Page 124 of The Secrets She Keeps

“Been there for nineteen years. Since about six months after his wife died. Bought under his name, then sold to the LLC a few years later when he was in a spot of financial trouble. Something to do with his son. Created his own LLC, then bought it back under that three years later, after renting it for the duration it was owned by that original LLC. Place has eight bedrooms, and he just recently paid it off. Looks like he used life insurance money from his wife’s policy as the down payment.” Murdoch was practically foaming at the mouth. Technically, this Grundenman was his wife’s uncle, after all. Murdoch wouldn’t be allowed to do much hands-on. Gunnar understood the fury.

“I bet he was expecting his daughters to end up living with him back then. Until six years ago, he was massively in debton the place. Then paid it offsuddenly.With funds from a consulting job—with Claireson Pharm.”

Gunnar suspected he knew exactly what that bastard had consulted on.

“He’s in Hughes Heights. And he’s the bastard who created the damned drug. I just know he is.” Gunnar took the warrant. He typed the address into his phone. He swore. When he realized just how close Grundenman had been to Powell and to Heather, even to Jake and Shelby. “He’s been six streets away from Heather and her family this entire time. Near Powell’s parents. Four blocks behind Shelby and Jake. Just right there in between them all this whole time.”

“And thanks to those videos Heather sent the entire development back at Christmas, he has probably known exactly where his daughters have been.” Heather had sent Brianna Claireson and the HOA a snarky video in response to Brianna reporting them to the city police as a brothel. It had been funny. Gunnar had heard all about it. Even though he had never seen the videos.

But he was banking that Timothy Grundenman had.

“And there isHeather.Who took them away from him before. Then moved theminto his very neighborhood years later. The neighborhood he probably picked out just for his daughters. Thebestneighborhood in Finley Creek. And they are there, living withHeather. When it is too late for him to know them. Probably every time he passed her house—and he would have had to, on a regular basis—he saw the woman who helped Bonnie steal his daughters,” Gunnar’s mind just kept clicking. He saw the same knowledge in Murdoch and Daniel’s. “And helpedMigueltake his baby fourteen months ago too. Then, she walks directly into his hornet’s nest. And is just right there for the taking? Powell was collateral. I’m sure of it.”

“But was Heather the target? Or was she actually targeted at all?” Murdoch asked. “Was it just really shitty timing on Auntie Heather’s part?”

“It wasPowell’sproperty those bastards took them from. Heather’s presence was entirely coincidental,” Daniel said.

“Was it? Maybe none of it was coincidental. But Powell had just closed on that property the week she bought Scott’s place—the same week Haldyn was abducted. And they’d wanted Powell, too. Those drugs had probably been there long before that. There were footprints in the dust in the basement.” Gunnar looked at Daniel again. “Is it possible that Grundenman was behind the threats against Heather that morning?”

“I don’t know. I have people still tracking them, but nothing has popped yet.” Daniel grabbed his phone. “I’m getting cyber forensics to hurry up on those threats now. If we can connect him to those, as well…”

They were already after the bastard. It was just a matter of time until they connected the dots. And when they did, the rest of Jarrod’s theoretical ring would come tumbling down.

It wasn’t justtheoretical.Jarrod had been right all along.

This crime ring had been under their noses this entire time. Now, they just had to figure out how to bring it down. Andwhothe masterminds were.

Was it Timothy Grundenman? That seemed too easy of an explanation.

“Where is Powell today?”

It had been six days since he had carried her into Houghton’s castle after taking her home from the hospital. She had rested for three days, then insisted on getting on with her life. Withtheirlife. He had slept in her bed every night since then. Holding her close. He was going to sleep in her bed every night forever.

“I took her to B-3 this morning. She is under orders to stay inside the building at all times.” Her father, mother, two eldestbrothers—all should be there the entire time. Plus, two guards now. “I’m checking on her every hour.”

He’d wanted her to stay at Houghton’s, but she’d told him she couldn’t stay hidden from the world, guarded forever. She had a business—multiple businesses—to run. And she took great pride in her business success. He wouldn’t want to ever stand in front of that. But he wanted her safe. He’d been on edge ever since. “There are two guards watching her now, and I am on my way over there in a little bit to take her to her parents’ for dinner. She insisted on getting back to her normal routine no matter what.”

“We need to get thegangtogether and meet somewhere secure,” Daniel said, a burning look in his eyes. They all knew they were getting closer. Gunnar could just feel it building. “Get her back to Houghton’s. We’ll meet there. And damn it, I want Heather there. Whether she likes it or not. That woman may know far more than she realizes. Or she does know and just isn’t sharing because she still thinks she’s fighting this war all by herself. She’s joining our party, even if I have to go get her and drive her myself.”

“You’ll cause a riot at Number Nine Jude Way if you try.”

Her family had closed ranks around Heather the morning after the DNA results had linked Timothy Grundenman to what had happened. Powell had explained it to him that night—she completely understood why. The Colesons had already been negatively linked to Gregory Eastman and Steve Wilson forever. Publicly. The last thing that family wanted was to let the world into their private pain again.

Or make it worse, thanks to Grundenman’s connection.

And it would. That kind of notoriety—they didn’t deserve it at all. But Gunnar didn’t know how to stop it.

Gunnar was going to do his best to keep Heather’s family as protected as he possibly could, as long as he possibly could.

Period.

“Go through Mig. Bring him in on it.” Miguel was out there in the bullpen, snarling at everyone who even looked in his direction. Anyone at the post even said Heather or Hope’s name, and Miguel went rabid.

Everyoneknew Miguel Rodriguez’s temper was on a hair trigger. They were shaking in their boots. People were watching their words very, very carefully around the head of Homicide right now.

There were bets going around that Miguel was going to rip Daniel’s arms off and shove them up his ass soon too. Gunnar suspected Jarrod was behind starting those. Jarrod or Murdoch. He wouldn’t put it past either of them. They were staunchly on Side Heather in this weird war between Heather and Daniel. Everyone knew that.

Gunnar felt trapped square in the middle.

---