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"Yes. Her name is Gina Atwater."
Adrian spoke the name as if Brook should recognize it.
"Gina." Brookhadheard the name recently, and she was beginning to realize that the unsub had gotten what he'd wanted all along. He was running them in circles while he got to skate free. "Gina was Charlie Snyder's ex-girlfriend."
"That's right." Adrian leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, as if they weren't going anywhere for a while. "Les Snyder was just arrested for her murder."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Graham Elliott
January 2022
Wednesday — 6:01pm
"GeneralElliott?"
Graham had been in the process of collecting his dress coat from the front closet when Lacy Felton walked into the foyer. She'd been with him ever since Olivia's death. He hadn't regretted one day of hiring someone to help him with the daily upkeep of running the house. Within a month of realizing how much she had added to his everyday life, he'd offered her a generous salary.
As for her use of his title, she'd grown up in military family herself. No matter how many times he'd requested that she call him by his first name, she remained resolute in addressing him by his rank, insisting that he'd earned it.
"Yes, Lacy?"
He could already see the frown of disappointment on her face that he was departing before dinner. He'd been out most of the afternoon. He'd originally wanted to drop off the old pictures that he'd discovered from Kelsey's belongings, but then Brenda Snyder had phoned him regarding her middle son being arrested for murder. It was Graham's goal to find out as much as he could for her from Brook.
As for Lacy, she had made it her mission to make sure that he ate at least one decent meal a day, and she didn’t count restaurant food—no matter how upscale—to be adequate. While her cooking was divine, he would have to reheat the meal later tonight, if not tomorrow.
He'd been attempting to get ahold of Brook for quite some time, but his urgency had risen upon a frantic phone call from Brenda Snyder. She, herself, had been trying to reach Brook, but to no avail.
Les Snyder had been arrested by the local PD for the murder of Gina Atwater.
It was like reliving the past all over again. Only this time, Graham expected a different outcome. The bastard who had been taking their daughters was no longer working under the air of anonymity.
"Your dinner plate is being kept warm in the oven, and I made an apple cobbler for dessert," Lacy replied as she finished zipping up her winter jacket. She didn't go so far as to put on her gloves, most likely realizing that she would be heading back into the kitchen. "It is on the cooling rack beside the stove."
"Would you be so kind as to cover my plate and place it in the refrigerator?" Graham asked regretfully as he opened the front closet. He reached inside and began to remove his coat from the wooden hanger. "There's been an emergency with a family friend that I must attend to tonight."
"Of course," Lacy replied with understanding, yet not able to keep the disappointment from her tone. "Top shelf, as usual. Be careful out there if you're going to be gone too long. This incoming snowstorm is supposed to be a big one."
Even though Lacy was in her late fifties, maybe six or seven years older than himself, she had an old soul. She was more of a mother figure who tried to dote on his every need.
"Don't worry about driving here tomorrow," Graham replied, slipping his arms through the sleeves of his coat. He ran his fingers underneath the lapel to make sure the thick material laid flat against his suit jacket. "Stay home in front of that fireplace of yours."
"You do the same now that we had someone fix the flue. That reminds me, I had some fresh cut wood delivered for you out back this afternoon." Lacy turned to head back to the kitchen. "Goodnight, General."
"Wait," Graham called out as he slowly closed the closet door. The company that he'd reached out to for that issue hadn't been able to get him on the schedule until next week. Plus, he had personal ties to the owner. "Someone came by the house today?"
"Yes," Lacy replied as she stopped and faced him with a puzzled expression. "You called them, remember? I had them down on the calendar for next week, but the gentleman at the door said that they had a cancellation. I hope it was alright to let him inside the house. I checked his credentials, of course."
"No, no," Graham said, brushing aside her concern. He didn't want her upset if there was no reason. "That's fine. The company usually calls me, that's all. I'll see you Friday."
"Goodnight, General."
Graham waited until she was out of sight before heading back into his office. While he'd downplayed his unease over the situation, something wasn't quite right. The company he used to maintain the chimneys in the house was a small mom-and-pop operation with only a few employees. The owner was an old friend who usually came along with his technician so that they could catch up on old times from their childhood.
While he was waiting for his computer to turn on, he very carefully scrutinized his office. At first, nothing seemed to be out of place. It wasn't until his gaze was crossing over one of the bookshelves next to the hearth that he caught site of a book not quite lined up with the others.
Graham cautiously made his way across the room as he continued to survey the other items. By the time he'd reached the built-in bookcase, he was fairly confident nothing else had been moved out of place. Reaching underneath his dress coat, he pulled a white handkerchief from the interior pocket. Once he'd shaken it open, he then used it to grab the raised spine and remove the leatherbound book from its usual slot.
