Page 69 of Tempting Fate
“Don’t know. We can’t even say for sure that the treasure hunter is even the same person you think you saw. But it’s a lot of coincidences.”
“Like what?” Drew wanted to know.
“You’re not the only one who’s had a sighting.”
“But other than trespassing, there’ve been no crimes committed?”
“Someone broke into Raylene’s truck the other night. They didn’t take anything, but we think they were looking for the map.”
“A map to the gold?” Drew laughed. “This just keeps getting better, doesn’t it?” But if this so-called treasure hunter was involved in a homicide, it wasn’t the least bit humorous.
“Just keep a lookout,” Rhys said. “But rest assured we’re on top of it.”
Drew didn’t know how reassuring that was, but he planned to watch Harper like a hawk and turn the security alarm on tonight. “Thank you, Chief. I appreciate you giving me the lowdown.”
As he drove to Harper’s school, he thought how there was always something. He supposed Nugget had less crime than the big city, but even the bucolic hamlet wasn’t an island. People had to remain vigilant wherever they were.
He pulled into the pickup lane in front of the school, where cars had already begun queueing up. There were a couple of women standing outside their SUVs and Outbacks, chatting while students burst through the school’s front door, searching for their rides. He saw Harper walking and talking with a couple of girls and tapped on his horn. Maybe he’d imagined it, but her face seemed to light up at the sight of him.Progress, he told himself. In the beginning, she’d been reticent to let him or Emily in, and for weeks would only call them by their first names.
He unrolled the window. “Hey, kiddo. I’m your ride today.”
“You’re here!”
“I’m here.” He leaned over and opened the door.
“What about Cody?”
Shoot, it hadn’t occurred to him to offer to take Cody home, too. “Let me call your mom and see what she wants me to do. Justin’s not driving him?”
“He’s got practice.”
“Okay.” He dialed Em just as Cody came up to the door.
“Hi, Mr. Matthews.”
“Hey, Cody. I’m checking with Emily to see about giving you a ride home.” He held up his hand. “Em, I’m at the school, and Cody’s here. You want me to run him home for you?”
“It’s out of your way.”
“So? I’ve got nothing else to do.”
“Then yes. It would really help me out, because I’m running late.”
“No problem.” He hung up and motioned for both kids to get in the car.
“Where’s Kristy?” Harper asked.
“She had to work, honey.” It wasn’t a complete lie. The last thing he wanted was for Harper to think they were fighting because of her. “You buckled in, Cody?”
“Yes, sir.”
He pulled out and took the back road to McCreedy Ranch. It was a pretty drive, and he enjoyed listening to Harper and Cody talk about school and their friends. He’d missed out on a significant part of her life, and to have her back, to hear her chatter about her day…well, he didn’t want to miss a minute more.
“Hey, Cody, you interested in joining us tomorrow? We’re planning to check out Glory Junction, maybe grab sandwiches at that bakery everyone talks about and spend an hour or two skating.” A couple of the resorts had outdoor rinks.
Drew watched in his rearview mirror as Cody checked something on his phone.
“I think I can rearrange my schedule,” he said, and Drew had to stifle a laugh. The boy had charm. Both of Clay’s sons were good kids; they adored Harper and looked out for her. “Thanks for inviting me, Mr. Matthews.”
