I nodded. “Deal.”
I typed Paul’s information into my phone for later, put the car in reverse, and headed back to Maddie’s house. I parked, and we got out. Veronica walked toward her car, stopping halfway. “By the way, I guess there’s something I should confess. My name’s not really Veronica. I didn’t want to come here tonight, but I knew I should. I’m the only one Shelby told about Paul’s wife. The things I’ve said could get me in a lot of trouble. I have to protect myself.”
I assumed she meant because she was an escort too.
“Why not contact the police, tell them what you told me? There are ways to give them information and remain anonymous.”
She wiped a tear from her eye. “Like I said, I don’t trust the police. Never have. But I cared about Shelby, and I knew I needed to tell someone. That’s why I came to you.”
CHAPTER 10
I leaned against the front door, the heaviness of the discussion I’d just had with “not Veronica” crushing down on me like I’d been trapped in an avalanche. I wanted to remain at the door, wanted to delay the inevitable conversation with Cade ... forever if possible. How could I tell him about his daughter? What could I possibly say to ease the pain of the blow I was about to deliver?
Nothing.
I could say nothing.
Except nothing wasn’t an option.
“You’ve been gone over an hour. You okay?”
I opened my eyes and glanced around the corner. Cade sat on the sofa, his hands interlocked behind his head.
“No,” I said. “I’m not all right.”
“She gone?”
I nodded.
“What was she doing here? And how does she know Shelby?”
“I ... ahh ... she gave me some information I’m guessing the police don’t know about yet.”
“Like what?”
“She told me some alarming things about Shelby that are going to be hard for you to hear, but you need to hear it.”
He patted the couch cushion with a hand. “You wanna come sit down and we can talk?”
I nodded and walked over, pausing a moment before sitting next to him. “You know what? Where’s Maddie? She may as well hear this too.”
Coffee gripped in each hand, Maddie entered the room as if on cue. She gave one to Cade and set the other on the table for herself. “Can I get you anything, Sloane?”
“Water.”
“You got it.”
Maddie returned with the water, handed it to me, and sat across from us.
“All right,” Maddie said. “Let’s hear it.”
I went over everything I’d learned from “not Veronica.” Watching Cade react to the news was like waiting for a teakettle to boil. The more I talked, the madder he became, until he launched off the couch in a tirade.
“Shelby would never stoop to bein’ paid to entertain men. Y’ask me, this girl is the one guilty of somethin’, and you just let her drive away without even knowin’ her real name or how the hell we’re supposed to find her again.”
I swallowed the insult. “I lifted her driver’s license out of her bag when she stepped outside for a smoke. Her name is Adele Winters.”
“Yeah, well, Adele Winters is a liar. I don’t believe a word she told you.”
“Think about it, Cade. Why would she come here if she were guilty of something? She wouldn’t have.”
“Why are you takin’ her side? You don’t even know this girl.”
I sighed. “This isn’t about sides. It’s about following every lead until we find the man responsible for Shelby’s murder.”
He flipped around, wagged a finger at Maddie. “I left my daughter in your care. I trusted you to tell me if there was somethin’ goin’ on with her. Sounds like she had nothin’ but sketchy friends and sleazy boyfriends, and you were oblivious about all of it.”
Maddie placed a hand on her hip. “Stop making assumptions, Cade. I only knew what she told me, and it sounds to me like she lied to all of us. I didn’t know this Paul guy was married. Do you really think I would have been okay with it if I did?”
“Don’t matter whether you did or didn’t know. You let her down. You let us all down.”
Maddie stretched her hand out in front of her. “Whoa. I get you’re grieving, but get a freaking grip. You’re way out of line. I allowed Shelby to stay in my guesthouse as a favor to you and Sloane since I’m so close to the university. I didn’t sign up to micromanage her life, and I didn’t sign up to be her babysitter. You were the parent. Not me. If you wanted to know what she was doing every minute of every day, you should have kept better tabs on her.”
