Darby gave him a hard stare. “You realize that we’re going to print this place. If you touched anything and you lied to us about it, we’ll be talking to you again, this time in one of our interrogation rooms.”
“No problem. We’re glad to help if we can.” Especially since he and Iona had wiped down every surface that they’d touched.
“How long had you known Merriweather?” Caldwell asked.
Elias thought fast and went with a version of the truth. “We didn’t.”
“So why were you here?”
“We wanted to ask Mr. Merriweather if he minded our riding around the edges of his property.”
The cops stared. “Why?” Darby asked.
Should have seen that question coming from a mile away. What now? Usually, he was fast on his feet. Not today, though. Elias couldn’t think of any reason strangers would make such a weird request of someone they didn’t know.
Iona smiled. “The boys want us to learn how to ride motorcycles in case there’s an emergency and we only have access to the bikes.”
“Isn’t there enough room out at the Blackthorn clubhouse to ride around?”
“Would you want to learn to operate a motorcycle in front of experts like the Blackthorn Riders?”
Amusement lit his eyes. “Not particularly, no.”
“Neither do we.” She motioned to her team. “It’s bad enough that we’ll have the boys laughing at us. Plus, we’d rather learn to ride out here where we can’t hurt anything if we wobble a little.”
Darby nodded. “Sounds like a sensible plan to me.”
Iona inclined her head. “Thank you. We thought so, too.”
To Elias’ amusement, Darby acted as though Iona had put him under a spell. Although he’d have to take the detective down a peg or two if he made a move on her, Elias didn’t blame him for being starstruck. He certainly was.
Darby straightened, tore his gaze from Iona’s, and cleared his throat. “Let’s go through this again.”
An hour later, the detectives finished their interviews and admonished the operatives to remain in the area until further notice. The two men returned to the farmhouse as the medical examiner’s van pulled up.
Elias and the others watched the ME and his assistant go inside the house. “What now?” Elias asked Seth.
“No choice. We’ll have to return to the cabin.”
“That isn’t a good idea, Seth.”
“I agree. I don’t like it.” Noah scowled. “And neither will the boss.”
“We can’t talk about this here,” Iona said. “Too many people coming and going. Besides, we need a place to ride.”
Elias stared. “Why?”
“Cover story. Small-town gossips will pass the word that Artemis rode the bikes or didn’t. I guarantee we’ll get a visit from the detectives if we don’t follow through.”
Violet moaned. “Oh, you’re kidding, right?”
“No, she’s not.” Noah wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tugged her against his side. “Actually, it’s a great idea for you and the others to learn to ride a bike.”
“I can’t even ride a regular bike, Noah. Riding a motorcycle is just asking for trouble.”
“You’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll help you.”
“The only thing that would help is a route with pillows lining both sides of the path so I don’t bruise or break something when I fall.”
