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“And candlestick makers,” Kelly muttered in a mock huff. “Then tell us about the time you got arrested for wandering into Brad Pitt’s vineyard.”
“Now, that is a boring story,” Brogan teased. “Brad Pitt wasn’t even there.”
“And neither was Angelina Jolie,” Lucien added, flipping a burger. “It was all Brogan’s fault. She wanted to taste the grapes. We hadn’t walked ten yards in after trying to hide underneath the grapevines when three security guards approached us with their weapons drawn.”
“For eating grapes? Jeez.”
“We can tell you firsthand that big-name stars take their security details seriously. The guards marched us to the main entrance, where the police were waiting. I still don’t understand why they couldn’t just let us go. We didn’t make a meal on their grapes or anything. Instead, we got handcuffed and spent the night in jail.”
“Not exactly our finest hour,” Lucien noted. “Burgers are up. Let’s eat.”
Kelly traded looks with Jade. “They weren’t kidding. That was boring.”
“Maybe you’d like to hear about the time Lucien took the stage with his dad in Malta to a sold-out crowd. The fans ate it up—father and son rocking onstage.”
“Now we’re talking,” Kelly said, standing up to grab a burger from the platter. She broke off a piece for Miles, handfeeding him.
Brogan began by setting the scene. “Malta held the concert in a defunct, 19th-century, gothic revival Methodist church with a tiny stage. Do you remember that, Lucien?”
“How could I forget? I was already nervous, not used to getting up in front of a crowd. But to make it worse, the concert planner thought he’d booked a classical band. You should’ve seen the promoter’s eyes bug out when Indigo got off the bus.”
Brogan’s lips curved at the memory. “But the fans knew who they’d paid to see—Rory Rossum Cole and Graeme Sutter. They came from all over the area—Tunisia, Palermo, Italy, and Greece. So many people crammed onto the island that the airport got overwhelmed.”
“You were there, too?” Jade asked.
“I was, watching from the wings.”
“Now, wait a sec.Paula Bretton says you play piano like a pro. Why weren’t you out there with your dad on the keyboard?” Kelly wanted to know.
Brogan’s shoulders shook with laughter. “I prefer a much smaller venue, like the living room. Dad was lucky to get me to join them on that tour.”
“She came because of me,” Lucien said with a grin. “Admit it. You did. Love makes you do crazy things. Getting Brogan Cole onto an airplane is always a big deal, especially when said aircraft flies all over Europe to multiple destinations. This woman flew over the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Tyrrhenian Sea just to be with the people she loved. Now come on, ladies, dig in. Let’s forget about that stuff. It’s ancient history.”
Kelly let out a sigh. “Maybe for you. Okay. Okay. I get it. But when you’re at my house, and I pump you with wine, you’d better prepare yourself for a bunch of questions and provide stories with the details. Deal?”
“Deal. Now eat before the burgers get cold.”
14
After polishing off Lucien’s juicy burgers, they moved back inside the house. The humans sat around the dining room table while the pups lounged in a tight circle in the corner—all except Miles. As long as baby Miles kept his distance from Mama Mia, the still-muzzled Mia was on her best behavior.
So while Miles napped at Kelly’s feet, she researched what they knew about Vincent Jarreau. According to his driver’s license, the man had a Carson, California, address in Los Angeles County.
Kelly flexed her skills, honing in on Jarreau. She found the name uncommon throughout California, a boon when zeroing in on one individual. But for all anyone knew, the man could’ve fled the state after the murders two decades ago. Not ready to give up, she scoured databases in and around Carson and then expanded the region, zooming out to places like Long Beach and Hawthorne.
“At this rate, we could be here all night,” Kelly grumbled.
“The offer to stay in the guest house still stands,” Brogan repeated. “You don’t have to go back home tonight.”
“I’m up for staying,” Jade announced. “We’d have to flip a coin to see who gets the bedroom. But I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa even if I lose the toss. But we’ll need to keep Mia and Miles separated.”
Kelly nodded, although her eyes never left her laptop screen. “I’m okay with staying. It’ll be like a sleepover. And I haven’t done that in forever. But let’s start eliminating some of these names. How old did the police report say this guy was in 2001?”
“Twenty-seven,” Lucien supplied. “If the license he showed the cop was genuine, he’d be pushing fifty now.”
“Ah. So add roughly twenty-one years to that,” Kelly muttered as her fingers flew over the keys. “I’m looking for a forty-eight-year-old with an April 3rd birthdate.”
Hovering over his laptop, Lucien was just as focused as he ran a background check on the Jarreau name. “Let’s hope the license was real. If it is, we should be able to trace his address moving forward.”