He shook his head. “I don’t need this right now. I’m outta here.”
He grabbed his boots and slipped them on.
I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Cade, where are you going? Hang on a—”
“What’s the address?”
“Address?” I asked. “What address?”
“Paul’s address. Give it to me.”
I shook my head. “I know what you’re thinking, and it isn’t a good idea. You’re angry. We don’t know what is true and what isn’t yet. You can’t go after this guy this way.”
He snatched my cell phone out of my hand and bolted for the door.
“Cade, don’t,” I said. “Leave it alone. Why don’t you let me talk to Paul first? Or we can call Coop and tell him what happened. He’ll look into it. He can get anyone to talk. I’ve seen him do it.”
“You really think that asshole will do anything to help after the way he treated us in his office? I’m not takin’ any chances. I’m handlin’ this myself.”
Before I could stop him, he’d found Maddie’s keys, bolted out of the front door, and sped out of the driveway, leaving me standing on the porch, watching chunks of snow spraying from beneath the tires as he drove down the road.
“You know he’s headed to Paul’s house, right?” Maddie said, “and what he’ll do once he gets there? He’s not thinking straight.”
I walked to the bedroom and checked the nightstand, even though I knew what I’d find. His gun was gone.
“He has my phone, Maddie. Can I borrow yours?”
She handed it over.
I made a call I didn’t want to make, but we needed a vehicle, and we needed it now. “I’m sorry about the time, but I need your help. Can you come to Maddie’s and pick us up? I’ll explain everything when you get here.”
CHAPTER 11
Hank’s truck rolled to a stop in front of Maddie’s house twenty minutes later, giving Cade a huge head start. I had tried calling him on Maddie’s phone, even though I knew he wouldn’t pick up ... and he didn’t. I then debated whether or not to alert Coop about recent events. If I did, Cade would feel I had betrayed him. If I didn’t and Cade pulled a gun on Paul, or worse, Coop would lock him up just for kicks. Under most circumstances, Cade was a rational man—the kind of guy who had always talked me down when I was about to make the wrong decision. All I could do now was pray he’d keep it together until we got there.
Maddie and I jumped into the back seat of Hank’s truck.
Bonnie glanced back at us and frowned. “Sorry it took so long. We left the hotel right after you called, but between the snow on the road and the fog, it really slowed us down.”
I hoped it had slowed Cade down too.
“I’m just glad you’re here.”
Hank backed out of the driveway. “Where are we headed, Sloane?”
“Draper. Get on the I-15 freeway, southbound.”
“What’s going on?” Bonnie asked. “Where’s Cade? Why isn’t he with you?”
I told her everything.
When I finished, she said, “It’s heartbreaking to know my niece was involved in such a sleazy business, but I can’t say I’m surprised. Since the moment she came out of her mother’s womb, I knew she was going to be a firecracker, and she didn’t disappoint. Even as a toddler, she always tested the limits.”
“I’m worried about what
Cade will do when he confronts Paul. He’s not himself right now, Bonnie.”
“If it turns out this man had something to do with what happened to Shelby, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”
I glanced at Maddie who looked as worried as I was. I didn’t call Coop, and I hoped it wasn’t a mistake.
CHAPTER 12
Cade had parked Maddie’s car haphazardly in Paul’s driveway, leaving the driver’s-side door wide open—not a good sign. Hank parked curbside, and everyone prepared to get out.
“I appreciate you two for driving me here, but I’d like to go in alone,” I said.
Hank and Bonnie protested, and Maddie crossed her arms in front of her, sulking. It seemed everyone wanted in on the rescue mission.
“Look,” I said, “all four of us barging into a house uninvited isn’t a good idea. If I need backup, I’ll let you know.”
“He’s lost control,” Bonnie said. “Pulling him off the ledge isn’t going to be easy. Not even for you.”
