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Brocker curses under his breath, stands, and pours himself a bourbon. “I guess this means Golden Meadow will be out of commission for a while.”
The officer nods. “Yes. However, during our interrogation, the Wellers were extremely nervous and decided it was in their best interest to come clean, as they say. I did find out some important information that I’d like to share with you. The Wellers have been getting paid to vandalize your property and will be rightfully fined for damages.”
Brocker sets down his bottle of bourbon mid pour. “Paid? Who has been paying them?”
Officer Hamilton locks eyes with Brocker. “Kenneth Brown.”
BROOKE
Owen’s first lands with a heavy thud on the conference room table, making the glasses of water jump. "Find that son of a bitch."
It makes no sense. Why would Kenny Brown pay the Weller Brothers to terrorize Golden Meadow? Then turn around and tour the community, acting like he wanted to buy a lot?
Mack, ever ready to jump into action, starts formulating a plan for his men to beef up security in the development.
Officer Hamilton smiles gratefully but holds up his hands. "As much as I appreciate your willingness to help, this is a matter for the police."
Owen sneers. "Half your force is good friends with Kenny. Why should I trust you or any of those other assholes who have been so reluctant to help me?"
The officer looks away and clears his throat. "I cannot speak for my fellow officers, but I can speak for myself and for the chief of police. I know that you and the chief have your differences, but the chief is a man who believes in abiding by the law."
Owen tilts his glass of bourbon and swallows it in one gulp. "Has Kenny Brown been brought in yet?"
Officer Hamilton shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no. When we went to Brownie’s Tavern, no one could recall seeing Kenny leave the bar."
A deep frown forms a line between Mack's eyebrows as he folds his arms over his chest. "In my experience with these situations, history usually gives us clues. Has Kenny been in trouble with the law before?"
Officer Hamilton reaches up to scratch the back of his neck. "He has had a string of restraining orders filed against him from three women over the last fifteen years.”
Mack’s eyes connect with mine. "That's it. If you put your timeline together, you'll see that somehow Kenny is involved with your cold case."
Officer Hamilton shrugs. "I can understand that you want to jump to that assumption. This was the man paying the Weller Brothers to destroy Brocker property. But we do believe Kenny's motive was to stop people like Mr. Broker from moving here."
Owen sits, folds his arms over his chest, and stares at the floor. "Officer, I understand what you're saying. I still think Mack's concern is credible. Kenny Brown is a slimy son of a bitch. I employed a woman who filed one of those restraining orders against him a few years ago. She still ended up quitting and moving out of the area because she feared for her safety."
There's something on the tip of my tongue, but I can't remember what it was that bothered me about Kenny.
The officer reaches for a glass of water. "Again, I want to thank you for your input, but this is a police matter."
"Lot thirteen." Three sets of eyes turn toward me.
I press fingertips to the middle of my forehead and close my eyes, trying to pull the pieces of a puzzle together. "When Kenny came out to tour the community, all the lots were for sale, and yet he wanted lot thirteen."
Owen chuckles. "Jesus, that's the worst one."
"Exactly. I thought it was so strange that of all the lights he chose that one why would he want that one?"
Hamilton pinches his brows and reaches to scratch the back of his head. "I understand that you don't like the guy. Our interest in Mr. Brown at this time is to look into whether he did pay the Weller Brothers to attack Mr. Brocker's new community."
Mack shakes his head. "Something's off about this guy. You know it, we all do. We're wasting precious time sitting here talking when we should be securing evidence."
It makes sense.
Owen nods silently. "Mack, what would you do?"
Mack answers without hesitation. "Call a manhunt for Kenneth Brown. Send units to his properties. Send security to Golden Meadow. If Sherry Fritz's car was found in the pond, there's a strong likelihood that her body is somewhere on the property."
Hamilton stands, shaking his head. "Heads are going to roll for this, but it's always better to be safe than sorry."
