Breaking the Ice by Esme Taylor

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Hettie

I knew Reid needed to work on his new project, so we agreed that I would head home and we’d meet for dinner later that evening. Not wanting him to pick up on how nervous I was about everything that had been happening, I pulled up my big-girl panties and use the time to do some more research for my article.

Yesterday, at work, I’d been Googling Spenser Johansson, trying to find out if there were any local links. Just as Lewis had said, there was nothing about him anywhere. It was so strange. It was like someone had wiped him from history. I mean, you can find everyone on the Internet these days.

Just before I gave up my search, I stumbled upon an article with a reference to someone by the name Spenser Johansson having a grandfather in Sweden. Sadly, it didn’t tell me much more than the man’s name. I’d scribbled it on a piece of paper and tucked it inside one of the books to look up later.

Which was precisely what I intended to do today.

I tried not to let my worry show as Mike pulled up in front of my house. As always, he waited until I was safely inside. Little did he know, I felt safer standing on the street than I did inside my own home.

Unlocking the door, I stepped inside, switched off the new alarm system Reid had installed, and picked the mail up off the floor before dropping it, along with my keys on the table, and closing the door behind me. I peered out the window and gave Mike a wave to let him know that I was safe. Panic slowly began to creep up my spine. I did my best to shake it off as I secured the deadbolt and leaned back against the door, listening for any unusual sounds.

When the only sound I could hear was the pounding of my own heart, I decided the coast was clear and headed to my room to grab my laptop. After making some tea, I kicked off my shoes and curled up on the sofa. I spent the next hour or so searching the name I’d found, looking for anything that could link him to the elusive Spenser Johansson.

According to my research, Andreas Johansson, the grandfather of this Spenser Johansson, died in 2004 from a heart attack. As it turns out, he had a son who was married, but sadly, all of Andreas’ family perished in a car accident shortly before his death. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for this man I didn’t even know who had lost his son in such an awful way.

I knew he couldn’t possibly be a direct relative to Spenser. Given the fact that he was about to release a new book, he’s obviously still alive and kicking. I sighed in disappointment unsure what to try next.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind that I hoped might help me find out more information. I quickly typed out an email for Lewis, asking him if he would like me to proceed before clicking send. A moment later, my email notification pinged, letting me know that I had received a reply from Lewis telling me to do whatever I thought was necessary.

I smiled as I pulled up the forms I needed to complete to get the process started.