I was well aware, but I remained firm in my decision. I exited the truck. As I neared the door, I heard Cade’s booming voice echoing from inside the house.
“When I ask you a question, you answer it. Understand?!”
A man replied, “I ... can’t. I ... can’t ... breathe.”
A woman shouted, “You’re choking him!”
I sprinted inside, finding Cade in the living room. One of Cade’s hands was wrapped around a man’s throat. I assumed he was Paul. The other hand pressed the barrel of a gun against the man’s temple.
A woman stood a few feet away. She was pint-sized, no more than five foot two, and tan. Italian, I guessed, with long, straight, dark hair and green, snakelike eyes. Beautiful. Far too beautiful to be married to the man in Cade’s grip, a balding, plain-looking fellow with no remarkable features. Even if he had showered Shelby with gifts, I had no idea how she’d stomached him.
Although the woman looked alarmed, she did nothing to stop Cade from attacking the man, and I wondered why. Perhaps seeing Cade with a gun immobilized her, or perhaps she secretly relished the moment, knowing he’d cheated and glad he was getting what he deserved.
“Cade, take your hands off of him,” I said.
He glanced back at me, irritated. “You shouldn’t be here, Sloane.”
“Neither should you. There’s a better way to handle this.”
“Don’t need your advice.”
“I called the police,” the woman said. “They’re on their way.”
I turned toward her. “Are you Elise?”
She nodded.
“And he’s Paul?”
She nodded again.
I placed a hand on Cade’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Cade shook his head. “No way. Not until this piece of shit tells me everything I want to know about my daughter.”
“Look at him!” I said. “There’s barely any color left in his face. When Coop finds you here, he’ll charge you with assault, breaking and entering, and anything else he can throw at you.”
Seconds ticked by. I waited, not knowing if anything I’d said had resonated. Having just lost Shelby, he seemed numb, devoid of feeling, like nothing fazed him and nothing could get through.
“Please, Cade. Don’t do this.”
“Listen to her,” Elise said. “She’s right.”
“Stay out of it,” Cade said.
“I have been,” she said. “Look, I understand. My husband is a dirt bag. He deserves what’s happening, but he’s not worth going to jail for.”
It wasn’t my words, but Elise’s that made the difference. Cade loosened his grip on Paul and took a few steps back, his fingers still gripping the gun. Paul slid to the floor, coughing and gagging like he’d been freed from a hangman’s noose.
I held out my hand. “Give me the gun, Cade.”
He shook his head and slid it into the holster strapped to his hip.
I turned toward Elise. “Can we talk for a minute?”
“Talk? After what just happened? You’re kidding, right?”
“Do you know who we are and why we’re here?”
“Of course I do.” She tipped her head toward Cade. “He’s Shelby’s father, and you must be her mother. I don’t care.”
“I’m a private investigator. Shelby was like a daughter to me.”
She shrugged. “So, what ... I’m supposed to feel bad for you now? You broke into our home without permission.”
“I didn’t break in,” Cade said. “The door wasn’t locked. I said I was comin’ inside when I entered.”
“Yeah,” she laughed, “after you had already done it.”
“He’s just looking for answers,” I said. “We both are.”
“I’m not interested in excuses. I know why you’re here.”
I surveyed the room. It was meticulous and rich, with everything in its place. I felt the absence of children, and yet, there was an eight-by-ten portrait of a young woman on the wall. I considered appealing to her nurturing side, if she had one. “Have you ever lost a child?”
She laughed. “Of course not. We don’t have children. We have cats. Two of them.”
I pointed to the portrait. “This girl looks like she’s close to Shelby’s age. Who is she?”
“My niece. And she is. She’s eighteen.”
“If your sister lost her unexpectedly, imagine how she’d feel, imagine what she’d do to get justice for her.”
Voice garbled and strained, Paul muttered, “Get out. Get out of my house.”
“Shut your mouth,” Elise snapped at him. “This isn’t your house. It’s mine, paid for with my money.”
