Page 27 of The Last To Know (Hallowed Halls Series #2)

A s Hannah’s story unfolded, Cooper forgot all about his father. He couldn’t believe she hadn’t told him about the notes before now.

“We need to let the others know.”

She shook her head repeatedly. “You can’t. They’ll take me off the case.”

His eyes widened. “Hannah, your life’s in danger. Whoever this person is, he came into our hotel and left the message while we all slept. He slipped this into your purse while we were at the house. He’s got a fixation with you that seems to be getting darker. This could be connected to the Embalmer case.”

She wiped her face. “It isn’t.”

“You don’t know that for certain.”

“I do. In my gut I do.”

He clasped her hand. “Look, I know you don’t want to share this with everyone, but I promise it will be okay. I’ll talk to Jack.”

She searched his face. “You will?”

He smiled, yet he couldn’t help but wonder if her stalker were related to Embalmer.

She told him about her uneasiness when in Nolan Lewis’s presence. “He gave me the creeps.”

He noticed the waitress watching them still. “Let’s get out of here.” He stood, and she slipped into her coat. They headed back to the hotel.

“We checked Lewis before, and he appeared clean. Maybe he’s using an alias.” Cooper wondered if they could try to get prints off the notes or if the stalker wore gloves. If ERT could retrieve a print, they might find a lead to who was stalking her.

Cooper put his arm around her as they crossed the parking lot. They were almost to the hotel when a car grabbed his attention behind them. It appeared to be following them. Small and white . . . like the one Lewis had driven.

Cooper whipped around. Saw Lewis behind the wheel. “Go inside. Now, Hannah.”

She ran toward the entrance. Once she was safe, Cooper started toward Lewis’s car.

He quickly whipped the vehicle around and floored it, shooting across the parking lot without regard for other cars or pedestrians.

Cooper raced toward the Armada and jumped inside. Hannah, who had been waiting under the portico instead of going inside, got in next to him.

“What are you doing?” He fired the engine.

“Going with you. This person is coming after me, Cooper.”

And he was getting away. He shoved the gearshift into Drive and started after Lewis. Cooper was forced to slow down to miss a car pulling out in front of them. As soon as the car cleared, he headed for the road. “He went right.” Cooper turned and maneuvered through the traffic as best he could. “Do you see him?”

Hannah leaned forward and searched their surroundings. “No, I don’t.” Her cell phone buzzed a message. “It’s Jack. They must have seen us leave.” She called Jack and told him what happened. “We’re searching for the car now.”

“Be careful, Hannah. This guy is clearly infatuated with you, and I have a feeling there’s more to the story than what you’ve told.” Jack’s tone held disappointment.

“You’re right. I’ll tell you everything once we return.” She waited for a response that didn’t come before she ended the call.

Cooper searched sideroads on his side while Hannah did the same. After they’d traveled a couple of miles, the truth became clear. Lewis had escaped.

“That’s it. He’s gone.” He made the safest U-turn he could and headed back to the hotel. “There’s more to Lewis than what we uncovered. We need to find out who he really is and what he wants from you.”

They reached the hotel to find everyone waiting for them.

“What on earth happened?” Sierra asked while giving Hannah a hug.

Cooper looked Hannah’s way. “Let’s go inside, and we’ll explain everything we know.”

He kept close to Hannah because he cared about her, and he’d seen how difficult it had been for her to share with him. They were a close-knit team and yet some secrets were best left hidden. He certainly understood as much.

He slipped his hand in hers, hoping to give her encouragement as the story slowly unfolded.

Zeke was the most upset. “Why didn’t you tell me you were being threatened?”

“I didn’t want to worry you. You’ve been so worried about me since Ellie died. I wanted to spare you.”

Zeke tugged his sister into his arms. “Don’t ever do that again. You’re my family. I want to know what’s going on in your life.”

She slowly nodded.

“Where are the notes?” Jack asked.

Hannah pulled them from her bag using her gloves. “I’ve handled them, carefully, but I handled them.”

“I have too. Just the last one. Briefly when I unfolded the note to read it,” Cooper added.

“Here’s an evidence bag.” Megan handed her husband the bag.

Jack placed the notes inside. “I’m calling Bob.” He stepped away to make the call .

“I can’t believe you had a heart transplant so young.” Sierra seemed surprised. She was the only one who didn’t know about the transplant.

“It’s not something I like to talk about,” Hannah told her.

Sierra hugged her close. “I get that. But I’m here too if you ever want to unload.”

Hannah smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Bob’s coming over. He’ll work from here to see if we can get any viable prints.”

