“Ladies,” a deep voice cut in. “Everything all right?”
I looked up at Walker. “You have some convenient timing.”
He grinned at me. “You never know what you might come across on patrol.” He turned to Juliette. “It’s nice to see you again, Juliette.”
“Have you run this—thiscrookwho has my brother bamboozled? Maybe you can talk some sense into him.”
Walker arched a brow. “Bamboozled, huh? You got that kind of mojo, Anna?”
“If I did, I would’ve used it long before now.”
Juliette let out a growl of frustration. “You people need help!”
My shoulders sagged as she hurried away. I wanted to hope that she would come around, but I didn’t see how it was possible.
Walker placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “You okay?”
I nodded, forcing a smile. “The worst is over. She’ll come around eventually.”
“I hope you’re right.”
39
Mason
I hit send onthe latest proposal for Cain. I thought this newest incarnation covered all of our bases. And I had to admit, it was nice to be back in the flow at work. My mind had been elsewhere these past couple of months, and I could see that I hadn’t given this project enough of my focus. But now that the custody case was settled, I could devote that time and attention again.
My cell phone buzzed on its dock, and Dante’s name flashed across the screen. “Hey,” I greeted.
“Mason,” he returned. “I know everything’s wrapped up in court, but I came across something I wanted you to know about that I’m going to pass along to the Las Vegas PD.”
The earlier buzz of my project coming together faded. “Tell me.”
“I ran financials on the Foleys. I was looking for big withdrawals, so this didn’t pop right away.”
My fingers tightened around the phone as I waited for Dante to continue.
“They were staying outside the Hoover Dam on their anniversary trip.”
The trip they had been on when Chelsea died. The Hoover Dam was roughly thirty minutes from Vegas. “Is there any sign they were in Vegas proper? Anywhere near where she was killed?”
“Not that I can find. But thirty-minute miles is a little too close for comfort for me.”
Me, too. “Did you find anything that made you think they might’ve known Chelsea was leaving Portland for good?” When Anna and I had talked about it, she’d said that Chelsea wanted to be fully settled before letting their parents know she was gone.
I’d met the woman once or twice, and I’d gotten to know her a lot better through her sister and children. She probably knew that if she told them about her plans, she’d cave when they pressured her to stay.
The sound of papers rustling came across the line. “That, I have no idea about.” He was quiet for a moment. “I’ve been doing this job a long time. I’ve found that people who keep that much to themselves are hiding something. And it’s usually not good.”
I pictured Mr. Foley’s face as he left court yesterday, the rage simmering just beneath the surface. I heard the words he spat at his one living daughter. And I knew he was capable of murder. Planning it to look like she’d succumbed to the same addiction her sister supposedly struggled with would’ve been his perfect twist of the knife.
I checked my watch. It was almost noon. Anna had to be done with her meeting by now. “I need to bring Anna up to speed.”
“Okay. Do you want me to stay on this?”
“Yes. Anna needs to know the truth, and her sister deserves justice. Whatever that looks like.”
“I’ll call you when I know more.”