“The police are doing all they can—”
“No.” She cut him off. “I mean someone else outside of law enforcement.”
“That would be Brooklyn. The best of the best and even he’s having trouble tracking this character down, but I promise you, if anyone can find him, it’s Brooklyn. As a matter of fact, I think one of your sons is talking to him about some security set up at the ranch. Since finding that money.”
“Yes, of course. But I’d like his number, if you don’t mind.” Her gaze shifted from the phone screen to Clint. “I have something else I’d like him to look into.”
Clint’s hands fisted at his side. Not from anger, but from the restraint it took not to spring up in his seat and shout hallelujah. Not only did someone—Alice—believe in him, but maybe somewhere out there, someone who actually knew what they were doing, and not just sulking over old clippings, would dig into the truth. Because the truth was, someone set his house on fire, and that someone was not him.
Chapter Nine
Going over her list for her call to Declan’s friend Brooklyn, Alice glanced up as Garret came through the back door. Though he was far from being a little boy, he had that same look a kid might have when he’s about to confess he’s the one who broke the neighbor’s window when he was supposed to be doing chores. Lingering by the counter, his hesitant smile suggested he wanted something from her.
“Coffee?” she offered.
“Thanks, Mom.” He accepted the mug she handed him, taking a long sip before setting it down. “Do you remember how I told you the kids at school took a vote and decided they wanted this year’s dance to be a fifties styled event?”
She bobbed her head. “Didn’t someone watch an old musical with June Allyson or Jane Powell or something?”
Swallowing another sip, he nodded. “And I thinkBack to the Futuretoo because they chose the name Enchantment Under the Sea.”
“How original.” She chuckled. “The dance is tomorrow night, right?”
“Right.” He heaved a deep sigh and Alice looked up, her list for Brooklyn nearly forgotten. “Just spit it out. What’s wrong?”
He picked up the mug again. “Since the dance is in the gymnasium, the kids can’t start decorating too early.”
“Makes sense.”
“And under normal circumstances, decorating would have been finished in plenty of time.”
Any fool would recognize that the non-normal circumstances were about to be explained.
“With the exception of the new girl in town, Mary Borden, and Jimmy Kendall, the rest of the planning and decorating committee are home with the same bug.”
“All of them?” That would be too much coincidence.
“All of them. Sunday after church, all the committee members got together to finalize the plans. Apparently, Mary and Jimmy are the only two with phenomenal constitutions because everyone else is sick as a dog.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that.” She really was. Putting all that work into planning the perfect dance and then to be stuck home sick and miss it all.
“Sorry enough to help?” He flashed a shaky smile. Oh, how at this moment he looked so like her mischievous little boy.
“Maybe. What do you need?”
“Everything.”
Her brows lifted and brain stopped computing. “Say again.”
“They haven’t done anything. I only found out an hour ago when Kate Hall called to tell me that she was coming down with something too and the ball was in my court.”
“So when was all this decorating supposed to have happened?”
“After school yesterday and today.”
The back door creaked, and hat in his hand, Clint came in, cleaning his boots on the heel scraper. “Mornin’”
“Morning, Clint.” Alice waved to the coffee pot. “Help yourself to a cup. We’ll be done here in a minute or two.”
