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“I’m sure South Brook P.D. has been in touch regarding his involvement in a recent case.”
He shakes his head slowly, genuine concern dancing in his eyes. “I’m thankfully estranged from my sociopathic brother. I’d be the last person to be contacted, especially by the crooks in South Brook.”
I perk up at that, recalling Jo’s mention of the walls having ears while I’d visited.
“Why would you say that?”
He shoots a glance at his wife, and she shrugs a delicate shoulder. “It’s your story, Len.”
Then he expels a heavy sigh, pulling out a seat for his wife before taking one beside her to meet my cool gaze. “The entire fucking town is insane. There’s no law, no reasoning. Only money. The highest bidder runs the show, and since our parents died almost two decades ago, that’s been Elliott. Every law enforcement officer is in my brother’s deep back pockets, looking the other way for every infraction he wants brushed under the carpet.”
Well, that explains a lot.
“Are you familiar with a local resident, Sara Ricci? Her daughter—”
“Wren, yes, I know the family. And Elliott’s long-time fixation on Sara. I’ve lost count of the number of times he’s asked her out.”
“It’s my belief that they were dating at the time of her disappearance.”
“Herdisappearance?”
Porter pales at my nod before he reaches for his wife’s hand.
“Elliott has been known to develop…an attachment from time to time. When we were teenagers, he held a girl from our school captive over on Abrams Island because she didn’t want to go to prom with him.”
Chills race up my spine as Sloane squeezes Lennon’s hand reassuringly.
“Well, we’ve looked into Elliott, but he’s squeaky clean.”
“I can categorically confirm that’s not true. It’s all buried. So deep, you’ll never find it.”
I nod, realizing the scope of what we’re dealing with. “Your sons are—”
“They’renotmy sons, Mr. Burton.”
My face freezes at the vehemence in his tone. His face is set like stone, jaw clenched, knuckles white.
“My ex-wife liked to fuck around. Namely with my brother, and so I refused to sleep with her. I can’t prove it, but Iknowneither of those boys are my biological sons. They couldn’t be. There’s no doubt in my mind that Marcus and Matt are Elliott’s.”
“And they’re both as insane as their father, if you ask me.”
Sloane Porter’s voice is firm when I meet her steely gaze. Lennon smooths his thumb across the back of her hand. “Let’s not get into that, baby.”
“Actually, if you’d be willing to elaborate, I’m all ears.”
Sloane shoots me a pained smile while her husband sighs heavily.
“If you’ve looked into the Porters, then you’ve undoubtedly heard that I was Marcus’sgirlfriendbefore I hooked up with his dad, right?”
At my nod, she continues. “Well, that’s another one of Elliott’s bullshit lies. Marcus Porterstalked mefor close to three years. He’d let himself into my house and follow me and my friends everywhere. If another boy so much as glanced in my direction, something bad would happen to him. A broken bone here or there, a failed test, being benched in their sport. Everyone knew Marcus was behind it. And when he began referring to himself as my boyfriend…”
She trails off with a look of despair before Lennon hugs her against the crook of his arm.
“I was begrudgingly back in South Brook for Marcus’s graduation when I happened upon Sloane jogging on the beach. We began meeting every morningjustto work out together. She had no idea who I was, nor I her, but by the time I went back to the city, I knew I needed to see more of her.”
They share a small smile. “Sloane’s parents were unapproving initially, but once they saw us together, I think they realized we were the real deal.”
“I moved to the city to be with Len immediately, and the rumors spread through South Brook that he’dstolenme from his son.”
