Page 52 of Hold a Candle

“Go on,” Mica urged.

“If I were trying to get something in or out of the city, this would be the perfect weekend for it.” His eyes gleamed. “And with Brodie suddenly taking over the investigation here in Inverness, and Interpol sniffing around behind him, it would seem to me that something big may be going down here real soon.”

“And with Luca’s hearing on Monday, it could explain why Ruskag’s partner was killed and my house bombed,” Pauley added with a worried frown. “They are cleaning house and getting rid of loose ends. Luca is still a loose end.”

“Blackburn is a habitual criminal, though. Why would he be a loose end?” Jamie argued.

“Unless Brodie killed him playing good cop, bad cop all on his own. Another shady act so typical of Brodie,” Pauley muttered.

Mica frowned. “But Leonard Searcymaybe a loose end, which would explain Kelpie’s instructions to Arthur Blackburn. Ye know, when Quinn gave him the phone we turned over, he turned peeley walley. Realizing his cover might actually be blown at that point could be the reason. But then he turned redder than a pickled beet and threatened to stash me behind bars if I didn’t stay out of his investigation.”

“It’s too bad Brodie won’t confide in ye,” Jamie mused. “Ye might both learn some things ye didn’t know if ye could work together.”

“He’ll no agree to that,” Mica growled. “I think I need to have a serious discussion with Quinn.”

“I’ll come with ye,” Pauley decided.

“Nay, lass. Ye aren’t supposed to even be in the office. Yer first priority is Luca. Aren’t ye supposed to be at Neamh today?”

“Aye, we will be heading that way soon,” Jamie said with a nod. “With Lucerne so far along in her pregnancy, Darro and she are not attending the festival this year. But Angus will be going to the donut eating contest to win his fourth championship. It starts at 3:00 this afternoon.”

“Just get Pauley out of town,” Mica growled. “Something doesn’t feel right in all of this, but I can’t narrow down what it is. Too many puzzles and unanswered questions. It’s like groping around in the dark.”

“If ye weren’t investigating on yer own, maybe ye wouldn’t feel that way,” Jamie pointed out. “Ye would be in on everything and be able to extrapolate from every known fact.”

Mica glared. “Thank ye, Mr. Obvious.”

Jamie grinned and threw his hands up. “Just pointing out the fact ye aren’t supposed to even be in it.”

“I don’t trust Brodie,” Mica declared. “I don’t like him putting Luca and Pauley in danger.”

Pauley frowned. “Ye need to be careful too, Mica. Ye could be putting a target on yer own back working alone. Jamie’s right. Mayhap ye need to back off and let the Drug Task Force and Interpol handle it. They can’t all be dirty, even if we suspect Brodie or Florence might be.”

“Backing off isn’t my style,” Mica huffed, folding his notebook and stuffing it into his briefcase. “Ye just get to Neamh and I’ll handle things here.”

Pauley and Jamie watched from the doorway as Mica’s rangy frame climbed into his squad car. She shivered once again, that full body shiver that felt like a foreboding. Something bad was coming, she was sure of it.

---