“To eliminate a threat. Perhaps she discovered something she shouldn’t have and this is the only way they could silence her.”
Gabe’s shocked look said he was struggling to find a response. “I know you could be right, but I just can’t see where she would learn something so serious that someone needed to murder her.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“He’s right,” El said from experience as a homicide detective. “People see things they shouldn’t all the time, and it has nothing to do with their lives. Wrong-place-wrong-time kind of thing.”
“Then how do you ever find out why they were killed?” Abby asked.
“Oftentimes you don’t,” El said, but at Gabe’s tortured look, she thought it best to move on before he completely lost it. Like most men, he was a fixer, and he needed to act before exploding and taking matters into his own hands.
“I’ve secured the ravine for tonight,” she said. “But will search the area in daylight too. Not only to look for evidence, but get the lay of the land.”
“You think something else occurred there?” Nolan asked.
She shrugged. “We could find signs of a struggle by Kenna’s van. Maybe that’s where she was killed, and we’ll find evidence of that. I’m also interested in seeing if it connects to the lake. Kenna and Lucy could’ve been taken away in a boat from there and brought to the beach.”
Gabe’s eyes narrowed as if he was imagining the scene.
Jude frowned at her. “Did the ME share any other information?”
“Nothing except that the autopsy is at nine. I’ll attend, of course.”
Gabe widened his stance. “I’m coming with you.”
“Sorry, but no. You’re not officially connected to this investigation. Besides, you don’t want to see your friend undergo such an invasive examination.”
His face paled, and he clapped a hand over his mouth. “I need some air.”
He bolted around the table and brushed past her with such haste she had to work to stay upright. Wanting to reach out to him, she stood firm and tracked his progress out the door.
“I’ll go after him,” Abby said.
Nolan held up a hand. “Give him a few minutes alone to process.”
Alone? He needed help. His pain was El’s pain. His anguish, her anguish. His loss, her loss.
Never had an investigation brought up such intense emotions. Not even Victoria’s. Perhaps the right thing to do was to recuse herself from the case. She could hand everything off to Ulrich.
Could, but she wouldn’t let Gabe down. She would not only find Kenna’s killer, but also locate her daughter, and along the way, she would support him through his turmoil.
El glanced around the group. “I have a few additional questions for Gabe, but other than that, I’m finished. Any questions?”
His solemn team members shook their heads.
Nolan focused on her as if training a sniper rifle. “In the event we don’t find her right away, let’s plan regular update meetings to pool resources. Maybe start at the end of the day today. We should have results by then, and it would be a good time to coordinate.”
Many detectives would be put off by a private investigation agency like this one, but she knew their qualifications and skills, plus their success rate in finding missing people, so she nodded.
Nolan stood and gave a tight smile. “I know this isn’t easy, and Gabe’s personal connection compounds that. But he’ll come around, so hang in there.”
She started for the door, and Abby rushed to join her. “I’m praying for you and for a positive outcome to Lucy’s disappearance.”
“Thanks.” El smiled at the petite woman. “That will make all the difference.”
Abby squeezed her arm, and El stepped out the door. A brisk wind whipped from the ocean, and shivers ran over her body. Gabe was out there somewhere, grieving alone. Not surprising that he wanted to be on his own. He kept his private life private. He’d let her in a few times, telling her he came from a family with connections to illegal activities, but not what specifically had caused him to lock down his emotions.
She walked to her car, but was drawn to the ocean lookout. Maybe viewing God’s majesty in His creation could lift her mood and help her trust Him to take care of Lucy.
