Page 54 of Shelter for Shay
Shay leaned over to look. “No. Is that… is that even hers?”
“It’s in her name. That’s the business designation.”
He flipped through the statement. There were a few years of consistent deposits—$4,000 here, $6,500 there—then suddenly, nothing. The account was closed out about six months before she refinanced the house the first time. Balances zeroed. No forwarding details.
“I don’t understand.” Shay lifted one of the statements. “Is this a company she was investing in?”
“That would be the logical assumption,” Moose said. “But based on the paperwork, it looks like she was listed as the CEO.”
“That makes no sense,” Shay whispered.
He reached for his phone and pulled up Ry’s contact and waved his cell. “Are you okay if I give this all to Ry and let her work her special kind of magic?”
Shay nodded.
He scanned in the documents from the LLC and then all of the banking statements.
Moose:Hey, Ry. I’m going to send you some statements and info regarding an LLC that Shay’s mom was listed as the CEO. I need you to find out absolutely everything you can on this. Dig deep and wide, okay?
He stared at his cell for a full minute waiting for bubbles and when they appeared, he held his breath.
Ry:On it. I’ll let you know when I find anything.
Moose:Thanks. I owe you.
Ry:I know I tease you that you’ll owe me big, but don’t think twice. It’s what I’m here for.
“Don’t be surprised if it takes a few days or even a week before we hear back from Ry about any of this,” Moose said.
Shay exhaled shakily and dropped into the chair across from him. “So my mom had a secret business. And she was basically broke at the end. What the hell?”
Moose set the phone down and reached across the table, covering her hand with his. “We’ll figure it out.”
“I hope so,” she whispered. “Because right now, it just feels like one more mystery I’ll never get answers to—like who the heck is my dad? Because I don’t know what to believe about that. Any news on Bradley Morrison?”
“According to his office, he’s on vacation with his wife until Wednesday.” He squeezed her hand. “Rufus will be heading back to Saratoga first thing Wednesday morning to talk with him. He set up an appointment and everything. We’ll know more then.”
They sat in silence for a moment. The fridge kicked on. Outside, the wind brushed against the old shutters.
After a while, Shay glanced up. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Of course.”
“This case… the one I’m on?” She hesitated, picking at the edge of a napkin. “When I saw the defendant—Blake Edmonds—I felt like I’d seen him before. But not in person. Just… familiar.Like a face from a dream. Or one of those TV ads for tech companies. But it’s bugging me.”
“You think it’s just the news coverage?” he asked.
“Probably,” she admitted. “I’ve seen his face so many times on TV in the past few weeks. Maybe my brain just tricked me into thinking there’s a deeper connection. But I can’t stop thinking about it. Like we’ve crossed paths somewhere but never really met. I can’t explain it.”
“If you’d said that during your jury selection questioning, you might not have been picked.” He lifted her hand and kissed her palm.
“I couldn’t say that because they didn’t really phrase the question like a feeling,” she said with a big sigh. “I admitted I’d seen his face. That I knew who he was. But this weird sensation that’s it’s more, it could just be because my life is upside down.”
“Just remember that there is a light at the end of this tunnel.” Moose didn’t like the flicker of unease in her voice. “Stay objective. Listen to both sides of the case, and don’t let anyone rattle you.”
“I know.” Her voice was soft. “It’s just… It’s starting next week. And you’re leaving again. I’m sorry if I’m making this hard on you, but I didn’t anticipate this part of the relationship.”
“Neither did I.” He nodded slowly. “But I’m not being deployed. This is a ten-day training exercise. I can come back for a few days as soon as we’re done.”
