by Unger, Erin;
His hand went back to his temple. “She’s not off it.”
Ava ran her hand through her ponytail. “Give us your suspects.”
“But you have them already.”
When she crossed her arms, Ava gave him a smile. “I know but let us double check to make sure we’re on the same page.”
“Chief Johns.” He paused. “I could alibi out Ned Thompson, my dad’s antique store manager. He was with his wife.”
With a squint, I eyed Ava. “See, that’s new.”
It took Christopher a second to answer. “Right. I didn’t update you on that fact, did I?”
“No.”
Jillian’s finger poised over her handheld computer. “Wow. Just one person?”
“That’s the problem. There’s nothing linking anyone to it.”
I found a rock to sit on and dropped onto the edge of it, careful to avoid getting a black smear on my pants. It’d be nice to get out of the dress clothes Ava insisted we wear on the first meet and greet and into a nice pair of my infamous camo-print cargo shorts. My silky shirt chafed against my armpit where it was too tight, thanks to the extra weight gain. And the perspiration forming everywhere on me from the extreme heat of the afternoon wasn’t helping.
Frustration trickled out of Christopher like the sweat collecting on the edges of his shirt. He was putting too much pressure on himself. Could I—uh, the team—figure things out to take the burden from him?
5
Christopher
How was I supposed to keep my composure as I stood mere feet from the last place I saw my father’s scorched body prostrate before a blackened trail of death? It sure took all the energy I had left to act as if this was just another day—to talk about his murder as if it were a stranger’s problem and not my own sad tale.
But at least there was Shauna to distract me from some of the dark thoughts welling where I didn’t want to go. Yet she could be as dangerous as those thoughts. I cut my gaze to hers and stopped jittering around like a beetle on a string.
Shauna’s thick mane must be stifling in the heat. She pulled it off her neck and laid the black mass across her right shoulder. I turned away with difficulty and looked at Ava Worthington. What good was it if I didn’t keep them updated on my progress? Things weren’t getting off to a good start between us. And now I’d set Shauna Pratley on edge. “Everything else I’ve told you is up-to-date.”
Movement out of the corner of my eye bristled awareness across the back of my neck. A deer? I turned to the fresh forest lining the other side of my truck.
A branch bounced up and down at the edge, the green, lush leaves in deep contrast to the burnt mountainside only feet away.
I scanned well into the tree line, but nothing came into view.
“What is it?” Shauna stood up from the rock. “Did you see a deer?”
Her excited tone wasn’t in line with my own thoughts. “No.”
“A bear?”
At that, Ava recoiled and exhaled. “Don’t even joke, Shauna. Not after last fall.”
Shauna’s laugh filtered down to me, a strong and healthy chortle. “I was only wondering.”
From one to the other, I looked back and forth. “It was nothing. What were we talking about?”
Ava took a step closer to Shauna, almost falling onto the rock beside her. “Give me all your theories on the case.” She scrutinized the forest. “Anything new?”
What was that all about? She sure didn’t look like a woodsy woman. But was she that scared of wildlife? Better not dispel her fears. Getting between a bear and her cubs could get a person killed, and lots of hikers didn’t take the warnings seriously. Deer were dangerous too. I moved between her and her line of sight. I’d protect them if I had to. But my move put me even closer to Shauna. She didn’t seem to mind. Her attention was on the very spot that had frightened Ava, but her eyes were wide and expectant.
I breathed in hot air. “Could Dad’s death have to do with a business deal? Perhaps. But I don’t know. I never saw or heard anything that wasn’t above board.”
Shauna swatted a fly. “There was the situation with the land dispute where his shop is located.”
“Yes, but the courts settled in his favor. They said he had a right to the property, as it was grandfathered in from a deal he’d made with Stan Grayson twenty years ago.”
Still, Ava stood at full attention. “But Chief Johns believed otherwise?”
Another movement farther down from the first one made me stop as I was about to answer. Did I see someone out there?