“Elise, back me up,” he pleaded. “You saw what he did to me. You saw it all. He almost killed me.”
Cade’s eyes narrowed at Paul, like he was prepared to finish the job if the man didn’t shut it.
“Stop blaming everyone else for your problems,” Elise said. “You did this. You brought this on, and now they’re here because of it.”
“Like I said before, we’re just trying to find out what happened to Shelby,” I said.
“We don’t know anything about her murder,” Elise said, “or why anyone would harm her. It’s the truth. I wouldn’t lie to you, not about something like that.”
I didn’t know why, but I believed her. “Your husband had been seeing Shelby off and on for a long time. You found out recently and showed up at the coffee shop she frequented.”
Paul looked like he’d been blindsided. “What is she talking about? You followed Shelby? When?”
Elise flashed him an icy glare. “I told you to keep quiet.”
She pivoted, walked to the sofa, and sat down, sitting straight up with both hands over her knees like she was waiting on the help to bring out a fresh pot of tea. “I wasn’t aware of Paul’s relationship with Shelby until recently.”
“When did you find out?”
“A couple of weeks ago. I was getting into my car and noticed what looked like a flyer sticking out from beneath one of my windshield wipers. I grabbed it, turned it over, and realized I was wrong. It wasn’t a flyer. It was a photo of Shelby and Paul. They were kissing.”
Cade clenched his jaw, but kept quiet.
“Do you have any idea who left it on your car, or why?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Obviously someone who wanted me to know Paul was having an affair.”
“Is that all there was? Just a photo?”
She stood. “Actually, no. There’s more.”
She rose and crossed the room, walking to a desk in the corner. She pulled the top drawer open, riffling around until she found what she was looking for—a folded piece of paper. I glanced at a clock hanging on the wall. Fifteen minutes had passed since I’d arrived, and the police weren’t there, even though she’d said she called them.
Curious.
Equally as curious was her sudden shift in demeanor. She’d gone from withholding information to being overly generous. I wondered w
hy. She didn’t strike me as a compassionate person, making me wonder if her sudden willingness to talk had more to do with humiliating Paul in front of an audience and reminding him she had the upper hand.
Elise unfolded the sheet of paper and handed it to me. She was right. The girl was Shelby. She was standing with Paul outside of a coffee shop, kissing. On the back of the paper, written in black ink it said: Ask your husband about his extramarital affair with Shelby. And watch your back. Your husband can’t be trusted. You’re in danger.
“It looks like someone printed this off of a computer,” I said. “How did you know the girl in this photo was Shelby?”
“I didn’t at first. I went online and took a look at the call history. There were numerous calls to the same Wyoming area code. I plugged the number into Google and found her name. I assumed she was the one who left the photo on my car.”
“How did you find her?”
“Once I had a name, I found her profile on Facebook. She’d taken several selfies at the same coffee shop. I went there three times before I finally saw her there. I wanted to confront her, but somehow seeing her in person made me change my mind.”
“Why?” I asked.
“She was just a kid, and I realized whether or not she knew he was married, it wasn’t her I was mad at—it was my husband. She didn’t know me. It wasn’t personal, and it wasn’t the first time he’d cheated, or the first time he’d hired an escort.”
Paul pushed himself off the floor and stood, looking shocked to hear Elise was well informed about his private life. “It was an innocent kiss, Elise. We weren’t sleeping together. I’d never do anything to hurt you. You know that.”
He took a step toward her. Cade blocked him with his arm.
“Stay where you are,” Elise warned. “Don’t come anywhere near me, Paul.”
.“Why didn’t you tell me about the photo?” Paul asked. “We could have talked about it and cleared things up.”
“I wasn’t interested in a confrontation where you’d do the same thing you always do when this happens—lie to my face and then grovel until I take you back. You don’t love me anymore. You love my money, and the well has run dry.”
Gone Daddy Gone (Sloane Monroe Book 7) Page 5
