Summer Flash Burn

by Unger, Erin;

  And another matter wasn’t helping me get my head screwed on right. Shauna. Why’d I ask to speak to her alone? I scratched my cheek and shooed away a gnat. For keeping things business, I wasn’t fairing too well. My heart throttled into overdrive as Jillian’s white SUV came around the corner. My body wouldn’t cooperate no matter the determination I put into place.

  And despite my effort, my eyes roamed to find Shauna through the windows as soon as I could see into the vehicle. She was the first one out of the SUV as soon as it pulled into the parking lot. Wasn’t her pink camo kind of cute? I looked away before I couldn’t stop myself from looking where I shouldn’t.

  Tapping the toe of her tan work boot on the gravel, she stared at the stand before joining me. “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  Her fingers hooked into her belt loops as she narrowed her eyes at the porch overhang that sheltered prospective buyers when it rained. “Was this place a successful business?”

  Ava moved to Shauna’s side and took a few pictures of the area and the building.

  Dad hadn’t ever kept me in the loop of the actual financial accounts of it. He’d only made generalized statements. When I had to check over things, I had been very surprised how well the stand did. “Yes.”

  She crossed her arms and watched me. “I think you sent us the records on it, right? That’s Ava’s and Jillian’s area of expertise.”

  “I did.”

  While Ava checked the photos she’d snapped, Jillian came around the side of the vehicle.

  “Can you refresh our memory?” Shauna called over her shoulder. “Did you find anything on the accounts for this shop?”

  “Everything was very well documented. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

  Which meant no clue bounced back at them from the operation of the stand. I played with the keys in my hand, rubbing a finger over the brass square one that opened the door to the side exit of the shop.

  “I have some things to do. I’ll be in the SUV if you need me.” Jillian waved and returned to the vehicle.

  Shauna walked around the side of the building, arms swinging, and I trailed behind her. The grass needed a good cut. Had I forgotten to pay the lawn company that kept it mowed? I’d better check with them tomorrow.

  I scanned the flat meadow that led to a stand of trees no longer shading the ground with delicate lace patterns since the sun had begun to descend behind us.

  Shauna took in the land. “How far back is your father’s property?”

  “Only ten feet or so in front of us. But it spans the whole length of the road front.”

  “Thus the issue with right of way.”

  “Yep.”

  Ava held her video camera up as she came around the corner.

  Shauna bent closer to me. “She likes to video all locations pertaining to the case.”

  I didn’t move away, her scent reaching in me and evoking thoughts I didn’t want. I forced myself to step back.

  She continued to the edge of the property. “Can we go back there and check the land? I don’t see any ‘no trespassing’ signs, and if we don’t go now, it’ll be too dark to see.”

  True. But should we? “I don’t know.”

  She quirked her mouth. “We’ll ask forgiveness later if we need to.”

  “Trespasser,” I teased. Gutsy. It moved her up the list of women I respected. By a lot.

  Batting my arm, Shauna squared her shoulders and marched onto Monacan territory. “See, no arrows or bullets flying our way.”

  As if I expected any. “Come on. We can search for the corner markers. I have a good idea where they are.”

  She gave me a questioning glance.

  “I grew up here before it belonged to anyone but Stan Grayson. He always let me play back here while Dad worked.”

  We headed to the trees, the tall, wheat-like grass tickling the palms of my hands as we traversed the meadow. Peachy air surrounded us from an unseen source that I’d tried to find so many times as a kid but never discovered. Must be some plant hiding underneath the overgrowth of grass.

  Shauna paused. “Watch out for that snake.”

  Ready to bolt, I drew her to my side and inspected the shoots of straw around us. Copperheads were common in the area. And their poison would hospitalize a healthy adult. “What color was it?”

  She pulled away but squeezed my arm leaving a trail of heat at her touch before leaving an empty spot at my side. “Black.” She bent forward and pointed. “See it right there?”

  Yep, gutsy. I caught a glimpse of the tail as it fled from us. “Not dangerous.”

  Why’d I grab her like that? At least she didn’t balk at my closeness. I’d better keep my hands to myself before she had good reason to read into my touchy-feely ways tonight.

  Shauna continued moving across the field. “We used to see those all the time in our garden. My brothers would tease me with them.” She snickered. “But I got them back more than once.”

  I bet she did. She must’ve been a tomboy as a kid. How nice would it be to have a girlfriend who actually liked guy stuff? “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

  “Four…” Pulling up a few pieces of grass, she plucked them into short lengths. “They were ruthless. Still are. But I love them.”

  “Did they at least have your back? Most do.”

  Breath escaped her mouth in a huff. “Not as much as they should’ve.”

  A sore point? Now was a good time to quit getting too personal before she decided to grill me.

  Looking back to Ava, I stopped. She remained at the edge of the property. “She’s not coming?”

  Shauna dropped the rest of grass in her hand. “Give her a minute. She’ll catch up to us.”

  Should I talk to her now that we were mostly alone or save it for later?

