Page 24 of The Last To Know (Hallowed Halls Series #2)

C ooper didn’t understand anything anymore. Everything he’d once believed true about Oliver Ellison had crumbled around him. His dad had lied about so much. Cooper was certain this was just the tip of the iceberg of what would be uncovered.

“There’s news on Isobel.” Hannah read a text. “She’s in critical condition. She lost a lot of blood and hasn’t regained consciousness.”

“But she’s alive. That’s good news.” Cooper pulled under the portico of the hotel beside the SUV driven by Jack.

Megan met them at the entrance. Cooper could tell she had something important.

“A call came in to the Grand Island police. Detective Siegler took the call from a woman claiming she knows who killed Giselle Witherspoon and took the other women.”

Nothing prepared Cooper for this. “You’re kidding? We need to speak to her.”

Megan shook her head. “That’s just it. She’ll only talk to you, Cooper. She said she’s scared of the person responsible and wants to meet somewhere safe.”

“She asked for me by name?”

“She asked for Cooper Ellison. ”

The name he’d once been so proud of slapped him in the face. “Did she give a name?”

“She did not. She did, however, leave a number.” Megan gave it to him. “And before you ask, it’s a burner phone.”

“You should call her right away, Cooper,” Hannah told him. “Put her on speaker and let us listen in. You can’t out rule the possibility this is just some kook who’s fascinated with the case. Under no circumstances should you meet her alone. She could be setting you up.”

“For what? You think my father wants to kill me?” It didn’t make sense to Cooper. His father had never once tried to reach out through the years.

Hannah touched his arm. “I’m saying you have to be careful.”

“She’s right.” Jack agreed. “You’re not meeting her alone. Get her on the phone, and let’s see what she has to say.”

With the team gathered around the conference table, Cooper punched in the number for their mystery witness. The call went to voicemail. Cooper glanced around at his people before redialing. This time a woman answered. “Hello? Who is this?” She sounded terrified.

“Cooper Ellison. You wanted to speak with me.”

His heartbeat ticked off the seconds until she responded. “In person. It’s not safe over the phone.”

“This is a secure line, and you’re using a burner. It’s safe.”

“How did you know this was a burner phone?” Her tone accused. “Did that female cop bug my phone?”

“That’s not how it works. You’re safe, I promise. What do I call you?”

“I’m not giving you my real name. You can call me Worthy.”

The fake name sent chills down Cooper’s spine. Certainly not a coincidence she’d chosen it.

“You told Detective Siegler you know who killed Giselle Witherspoon. How would you know that unless you were there?”

Worthy huffed out an angry sigh. “I told her I know who killed the dancer and took the others. I didn’t tell her I was there because I wasn’t. If you’re just going to try and frame me for something I wasn’t involved in, then we have nothing to talk about.”

Cooper forced himself to slow down the questions. Worthy was spooked enough as it was. “I’m not accusing you of being involved. I just want to hear how you know all of this.”

Seconds ticked by. “Because he told me.”

“He? Who are you talking about?”

More hesitation had Cooper’s frustration growing.

“My brother.”

Brother. He couldn’t determine her age, but it couldn’t be his father she spoke of because there wasn’t a record of any sisters. “Your brother is the killer?”

“Yes. He kept in touch with me through the years. And the others.”

“You have more sisters?” Cooper recalled what Hannah said about the women his father embalmed. They were his sisters. His family. “What’s your brother’s name?”

Worthy remained silent for so long Cooper believed she’d hung up. “Are you still there?”

Her breathing could be heard. “I am. Look, he’s the only family I have. I was passed through several foster families before I ended up at the orphanage with my brother. No one wanted us. When I aged out, I was lost and alone. He was always there for me.”

She had loyalty to her brother, but she knew about his crimes and was torn.

“I know you care about him, but he’s a killer, Worthy. He’ll keep on killing until he’s caught. Help us catch him before he can hurt anyone else. Or you.”

“He’d never hurt me.”

“What about the other women he’s taken? He’ll kill them.” When she didn’t answer, he wondered if the killer already had. “There were others. He killed several other women more than twenty years ago.”

“That’s not true. H-he wasn’t even in the country at that time.”

Cooper looked around at his people. If Worthy were telling the truth and the person she believed killed those women wasn’t in the US, then she wasn’t talking about his father. “You know my name. Who my father is and what he did. Giselle Witherspoon was killed using the same MO as my father. By your brother.”

“This was a mistake.” The call ended.

Cooper slammed the phone against the table, his frustration getting the better of him. He tried reaching Worthy several more times with the same results. “She’s not answering.”

“Give her time to process what you said.” Megan patted his shoulder.

“Megan’s right,” Jack said. “She reached out before. It’s possible she’ll call again. She has your number. For now, let’s go over everything we know so far. Hannah, is there anything else in the journal?”

“I’m not sure. With everything else that happened, I didn’t read through it all. Let’s see.” She flipped through to the last page she’d viewed. “Wait . . . I can’t believe this.”

Cooper sat up straighter in anticipation.

“Isobel goes into greater detail about what she and Ellison spoke about before his escape. He told her his brother killed their father later on.” She looked to Cooper. “Isobel regretted not going to the police after Ellison faked his death. She loved him but I think she was more frightened of him.”

Cooper frowned. “That’s not possible. The Ellisons never adopted anyone else.”

“Maybe he was angry and killed Oliver’s adopted parents for revenge because they took Oliver and not him?”

“I guess it’s possible.” Hannah’s theory was possible. Still, Cooper wasn’t convinced. He drummed his fingers on the face of the phone. “Worthy claimed her brother killed Giselle and took Tiffany and Veronica. I wonder if she knew about Isobel?”

“Probably. He obviously confides in her.” Sierra went to refill her coffee.

“Let’s suppose for a second that what Worthy said is true and the brother Isobel spoke of is the same as Worthy’s brother.”

“Something must have happened to Oliver Ellison, Worthy, and the brother’s biological parents. Worthy and the brother ended up in foster care,” Megan said. “Maybe there was a reason the Ellisons didn’t adopt the brother. He could have been violent and the family was afraid of him.”

“I wonder why they didn’t adopt Worthy?” Sierra asked. “She seems innocent in all of this.”

“Possibly. We really need to speak with her more to know the family history,” Hannah said. “We’re missing something.”

Cooper’s eyes widened. “Like maybe Oliver really has a brother and possibly sisters. After the biological parents were out of the picture for whatever reason, Oliver was adopted but the rest of the siblings were not.”

“That would certainly make the brother feel unworthy. He and Worthy—and any other siblings—may have all been at the same orphanage,” Hannah said. “We’ll need a last name to locate them.”

“The initials on the sketch Ellison drew were P.A. It stands to reason the brother’s last name begins with an A.” Zeke grabbed his laptop. “I’m going to see if I can locate any orphanages near Pottsville. Maybe we can have something break our way before these two decide to take another innocent life.”