She hesitated.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell anyone about his ability.” She pulled out her badge and showed it to the woman before re-clipping it to her jeans. “You have my word.”
“Gabe.”
“Is he Sadie’s son?”
“Yes,” she answered, never taking her gaze from the yard outside.
“Is she here?”
“She never came home last night, and I haven’t been able to reach her today.” Only then did the woman turn to face Elizabeth with worry in her eyes. “She’s never been this irresponsible. I’m worried.”
“When was the last time you talked to her?”
“She called before leaving work. She said was going to the Honey Pot to meet her friends and asked if I could watch Gabe.”
“Who’s Gabe’s father, and where is he?” Elizabeth asked, picking up a frame on the coffee table that depicted Betty, Sadie, and Gabe.
“Nate Bishop. I don’t know how they met, but”—Betty gave a slight shrug— “he took off after changing Sadie into a wolf and knocking her up.”
Elizabeth set the picture down. “That doesn’t make sense, especially if he got her pregnant. Mates are a protective bunch. That’s assuming they were mates.”
“Oh, they were mates all right,” Betty continued. “No one knows why he left or where he went. He wasn’t even decent enough to give her an explanation. He met her, claimed her, knocked her up, and split. He only returned once when Gabe turned four. I caught him in the yard talking to the boy. I threatened to skin him alive if he ever came back.”
“I bet Sadie didn’t like that.”
“She didn’t talk to me for a week. She just went to work and came home. If she could have afforded to move out, she would have left and never looked back. But she couldn’t afford it with the little salary she’s making.
“Where does she work?”
“She works as an aid in the legal department on Senator Hayes’ campaign.”
“Wait.” Lizzie’s brows dipped. “Your daughter is a shifter, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Why is she working for a senator who wants to tag the shifter population?”
Betty’s face turned guarded, and she pressed her lips together. “I don’t know.”
Oh yes, she did. She just wasn’t saying. Without warning, she did something she wouldn’t normally do to an older woman. She blurted out the reason she was there.
“Emily Fisher was found murdered in an alleyway a block from the Honey Pot. She was last seen leaving the club with your daughter. If there is any hope of finding Sadie still alive, I’m going to need you to help. Tell me what you know,” Elizabeth pleaded.
Betty turned back to the window, her jaw set in a hardened line. “I can’t.” She walked to the door and called Gabe back inside. “You have to leave.”
Gabe dragged his feet walking back to his grandmother. He stood in front of her, his head hanging down as she rested her arms protectively around his shoulders. “Please, just go.”
Elizabeth pulled out two of her business cards and handed one to Betty. “Call me if you can think of anything else.”
She squatted in front of Gabe and handed him the other. “You call me if you ever need anything. I know what it’s like to be different and scared.”
He nodded and took her card.
She stood and gave them a curt nod. She couldn’t make the lady tell her anything. As aggravating as it was, she had to walk out the door knowing that there were things the lady wouldn’t say. She glanced up at the curtains once more as she climbed into the SUV. Gabe was perched in front of the window. He gave her a wave goodbye.
She waved back even as she spoke. “Sadie was an aid working for the senator. Her mom said that she never came home.”
Rhys backed out of the driveway before reaching for her to link their hands. A calming force surrounded her while her mind muddled through what she’d learned so far.
“I told you we could help,” Max called out from the back seat.
Glancing over her shoulder, she smiled at the brothers. “Thanks for that. I’m sure Gabe enjoyed it.”
She turned back in her seat, her mind returning to the case.
“You’re squeezing my hand off. What’s bothering you, Lizzie?” Rhys asked. Lifting her fingers to his mouth, he pressed a gentle kiss to her palm.
“Mates,” she answered and pulled her hand away.
