Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
“Want to tell me why you’re on my six?” Beau asked, both pleasant and curious. So different with her than he was with others. Sunlight bathed him, highlighting every strand of glistening gold in his hair and deepening his tan.
“Not particularly, no,” she replied, meeting his gaze with a distinct lack of shame. “For the record, at what point did you notice me?”
He pounded his chest with his free hand, then arched a brow, all girl, please. “Bo-bo notice Janie when she hit Vermeil.”
She snorted at his expert caveman impersonation. “Janie will work on her stealth. In the meantime, would you like me to give you an update on your case?”
Two twenty-something women holding shopping bags skirted around them, rubbernecking to keep their gazes locked on Beau. He didn’t seem to notice.
“Silly question,” Jane said, motoring on. “Of course you do. Who wouldn’t? I’ll fill you in as we walk.” She wouldn’t stop talking until they reached his destination. “Well? What are you waiting for? Come on.”
With a roll of his eyes, he started forward. Happy as a clam, Jane strolled at his side, telling him about everything she’d learned and everyone she’d spoken with. Then she shared each of her suspicions. By the end, those green irises of his possessed a wee bit of a glaze.
“The way your mind works,” he said, and he even sounded dazed. Conrad often used the same tone paired with the same look. Must be a guy thing.
“I can rule out Lucy Chang,” Beau added. “Holden bumped into her soon after he heard Fiona’s scream. He started running toward the noise at go.”
Wait. Hold up. “Where did this bump in occur?”
“Eden Valley, near the bridge. Or on the bridge. I’m not sure. Yes, she had time to kill Tony and sprint hard from Eden Valley to the Valley of Dolls, but she wasn’t winded, so it isn’t likely.”
So Lucy legit wanted to hire Jane? Not to influence the outcome of the investigation, but to take advantage of her extraordinary talents? Well. Pride puffed her chest. She lifted her chin and thrust back her shoulders. What an interesting development.
Unless Lucy had hired an assassin? Because why hadn’t the loan officer mentioned the encounter?
“How does Holden even know who Lucy is?” she asked. “It was dark, and he was in a hurry, yes? I doubt he lingered.”
Another girl, please expression was cast her way. “First, Peach State Security didn’t let anyone operate a booth without doing a checkup. We knew every name and face. Second, we work best in the dark.”
Well. Talk about a perfect meet cute! Except. Again, Lucy hadn’t mentioned a bump in the Viking-like warrior. Something anyone with a pulse would remember. Plus, such a detail helped clear her name. Assuming the assassin thing didn’t pan out. But why not shout about Holden from the rooftop? Unless she didn’t want Jane to know she’d ventured into Eden Valley? Why go into the unlit Eden Valley in the first place? Only one reason made sense. Lucy acted as the murderer’s lookout.
Hey! Jane frowned, realizing she and Beau were back on Vermeil Street. They’d stopped next to her car, which she’d parked beside a pole with a flier advertising a Halloween party at Tiffany Hotchkins’s house. Big, bold letters proclaimed, “NO ONE WILL DIE.” Considering the events of the past few months—and Tiffany’s entanglements in them—the widow might be making a promise she couldn’t keep.
Jane humphed. “I think we’re walking in circles.”
Her companion faced her, giving her a genuine smile she loved to see. “This is where we part.”
Oh. Darn him! Was there any better secret keeper in Aurelian Hills than Mr. Beauregard Harden?
With a heavy sigh, she hugged him, careful not to disturb the bag of food. “I hope you have a wonderful day, even though you are currently the most irritating man in the world.”
“I consider that high praise,” he said as she climbed into the hearse. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jane made the drive to Med and Care, only to find an empty parking lot. Closed? Why?
She drove to the other clinic, but both Dr. Garcia and Emma were out to lunch. Together?
Frustrated, Jane journeyed to the store to get those groceries for Fiona and the sheriff. Afterward, she would go home, bake, check out Reggie Belfry, and read through Lucy’s correspondence with Tony. The loan officer might not have committed the murder herself, but there was still a chance she’d worked with a partner. Perhaps someone she’d mentioned to the lawyer.
This was a better plan anyway, Jane decided. She would question the physicians tomorrow, armed with new information. After all, Conrad had promised to share what he’d learned from the doctors during their interviews with Agent Hightower.
Her heart thumped against her ribs. Conrad. Their date. A night that would end with raging success or unmitigated disaster.