Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99604 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 498(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 332(@300wpm)
“Hey,” Saber said, voice low and smooth. “You two didn’t have to come in tonight.”
“We’ve got to figure this one out,” Aiden said, sliding a glance at his teammate. “Do you all want to order dinner?”
I shook water off my coat. “I’m not really hungry now.” This case was making me nauseated.
Saber gave a small shrug. “I could go either way. Don’t care.”
“Okay.” Aiden didn’t argue. He never did when it came to food.
I smiled at Saber. “How are you doing?”
“Fantastic.” His tone was dry, but his eyes warmed a little. Saber was as tall as Aiden, with tawny brown eyes that reflected the ceiling light. His skin carried a bronze hue that made his scars stand out sharper, three pale lines cutting across his right temple. His brown hair had been freshly cut, still curling beneath his ears. He was good looking in a dangerous kind of way, just like Aiden. Should I try to get him and Donna together?
“What?” he asked.
I had to stop broadcasting my thoughts all the time. “I was just wondering if you’re dating anybody.”
Aiden groaned. “Leave Donna alone. She can find her own dates.”
Amusement filtered through Saber’s eyes. “I’m not sure I have the constitution to tangle with the Albertini family.” His accent carried a faint trace of Spain, though he’d never said exactly where he grew up.
“We’re a lot of fun,” I argued.
He held up a wide hand. “I’m sure, but yes, I am dating somebody.”
“Still?” One of Aiden’s eyebrows rose.
Saber nodded.
“Who?” Yeah, I’m nosy. Very.
“You don’t know her. She’s an agent in Los Angeles,” Saber said. “If it doesn’t work out for us here in Timber City, I’m hoping our unit gets located back in LA.”
That so didn’t work for me.
“That’s the plan,” Aiden said quietly. “Although I want to make it here. You should invite Larissa up for a weekend.”
“Already have,” Saber said. “She’s on a case, but when it’s finished, she’s going to visit. Who knows. Maybe she’ll like it here.”
I opened my mouth to ask more questions about this mysterious Larissa, but Aiden nudged me with his hip. All right. I guess I could go slow with the interrogation.
He pulled out a black leather chair for me, and I sank into it, unzipping my coat fully. The air smelled faintly of rain and cedar from the wet floorboards.
Across from Saber, a screen blinked to life on the far wall. He hit a button on the remote, and the lights dimmed slightly.
“I found this,” he said.
Aiden sat next to me, the chair creaking slightly as he pulled off his jacket and draped it over the back. The scent of rain and leather still clung to him.
The screen came to life as Saber kept typing on the keyboard. “The bank has good coverage that reaches toward Mrs. O’Shea’s shop. This is in the early morning. Right before the pie contest.”
Static rippled across the feed, and then a shadow moved through the gray wash of the camera. The person moved away from Nana’s back door.
I blinked and leaned closer. “Are you kidding me?”
Saber shook his head.
Aiden gave a short, disbelieving snort.
“No. Just no,” I muttered.
The figure was unmistakable even in the grainy black-and-white footage. The person had dressed head to toe in a leprechaun outfit with an oversized hat, shoes curling at the toe, and dark trousers. A vest looked kind of sparkly even in the rough footage and gleamed faintly with moisture. A full mask obscured the face.
“I’d say… maybe five two?” Saber guessed.
“Think it’s a woman?” I asked, heart sinking.
“Looks like it to me,” Aiden said, squinting. “What’s that on the vest?”
I swallowed. “That’s the O’Shea family crest.” My voice came out low. My head started to ache, pulse steady behind my eyes.
Aiden turned sharply toward me. “Excuse me?”
“That’s Nana’s outfit,” I said bluntly. “She wears it every year during the parade. She handmade it. I’d recognize those booties anywhere.”
“Huh.” Saber scratched his jaw, the scrape loud in the quiet room. “Why would your grandmother dress in her own little outfit to plant dynamite hours before the pie contest?” He shook his head. “Unless that’s the point. For us to ask that question.”
I wanted to smack him. “She wouldn’t do that.” So that dynamite had been there all morning? What if Nana had gone back there by herself before the pie tasting contest? My throat felt tight. “That isn’t her. My grandma doesn’t move like that. She’s more graceful.”
Aiden looked doubtful, his brow furrowing. “We have to turn this over to Sheriff Franco.”
I sighed. “Do you have to do it tonight?”
“No,” he said, glancing at Saber. “But we do need to give it to him tomorrow. I made an agreement that if he gave us access to CCTV around town, we’d share anything we found.”
“Somebody must have stolen Nana’s outfit,” I said, rubbing my temples. The rain outside drummed steadily on the roof, the sound low and relentless. “Though it’s strange she didn’t mention it.”