“This was from twenty-five years ago.”
“Uh…yeah.”
“I was just a kid.”
Her head snapped up, and she eyed me curiously. “Do you remember this?”
I shook my head. “No, but I was pretty young. I remember people talking about it, but it always seemed like it happened before I was born. I had no idea this happened when I was just a kid.”
“Liam was older. Do you think he remembers anything?”
“Maybe, but…”
She glanced down at the paper, then back up at me. The crease between her brows was adorable.
“It’s a little strange that the whole town wasn’t constantly gossiping aboutit. Wouldn’t they warn the kids about the dangers of going out alone or something?”
She had a point. This girl should have been the poster child for reasons you don’t talk to strangers. “Why did Mayor Cameron want you to look into this?”
“Because the little girl is her half-sister.”
“Seriously?”
That was extremely strange. How had a town like this basically brushed a murder of a small girl under the rug?
I got down on the ground and started sifting through the papers with her. “Any suspects yet?”
She shook her head. “I’m still going over the facts of the case.” Glancing up at me, she cocked her head. “You know what I could use?”
“A murder board.”
“And post-it notes. Markers. Pictures of everyone in town?—”
“Sounds like you could use a lawman on your side to help you sort through all this,” I grinned. “I happen to know one.”
“I don’t think Maverick likes me very much,” she said, rolling her eyes at me.
“I wasn’t talking about Maverick. I meant me.”
Her gaze snapped up to meet mine in surprise. “What?”
“He called me in and talked me into taking the job.”
Her eyes sparkled with mirth as she grinned at me. “Yeah, I can see he really had to twist your arm.”
“Well, he made a few good points. Job security, the baby’s on the way. Plus, he’s going to get a better coffee maker.”
“Ooh, that should make all the difference,” she mocked.
“Hey, you and I both know that a good cup of coffee is hard to come by, and I can’t stop in the Daily Grind every day.”
Jumping to her feet, she looked surprisingly happy. “This is so exciting.”
“Really? You’ve really come around since yesterday.”
“Well, yesterday, neither of us had jobs or any direction in life. Today, I have a cold case that I can sink my teeth into.”
“And a lawman to cuff you at night.”
