Chapter 10

10

O verwhelmed didn’t even begin to describe Elsie’s emotional state. She stood in the middle of her busted showroom with a broom in one hand and trash bag in the other. Dean had taken pictures of all the destruction, and she’d noted that nothing seemed to be taken—not even the small amount of cash left in the register.

She spied Dean through the shattered window. He stood on the sidewalk speaking with Sadie and Tommy. The pissed-off pinching of his facial expression hadn’t left since they’d arrived. He threw his arms in the air as he spoke, his distress clear even from a distance.

Tommy and Sadie wore matching looks, their faces masks of professionalism. But Sadie hadn’t been able to hide her flush of emotions when she’d walked in the office and saw the threat written in bold red.

A fresh flood of fury washed over Elsie, threatening to suck her under. How dare some asshole break into her store—her baby—and try to scare her away from finding her best friend? Yes, seeing the broken pieces of her blood, sweat, and tears hurt like hell, but it was nothing compared to the pain of not knowing what happened to Mila.

And no one would bully her into walking away from the truth.

Stepping back inside, Dean picked his way through the mess and took the broom. “You sure you want to clean now? You’ve been dealt quite a blow. We could take a break, grab some food, and let things simmer for a bit.”

She shook her head and scooped a broken frame from the floor. “No. I think better when I’m busy, and what better way to stay busy than to clean up this mess? Or at least start the process.”

It would take more than a few hours and two pairs of hands to put her beloved store back together, but she had to begin somewhere. Besides, closing the shop for a couple of days while finding Mila was one thing. Being shut down for an unknown amount of time was entirely different. Her savings was enough to buy her a little time, but she needed to make money to live. Bemoaning her misfortune wasn’t an option.

“Okay. Let’s talk things through while we clean.” Dean crossed to the front of the store and swept the smattering of broken glass into a pile. “Sadie and Tommy are concerned you’ve struck a nerve. They think it’d be wise if we stopped asking questions and let them handle the case.”

Her spine stiffened. “And what do you think?”

Halting his chore, he faced her. His strong jaw was clenched, his fist around the broom handle so tight she thought his knuckles might burst through the skin. “That you wouldn’t stop looking for Mila no matter what, and I’d rather you search for Mila with me than try to track down some criminal alone.”

She breathed in deep. “You know me better than I realized.”

“Maybe I do.” He snorted and went back to cleaning the floor.

Her statement rang in her ears. She’d spent months looking forward to their brief encounters. Chatting with him when their paths crossed always left her giddy. He’d clearly been paying attention. Hell, he seemed to understand her more than she did him.

“Actually, I don’t really know that much about you besides you grew up in Water’s Edge and returned home after working for the police force somewhere in California. That seems like a whole other planet. What made you move in the first place?”

His body tensed. “After graduation, my ex-wife and I wanted to see the world. Move somewhere we’d only seen on TV. Things didn’t work out, I came home, and now work with Calvin.”

The rigid set of his shoulders and clipped pace of his words told her he didn’t want her to dive any deeper. Something inside her wilted. Last night, she’d slept curled against him. He’d held her, silently and respectfully comforting her in the exact way she needed. Maybe it had meant more to her because he clearly didn’t want to open up.

Not that it mattered, especially right now. They had more important issues to think about. Forcing a smile, she turned her back on him and continued collecting ruined clothing and knick-knacks she couldn’t repair. “Well, we’re glad you’re here and I’m happy you’ll keep helping me. You’re right. No way I’d dust my hands of this and sit around, waiting for Mila to turn up. So what’s next?”

“I told Sadie and Tommy we spoke with Keith and Mrs. Pauly. They’ll to talk to Keith and see if has an alibi. They still need to pore over video footage they’ve pulled from nearby businesses, but chances are low they’ll catch much since the perpetrator came through the alleyway. Even your security camera didn’t pick up anything useful.”

She let the rundown filter through her brain as she tossed the garbage bag on the ground and settled on the stool behind the destroyed display case. “I don’t think it was Keith, but it’s good for them to be thorough.”

“Why don’t you think it was him?” Dean asked, leaning on the broom.

“Too much work for a guy like that. Doesn’t make sense he would make the drive and track me down. Maybe he’s capable of this type of destruction,” she said, waving her hand through the air like she was showcasing the worst game show prize ever. “But not the effort. Especially when he has no motive to hurt Mila.”

“I agree. He obviously had no interest in Jimmy, which kills my theory that he wanted the boy and Mila wouldn’t give him visitation. His involvement doesn’t make sense.”

“Which leaves Justin.” She still didn’t think Mrs. Pauly was blowing steam up their behinds about her grandson. She may want to protect him, but Elsie couldn’t picture the older woman outright lying.

But would she tell him people were asking about him?

“Mrs. Pauly could have told him about our visit,” she continued. “That might have spooked him into action.”

“Or he was watching. If it was him, he knew how to find you. Which means he might have eyes on you.”

