Page 64 of Shadow Sabotage
Her eyebrows rose. “Two?”
“Yep.” I knew it would annoy her to death that I didn’t volunteer an explanation. Emily lived for gossip.
“Who’s the other one for?”
I cracked a grin. She couldn’t even pretend to not want to know. I lowered my voice, not wanting anyone at the tables to hear me. “Agent Weston. We’re working an investigation together.”
“Oh.” Her eyes got big and she leaned in close like she was sharing a secret, matching my quiet tone. “Are you investigating Katelyn Brown, that poor girl whose body they found in the woods?”
“I really can’t say.” That was a lie. But I knew it would drive her crazy.
She bit her lip. “Really? Because … I know something about that, and I’ve been wondering if I should say anything.”
My pulse rose. Part of me hated to take the bait, but if she really knew something, then I needed to know.
“Alright,” I said, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. “Yes, we’re investigating her death, and any information you have would be very helpful.”
She nodded, a serious expression on her face. “I’ve been debating about whether or not I should say anything. I don’t want to get anyone into trouble.”
“Anyone who is innocent doesn’t have anything to worry about,” I said, trying to reassure her. “But at this point, we don’t have a lot of leads. Anything you have would be helpful.”
“Okay.” She took a deep breath, then lowered her voice to a whisper. “When I saw her photograph on the news, I recognized her. I never forget a face. She’d been in here once, around Christmas time. It was right after I started working here. And I thought it was odd, because…”
I nodded eagerly, feeling fresh excitement. “Go on.”
“Well … she wasn’t alone.”
My excitement fell. We already knew that Katelyn had come to Wildwood with Tony over Christmas break. If Emily’s big news was that the two of them had gotten coffee together, that didn’t get us anywhere.
“Who was she with?” I asked, even though it felt pointless.
“See, that’s what I thought was so strange,” she said, glancing around like she was as nervous as I was about being overheard.
If Emily, the queen of gossip, was worried about someone overhearing her, then she might know something meaningful after all.
“Who?” I asked again.
She looked me in the eye, beckoning for me to move closer. Her eyes were wide and she spoke so quietly that I could barely hear her. “She was having coffee with Sheriff McGrath. And they looked awfully cozy to me.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Vance
When I finishedup with Mayor Evans, I headed straight for my SUV, where Claire was supposed to be waiting. But she wasn’t there. I frowned and pulled out my phone to text her before spotting her emerging from the coffee shop down the road. Her head was down and her shoulders sagged.
The sight of her looking so dejected made my chest tighten. That scene in the mayor’s office couldn’t have been easy on her. Mayor Evans was a condescending prick. When he’d called her Little Miss Wildwood, I’d wanted to punch him in the jaw. But my strategy had me siding with him instead, humiliating her in order to earn his trust.
If I’d known that it was going to hurt her, I never would have suggested it. Good cop / bad cop was a proven strategy in my experience, and she was such a fierce, fiery woman that I’d thought we would laugh about it afterward.
I clenched my fists, regretting that I’d ever suggested it.
Claire barely looked up when she reached the parking lot, walking straight to my SUV. She sank into the passenger’s seat, staring straight ahead.
I put my hands on the steering wheel, trying to figure out the right words. “Listen, if I was too hard on you in there—”
“What?” She looked at me and jerked her head back. “What are you talking about?”
“You seem hurt. Mayor Evans is an ass. I should have stuck up for you instead of playing along.”
