AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sure.” He took another sip of coffee, then tapped the screen. “I found a photo of Gabrielle and this guy, Keith Daniels, from a year ago.”
“They look close,” Elly admitted. “But he’s not the shooter.”
“I know.” He was glad Elly sounded so certain. She was the only witness they had so far that had been close to the shooter. “I’ll keep going back in time, maybe we’ll find another picture featuring our perp.”
“It never ceases to amaze me how many people put their entire lives online for anyone to see,” Elly murmured, a frown puckering her brow. “Rhy always made it clear we needed to stay off social media to protect the family.”
“I can understand that.” Most cops didn’t want their information out there either. And Rhy was always protective of the younger siblings. “Safer that way.”
“I know.” She smiled. “I wasn’t quite so understanding as a teenager, though. I remember wishing I could be on the same sites as my friends.”
He didn’t know Elly as a teenager; he hadn’t transferred to the tactical team until four years ago. She’d just turned twenty, he remembered, and even then, he’d thought her cute.
Five years, he reminded himself. He was five years older than she was. She needed to date someone like that guy Derek. The one she’d claimed was too young.
The guy he’d instantly hated on sight when he’d thought they were seeing each other.
He forced himself to focus on finding a clue about the shooter. Not on Elly as a possible date.
“It’s a good policy to keep your personal life private,” he said. He pointed to the screen. “And this is why. Look how easy it is to find information on Gabrielle, without leaving the hotel room.”
“You really think Gabrielle knew the shooter?” Elly asked. “He didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who made a habit of watching figure skating.”
“It’s one theory.”Among others, but he kept that to himself. “And he wouldn’t have to be the kind of guy to watch it to have dated Gabrielle.”
“I guess.” She leaned in to see better, making him wish there was a second computer. She was far too close for his peace of mind.
Doing his best to remain professional, he continued scrolling through Gabrielle’s posts.
“Hold on a minute.” Elly covered his hand with hers. “Did you see that?”
“What?”
“There was something about another pair of skaters.” She pushed his hand away from the mouse pad to maneuver the pointer. “Here. This post here is about how Gabrielle and Henry beat out Alicia and Thomas White for the number one slot.”
“Yeah, but there’s always someone who is going to come in second place, right?” He didn’t see this as a big deal. “Everyone can’t win.”
“I know but read through the comments.” Her voice held a note of excitement. “It sounds like this is a long-standing rivalry.”
He could see what she meant, but he still wasn’t impressed. “Okay, maybe these two couples were rivals on the rink, but this Thomas White guy doesn’t look like our shooter. And I think it’s a stretch to believe Thomas and Alicia would hire someone to shoot Gabrielle at the Christmas parade.”
She turned to look at him. “Remember Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding? Tonya convinced her ex-husband to take a police baton to break Nancy’s leg.”
He arched a brow. “How long ago was that?”
“Years.” She waved a hand. “I only know about it because I like watching ice skating. The announcers have mentioned it a few times, even though I think that happened back in the early nineties.”
Well before Elly was born. But he understood her point. “Okay, maybe you’re right. It might be wise to consider the rivalry as a motive to the crime.”
“A drastic solution,” Elly agreed. “At least Tonya Harding only injured Nancy Kerrigan. She didn’t have her murdered.”
Murdered. Was it possible a professional rivalry could have caused this? He hated to admit it wasn’t a stretch. These days people tended to solve their disagreements with violence rather than common sense and calm conversation.
It was a lead, one they desperately needed.
CHAPTERSIX
Elly sipped her coffee, trying not to let her gaze linger on Joe. Being held in his arms had been wonderful; his strength had comforted her. She almost wished she hadn’t fallen asleep, but obviously she’d needed the rest. She’d never again take sleeping without nightmares for granted. She empathized with those who suffered PTSD from their role as a cop or in the military. Those were the people who put their lives on the line every day to protect the public—people like her.
