CHAPTER 4
Ian sniffed the air as he entered the kitchen. “I don’t smell anything cooking nor do I hear the kettle.”
I grinned. “That’s because I’ve decided we’re going out for breakfast.”
Ian arched a brow from where he’d leaned against the counter, looking entirely too good for a man who’d just rolled out of bed. “Translation, you don’t feel like cooking?”
“You know I enjoy cooking, so—” I paused to see if he caught on and that earned me a grin.
“This somehow pertains to the bank heist.”
“You know me so well,” I said, knowing he’d catch on. “It’s the end of August in Willow Lake. Half the town and every last summer person will be at Star Diner this morning. Gossip will be thicker than Zelda’s pancakes, and trust me, you can learn more over breakfast chatter than you ever will in an official interview.”
Ian shook his head, amused. “You really think pancakes and rumormongering are going to solve this case?”
“Better than sitting around here waiting for any dribble of information Stone might share or what I could weasel out of my dad,” I countered.
Mo thumped his tail in agreement, clearly on my side.
Ian grabbed my hand, still smiling. “Fine. Lead the way, Sherlock. But if we’re going to interrogate townsfolk between bites of bacon, I’m ordering the biggest stack of pancakes they’ve got.”
“Good,” I said. “That way you’ll blend right in.”
We steppedinto the Star Diner, the bell overhead tinkling and the blast of cool air, a welcome break from the heavy August heat outside. The smell of coffee and fried potatoes wrapped around me like an old quilt, and I could already hear the low hum of conversation. The kind that always carried more than just the weather report.
Somewhere in here was the first thread we could tug on.
“Pepper, Ian!” Lara waved. She was quick as ever, weaving between tables, menus clutched in one hand. “Come on, I’ve got one booth left and it’s yours.”
She hustled us to the corner, the last unclaimed spot in a sea of locals and summer folk. As Ian slid in across from me, I caught more than one pair of eyes tracking him. Women of every age, from teens staring openly to ladies with pure white hair and wrinkles pretending not to notice him. They looked at him like he was a particularly fine dessert on Zelda’s specials board.
It was easy to see why women admired him, okay, maybe more hungered after him. The man did do justice to simple attire, jeans and a dark tee, though it was his sleeves hugging the strength of his biceps that also appealed.
I nudged his foot under the table. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
His lips quirked, but before he could answer, Lara set menus down.
“So,” she said, lowering her voice, “you were at the bank yesterday, weren’t you? Lord above, the stories flying around this place… I figured I’d just ask the source.”
I leaned forward, my smile polite, my curiosity sharper. “What kind of stories?”
Lara leaned closer, her voice dropping just enough to turn heads if anyone nearby was paying attention. “Madge Newell was in earlier, going on about what she saw. You know Madge. She runs the Birds’ View Nest B&B, and she never met a story she couldn’t make bigger.”
Ian gave a faint grunt of agreement.
“She swears she spotted two men hanging around outside the bank the day before it happened,” Lara went on. “Didn’t recognize either of them, and around here that sticks out. Says one even went inside, didn’t so much as stand in line, just looked around and left.”
I felt Ian’s eyes meet mine across the booth.
“Of course,” Lara added with a shrug, “Madge also claimed they had the look of hired guns, which she apparently learned from watching old Westerns with her husband. So, take it for what it’s worth.”
I couldn’t help smiling. “Which means somewhere in there might be a thread of truth, buried under Madge’s flair for the dramatic.”
“Exactly.” Lara said and got right back to business as usual. “I’ll get you a pot of tea. Now, you two want the usual or are we feeling adventurous this morning?”
We gave Lara our order and when she moved on, Ian’s eyes shifted past me, his smile fading.
“What is it?” I asked, curious.
