“Three other vendors are missing their cashboxes too.Call him.”
Zac’s mood went from sour to ballistic when he arrived at Falls Park and found Martin Shimwell standing with his arm around Maxie.A group of people had gathered around The Green Thumb’s booth, but all he saw was the two of them gathered close.He stepped out from his vehicle, and his grip nearly bent the doorframe.He’d been surprised when he’d seen her number show up on the caller ID, and his hopes had lifted when he’d heard her voice on the line.
The moment had quickly passed.Not only had she been stilted when she’d spoken to him, she’d been calling about trouble at Park Art.
He scowled at the Java Mama hut.Crappy coffee or not, Becky didn’t deserve to be robbed.She should be there, curls bouncing and smile at the ready.Instead, she looked like a puppy that had just been scolded.He didn’t like it.
He slammed the door and started stalking over towards the group.
“You got here fast, Sheriff.”Roxie sidled up to him as he walked across the springy grass.“Maxie’s worried that we’re making a mountain out of a molehill.She didn’t think we should call you.”
No, she was uncomfortable because he’d asked the tough questions—questions he hadn’t thought were tough at all.
But that was Zac talking.He needed to be the sheriff right now.“How much is missing?”
“A few hundred dollars, from what we can tell.”Roxie tilted her head and gave him a once-over.“You’re awfully official today.”
“It’s an awfully official case.”
She glanced to Maxie and back to him.“All right.”
As Zac closed the distance to the group waiting for him, his stare was solidly on Shimwell’s arm.That arm flinched and then rose as if levitating.Zac let one eyebrow lift, and Shimwell snatched his arm away from Maxie’s shoulder before it could burst into flames.
“Marty,” he said coolly.
“She has a headache.”
Zac finally looked at Maxie.She was a bit pale, but gorgeous as ever.She was wearing her Park Art T-shirt, and her legs were long and lean in a pair of blue shorts.He scowled.Last night, those legs had been locked around his waist.Now, her foot was cocked back on its heel as she faced him, and that stung.He knew what that raised foot meant.
“You called?”he said.
She wove her fingers together nervously.“I don’t know if I should have, but several people are missing their cashboxes.”
“You?”
“Mine’s safe.”
“There are four of us.”Becky’s frown looked unnatural on her normally happy face.“Harvey’s photographs, Yvonne’s quilt shop, an out-of-town vendor and me.”
“When was the last time you saw your cashbox?”
“I think I remember putting it on the shelf next to the coffeepots.Martin?”
The man took another step away from Maxie when Zac pinned him with a look.“That’s where I saw it, but I made a few trips back to the van after that.”
So, in other words, nobody had been paying close attention to the money.
“I talked with Harvey,” Becky volunteered.“He set his on the ground while he hung his photographs.Yvonne thought she’d hid hers under a quilt, but it was missing when she went to get it.”
Zac reached into his breast pocket for his notebook.“Did you see anyone suspicious roaming around?”
“Suspicious?”
He sighed at the confusion in the coffee girl’s voice, but it was impossible to be cross with her.To her, a stranger would only be somebody new to talk to.He turned to the rest of the group for help.“Anyone?”
“There’ve been a lot of people around, Sheriff,” Roxie said.
Maxie shook her head, and it made her curls bounce.Zac’s gaze zeroed in on the dark waves.He’d kept her too busy to dry her hair after they’d gotten out of the shower.The wildness made her look even more like her sister, only he didn’t want to run his fingers through Roxie’s hair or kiss her until she forgot about stupid games and lies.
