Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5)(44)

“Right. So, Alexis was able to get copies of his evaluations from the fast-food places he’s worked at, and they basically said nothing. He was an okay employee, but not great. He wasn’t super reliable and missed a lot of work because of his mother. One manager wrote that because he didn’t drive, he was late a lot.”

“If he doesn’t drive, how can he be leaving all the shit at her house?” Cole asked.

Blake shrugged. “Alexis checked the DMV records and found he doesn’t have a driver’s license, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t drive, now that his mother has passed.”

“Can’t we put a ‘be on the lookout’ for his car and get the cops to nab him for driving without a license?” Cole asked.

“It’s not that simple,” Logan said. “There has to be a reason for a BOLO. And not having a driver’s license isn’t enough. You’d be shocked at the number of people driving around with a revoked or suspended license, or even no license at all.”

“Shit,” Cole muttered. “What else?”

“Right, so he wasn’t the greatest worker, but he wasn’t the worst either. He didn’t get fired from any of his jobs, he always quit.” Blake looked at Sarah. “Have you installed those cameras at your house like we suggested last time?”

She bit her lip and shook her head. “No. I figured since I was moving, it would be a waste of time.”

Logan sighed, and Ryder pressed his lips together as if he was disappointed.

“I thought you’d ordered them,” Cole said quietly.

“I was going to, but between work and packing, I kept forgetting. That’s a crappy excuse, and I know it. I should’ve, okay? I admit it. I’m so sorry.” She felt as if she’d let everyone down and been incredibly stupid at the same time. She was the one who’d come to them for help. She was the one who didn’t feel safe. And here she was, acting just like one of those airheaded women in a horror movie who hid behind a shed filled with axes and knives.

“It’s okay,” Logan told her. “What’s done is done. When did you say you’re moving into that apartment?”

Cole answered before she could. “Next week, or as soon as the manager finishes her background check.”

“I’ll make sure that gets fast-tracked,” Ryder said.

Logan nodded.

Blake continued. “Alexis tracked down Aubrey’s death certificate, and the coroner listed organ failure as her ultimate cause of death, but leukemia was listed as a contributing factor.”

Sarah nodded. She’d known that. The older woman hadn’t been doing well when she’d been in the hospital. It had been only a matter of time until she passed away.

“The mortgage hasn’t been paid since she died,” Nathan said, joining the conversation. “I stopped by the neighborhood the other day with Joel. He had to sell at least a dozen of these stupid coupon books for a school fund-raiser, and I figured that neighborhood was as good as any to canvass.”

“And a good opportunity for you to check out the house in the process,” Blake said.

“But wasn’t it dangerous for Joel to be around Owen?” Sarah asked, chewing her lip.

“First, Owen has no idea who I am, or Joel,” Nathan said. “He would have no reason to suspect something. Second, I’d never do anything to put that boy in danger. I told him all about why I wanted to go there, and he was super excited to be in on an ‘op,’ as he called it. And third, it’s a moot point, as no one was home when we knocked.”

“What’d you see?” Ryder asked. “I know you checked the place out.”

“Of course we did. It doesn’t look like the lawn has been mowed in months. The curtains were shut on the window in the front of the house, but we wandered around to the back to knock on that door, and we could see right in through a large window on the back porch. The place was a mess. Dirty dishes stacked up in the sink with dried food on them. Trash piled everywhere. I don’t know if that’s where Owen’s been living or not, but it was a pigsty.”

Sarah couldn’t help the twinge of pity that struck her.

“What was that thought?” Cole asked from next to her. He was always so in tune to what she was feeling.

“It’s just that . . . Owen was so worried about his mom. And when I had that short conversation with her while Owen was out of the room, she was worried about him right back. She said something about how she’d always taken care of him, and she didn’t know what he’d do when she was gone.”

The men all nodded, as if the messy house made perfect sense. But Owen was an adult. There was no reason why he couldn’t clean the house. But then again, he also hadn’t paid the mortgage since his mother had died either.

None of it made sense, and things that didn’t make sense made her very nervous.

“Which brings us to the most important thing Alexis found in her research,” Blake said. “The disability money that Owen receives every month is because he’s developmentally disabled.”

The words made Sarah blink in surprise. She shook her head. “No, he’s not. He was completely normal when we had lunch.”

“A lot of times, people who have low IQs, like Owen does, can hide their disability. They seem to be just like everyone else, but they ultimately don’t think the same way.”