Page 24 of Shelter for Shay (Broken Heroes Mended Souls #2)

MOOSE – LAKE GEORGE, NEW YORK

T he old diner on the corner of Main and Warren hadn’t changed in sixteen years. The vinyl on the booths was held together by duct tape. The lighting made the place look as though it were in a constant state of haze. The wallpaper was stained with grease and every condiment known to man.

But the smells were pure decadence. His nose had been assaulted with all the possibilities, and his taste buds were running from his mouth in search of all the treats.

The French toast double-dipped in eggs and cooked to perfection.

The crispy bacon. The homemade hashbrowns.

And the pastries… God, the pastries were to freaking die for.

Moose slid into the booth across from Andy Harmon just as the waitress dropped a mug of black coffee in front of him.

Frank Harmon, Andy’s father and state trooper, was already there, nursing a half-eaten cinnamon bun and giving Moose the same squint he used to give punks who egged mailboxes back in high school.

“Never thought I’d see the day you’d ask for a meeting with me,” Frank said. “Normally, you were running every time you saw me.”

“I’ve changed some over the years, Sergeant Harmon.” Moose palmed the mug, staring into the dark liquid, trying not to squirm in his seat.

Andy’s dad was still intimidating as hell. Still muscular. Still fit. Still had piercing eyes like truth serum.

“Let’s cut the sergeant crap,” Frank said. “You’re not a teenager anymore, and everyone in this town knows the kind of man you turned out to be. Honorable. Decent. The kind of man that if you ever retire, move back up here, and want a job, I’d hire you in a flash.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. However, I just re-signed a six-year contract, and honestly, unless something happens to me, I don’t see myself leaving the Navy.” Moose took a sip of the coffee. It was the best brew he’d ever tasted.

“One of my cousins was a career Marine.” Frank smiled. “I respect that.”

Moose nodded.

“How’s Shay doing?” Andy asked.

“She’s had a bit of a rough time,” Moose said. “I just dropped her off at the courthouse. She called that number last night, and sure enough, she had to report for jury duty.”

“That really sucks,” Andy said. “Especially when Jacob Donovan is there for jury selection for the Blake Edmonds Case.”

“I’ve never had to report for jury duty,” Moose said. “But wouldn’t Shay be released simply because she knows the prosecutor?”

“Not necessarily.” Frank shook his head, leaning back.

“Jacob was born and raised in this town, so he can’t dismiss everyone he knows.

But he’s also somewhere between my age and yours.

” He wiggled his finger between Andy and Moose.

“While I’m sure he knows who Shay is, he doesn’t know her well.

And the key here is if she knows Blake or Blake’s assistant, Adam Lawrence. ”

Moose shifted his gaze to Andy for guidance. “Did she?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Andy said. “Shay hasn’t spent much time in Lake George since high school. She comes home every so often to visit her mom or when she’s between countries. Outside of Becca and Todd, she doesn’t hang with too many people she knew from back in the day.”

“She’s feeling quite betrayed. As if her entire identity was built on a lie.” Moose hated that for her.

“I don’t know what Margaret was thinking,” Frank said. “I checked our database for anything on Bradley Morrison. Nothing popped up that would make me suspicious of the man. I spoke with Jared, my old boss, and asked if he’d ever had any run-ins with him or ever saw Margaret with a man.”

“And?”

“Nothing.” Frank sighed. “My mom remembers seeing her pregnant a few times in the grocery store and thinks she vaguely remembers her mentioning a husband who traveled. Or who had to be out of town for work. She couldn’t remember the details. But she does know she never met him.”

Moose frowned, toying with his mug. “Margaret was a lifeline to a lot of people. I just don’t understand why she’d lie about this.”

“I could come up with a few reasons,” Frank said. “Biggest one is Shay’s real dad is a criminal and she didn’t want that to touch Shay, but Bradley’s not that.”

“I know how that feels.” Andy let out a low whistle. “But I was nine when my biological dad killed my mom. Ten when he tried to kill me. What makes more sense here is for Margaret to simply say he’s dead or that he was a one-night stand.”

Frank tapped his finger on the table. “I take it your girl made sure there wasn’t a name change by Margaret before she moved to Lake George?”

Moose nodded.

“So, that makes me wonder if Bradley isn’t smoke and mirrors and if Shay’s dad isn’t someone else.

Someone who is a criminal, and Margaret didn’t want her to know him.

