“Are you sure?”
“Yes. They’re not heavy.”
Her brows winged upward, but she didn’t argue.
I bit back a smile. To her, they probably were a bit on the heavy side. And awkward. She was tiny.
Though not too tiny. The woman had curves that didn’t quit.
Clearing my throat softly, I hefted the artwork. “So, how are you doing? You still look a little shellshocked.”
She snorted. “I am. There’s a skeleton in my wall. I highly doubt that person crawled in there by themselves and died.” She shuddered and tucked the box against her middle. “It just creeps me out to think that I sat at the same table—laughed with—a man who is a potential murderer. And if it wasn’t him, then a murderer could still walk amongst us. It’s just…” She trailed off and shuddered again, more violently, as a look of disgust crossed her face.
I understood that. I would certainly give some extra scrutiny to the people I passed in town until the police had a better handle on the situation. “How long did Mr. Shuman own the building?” It had been an antique store my entire childhood, so I figured it was at least a few decades.
“Thirty years, at least. I don’t know who owned it before that.” A small frown creased her forehead. “Do you think that person’s been in there longer than that?”
Leaving the storage room, I thought about the body’s condition. It was dry and didn’t smell, except for an old and musty scent. “It’s possible. I don’t know how fast people in walls decay. Do you remember a time when the store was closed unexpectedly? Or when people complained of a smell inside?”
“No. But I haven’t lived here my entire life. Claire and I are from the Hoonah area. You’d know better than I would. Aren’t you from here?”
“Yes, but I didn’t exactly pay much attention to what went on in town. If I wasn’t chasing a girl, I was off in the woods hunting or building a dirt bike track.” I was a bit of a hellion in my youth. My poor parents were both happy and sad to see me go off to college. And scared, because I was on my own without supervision. Thankfully, I calmed down. I still liked a good adrenaline rush, though.
“I’m going to have to do some digging later,” Mina mused.
I lifted an eyebrow. “You should probably leave that up to the cops.”
“Pfft.” She scrunched her nose. “Even if I wanted to, Claire won’t let me. It’ll drive Ozzie crazy, but it won’t stop her. And even if it weren’t my building, I wouldn’t want her digging around alone. I’m not saying we’ll go out and pound the pavement or anything, but we’ll probably cozy up at her house tonight with some hot chocolate and her laptop and do some strategic internet searches.”
My gaze traveled through the coffeeshop’s front windows to the flashing lights on top of the cop cars blocking off part of the street. Curiosity pulled at my mind, and I glanced at Mina. “You want company?”
She cast a quick glance back at me as we walked. “Digging up information?”
“Yeah. I might not have paid much attention to the comings and goings around town, but I know most of the people. I might recognize names you and Claire won’t.”
“I suppose that’s true. Okay. Let’s talk to Claire—after Ozzie leaves.” A quick smile flashed across her pretty face, making her eyes twinkle. “And we’ll set up a time to get together later.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Maybe I’d get a few answers to my swirling thoughts, after all.
My mouth flattened as an alternative thought occurred. It was quite possible I would just end up with more questions.
But, ultimately, it didn’t matter. I wanted to stay in the loop. It wasn’t my shop, but it was my job site, and I’d been there to uncover the remains.
CHAPTER 7
Mina
“Careful. You might give away you like this guy.”
A flush colored my cheeks as I let the curtain flutter back into place over the front window, where I’d been watching for Luke. Doing my best to will the red out of my cheeks, I turned to give Claire my best glare. “I do not. I’m just eager to start researching our dead person.”
Claire hummed, the grin on her face telling me she didn’t believe a word coming out of my mouth. “Sure you are.”
I huffed, not ready to admit she might be right. “You’re impossible.”
She chuckled. “No. I’m just right.”
My eye roll was epic and made her laugh. “Please explain how you think you’re right.” I didn’t like Luke Decker. Not like that. I mean, he was handsome, sure. But he was my contractor and practically a baby.