Shauna crouched into a fighting stance and stared in the same direction. “Was that a person?”
I strode toward the vehicles. “Hello?”
No answer.
Who was watching us? Could it be a curious hiker or…was it a confirmation that someone had been following me the past few weeks? “Anyone there?”
Still, no one stepped out to acknowledge me. A nervous thrum trickled through my body and gained momentum. I scrutinized every moving leaf, every change in shadow. I’d go mad if I kept letting all the odd coincidences bother me. Even the sense that someone was just out of sight and watching happened too much to be a fluke. But I wasn’t about to tell the investigators my suspicions. I’d handle it on my own.
Shauna joined me and looked up and down the tree line. “Is there something wrong?”
“No.” The sudden craw of a rooster jolted us all to attention. Bad timing. I pulled my cell phone out of my shirt pocket as everyone else relaxed again. After a glance at it, I shut off the screen and hoped she didn’t hear the pounding of my heart. “I need to get back to work.” Lunch hour would be over before I got back, even if I left that minute. “Can we finish this discussion when I get off tonight? My schedule should be clear by then.” Still, the forest showed no sign of whatever had caught my attention. “I took the next two weeks off, but the accident might delay the start of my vacation time.”
Oops. I bit my inner cheek. Shauna didn’t need to feel bad about the accident. “What I meant is, I have a few guys on sick leave, but they should return to work tomorrow. They’ll take care of things for me. Then I can help you all with this case.”
Ava scurried to the SUV and waited for Jillian to unlock it. Jillian tucked her tablet in a crossbody bag and got the keys out of one of the pockets. “Really? You can’t still be afraid of the wild.”
I hadn’t imagined it. Her tight stance spoke volumes. With Shauna at my elbow, I stooped closer. “Does she have a phobia of forests?”
With a quirk of her mouth, Shauna kept pace with me. “Not a phobia. But she’s definitely not a fan of wildlife.” Why? She got a little closer. “A story for another time.”
I nodded. “OK. How about meeting around seven? I’ll call if it’ll be later.”
“Seven is good. Where did you want to get together? The hotel?”
I halted. Had I forgotten to set up reservations for them? I scruffed my jawline. “Which one? I meant to take care of that for you all at the Home Suite B&B. It’s the most popular one in town.”
“Oh?” Her brow furrowed. “Jillian booked us at the Best Ever Hotel.”
If my buddies saw this gorgeous woman and me going in and out of that place, I’d never hear the end of it no matter how hard I tried to convince them it was a working relationship. Yep, they’d turn it around for sure. “Oh, no. You don’t want to stay there.”
She stopped and stared up at me. “Why not?”
Should I leave it alone? I should’ve mentioned it to them before they’d scheduled to come. “It’s OK, but if you want the best free breakfast around, you should stay at the B&B. Give the owner my name. She’ll discount your rooms. I was supposed to take care of that. I’m sorry.”
“Well, we can’t argue with discounts.”
Shauna pulled her hair up and wrapped a hair tie around it in a messy bun, and once again I watched the richness of her hair against her fingers. Why was my mind going so crazy? I turned away and scan
ned the trees again. That was a good distraction.
“But what if she’s booked solid? It is short notice and the middle of summer vacation.”
“Couldn’t hurt to try.” I dug out my keys from the deep pocket at my thigh. “Call me…uh, to let me know where to meet you.”
Her eyebrow wriggled up an inch. “Sure will.”
I slapped my forehead when I got in my truck. Call me? Hope she made nothing of it. I’d only meant to line up a meeting point…or had I?
Moments later, I sat in my truck, arms on the steering wheel, staring through the side window. If it was even possible to catch whoever was following me, I’d get out now and hunt them down, but they could be anywhere by now. Better get back to work. And later, I’d stop at the house before meeting with Shauna—no, Worthington Investigations—and arm myself if this was how it was going to be.
