Page 44 of Haunted By Sin
Brook resisted the urge to rub her temple as a headache threatened to take hold. Cav had almost certainly been using Mindy as a way to be close to Brook, and Mindy had only accepted his invitation because she assumed that he was wealthy.
Cav Buckley lived paycheck to paycheck.
Those specific details were private, and Brook had already succeeded in warning Mindy of the man’s proclivities. Should Mindy decide those predilections didn’t matter, that was on her.
“I just thought you should know about the restraining order, Mindy. Do with that information what you will,” Brook said with a nod before turning to collect her food. “Have a good day.”
Brook rounded the corner to find her take-out bag ready and waiting. She reached into the pocket of her blazer and pulled out her cell phone. She opened the case before retrieving her credit card. Chip had been filling a chilled glass with draft beer, but she didn’t have to wait long.
“Your colleague wanted extra bacon on his BLT, so that will be two dollars extra,” Chip said as he took Brook’s credit card.
“Do I want to know how many pieces he asked for?”
“He’s asking for a heart attack,” Chip replied with a laugh. He cashed out her order, but something he had said earlier had caught her attention. She waited until he handed her a pen and the small white receipt. “If it helps, I put in an extra side of fruit. Maybe that will counter—”
“Chip, you mentioned that Jason Bracco called in sick today?”
Brook quickly signed the receipt, not concerned about expensing the meal. Chip had stapled one to the bag.
“Yeah. And it’s not like him to call off, either. I mean, Jason just got this job at the start of the season,” Chip revealed as he turned around and tucked her signed receipt in the drawer of the cash register. “We’ll be fine, though. I called Lucy in on her day off. She should be here any minute.”
Brook didn’t pick up the bag. She recalled Theo mentioning that Jason knew an awful lot about the locals, specifically Mary Jane and Adam. If Jason was their unsub, why wouldn’t he have targeted Mary Four first?
“Chip?” Brook had prevented him from returning to his duties behind the bar, so he held up a hand toward someone wanting a refill. “Mary Jane caused quite a stir with that video of hers. Was she posting those before her surgery?”
According to Bit, Mary Jane had her social media accounts before her surgery, but she only posted sporadically. It wasn’t until after her heart transplant that she began to post regularly. It wouldn’t hurt to have confirmation from a local.
“Surgery?” Chip frowned in confusion. “What surgery?”
“It’s not important,” Brook said, sidestepping his question. From her understanding, Jason was a local himself, or so they had all assumed. “Chip, I know this is an odd question, but how well do you know Jason?”
“Jason was raised in Crestlake. Went to college for some graphic design degree, got a job in Lansing, and then was laid off shortly thereafter.”
“One more question,” Brook said, noticing two men at the end of the bar becoming quite agitated with the wait. She reached into her pocket, flashing them her credentials to buy herself some more time. “Was Jason born in Crestlake?”
“Adopted, I think.” Chip shifted his weight in a manner that suggested he was uneasy with her line of questioning. “Look, I’m sure Jason is just sick or something. Everyone knows his parents. He isn’t going to make them look bad with the owner since they were the ones who got him this job in the first place.”
There were several questions that Brook still needed to be answered, starting with Mary Jane. It was one thing to keep her surgery private when it came to social media, but to keep it from such a small community seemed to be a stretch.
Sylvie and Theo were currently tracking down Mitch Swilling. What if the theory that one of the man’s biological brothers had some psychotic break was accurate? What if one of them blamed Sheila Wallace for not allowing all three brothers to be placed inside her home? Add to that discovery of how she treated Mitch, then said brother might do what was necessary to ensure that the woman’s heart didn’t continue to beat inside someone else.
“Thanks, Chip,” Brook murmured as she quickly inserted her credit card back into its designated spot. She took a ten-dollar bill out from behind her phone and shoved it in the glass jar. She then tucked her phone case and credentials back into her pocket before swiping the to-go bag off the counter. “I hope your day gets better.”
Brook began to retrace her steps, her heels not getting in the way of her quick pace. She wanted to get back to the lake house and submit background checks on all employees at the bar and grill, as well as the local bar.
Specifically, Jason Bracco.
Had one of Mitch Swilling’s brothers been hiding in plain sight?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Brooklyn Sloane
May 2024
Monday — 1:37 pm
“…posted by Ricky Austry’s girlfriend around the time that the two of them started dating. I can’t find anything on Carl Swilling. He is almost as elusive as Shane Dawkins.”