brother-in-law’s history is...” Shelby looked like she was searching for the right word. “Let’s say fascinating.”
Fascinating? More like deadly, suspicious, and terrifying. “Then we should talk.”
Shelby opened the door and gestured for Elisa to go inside first. “After you.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Elisa couldn’t mess up Nathan’s pickup a second time in a week. She’d caused enough trouble by confronting Meredith on school grounds the other day. As expected, that move touched off a whisper campaign. More than one parent who barely knew her suddenly took an interest in her life and asked how she was doing. She and Harris had gotten a call from the school and a note from a teacher about driving safety. Honestly, it was all a bit much.
More than one divorcing couple had used the school as a battleground to fight over three hours of visitation time on a Friday or a random holiday. Elisa drove a little fast and everyone had a theory. Okay... maybe it was a bit more than a speed issue, but the point was she didn’t need more nonsense in her life.
Thanks to a slide through anit was yellow a minute agostoplight, she arrived at the school in time. Barely. She was the second-to-last car in the pickup line. Only the mom with five kids, three of them under three, and a husband who’d just gotten caught stealing money at work pulled in behind her.