A chill raced down her spine. She’d been so fixated on the danger surrounding Mila she hadn’t considered someone might be watching her. Her ransacked store had definitely forced open her eyes, but the idea someone was following her made the back of her neck tingle.

A quick glance at her watch told her it was close to dinner. “Are you getting hungry?”

Dean frowned, as if confused by the sudden change of topic. “A little.”

“Town Tavern serves great burgers. Might be the perfect time to get some food and try to find Justin Pauly.”

Licks of burnt brick snaked along the outside of Town Tavern. Besides that, the outside of the historic building on the main street of Water’s Edge hadn’t changed since Dean was in high school. An act of arson had almost burned the bar and restaurant to the ground a little over a year ago, but luckily the building had been refurbished, and no one seriously injured during the fire.

Dean stepped inside and stepped back in time. The bar had been passed through the hands of a few different owners since he’d left for California, but the inside had stayed remarkably consistent. A smattering of tables took up the center of the room, with two pool tables at the back, wooden bar along the back.

And at 5:30 on a weekday, the place was packed full of hungry patrons.

“I don’t see any empty tables,” Elsie said over her shoulder. “You okay sitting at the bar?”

“Sure.” He stayed close behind her as she weaved through the crowd and settled onto a stool. He sat beside her and swiveled around to take in the room.

Elsie did the same. Her eyes were narrowed, lips downturned. “Do you see him?”

He swallowed a laugh at her impatience. Life would be so much easier if Justin Pauly was seated at the front table, waiting for his food. But in his experience, tracking down someone who didn’t want to be found usually took a little more legwork. “If this guy’s involved in Mila’s disappearance, I doubt he’ll show at one of the busiest times of the day.”

She swiveled to face him, and her knees brushed against his thigh. “Then why are we here?”

“To eat.” He couldn’t help but grin at her crinkled brow. He bumped her leg with his own. “And to ask questions. I’ve got Justin’s photo from his social media pages on my phone. We’ll see if anyone has seen him in here. And if they have, maybe they’ll know something about him.”

She sighed, puffing the long strands of auburn hair away from her face.

“I know it’s frustrating,” he said.

Turning back around, she tapped her fingertip against the bar and screwed her lips to the side. “I can’t help but feel like this giant clock is ticking above my head. I’m not na?ve. I understand that whatever has happened to Mila, it’s really bad. She might not have much time left. Hell, she might not even—” Her voice caught, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Leaning forward, he cupped her shoulder in his palm. “Look at me.”

She opened her eyes and tears glimmered.

“Don’t let your mind go to that dark, scary place. Once you do, it’s damn near impossible to come back. Mila has a community of people working nonstop, trying to find her. You’ve got to keep the faith until you’re face to face with the worst. Okay?”

“Okay.”

She agreed but her uncertainty was louder than the pool balls bouncing off each other in the distance behind them.

The bartender hurried over and slid two cardboard coasters in front of them. She smiled brightly, showing off deep dimples and straight teeth. “Hey, Dean. What can I get you and your friend?”

He dipped his chin. “Hi, Ashley. Water for me, Elsie?”

“Same.”

“Easy enough. Planning on eating?” Ashley asked as she scooped ice into two glasses then filled them with water.

“Yeah, but we’ll need a second. Before we figure out what we want, can you look at something for me?”

She tilted her head to her side, spilling her dark waves over one shoulder. “Sure.”

Dean popped up Justin’s Facebook profile picture and showed it to Ashley. “Have you seen this guy around here?”

Nodding, she studied the photo. “Yeah.”

Elsie frowned. “Do you know him?”

Ashley placed their water glasses on the coasters and wiped her hands on the white apron tied around her waist. “Never talked to him but he comes in mostly around closing time. Grabs a beer and sometimes a burger, but only talks to Malcom.”

“Who’s Malcom?” Dean asked, trying to put a face to the name.

“The owner,” she said. “He bought the place after the fire last year. Not from around these parts.”

“Is he here now?” Dean asked.

Ashley scowled. “Nope. He isn’t one to lend a helping hand. Shows up in the evening, after the dinner rush, and locks himself in his office. Not a super friendly guy.” The door opened and a large group of teenagers hurried inside. “Sorry, but I need to get back to work. We’re swamped. I’ll grab your order in a minute.”

“What now?” Elsie asked. “Sit around and wait until closing time to see if this guy shows up?”

Dean handed her a menu. “We eat.”

The side of her mouth ticked up at the corner. “So logical.”

He shrugged. “I was a little hungry when we got here but now that I smell food, I’m ravenous. We’ll finish, then we have someone new to investigate.”

“Malcom?”

“Yep.” He took a sip of water and zeroed in on what he wanted to order as he formed a plan in his mind. “Easy to get a full name and plenty of information. We can always return tonight to see if Justin shows up. If he doesn’t, we’ll talk to Malcom. At least we found someone who knows Justin. He may be the key to finding him.”