“Hmm,” Eli acknowledged, still with his back to her.
She looked at him curiously. “So, aren’t you going to ask?”
“What?”
“Didhe have his way with me?”
“Nope. That’s as inappropriate as the article you said he wanted to publish about you.”
“Yeah, it is,” she agreed. “But it would still be the next question a typical guy would ask.”
“Would it?” he answered, coming out of the bathroom and heading back to his desk.
Goldie watched him as he set the vase down, then carefully unwrapped the roses. “It’s good that they bundled them from top to bottom instead of just the stems,” he observed. “The petals are very sensitive to weather like this.”
She watched as he carefully separated the flowers, then one by one placed them in the vase. His silence spoke very clearly to her that he was not a typical guy.
“I don’t get you, Sheriff,” she admitted. “I really don’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I met your mom. You apparently come from a great family. You’re brave. You tried to save that pilot at Pearl Harbor and faced down Horace Mason. You keep your cool. Like when that mountain lion came after me. You study to improve yourself. You clearly care about this town and its people. So, why are you working for a man like Charles Banyan?”
“I don’t understand,” he replied, putting a rose in the vase.
“Did you know there are three houses for sale on Falcon Drive?”
“What?”
“There are three houses for sale on Falcon Drive on the same side of the street. Did you know that?”
He cracked another smile. “A fella could get whiplash trying to follow your stream of conscience.” He inserted another rose into the vase. “Of course I know that. I patrol every street.”
“Did you know Charles Banyan owns all of those houses?”
“I know his realty company listed them.”
“Not just listed, Eli. Heownsthem. Plus another one he says he wants to restore and rent out. That’s a total of four houses in a row. Did you know that?”
The lawman inserted another rose. “Why would I know that? And how doyouknow he owns all of those houses?”
“He bought Martha Eggleston’s house because Bucky had no life insurance, and she was strapped for cash. He did the same thing with Jason Shirk’s house in the name of helping his daughter. One by one, he’s bought up four of the five houses on the same side of the street, except Harriette Noise’s place. Take care, Sheriff, she doesn’t suddenly become ill and die.”
Eli put another rose into the vase, thinking, then another.
“Well, I didn’t know that he actually owned all of those houses. But, so what? Buying houses isn’t against the law. And what do you mean about Harriette Noise?”
Just then, Tully opened up the front door and walked in. He was surprised to see Goldie, and she was equally surprised to see him. But they both covered it quickly.
“Mayor wants to see you, Sheriff.”
“Where is he? City hall or his office?”
“Realty office,” Tully said, looking Goldie over.
“Have you two met?” Eli asked Goldie.
“No.”
