Zoey leapt from her seat and fist bumped Tina. “I knew she wouldn’t tell us no.”
“You and me both.” Tina wrapped her arm around Zoey’s waist and the two formed a united front.
The doorbell rang for a second time. Jennie’s peaceful haven had turned into Grand Central Station.
“Who on earth could that be?” She stood and pinned her daughter with a glare. “You didn’t summon anyone else, did you?”
Zoey raised her hands in surrender and shot her awho me?expression.
Jennie exhaled. She hoped whoever her daughter had contacted didn’t turn her world upside down.
She turned the knob and eased open the door.
Detective Whitman stood on the porch in worn jeans and a black t-shirt, highlighting muscles she’d tried to ignore since they’d first met.
Jennie fisted her hands on her hips. “So, what line did Zoey feed you to get you to come over?”
His eyebrow arched. “Excuse me?”
“It seems as though my daughter is calling in back up. Just wondering how she got you here.”
The corner of his lips curved upward as he propped himself on the doorframe. “Well, let me see. She did promise me cookies.”
“She did not.” She narrowed her gaze. The man was enjoying her frustration.
“Okay, she didn’t. But they smell good.” He grinned like a little boy.
She shook her head and stepped aside. “Come on in, join the party.”
He brushed past her. “Party? What party?” He froze. “I’m sorry. You have company. I can come back later.”
“No.” Zoey rushed to David. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him the rest of the way into the room. “I want you to meet my Aunt Tina. Well, she isn’t really my aunt, but that’s what I call her. She’s mom’s best friend…and mine too.” Her daughter beamed at Tina.
Tina rose and extended her hand. “I’m Tina.”
“David.” He accepted her offered hand. “Ahh, so you’re Aunt Tina. Nice to meet you.”
Her friend perused David from head to toe. “You’re right, Zoey. Heishot.”
David choked and coughed.
Jennie patted him on the back. “Sorry about that, but you’ll have to get used to it. Tina is nothing if not blunt.”
“I…um…thanks…I think,” he stammered.
Laughter bubbled from Jennie. She wondered how often David found himself speechless. “Go on. Have a seat. She’s harmless.”
His eyes widened. “Are you sure about that?”
“Most of the time.” She motioned him toward the easy chair. The least she could do was give him a safe place to sit. She plopped on the sofa near Tina. “What brings you by?” She shifted her gaze to her daughter, then back to the man trying to compose himself.
He cleared his throat. “I came from talking with Officer Hanes about yesterday’s incident. The evidence is inconclusive. The small boulders could have been pushed causing the rockslide, but they didn’t find anything to say one way or the other.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Then I’m thinking positive. It was a mishap.”
David leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees. “I want to agree with you, but I can’t ignore what I saw.”
“What you saw?” Tina piped in.
