Detective Rose Hanson had known me since I was in diapers, and she’d never let me forget it—even though she was only three years older than me. She was in Mark’s grade in school, had dated Maverick briefly before he went off to college, and was one of the smartest people I’d ever met. When the Spruce Hill Police Department finally grew enough to support a detective position, she was the first to get promoted.
“Morning, Milo. This must be the infamous Eden?”
Eden gave a tentative smile and said, “That’s me.”
“I’m Detective Hanson. Why don’t you park over here so we can talk?” Rose said, gesturing toward a space near the barricades. “This concerns both of you, so it’s good that you’re here.”
My blood pressure skyrocketed, wondering what the hell had happened. It must be something to do with the stores, but I didn’t see or smell smoke, and if there was a break-in, why would they block off the entire street?
Eden scrambled out of the car as soon as I parked, then gripped my hand so tight I almost flinched. I tucked her against my side as Rose approached us, her expression solemn.
“We were about to call both of you, so this was good timing,” she began. “About an hour ago, we got an anonymous tip about a bomb threat. As you might know, we don’t have those resources within the department, so we had to call in the county sheriff for assistance. There was a backpack leaning against yourbuilding. We shut down the perimeter, but we had to wait for their bomb squad to show up before we could take a look.”
“Abombthreat?” Eden whispered.
Rose glanced at her and her expression softened. “Chances are it’s nothing. Happened a couple times over at the high school in recent years, but every instance turned out to be unsubstantiated. Usually someone who didn’t finish a project on time or forgot to study for a test called in the fake threat.”
Though Eden looked shell-shocked, my mind went straight to that letter she’d received.Peddler of Evil.Spruce Hill might be a small town, but most people here were pretty progressive, aside from some of the older generation. I tried to imagine ninety-year-old Mrs. Horowitz from down the street calling in a bomb threat, but there was a likelier explanation.
“There was a letter in the mailbox a couple weeks ago,” I said quietly, “and before you tell me I’m an idiot, I realize now that I’m an idiot, because we threw it out. It had a weird, preachy flier inside about hell and repentance.”
“Who was it addressed to? Did it have a stamp, or was it just shoved in there?”
Eden answered, “It was for me, but it was addressed to ‘Peddler of Evil.’ I don’t remember it having a stamp though, do you?”
I shook my head. “No. I didn’t think of that at the time, but I’m pretty sure it was just the street address on there.”
“Unfortunately, not much we can do without seeing it, but I’d like you both to make an official statement so it’s on record.If this little stunt is related, I want to be sure we have a full account of what’s gone on. Rumor had it there was a third bid for the empty storefront. You know who it was, Milo?”
“No,” I said slowly, “but Jim can tell you if he’s coming to open the framing shop.”
“I’ll ask him. Hang tight, you two.”
Eden and I both nodded as a young officer who looked vaguely familiar jogged up to the three of us.
“Coast is clear. Backpack contained a modified clock radio. No explosive devices found,” he said, then directed a smile in Eden’s direction. “Officer Huxley Ford, ma’am.”
It was a testament to how shaken up she was that she didn’t even attempt to smile back. Eden was friendly in a sincere, thoughtful kind of way that drew people to her—I imagined her success as a business owner owed quite a bit to that trait. Customer service was second nature for her. The tight nod she managed to give Officer Ford spoke volumes.
“Can we go inside?” she asked.
The young officer shook his head and said, “I’m afraid not, at least not yet. If you have your keys, the bomb squad wants to sweep all of the stores on this block. The owner of the place on the other side of you is on vacation, Milo, but the landlord is coming to open the door.”
Eden stayed huddled against my chest as we passed the policeman keys to both stores. I shook hands with Rose after she promised to let me know when we could go inside and guided Eden back to the warmth of the car. Once we were enclosedin silence, I hooked my hand around the back of her neck and clasped her against me over the center console, wrapping my other arm around her.
“You doing okay?” I murmured into her hair.
Her shoulders lifted and fell, but she said nothing, another uncharacteristic reaction that concerned me even more than a fake bomb threat.
“Eden, baby, it’ll be fine. They’ll get everything cleared away and we’ll be all set to open. In fact, we’ll probably both end up with a rush of customers because this town thrives on gossip.”
“Yeah,” she replied quietly. “Probably.”
“Eden, look at me.”
It wasn’t sharp or forceful, but that low tone of voice I used in the bedroom had an immediate effect. She straightened and met my eyes, her own swirling with uncertainty.
“Everything is going to be okay. Do you trust me?”
