“And smoky eyes with muted lipstick.” Dotty nodded solemnly.
“I can’t wear this dress,” Mia whispered.
“You are going to wear that dress.” Gena slammed both hands on her too-thin hips. “We’ve all been half-living, and that’s over. You’re going to a ball, you’re wearing that dress, and you’re going toenjoystanding out.”
Dotty scratched her chin. “If you’re going for work, you want to make an impact. Shake somebody up, right?”
Mia narrowed her eyes. “Maybe.”
“Excellent. It’s settled, then.” Gena glanced at Dotty. “You know she doesn’t have the right makeup. We’ll have to pool ours together for the maximum effect.”
Dotty nodded and followed her down the hall.
Mia turned back toward the mirror and sighed. So much for her pantsuit. Where in the world could she fit her gun?
Chapter11
Her morning latte hadn’t contained enough caffeine. The basement of the sheriff’s office smelled like dusty, decomposing raccoons. Mia found several of the dead creatures in a corner of the rectangular room, which had made identifying the stink easier.
Pete had shucked them up the stairs and outside. “Poor critters must’ve found a way in last winter and thought they’d warm up. Probably died of starvation.”
Mia fought a shiver. As always, death had a smell. Shaking off unease, she surveyed the one long room that ran the length of the entire building. Brick made up the walls, while concrete covered the floor. Boxes were stacked along the east wall, papers protruding.
Opening the first box, she fought a sneeze as dust wafted up. “Handcuffs.” Tons of the silver handcuffs emblazoned with the Volk Mining logo filled the box.
Sighing, she reached for the next one. Case files were arranged in alphabetical order by year, all beginning years and years ago. She smiled. “I found the backups.”
Pete hitched his belt over his big belly while dropping to the floor. “Let’s get to work, then.”
Hours passed as they attacked box after box, working backward by date. Mia sighed and stretched her neck. “By the way, have you requested any surveillance tapes from the bank near the tavern where Ruby was last seen?”
Pete shook his head. “The bank doesn’t have cameras.”
Mia set a dusty notebook down and frowned. “Really? That’s weird.”
“Yes, it is. In fact, there are no surveillance cameras in town.” Pete sneezed twice.
Mia’s mind clicked facts into place. “But there’s an ATM on the back wall.”
“So?”
“They have cameras built in. Even if this bank branch doesn’t use surveillance, I bet the cash machine records somewhere.” She wiped more dust off her chin.
Pete straightened. “I hadn’t thought of that.” A smile spread across his face. “I’ll call the bank headquarters in Seattle on Monday. See? I’m glad you’re here.”
Yeah? Well, she wasn’t. The dusty file folders made her eyes water. Sniffing, she turned and opened another box of records. Finally, her breath caught as she found files dealing with cases about fifteen years old. She pulled one out, making dust fly. “Ashlynn Volk.”
“Seth and Erik’s mother.” Pete turned away and sneezed.
Mia’s heart rate picked up. Slowly opening the file, she blew dust away. “Do you know how she died?”
“No.”
Squinting to decipher the scrawled handwriting, Mia read out loud. “Definite homicide, most likely suspect…” The breath chilled in her chest. “Seth Volk.”
Turning the page, her gut dropped at the faded photograph of the crime scene. The picture showed a woman spread-eagle on hard rock, handcuffed to spikes with drill steel stuck in her throat. Her black hair cascaded around her head, and there was no mistaking the deep blue eyes. The myriad of colors were exactly like Seth’s.
Pete reached for the accompanying case folder and read through several sheets of paper. “Seth was cleared.”
