Brad reached the shore, jumped out of the boat, and secured it to the post on the tiny dock. On the far bank, the deer melted back into the shadows as the hawk dipped over the lake in a graceful arc and flew off.
It was almost as if the wild creatures had come to pay their respects to the man who’d lived among them.
A fanciful thought, perhaps, but oddly comforting.
“Thank you for doing that, Sheriff.” Natalie grasped Brad’s hand when he joined them. “Dinner is waiting at the house. You haven’t changed your mind about joining us, have you?”
“No, ma’am. And please call me Brad. I’m not here today on official business.”
“In that case, you must call me Natalie. I believe we’ve become friends over the past few weeks through unfortunate circumstances. But every cloud has a silver lining, as they say, and I would certainly put a new friend in that category. May I take your arm as we walk back to the golf cart?”
“At your service.” He crooked his elbow.
Cara followed them, claiming the rear-facing seat for the short drive back.
Once at the house, Natalie put them both to work helping her dish up the dinner, and she proved to be her usual adept conversationalist while they ate. She also entertained them with stories about her escapades during her years at the Sorbonne.
Only when dessert was served did the exchange return to the events of the day.
As Natalie sliced a lemon cake, the corners of her mouth rose in a melancholy smile. “Micah had quite the sweet tooth, you know. I used to leave little bags of cookies and brownies and other treats for him on the back galérie whenever I got in a baking mood. And I made one of these cakes for him every Christmas. I thought it was fitting to serve it in his memory.” She gave them each a generous portion and retook her seat. “You know, I’m still shocked by how he died. I suppose we have to accept the coroner’s ruling, but it doesn’t feel right.”
“How so, Natalie?”
At Brad’s question, Cara scrutinized him. His tone was relaxed, but she’d been around him enough to pick up an underlying gravity that suggested there was more to his query than simple chitchat.
“I can’t explain it.” Natalie cut off a bite of her cake with the edge of her fork, twin creases denting her forehead. “Like I can’t explain the potholder in the trash or my dizzy spells. It’s just that so many odd things happening close together seems rather too coincidental to me. I suppose that sounds paranoid.”
“Not to those of us in law enforcement. Suspicion is our middle name.” Brad’s lips quirked, but then he grew more serious. “To tell you the truth, I’m not much of a believer in coincidence either. That’s one of the reasons I revisited the scene the next day and also went over Micah’s boat with a fine-tooth comb.”
Ah.
That would explain why it had been stowed in the open shed beside the cabin for several days, shrouded in plastic, instead of tied by the dock.
“Did you find anything helpful?” Cara picked up her coffee cup as she directed her question to him.
He shifted his attention to her at once, a white-hot sizzle of current arcing between them across the table. As it had been doing during the entire dinner.
This dining room was a virtual electrical storm.
Did Brad feel it as much as she did?
The intensity of his gaze suggested he did, but it was possible she was over—
At the sudden clearing of a throat from the head of the table, Cara glanced at their hostess. There was a speculative gleam in her eyes as she looked between her two guests.
“I’m curious about that myself.” Natalie ate a bite of cake, a twinkle in her irises.
Cara peeked at Brad over the rim of her cup as she took a sip.
The sudden flush on his face suggested he’d been as caught up in the storm as she had. “I’m sorry. I lost the thread of the conversation for a minute.”
“Cara asked if you’d found anything helpful on Micah’s boat.”
“Oh. Right.” He patted his mouth with his napkin. “No. I didn’t.”
“So where do you go from here?”
“Nowhere, I’m afraid, unless the tox screen provides new information or another piece of evidence turns up. You’re sure you didn’t see anyone on the premises Sunday morning?”
