“Great, that works for me.”He slid out from behind the wheel.She followed him inside, glancing over her shoulder out of habit.After everything that had happened, she half expected the gunman to pop out and start shooting.
Rather than heading back to the cabin, Micah suggested they stay and eat there.She managed to nod, even though she felt exposed out in the community.
They sat at a small table in the corner of the dining room.Each table was covered by a red and white checkered tablecloth.She traced the squares with the tip of her index finger, wondering about Richard’s wife, Kim, and the possibility of a Chinese connection to the murder.As much as she didn’t believe Sam was involved, she wondered if it might help to speak with the employees in person.Maybe one of them knew something that could help.
Their pizza didn’t take long.Their server had delivered their soft drinks first, then the pizza.The golden crust and thick layer of toppings looked amazing, and her stomach rumbled in hunger.She caught Micah’s gaze.“If you don’t mind, I’d like to say grace.”
“Ah, sure.”He abruptly dropped the small square spatula and flushed.“Sorry, I forgot.”
“It’s okay.”She bowed her head.“Dear Lord Jesus, we ask You to bless this food.Also, we ask that You guide us to the truth while keeping us safe in Your care.Amen.”
“Amen.”Micah lifted his head and smiled.“That was nice.And we need all the help we can get.”
“Right?”She managed a self-deprecating laugh as he picked up the spatula and scooped two squares of pizza onto her plate.Then he helped himself.
They ate in silence for a few minutes.She noticed that despite Micah’s relaxed posture, he often glanced at the front door.She wasn’t the only one on edge, fearing the bad guys might show up at any time.
“How is everything?”their server asked a few minutes later.
“Very good, thanks,” Micah said with a smile.
“Great.”The woman set their bill down on the table.Micah dug cash from his pocket to pay the tab.
“Maybe I should reach out to my coworkers again,” she said, when they’d finished eating.“Especially Gwen.She probably knows Richard the best.”
“Something to consider.”Micah didn’t jump on the idea as she’d hoped.“Let’s see what we can find out about Kim Freeman first.”
She rose and followed him to the door.“I don’t know her maiden name,” she said as they headed outside.Micah stood for a moment, raking his gaze over the area before opening the passenger door for her.
“I can probably find it.”He closed the door behind her, then went around to get into the driver’s seat.The drive back to the cabin was uneventful, and for the first time in a while, Bryn relaxed.It seemed as if they’d finally escaped the gunmen.
That thought had her wondering if heading back into Madison to talk to her former coworkers would somehow backfire.She wasn’t sure how the gunmen might find them, but at that point, anything was possible.Yet what else could they do?Sitting in a cabin doing nothing wasn’t going to clear her name.
Back in the rustic cabin, Micah sat behind the computer and began to dig into Richard and Kim Freeman’s backgrounds.She watched in amazement as he managed to identify Richard’s date of birth and the date of his marriage to Kim.The couple had been together for six years, according to the marriage certificate.
“I can’t believe you can find this level of detail online.”She frowned as Micah identified Kim’s maiden name of Cheng.It wasn’t the same name as the company owner, which may not mean much.“No wonder identity theft is such a big deal.”
“Yeah, it’s nerve-racking to know how easy it is to get access to our personal information.”He smiled grimly.“Putting safeguards into place, like making sure you have two-factor identification and complex passwords, are important.”
She wrinkled her nose.“It’s probably too late for me to change my passwords.Especially for the bank.”
“Can’t hurt.”He gestured to the screen.“Let me work for a while longer, then I’ll turn the computer over to you.”
She nodded and propped her chin in her hand as he dug into Kim Cheng Freeman’s background.After a minute, he sighed.
“She’s clean, right?”She wasn’t surprised.
“Yeah.”He gestured to the screen.“The only interesting thing I found is that she has dual citizenship for both the US and China.”
“I don’t like thinking the worst about people just because of their nationality.”She frowned.“It’s not fair.”
“I know.”He logged out of the system, then turned the computer toward her.“Go ahead and change your banking password.”
She tried to log in but was unsuccessful.Double-checking to make sure she’d typed the password correctly, she tried again.
This time a message popped up that she was locked out of her account and that the issue could only be resolved in person.
“Too late.”She shook her head in disbelief.“The bank has frozen my account.”
