Mia stiffened. “Seriously?” This was getting closer and closer to home. This victim worked where the first local one had been found? “We need to interview everybody there tomorrow.” The place was both sad and creepy, and Mia needed to find something uplifting about it. Somehow.
Kurt angled his head to see the dumpster better. “Is it just me, or do we need to take a harder look at Dr. TJ Bankston, AKA Brother Jeremiah?”
Mia’s mind reeled. “We definitely do—as well as everyone else who works there. Also, I’m not sure if they see patients who aren’t held there. If so, we definitely need that list.”
Lionel snorted. “A patient list? Sure. I’ll go ahead and write up a request for that warrant, and then I’ll shoot pancakes out of my butt.”
“Please don’t,” Kurt retorted, shoving him good-naturedly in the arm. “He’s right, though. There’s no way we can acquire a list of patients.”
Perhaps Brother Jeremiah would give Mia a heads-up if there was somebody she should investigate. Or not. She looked at the dumpster. “Who found the body?”
“One of ours,” Seth said.
“One of yours?” Kurt asked, swiveling his head to stare at Seth. Rain flew from his hair. “What does that mean?”
No doubt it meant that a wolf shifter had found the body. Mia fought the urge to cuddle into Seth’s side. Her entire body was exhausted, and her mind was starting to shut down. “You mean it was somebody from Lost Lake?” They had to be more careful around Kurt and Lionel. The men weren’t stupid, and they both loved solving puzzles.
“Yeah. The Denby family are citizens of Lost Lake and drive the twenty miles to work at the gas station.” Seth met Kurt’s gaze evenly. “That makes them ours.”
Kurt lowered his chin. “I’m surprised you don’t own this sweet little gas station that serves as an entrance to your vast property holdings.”
“Who says I don’t?” Seth returned mildly.
Mia sighed. She so didn’t have time for them to get into a dick-measuring contest. She studied the surrounding area, keeping herself somewhat dry beneath the umbrella Erik had provided. There really wasn’t much to see. She wandered over to the dumpster and levered up onto her toes to see inside. It was spotless. She looked over her shoulder at Lionel. “It’s been cleaned?”
“No. The crime scene techs took the dumpster. That’s an extra, but it is the same kind,” Lionel said.
That made sense. Good. They would get every ounce of evidence from it. The wind turned and sprayed rain sideways, so Mia tried to move the umbrella for better coverage. “Do we know anything about Bobbi besides her occupation?”
Lionel cast a worried glance at his still-dry camera bag. “No. They identified her, took the body to the morgue, and the case was passed back over to us. Apparently, the Seattle office is knee-deep in a couple of drug cases, but I do have one of the agents conducting a full background check on the victim. We should have that tomorrow.”
Mia wanted the case, so she was pleased to avoid a fight. “Have we received a preliminary report from the crime scene techs?”
“Not yet,” Kurt answered. “I don’t expect we’ll see anything until tomorrow.” He scouted the area around the dumpster. It was a small parking area, surrounded by trees. “It’s a peaceful place.”
It felt more ominous than calm at the moment, even though the only sound was the drilling rain. Far in the distance, a bird screeched. Was that an owl? Mia shivered. The sound was kind of creepy.
“Come on, Mia,” Seth said. “Let’s go home.” He put an arm around her and drew her back around the building to where his truck waited. She was too tired to object and even leaned into his side.
“Wait a minute.” Kurt walked toward them, not seeming bothered by the rain, although he did glance at Seth several times. He pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through something. “No report yet. Seth, did you know Bobbi?”
Seth stiffened but opened the driver’s side door, gently assisting Mia up and inside where she could scoot over. “I’ve never heard of her.”
Kurt looked from Mia to Seth. “You’ve never heard of her, yet another body was found within your territory, in a place—in your own words—owned by one of yours. Brother Jeremiah isn’t the only one we need to take a harder look at, I think.” He set his stance as the rain poured over him. Erik and Todd came up behind him, looking dangerous.
Mia swallowed over a lump in her throat. If Seth gave the order, neither man would hesitate to kill Kurt. Not for a second.
Seth jumped up into his rig. “I already came in for an interview with you in an official capacity. I’m done. Get a warrant next time.” He turned and stared at the agent. “Right now, I’m taking my woman home.” He slammed the door.
“Your woman?” Mia asked, her eyes so tired she had to put her head back on the headrest.
“Yep. Deal with it.”
Chapter28
After a dreamless night, Mia stretched awake in the cabin, surprised to find the other side of the bed cold. Blinking, she rolled over to see a folded note on the bedside table. Yawning, she opened it to see Seth’s bold handwriting.
Morning, sweetheart.