6
Shauna
I might not know how to read body language very well, but I knew a lie when I heard one. And there was no mistaking the one Christopher told me when his rooster ringtone scared the stuff out of us. After the Connell case, I’d picked up a few investigative truths, one of which was that gut instinct was real. My gut said Christopher was more afraid than he’d ever admit. There was someone in the forest. Not something. What did I have to do to prove he could trust us and talk to us?
On the outskirts of Uppland, Jillian tapped in a search for the B&B Christopher had suggested. It was only a few blocks from the center of town rather than the hotel on the other side of the highway. I pulled the phone closer to read it better. “Oh, that would be much better.”
Jillian smirked and pulled her hand back. “I agree.”
Behind us, Ava sat forward and squinted. “Let me see. Got a street view?”
“I do. Wait a minute.” Jillian pulled it up on the screen. “Oh, nice.”
“As long as it has all the hot water I want and a hair dryer, I’m happy.” Not the outdoorsy, rough-it kind of gal. That was what had gotten in the way of my brilliant plans to stay out in the beauty of the country at our last big murder investigation.
“And as long as there’s Wi-Fi, I can stay anywhere.” Jillian reached back for the phone.
Adjusting my seatbelt, I checked my shirt for sweat stains. “It looks very homey. I like it. And the sooner you get there, the sooner I can get comfy.”
Jillian rolled her eyes. “Please tell me you brought something other than camouflage everything.”
“Ha. Of course not.”
As Jillian returned to the road, she rolled her eyes at me. “Boring.”
“Hey, I have it in pink and orange. How can that be boring?”
A giggle was all the answer I got.
My friends didn’t agree with or understand my clothing choices, and that was fine with me. I was the one who was comfortable when they were chafing from their fancy clothes.
We pulled up to a bright yellow Victorian, Home Suite B&B on a sign at the front of the driveway.
We hurried to the door and entered a sun-drenched foyer. A creamy yellow paint covered most of the walls and stopped where wide-striped wallpaper took over on the curving staircase.
I sucked in a breath. Very nice.
Ava spun around and investigated the whole area. “Oh, look at that dining room.”
Several small tables filled the room with memorabilia in every corner. Yet it was so tidy and not at all hoard-like. Two harps sat in one corner. Fancy.
A bell dinged behind me. I turned and covered one ear when Jillian hit it one more time. “Girl.”
She goaded me with her sideways, goofy smile as she lowered her palm to hit the bell one more time.
I cringed before the ear-shattering ting rang in my ears again and reached out to stop her. “I will rip your hand off that thing.”
The thick, paneled door behind the reception desk whooshed open. “Hello. How can I help you? Looking for rooms? I’m sure you are. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here, right?”
We all turned.
A woman moved toward us, her frosted hair not budging one millimeter from all the hairspray holding it in place. Her smooth skin disguised her age where her clothes could not hide the fact that she must be in her mid-sixties. Old lady jeans stopped just above her ankles and heavy socks bunched low at the top of her white sneakers. The shirt with a faux denim collar was almost a match to my grandmother’s favorite shirt that had sunflowers in a checked pattern.
I loved her immediately. “Someone suggested your B&B. Do you have any rooms available?”
“Oh? Well, I’m glad you came. I’m Eena Wilson, owner and operator.” She laughed. “I have plenty of space for you three. What is your check-out date?” She moved around behind the reception desk, humming a hymn as she searched for something.
Jillian yanked out her phone and opened an app. “We were hoping to stay until the twenty-first or twenty second.”
Riffling through some papers, Eena pulled out a book and set it aside. She found her mouse under another pile and clicked it. “Oh, yes. I have three rooms available through the twenty-first, but it might get squirrelly on the twenty-second.” She wriggled her fingers in front of her. “I have a group who booked my last rooms that day, but their tour guide warned me they may be behind schedule by a whole twenty-four hours. We’ll have to play it by ear.”
