“That’s another incentive for me not to walk away from this too fast. If I don’t push for answers, no one will. It’s not like Micah has anyone else to speak for him. And if there was a violent element to his death, justice should be served.”
Rod grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. “I knew there was a reason we elected you sheriff. Good luck with this one.”
“Thanks.”
But as Rod disappeared through the door, Brad wiped a hand down his face and sank back in his chair again.
Luck, good fortune, fate, providence—he’d take any of those he could get with this case.
Bottom line, he needed a lead. Soon. Otherwise, he’d have to drop this. There weren’t enough hours in the day as it was, and beating his head against the wall with nothing to show for it would be foolish, even if his efforts were well intentioned.
All he could do was pray that if Micah’s death wasn’t as innocent as it had initially appeared, he’d get a break that would help him find the person who had killed a quiet, gentle man in cold blood.
CARA BLEW OUT A FRUSTRATED BREATHas she rounded a curve on the winding, two-lane road that led to Natalie’s house.
How in the world could she have forgotten the laptop she needed for tomorrow’s nine o’clock meeting with her doctoral candidate?
Except the constant thoughts about a handsome sheriffthat had taken up residence in her mind did have a tendency to short-circuit her usual concentration.
Which also meant the absence of her laptop hadn’t registered until eight o’clock.
That’s what romantic daydreams could do to you.
Cara slowed as she approached Natalie’s driveway in the ten o’clock darkness, cut her headlights, and reduced her speed to a crawl. No sense announcing her arrival and waking up her hostess. If she heard someone driving up to the house at this hour, she could panic. Call the police.
And while seeing Brad would be lovely, a rendezvous under those circumstances would be less than ideal.
Tightening her grip on the wheel, she focused on the edges of the narrow gravel road. Difficult to discern, with the moon and stars hidden behind a heavy cloud cover. But it was a short drive, and she’d traveled it often in recent weeks. She ought to be able to navigate despite the limited visibility.
Nevertheless, when the house came into view over a small rise, she exhaled.
Almost there.
And no way was she retracing her steps to Cape tonight. She’d just have to get up at the crack of dawn and drive back super early for her meeting. Not how she’d planned to spend her Friday morning, but it was what it was.
As she drew close to the house, a BMW parked in front materialized out of the darkness.
Huh.
Steven must have come down for another long weekend.
Must be nice to have a job that was portable.
She pulled in behind his car on the circle drive, grabbed her purse, and closed the door gently after sliding from behind the wheel.
As she circled the dark house, she dug out her key to the cottage, angling sideways when a chilly wind buffeted her.
Fall had definitely arrived.
Key in hand, she started down the murky path, peering ahead toward the shadowy outline of the cottage to stay on track.
Maybe she should pull out her phone and turn on the—
She jolted to a stop as a light flashed in her peripheral vision to the left. In the woods.
Nerves tingling, she swiveled that direction.
All was dark.
