She reappeared less than a minute later.
“That was quick.” He took the bottle she handed him.
“I move fast if homemade chocolate chip cookies are in the offing.” She sank into the other chair. “I don’t bake often, so this will be a treat.”
“No time, or no inclination?”
“Both.” She twisted off the cap of her water. Studied him for a moment. Sighed. “If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, I’m not certain I should tell you this yet ... butin the interest of full disclosure, I’m not much of a cook. Jack’s the chef among the siblings.”
“A culinary degree isn’t a top priority for me in a relationship.”
Her lips scrunched into a rueful twist. “I don’t even do the basics well. Cooking Chuck’s simple fare at the diner would be gourmet for me.”
“So what do you eat?”
“A lot of salad. But I do make a mean omelet and a great potato casserole. Ever since Jack claimed he almost broke a tooth on my barbecued ribs, my siblings always request those two items when it’s my turn to host our monthly meal.”
“I like salad, and my meatloaf and chili are decent. I’m also proficient on the grill. If I want fancier food, I go to a restaurant. In terms of dessert, it’s hard to beat these.” He lifted the bag again. “Besides, it isn’t fair to expect a woman to handle all the cooking chores.”
She grinned. “I like how you think. And I’m ready to try one of those cookies whenever you are.”
He set his water down, opened the bag, and held it out.
Cara reached in and took a cookie. Bit into it while he pulled one out for himself. Closed her eyes.
“See what I mean?” He started on his.
“These are incredible.” She chewed slowly, as if savoring every burst of flavor from the crumbly goodness.
“Help yourself to another one.” He picked up the bag again.
She didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation. “You can ply me with these anytime.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He finished off his cookie and swigged his water. “Now tell me why you called earlier.”
As soon as she finished chewing, she launched into her story.
He listened without interrupting, the red flags that hadcontinued to flutter in his mind about Micah’s death waving harder with every sentence.
The groundskeeper’s dislike of the dark, along with the fact that someone had been wandering about on Natalie’s property at odd hours, helped justify further investigation.
“So what do you think?” Cara moved on to her second cookie.
“I think I’m going to take a walk around the property in the vicinity of where you think you saw the lights last night.”
“It would be hard to pinpoint the spot. I couldn’t gauge distance very well.”
“I’m still going to walk around the general area.”
“What happens if you don’t find anything suspicious?”
Excellent question, given that was the probable outcome without an exact location to search.
“It would be helpful to have eyes on the place at night, but we don’t have the manpower for that, and I doubt Natalie would want to incur the cost of private security. The lights you’ve seen in the past—were they all in the same vicinity?”
She stopped chewing. “Now that you mention it, yes.”
“A few security cameras in that area would be helpful. I’ll see if I can get her to spring for those. Has there been any pattern to your sightings?”