  18

  Shauna

  Could the stand be the murder site of Mr. Newen? No blood or DNA evidence had been recovered here, but it was still a possibility. The trees at the edge of the woods on the Monacan land were darker underneath than I expected as I stalked back and forth like a waiting lion. I checked every angle to see how easy it might have been to watch the older man as he worked his stand from this vantage point. But there were no windows on the backside of the little store. Not much to see. Gray tones touched the underbrush and dead leaves, but patches of light illuminated small areas here and there. I breathed in the fresh air before entering their safety.

  When I looked back, Ava had finally almost caught up to us. She hadn’t trained the video on Christopher and me when he’d almost scooped me up, had she? I had to admit, I didn’t want to move out of the circle of his strong arms, but I could handle a snake, even if it was at least five feet long.

  He pulled a branch aside to allow us into the tree line and then waited for me to fall into step beside him. His father raised him right. Not like the hooligans I called brothers.

  When he stepped on some brush for me to maneuver past, I had to give him more props. If he treated all women this well, then someone was going to get a great guy.

  Ava stayed close.

  We scouted the area, traipsing from one end to the other over slight rises and falls of the land. Leaves provided a shield on the ground and kept the underbrush to a minimum in most places. How I loved the smell of dead leaves as my feet crunched them. The flight of a few birds whispered through the air somewhere to my left, and I squinted to catch a glimpse of them.

  And Ava’s camera continued to roll.

  The land held no sign that the Monacan tribe had developed it in any way. No buildings. No projects of any kind.

  We crossed a little creek and climbed past rock outcroppings and fallen trees to a low hill. I stood on its apex and took in the view. I could camp out there the rest of the trip. Warm air coursed through my lungs and back out as I closed my eyes and let peace roll over me. I imagined the Monacans living in the area, using the land to hunt and grow crops. What a kindness for Mr. Grayson to give it back to them. If
only they could overcome the right-of-way issue and be able to use the land for something…Would Christopher grant it?

  I opened my eyes to find Christopher watching me. What did I see in his gaze? My heart gave a flutter. Avoidance was a great policy right now, at least until I trusted my own emotions again. I looked to the trees. “I’d stay out here all summer if I could—once I got used to the heat.”

  “Me too.”

  Ava closed the screen on her camera then lowered it. “I think I got what I need. Ready to go back to the shop and check it?”

  As we approached the back of the building, I texted Jillian to meet us at the side door and then caught up to Christopher.

  He hesitated before inserting the key into the lock, but when the door handle turned with the key, he stopped and pulled closer to the window in the door.

  His sudden stiffness stopped me. “What is it?”

  “The last time I was here, I locked this door. I’m sure.”

  I pushed past him and peeked into the dark building, signaling for him to stay back. With my hand on my holster, I advanced into the building. When I glanced back, Ava had her arm out as if to stop Christopher from following me. I worked to steady my breathing as it threatened to hitch in my throat. Light from the windows afforded me a decent view into the store. I stepped around an empty shelving unit and moved through the building, heading straight for the door behind the cash register.

  Swinging around at the counter, I checked behind it. The door in front of me swayed. God, keep us safe. In one smooth motion, I pulled out my small pistol. One foot in front of the other, I gave the door a sudden shove and put my back to it, leveling my gun and swiveling to take in the room.

  The empty room suffocated me as the heat and stale air within escaped against my skin to the store behind me. Nothing moved. I checked behind the desk. The room was empty, and I called to the others. “It’s clear.”

  My guard came down as I relaxed my shoulders, pointed the gun toward the floor, and thanked God for keeping us safe.

  Christopher was the first to reach me. “Where’d that gun come from?”

  “I have a concealed carry permit. It’s…on my person.” The hidden holster at my waist held an extra cartridge as well.

  He appraised me. “Have you ever had to use it?”

  Ava stepped between us. “Only once.” She gawked at me. “And he doesn’t need to hear your hero story right now.”

  Why not? It was my shining moment. I turned where he couldn’t see and slid the gun back into the holster then pulled my shirt over it. Fine, I’d keep my story to myself.

  “Hmm.” Christopher let Ava pass.

  “It’s part of this job. Someone has to protect the group.”

  He retreated to the door and bent down, eye level with the doorknob. “Keys. That’s what was missing from the cigar box in my room. I didn’t pay any attention to them. I had no idea what they went to, but it’s obvious they went to this place. See? There are no break-in marks.”

  He had to be right. I did my own inspection. “Who would know about them?”

  With a shrug, Christopher went to the side door and looked at it as close as he’d looked at the office one.

  I noted a pile of shuffled papers and an open drawer and called out to him, “Did you leave these like this when you were last here?”

  He pressed fingers to his temple. “No. Not that I remember.”

  I moved out of his way. “Consider everything. Is there anything else out of place?”

  From the desk to the one filing cabinet and a narrow table under the only narrow window in the room, he roamed. “I don’t know. I should’ve paid more attention right after the murder.” He studied the space where the computer used to sit. “The police have the computer from this office.”

  He sat at the desk and picked up the papers before wiping the sweat off his face. “These were in the cabinet.”