But if that were true, I’d think she’d hide, not stick it out here,” Andy said.

“Unless there was a reason for her to stay and make up that story, name and all.”

“Rufus Shaw is headed to Saratoga later today,” Moose added. “He works for Katie Donovan and he’s going to ask Bradley some questions.”

Frank gave a small, approving nod. “Katie’s good. So’s Rufus. He’ll get answers.”

“I hope so,” Moose said. “But I keep thinking—someone in town had to know something. Margaret never left Lake George for long. But she had to have friends outside of work. Anyone who might’ve known the truth and kept quiet?”

Frank leaned back, arms crossed, eyes narrowing.

“I can’t say I ever saw Margaret outside of when I was either picking up kids from school, at the garden center, or maybe the grocery store,” he said after a moment.

“She was always sweet. Always kind. She really helped Andy adjust to all the changes when his mom and I got married and adopted him.”

“What does Shay say about her friends?” Andy asked.

“A few neighbors. A couple of ladies from the book and garden club,” Moose said. “All people I want to talk to, but it’s not like she had a best friend.”

“That’s weird. We all have one or two of those,” Frank said.

“Shay always said she was too busy saving everyone else and taking care of her to have much of a social life,” Moose said.

The words settled heavy in his chest. “We’re talking in circles.

It’s like standing over that mission plan where you know it’s gonna go to shit, but you can’t put your finger on why.

We’re missing something. Something important.

Something that mattered to Margaret so much she felt like she had to lie to the one person who mattered more to her than her own happiness. ”

“I hate to ask this question, but what about Margaret’s financials?” Frank asked.

“Shay set them all out for me to go over today. Lots of medical bills and Shay said she remortgaged the house last year,” Moose said.

“She didn’t have a lot of money saved. Margaret was a proud woman and did her best to deal with all the money herself until she couldn’t and finally relented about four weeks before she passed. It was a hard-fought battle, I guess.”

“Shay always let her mother win,” Andy said.

“I remember when she wanted to take a gap year and travel. Her mother talked her out of it, saying that she’d support a semester abroad, but not that.

Later, when it was time for grad school, Shay wanted to put that off, but her mom wouldn’t hear of it.

She told her that it would be one year out of her life.

Do it, and then she’d support her doing whatever travel she wanted. And Margaret kept her word.”

Moose ran a hand over his mouth. “Do you know if Shay took out school loans?”

“I believe her mom paid for her undergrad, why?” Andy asked. “Do you think it matters?”

“I don’t know.” Moose leaned back. “Just searching for a reason why Margaret would want to—or need to—lie. Money is always a good one.”

“Yeah, but that’s not really tracking for me,” Frank said. “Not unless Margaret was taking money to keep Shay’s paternity a secret. And that feels off because she was living out in the open, real name. The only lie was Bradley Morrison and we don’t know if he’s her father or not.”

Andy glanced at his watch. “I need to get out on patrol before my boss has my hide.”

Frank chuckled. “I better head to the office.”

Moose drained the rest of his coffee. “If Rufus turns up anything useful, I’ll loop you both in.”

Frank tapped a knuckle against the table. “And if you get the urge to go knocking on Bradley Morrison’s door before the PI does, remember you’re not wearing a badge.”

Moose gave a tight nod. “I’m just a guy trying to make sense of things.”

Andy clapped him on the shoulder as they stood. “You’re also a guy whose girlfriend might end up on a trial that’s about to blow this town wide open. So don’t forget to breathe once in a while.”

Moose chuckled under his breath as they walked out into the crisp morning air. “I’ll work on that.”

Shay – Lake George, New York

The courtroom was colder than Shay expected.

Not physically—though the heat barely filtered through the air—but in tone, in atmosphere. Wood-paneled walls and polished pew benches should’ve made it feel like an extension of the old church she’d once attended with her mother. But this room didn’t offer peace.

Only judgment.

Shay sat with two dozen others in the jury box, hands folded tightly in her lap, trying to regulate her breathing while pretending she hadn’t caught the DA glancing her way more than once.

Jacob Donovan.

He’d always been a handsome older man, with a little gray dotting the temples. His father had been a defense attorney, and everyone thought it was odd that Jacob had taken a seat across the aisle.

But both men were kind, fair, and respected.

Jacob sat behind his table in a perfectly pressed gray suit, reading from a yellow legal pad. He scribbled a few notes, glancing up occasionally, then going back to his legal pad.