We All Sleep Alone (Finley Creek #11) - Calle J. Brookes Page 0,103

looking for valuables to hock or something?” Izzie asked, even that would be far too coincidental for her.

“It’s possible,” Elliot said. “But with everything that’s happened we want to be on the cautious side.”

“Question is,” Jake asked. “Is someone trying to abduct my niece connected to someone breaking into your condo? If so, why?”

Izzie knew her uncle was gearing up to be a total ass. She’d seen him do that before. “Why does it have to be connected at all?”

“That’s a good question,” Mel said. She’d listened to every word from where she’d sat in the chair near Izzie’s place on the couch. Izzie and Mel had writing in common and had spent several hours each day Mel was around just talking about it and writing—while Allen had rested or read through Henedy’s journals.

Journals he was turning over to Elliot today.

Jake turned on her. He was scowling his best scowl. “Iz—”

“Allen, maybe we can talk in private? I have some questions of my own,” Elliot said.

Izzie tried not to be irked at the idea of being excluded.

Allen nodded and stood, disturbing the sleeping puppy who had been coddled for the past seven days at the hotel.

Houghton had even arranged to have a member of the staff take the puppy out when needed—so Izzie and Allen wouldn’t be spotted.

Oliver yipped, then trotted over to Jake. He started attacking Jake’s leather boots with ferocity. Oliver had a thing for feet.

Izzie was working on that with him.

Allen scooped Oliver up.

He handed the puppy off to Izzie without breaking stride. The look he shot at Jake told its own story. “Our suite is this way.”

Had anyone else heard the emphasis he had put on the worked our?

Izzie looked at him.

Jake may be chronically cranky, but Allen didn’t need to deliberately needle him. She knew Allen well enough to know that was exactly what he was going to do. Simply because he could—and would enjoy it. “Be good.”

Allen shot a wicked grin at her.

“I don’t think Jake likes that you and Allen are together,” Mel said.

“I think you’re exactly right,” Izzie said. “The question is what am I going to do about it?”

“Tell that cranky-assed uncle of yours to take a flying leap,” Mel said. “While you cuddle up to the gorgeous doctor who has it so bad for you it gives me the shivers. That’s what I would do. Curl right up with him and enjoy. Life is short. We should all take time to enjoy that. And Allen…you two are good together. We all see that. You’re bringing him out of that shell Jillian said he’s had for a while.”

For the first time really since she had been told that the TSP was on their way to talk to her and Allen, Izzie finally started to relax.

This…was normal. She spent many hours at W4HAV with Mel and her sister, Jillian, just chatting like this. Hanging out and being together with women who understood her.

Some of the unsettled confusion she felt since the abduction attempt melted away.

Things were starting to feel right again. She suspected it was all because of him.

85

Allen knew what the two men were up to. For whatever reason they were there, it was significant.

“What’s really going on, Elliot?” Allen asked.

Elliot shook his head. “We don’t know. I spoke with Rafe. He and Jillian are back at FCGH now; your office was broken into earlier this morning. Searched. That’s what really brought us here. Someone had a key, and they knew exactly how to get in. We think they were looking for hints to where you’d gone.”

“That and to get my niece. She has to speak with the prosecutors regarding what Henedy did. His attorney is pushing to move quickly—for some reason,” Jake said. “Someone in the DA’s office is making that happen.”

“We’re here to make sure that she gets there safely,” Elliot said.

“How are we going to do that?” He wasn’t about to let her out of his sight. “Does this have anything to do with Henedy’s journals?”

He’d told Elliot about them on one of their calls. The other man had told him to just keep reading. To see if he had found something that explained why. So far, he’d found nothing. He was ready to turn them over to Elliot.

He wanted to finish all of this with Henedy and focus on the future with Izzie.

“Wait a minute? What journals?” Izzie’s uncle asked.

“I have eleven journals written by Henedy.” He had kept them in the top drawer of the bureau