And if they did find out Lewis’s real name, and it was the person who claimed to be his father’s brother, would he be able to stop his father and uncle from taking her from him?

The thought of losing Hannah ripped his guts out. He wasn’t willing to face that possible reality, certainly not to a monster from his past or some sick individual stalking her. He loved her. Wouldn’t lose her. Not like that. Not to a monster.

“I found something.”

All eyes turned to Zeke.

“It took some digging, but I followed Jane’s lead about your adoptive grandparents and found this.” He turned the laptop around. “Fern Ellison has a sister named Suzanne Moriarty.”

“You’re kidding?” Cooper couldn’t believe it. “There was no mention of her in the obits.”

“No, you’re right. I don’t know if they had a falling out or if it was an oversight, but she’s still alive and lives near Jonestown.” Zeke pulled up the address.

“I want to speak with her. Do you have a phone number?”

“Give me a second . . .” Zeke typed some keys and squinted at the screen. “A landline. No record of a cell.”

“That’s odd.” Cooper typed the number into his phone and waited through five rings before it went to voicemail. He identified himself and asked Suzanne to call him back.

Megan stood and held her lower back. “It’s late. We all need to get some rest. Let’s start fresh in the morning.”

Everyone but Hannah and Cooper left. Cooper tried to urge her to get some rest.

Hannah paced the conference room. “I’m too keyed up.” She stopped walking. “Do you think this is just some sicko playing games with me, or is it somehow connected to this case?” She grabbed a water. “Want some?”

He declined. “As much as I don’t need it, I’m going for coffee even though I think I have more caffeine in my veins than blood at this point.”

She laughed. Hannah poured him a cup and returned to her seat.

“To answer your question, I think this is separate. Definitely Lewis or whoever he really is.”

“What about the company he works for? We talked to them, right?”

Cooper started to say yes, but then hesitated. “We must have. He checked out.”

“Or did he?” Hannah wondered if Lewis had manipulated the record somehow.

“Let’s find out.” He looked up Empire Windows and called the number.

“Hello.” He sat up straighter, surprised someone answered at that time of day.

“Yes, this is Cooper Delaney.” He identified himself as FBI and switched the call to speaker.

“Agent Delaney. We’re actually closed. I’m just catching up on some paperwork. Can you call back tomorrow?”

“I’m sorry, it can’t wait. This is important.”

The woman sighed her annoyance. “Fine. How can I help you?”

“I’m calling about one of your employees. Nolan Lewis. I’d like to ask you some questions about him.”

“Let me see if I can help you. I’m not in human resources.” The sound of keys being punched. “Well, this is strange. I don’t see an employee by that name. Are you sure of the name?”

“Yes I am.”

“Hang on a second.”

Cooper’s stomach tightened as he listened to the hold music. How had Lewis managed to doctor his employment history to pass an FBI detailed search?

The woman came back on the line. “Agent Delaney, I think we have the mix-up. We had a Luis Noland who worked for us for a while, but he is no longer employed here.”

“Did he quit or was he fired?” Cooper had a feeling he knew the answer.

“Mr. Noland was let go.” Her tone became even more guarded.

“Ma’am, we’re investigating a stalking incident. Luis Noland might have information about the case. I need everything you can tell me about him.”

“He was fired because he appeared to be using his route to track down women he claimed to have a relationship with.”

Beloved, now that I’ve found you again. I will never let you go. You will be with me soon. Now and always.

“When was this?”

“Six months earlier.”

“I need you to send me his file.” Cooper gave her his email address.

“I’ll do it now.”

“Thank you.” Cooper ended the call, reeling with shock. The cover Noland had created for himself appeared squeaky clean.

“Wow.” Hannah stared at her laptop screen. “You’re not going to believe this. Luis Noland killed his wife around nineteen years ago.”

“You’re kidding?” Cooper came around and pulled out the chair beside her. “He didn’t go to prison?”

She shook her head. “No. He was committed to a psychiatric hospital. He’s been out for almost a year.”

“Is there an address for Noland now?” Cooper waited while she searched for the information. “The same as he listed under the Noland identity.” She put the address into Google Maps and realized it was an empty building. “A dead end.”

“What about the car? It was registered to Lewis. Did he finance it?”

Another search had her shaking her head. “He paid cash.”

“He covered all his bases. What’s his connection to you? You two have never met, right?”

Hannah immediately confirmed they hadn’t. She focused hard on Noland’s image. “I know him, Cooper. I don’t know how yet, but of one thing I’m certain. I know Luis Noland somehow.”