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“I thought you looked familiar,” Levi said as he backed up until he was standing near Beau’s chair. “I saw you on the news yesterday. They said that you were the one to find that bloody handprint in the coffee shop. You’re also the sister of…”
Levi let his words trail off as if he hadn’t meant Brook any disrespect, but Theo got the sense that the man had done exactly what he’d intended to do when he’d walked into the living room.
“Yes, I am.” Brook didn’t clarify her answer, but she also didn’t allow Levi’s remark to leave her shaken. “And you’re Beau’s AA sponsor. Odd. I didn’t think that friends always made the best sponsors, but maybe times have changed since one of my family members used to attend the meetings. The two of you met in high school, right?”
“How did you—“
“You also knew Jackie,” Brook pointed out as Levi attempted to interrupt, still leaving Theo behind in the dust. She hadn’t looked at her phone once, so she hadn’t gotten the information from Bit. “Tell me, what was Mr. Ridgeway like back then?”
“We weren’t friends with him,” Beau responded in a clear and concise manner. Brook had not only garnered his attention, but it was as if she’d injected life into him. “What do you mean that Jackie’s name came up in association with another victim? Do you think that he’s behind this? Do you think that he still has Grace?”
Theo internally winced, because the likelihood of Grace or any of the other women being alive after all these years was miniscule. It was also doubtful that Jenny Capshaw was still alive, but her chances were better than the others.
“I don’t think it’s wise to assume anything.” Brook paused, almost as if she were giving the men a moment to process what she’d shared with them. “Mr. Kittle interrupted before you could answer my previous question, Mr. Willow. Are you familiar with the two nursing homes that I mentioned?”
Beau seemed to want to stay on the topic of Jackson Ridgeway, but he was already subconsciously nodding his response.
“Yes?” Brook asked, wanting confirmation. “It’s important that you are certain of your answer, Mr. Willow.”
“Yes,” Beau stated firmly, sharing a confused look with Levi. “Yes, I’m sure. Grace’s family had an old neighbor who couldn’t take care of himself anymore. Why? You’re not telling us what all of this has to do with Jackie.”
“Wait. Didn’t Jackie go to nursing school after his mother died? I remember hearing about it at our tenth-year reunion. He committed suicide, right?”
“I don’t know, because I didn’t go,” Beau said with irritation. A tenth-year reunion would have most likely taken place in the past year or so. Theo could understand why the man wouldn’t have attended such an event. “Ms. Sloane, I’m at a loss here. Please. Tell me what it is that you know about Grace.”
It was more than evident that the men were at a complete loss. Theo understood their reactions, although he had been able to follow the nursing home angle. Fortunately, Brook had managed to obtain confirmation from Beau Willow that the facilitywasat the center of this case. It just went to show that the slightest lead in an investigation could be overlooked due to the timing of interviews.
“Mr. Willow, I believe that your wife knew her abductor personally,” Brook shared, getting right down to the heart of the matter. “Did Grace ever happen to meet Jackson Ridgeway?”
Chapter Sixteen
Brooklyn Sloane
February 2023
Wednesday — 8:07am
“HowdidIknowthat you would be here to greet me?”
Brook paused just inside the doors of the nursing facility so that she could adjust to the warmth. It also gave Abe time to respond to her question.
“Because you’re one smart cookie,” Abe replied with a hearty laugh. Unfortunately, that laugh had led to a coughing fit much like the one from yesterday. He was able to get his breathing under control by the time she made her way over to him. “What brings you back here, Brook?”
“I couldn’t let you go any longer without a piece of pumpkin pie.” Brook held up the Styrofoam container that held the dessert that she’d purchased at a diner right around the corner of her condo building. She’d also remembered to grab a plastic spoon. “Interested?”
Abe gave her a knowing smile, along with a slow nod of approval.
“I’m not too proud to admit that I can be bribed,” Abe said as he reached down to unlock the brake of his wheelchair. “We best go to my room, though. Noah will be coming through here in about twenty minutes. He’ll insist that I eat my breakfast first, but I don’t need to listen to a man decades younger who doesn’t know how to enjoy life.”
Brook handed Abe the white container before she positioned herself behind Abe. With her hands secured on the hard rubber handles, she began to wheel him in the direction that she’d seen Noah take yesterday.
Amelia Jennings was at the front desk.
Her curious gaze was monitoring their progress, but the woman was busy on the phone. Hopefully, Brook would be able to get past her before being forced to sign in as a visitor. It just went to show how lax the facility was on their security.
“I’m the last door on the right,” Abe said as they progressed farther down the long hallway. “Most everyone is either having breakfast in their rooms or the lunch area. The hustle and bustle of the morning gives me some privacy. The front of the building is always the quietest. It gives a man time alone with his thoughts.”
“People don’t do that enough nowadays,” Brook said in agreement, unable to recall the last time that she’d turned her television on at home. The office was something entirely different, because the morning news was a way for her to gather information. Then again, she didn’t think Abe would consider working at her dining room table until two or three o’clock in the morning as her way of taking time alone with her thoughts. To each his own. “How long have you been a resident here, Abe?”