Her smile brought one to my lips. “We only need two rooms. I’ll share.”
Our hostess nodded. “And upon whom may I bestow the honor of a thank you for sending you my way?”
“Christopher Newen,” Ava spoke up.
The hostess’s eyes twinkled. “Of course. He’s good for business.”
Eena set the “open door” code on our keycards and handed one to each. “Let me take you up and show you your home for this week.”
Eena scurried up the stairs like a woman half her age. “Now, I serve breakfast between six and ten in the morning, but you can persuade me to make it later if need be.” She looked over her shoulder and gave us a smirk and a wink. “Each room is equipped with a microwave and mini-fridge. I know how tourists like to bring their own food.”
Great. I couldn’t wait to unload my mega cooler with all the delights I’d packed for the trip. But would it all fit in two tiny fridges?
We stopped at the first room, and Ava slid through the door. A rose-printed quilt covered the bed, with other little accents here and there to show off its theme. “I’ll take this one.”
“The next one has two queen beds and a sitting area.”
I cocked my head to one side. “Sure you don’t want to share with me?” I knew the answer but couldn’t help goading my partner into a haughty reply.
“Nooo.”
We headed to the room next door. Inside, soft blues melded—neutral yet striking. Not too girly or masculine. “Thank you. This is very nice.”
“Oh, I forgot to write down the passcode for you to access our Internet.”
Jillian pumped the air behind us.
“We have superb service here. High-speed Internet and all. So you shouldn’t have any trouble.” She looked from one of us to the other. “And you can schedule a wakeup call as well.”
On the way back to the front door, Eena paused. “I almost forgot about your discount. I take twenty percent off the guests Christopher sends me, but I’ll give you an additional ten percent off that.”
Thank the Lord. The people in this town were so thoughtful. “Are you sure?”
Ava touched the woman’s arm. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. Consider it done.” She patted Ava’s hand. “Besides, Christopher doesn’t send many this way, so he must sense you’re good people. That means something.”
I had to thank him for the advice on the B&B when we met later in the evening. As I set my army duffle bag on the rack, I smiled to myself. If I could recover from my embarrassment over the accident, this work trip could turn out to be a good distraction, especially if I had to look at Christopher al
l day.
I gave the pull-string on my bag a hard tug. I’d better stamp out those thoughts before they accumulated into a pile of trouble. Client, investigator. That was all we were. Period.
7
Shauna
Christopher decked in a fireman’s uniform created delicious pictures in my head for the umpteenth time. I tried to shake off the images. Why did he occupy ninety percent of my brain since we met? A good stint at a firing range might shake him out of my thoughts so I could actually work, but it was getting too late to search for one. And I had to stay put and help my team.
“How’d it go at the public records office today?” I propped my feet on the coffee table in our suite and began to play with my nails.
“Well, you know how that goes when you’re dealing with an active murder case.” Ava perched on the corner of Jillian’s desk. “Very little information is public knowledge.”
Which made things harder for us. “What do you think about starting at the Newen residence? Then maybe the souvenir shop and antique store.” I winced when my nail split from biting the cuticle. “And whatever other businesses he owns.”
Jillian nodded but continued to type on her computer and check her tablet beside it. The only thing not in use at her desk was her smart phone, but as if she’d heard my thoughts, she pulled it out of her pocket and thumbed words into it. That was the way Jillian always worked. Every device around her did some type of search. “I have all the addresses and general information ready to go. But all of these stores close around six or seven.” She checked the time on her phone. “And it’s almost six now. We’re scheduled to see Christopher in an hour, but we can make it to one of them before closing.”
With her phone in hand, Ava stared at the screen. “Let’s go to the mini mall tonight, and we’ll visit the others first thing tomorrow. Jillian, can you send me the list in order of location?” She turned to look out the window. “We have the manager to all three locations scheduled for an interview tomorrow at two. Mr. Newen was the only one running the shop, so there are no other workers to talk to from that location.”