“From Parker Supply?” Ozzie’s brows dipped.
She nodded. “He came in yesterday morning, and we got to talking. I asked if he knew Rich. He said he did, that they went back a ways, and he’d just seen him last week. Rich asked him to feed his horses while he went on a fishing trip with some friends.”
“Where did he go?” Ozzie asked.
“Kent didn’t say.”
“Did they know each other back then?” I tipped my head, eyeing Mina. “Before Moira’s disappearance, I mean.”
“I’m not sure. It’s possible. Kent’s lived here his entire life. We didn’t get that far in our conversation. The coffeeshop was pretty busy.”
“I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” Pulling out his phone, Ozzie made a note. “Is there anyone else any of you can think of who might have known Moira and Rich back then?”
I shook my head. While I was from the area, I’d been a dumb teenager and hadn’t bothered to learn who’d lived in Parker’s Landing for most of their lives. Then I’d moved to Juneau, and it had become even less relevant to me.
“A lot of the old-timers around town might remember them. At least Rich, anyway, since he’s a local. Moira wasn’t, right?” Claire said, lifting her glass of water to take a sip.
“No,” Ozzie replied. “She and her family lived in Juneau.” He tapped his fingers on the table. Lips pursed, he stared past Claire into the yard visible through the sliding door. The dogs chased each other through the grass, stopping every few moments to sniff a leaf or pounce on a toy instead of each other.
Ozzie’s gaze found Mina’s. “I don’t suppose Kent knew where Walter Shuman went, did he?”
She shrugged. “He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.”
With a nod, he sat forward and scooped up the last of his scalloped potatoes. “I’ll ask him that tomorrow too.”
“Do you think, maybe, Walter is one of the friends Rich went fishing with?” Claire swiped at the condensation on her glass.
Ozzie tipped his head, a considering look entering his dark eyes. “It’s possible, but I doubt it. Shuman disappeared long before Rich Stevenson left on this fishing trip. All the contracts for the antique store were signed via an online contract platform, weren’t they?” He aimed a frown at Mina, then glanced at Claire. “I think that’s what you said, right?”
Claire nodded.
“I know the real estate agent was Miranda Benning, so I’m not holding out hope she told you anything useful, but did she happen to mention where he was that he couldn’t sign the contracts in person?”
Mouth flat, Claire shook her head. “No.”
He made another note in his phone. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow too.”
Mina’s soft, throaty chuckle was like a spear straight to my gut. I wanted to hear it again while we talked in bed, nearing exhaustion from multiple rounds of lovemaking.
I doubted I’d get that tonight, or any night, anytime soon. I royally screwed up by not texting or calling.
“Good luck with that conversation,” Mina said to Ozzie. “She guarded him and the sale of that building like a bulldog.”
“She does that with most of her properties, though,” Claire added. “Almost to the point of sabotage. Like, I don’t know what she’s thinking sometimes. Some of those clauses and terms she wants to include are just nuts.”
A corner of Ozzie’s mouth kicked up. “Yes, well, it’ll be a little harder for her to stonewall me. I’ll remind her she could be charged with obstruction, or even aiding and abetting, if she knows where he is and doesn’t tell me.”
Claire tipped her glass toward him and smiled. “Good luck.”
He grinned, the expression slightly cold and calculating. “Thanks, babe.”
I said a silent prayer of thanks I wasn’t the one Ozzie was about to interrogate. That look was a little scary.
Dinner conversation turned to more mundane subjects, and the four of us fell into the easy rhythm of friendship. I was still aware of the undercurrents passing between myself and Mina every time our eyes met, but the relaxed atmosphere helped to keep it banked. Before I knew it, two hours had passed, and the evening was winding down.
“You know, I enjoyed this.” Ozzie’s low voice rumbled as he walked over to sink to his haunches beside me as I crouched in front of the fireplace, rubbing Betty’s belly. We’d let the dogs inafter dinner, and she had immediately demanded attention. I’d been perfectly happy to provide it since.
“Me too. I’ve been so busy lately, it was nice to forget about work for a while.”
