Page 28 of Outlaw Ridge: Griff
The receptionist desk sat just inside the entrance, sleek and empty.
Griff gestured to it. “Who works here?”
Everett, still hovering near the door, muttered, “Holly Duran. She’s not due in until ten.”
Catherine didn’t wait. She led them down a short hallway, heels muffled by plush carpeting, and opened the door to a private office. Not Everett’s.
It was hers.
The space was as precise and elegant as the woman who owned it. Clean white walls, matte black trim, a desk of dark oak with nothing out of place. A bookshelf lined one wall, filled with awards and financial reports. A glass case displayed framed photos—charity events, ribbon cuttings, fundraisers.
Catherine stepped behind the desk, gesturing to the chairs in front of it without sitting. Griff took one. Lily the other.
Everett lingered by the window, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.
Everett crossed his arms and leaned against the windowsill, his eyes on the parking lot outside even as he spoke.
“The photos are a prank. Annoying, sure, but harmless.”
Griff shifted in his seat, his voice even. “Maybe not harmless. Someone is targeting Deputy Oliver. And now RhettHale’s been shot. Both have ties to the original murder investigation.”
Everett let out a short, annoyed huff, like the entire conversation was wasting his morning. But Catherine’s gaze sharpened. She was watching Griff now, not dismissing a word.
“I assume the photos will be tested,” she said.
“They will,” Griff replied with a nod.
“They’re fake,” Everett snapped again, louder this time, but no one acknowledged it.
Griff turned his attention back to Catherine. “Who might want to do something like this? Leave those photos, target a deputy, try to stir this back up?”
Catherine didn’t answer right away. She stepped behind her desk and rested her hands on the edge, her manicured fingers tapping once before going still.
“Anyone with a grudge against my husband,” she said. “He’s made his share of enemies. In business, sometimes people don’t like success. Or they think they deserve more of it.”
Griff nodded slowly. “Names?”
She looked at him. “I’ll compile a list. I’ll have our lawyer deliver it to the station this afternoon.”
“There’s no need for that,” Everett cut in, voice sharp. “It’s a prank. That’s all.”
The heat that flashed in Lily’s eyes hit hard and fast. She sat up straighter, her jaw tight. “This isn’t a prank. Someone burned down my house. They slashed my tires. They threatened me.”
Everett rolled his eyes. “People exaggerate when they’re under stress.”
Before Lily could fire back, Catherine raised a hand, cool and measured.
“Perhaps,” she said calmly, “Deputy Oliver should heed those warnings and reconsider reopening the case. There’s noreason to keep digging into something the town already laid to rest.”
Griff didn’t miss the subtle shift in her voice. It wasn’t a suggestion.
It was a warning wrapped in silk.
Griff didn’t move from his seat, but he held up the photo bag between two fingers.
“Maybe some people in town have laid it to rest,” he said, voice low and even. “But clearly noteveryone.”
The photos in the bag fluttered slightly as the heater clicked on, shifting the air in the room. Catherine’s expression cooled, a flicker of annoyance tightening her mouth.