  “Can I see them?” I held out my hand. He gave them to me then began checking all the drawers as I examined them. “Looks like delivery forms in order of date, and they’re from four months before he died.”

  Ava took them from me, and I held in a huff. Was it the heat making me so short-tempered? But then again, if I was supposed to lead this case, I needed to have first contact with evidence.

  Slipping one page behind the next, Ava didn’t take her attention from the papers. “Do you know why anyone would want these, Mr. Newen?”

  He put up a hand. “Please call me Christopher. My dad was Mr. Newen.”

  “Christopher?” She still didn’t stop reading the forms.

  “No. He was always open about where he bought merchandise. I wouldn’t think they’d send him something right out in the open that was illegal. It would be too easy to trace it.” He looked over Ava’s shoulder at the papers. “I sent you a list of his general suppliers when I hired you if you wanted to check them out.”

  Jillian pressed her lips together and looked off into space before commenting. “So the question is, what items were delivered on a specific date that one of his suppliers didn’t want anyone to know about?”

  Glancing up, Ava cocked her head. “Were there specific days that each company delivered?”

  He scratched his chin. “I’m not sure because I didn’t get very involved in the paperwork aspect of this business.”

  “We need to look into it. Then we can at least figure out who to question,” Jillian said to Ava.

  I hustled over to them. “Is it possible the person took the items with them when they killed him and later realized they could be traced through the paperwork?”

  Tapping her chin, Ava handed the papers to Jillian. “It’s feasible. Can you take a photo of each of these, Jillian?”

  I needed to get out of the cramped space closing in on me. I touched Christopher’s arm. “Why don’t you and I check the rest of the store and see if you notice anything missing.”

  He went to the sales counter first and pulled out items kept behind it. “Nothing of importance missing here. I took the majority of items to the antique mini-mall on King Street so the products wouldn’t go bad.”

  Good thinking. I shuffled through a box of odds and ends that I’d pulled from under the counter. “What’s all this stuff?”

  He came to my side. “Oh, it’s the lost and found box. Most people never came back to check it since this place mainly caters to travelling tourists, but Dad insisted on holding onto things.” One side of his mouth lifted. “I bet some of those items have been in there for years. When I was a teenager, I used to go through it and throw away the oldest things when I had a chance.”

  His reminiscent smile touched me. He must’ve been so close to his father.

  Christopher returned to the aisle and went shelf by shelf. “Looks like whoever was here took a handful of beef jerky sticks and sodas I hadn’t dealt with yet.”

  Five minutes later, I put the box back in the dust-free spot where I found it and had to stop myself from watching him. I took a cleansing breath. “I assume the cash register was emptied a long time ago?”

  “That’s right.” He moved a wooden crate.

  A pile of more papers caught my attention. I pulled them out. “We should call the police about the break-in now.”

  His phone was out before I grabbed my own. He was so efficient…and nice. Thoughtful, too.

  Before the thoughts could roll around in my brain, I jumped up and fanned my face. Keep focused. Christopher was in real danger. Whatever the perp thought Christopher knew, he was willing to kill for it. And the more we investigated, the greater the chance that our unknown subject would go after him.

  The question was, could I handle it if they got to him in the end? A funny thing to consider when we’d only known each other two days, yet it strengthened my resolve even more to protect him.

  But…that meant remaining at his side day and night. Even when he told me to leave…

  19

  Shauna

  How many times d
id the sheriff’s department need to interview us over the break-in at the stand? After talking to some deputies at the shop—and giving my statement five separate times—I was ready for a break. But at least they were being thorough. It gave me more hope they’d hold up their end on the case.

  A good walk in the woods would’ve been great, but Ava and Jillian needed to get back to the B&B. In the cases we worked, on location meant twelve to sixteen-hour days, and we were rounding the twelve-hour mark any minute. As I made my way up the sidewalk to the B&B, I looked at the time on my cell phone.

  Could I thank God enough for the wind which had picked up and brought cooler temperatures with it? In front of Home Suite B&B, I checked my e-mails as I walked. I should try to convince Christopher to go for a stroll with me. Then I could keep an eye on him too. But he’d been helping with the case as long as we had worked. After such a long day, he’d probably be too tired to go.

  The brief conversation earlier when he’d asked to speak to me in private started to circle again. It made my insides gushy just contemplating what he had to say, which didn’t make sense because he probably had a question about the case. That was all. Had to be.

  Scanning through my text messages, one jumped out at me. I shot my partners a glance and held my phone closer before clicking on it. Sergeant Tindel. My hands shook as I read the message. He wanted to meet with me about re-enlisting and getting certain paperwork from me.

  I exited messages before anyone noticed my nervousness. It still didn’t make sense why I hadn’t told my partners about the possibility of returning to the Army. They deserved to know. One less investigator would really affect the investigation team. But maybe the reason I hadn’t said anything was because, deep down, I had to admit they’d most likely try to talk me out of it even if it was best for me. And I’d end up listening to them.

  Christopher put his keys in his pocket and held the door open for us to enter the B&B. “It’s a little late, but Leona said she could meet us anyway.”

  I thanked him. “That’s the medical examiner you told us about?”