Page 65 of Protecting the White Bear

“Yeah, from the money she makes at the beauty parlor. She won’t admit it, but I know he’s always taking the lion’s portion of her earnings. Have you checked Denny’s grandparents’ home? They have gotten him out of trouble for years.”

“I’m sure the agents who took over for me have verified that with them. But I’ll investigate them, just in case. What about his parents? Or your parents?”

“Our parents despise him for the way he has treated Helen. I don’t know where else Helen and Denny would go unless he went to one of his friends' places.”

“Like the Marquarts?”

“Yeah.”

“They’ll check into the relatives and friends of everyone with him at the cabin.”

“What about his girlfriend, Eloise Mayfair?” Helen’s sister asked.

“Denny’s girlfriend?” The drunken woman in Wendell’s truck?

“Yeah, when Helen left him and took up with Pierre, you don’t think Denny would have just been moping around, do you? He always had a girlfriend, even when he was Helen’s boyfriend. The guy’s a grifter and a serial cheater.”

“Do you have any idea where Eloise might be?”

“At her place? She lives on the outskirts of White Bear. She had been living with Denny there. Helen knew they were and drove me past there. It’s on Fox Run Road.” She gave Monica the rest of the address.

“Thanks, we’ll check it out.”

“Just don’t hurt Helen. She has done nothing wrong.”

“Okay.” She was innocent until proven guilty, but Monica highly doubted it.

“Go save her.” Then Helen’s sister hung up on Monica.

Andy hurried to get dressed. Then he helped Monica dress much more slowly.

“Are you going to call for backup?” He pulled her parka on.

“You’re my backup. Unless we have some indication that she’s at her place or that any of the others are, there’s no sense in calling up the cavalry. Now, if we believe she or any others are holed up there when we arrive, then yes.”

He pulled on his boots and parka, then grabbed their hats and gloves, his gun, the handcuffs, and her gun. They both put on their body cams.

“Let’s go.” She was already headed for the garage door.

He joined her in the SUV, and they were on their way. “Eloise’s home is about twenty minutes from Pierre’s home.”

“So what do you think? Was Helen being forced to go along with this plan?” she asked.

“I don’t know. On the one hand, anything’s possible. On the other hand, you saw how Denny and Helen acted toward each other. Not like she was afraid of him and wasn’t trying to escape him.”

“You’re right. If we didn’t consider the way they had been having sex, just the way she was acting, so lovey-dovey on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, while he went to get firewood, sure made it appear she was with him on the whole deal.”

Twenty minutes later, they closed in on Eloise’s house.

“Okay, there’s the house number, the pale yellow, one-story home.” He drove by and then parked out of view of the house. “I didn’t see any sign of anyone there.”

“Me either. There were no lights on, and no vehicle is out front.”

Before they could make their plans, they saw a pizza delivery van pull up. "Real pizza delivery?" Andy asked.

"Well, there's only one way to know for sure. They just provided our cover for the next few minutes."

"At least we know for sure that someone is home."

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