They’d sealed it in an evidence bag.
Disturbing.
Also his computer screen was turned toward the room.
And that had an aerial map of a mountain property with one of those red computer pinpoints over a cabin.
And I knew at a glance that cabin was mine.
FOUR
The Lion and The Lamb
Mabel
“So, you own The Groove,” Harry started after I sat down.“My wife Lillian likes that place a lot.”
This was good to know.
And it was nice that he wanted to start gentle.
Even so.
“Honestly, I don’t mean to be rude,” I replied.“But you can imagine I’m more than mildly creeped out.”I swept a hand in front of me to indicate the note on his desk.“After that, with how you all are behaving, the creep factor is heading into the red zone.”
Harry glanced at Rus.
I looked to Rus.
He was jerking up his chin toward Harry.
“All right, Ms.Adams—” Harry started.
“Mabel.Please call me Mabel,” I invited.
“Mabel,” he muttered.Then, “You’re renting The Retreat from Mrs.Matthews?”
I was confused.“The Retreat?”
“The Cooper’s Retreat,” he said.
“I…no.But I am renting a cabin and workshop from her,” I replied.
“That’s The Cooper’s Retreat.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’re talking about the same place.”
Harry leaned into his forearms on the desk.“So we can get down to business, quick history.I’m sure it won’t surprise you, considering our remoteness, and proximity to Canada, back in the day, Misted Pines and Fret County on the whole were centers of bootlegging activity.”
“Oh,” I whispered, thankfully so fascinated by this knowledge, I forgot my most recent woes.
“There was also a whiskey distillery out there,” Harry carried on.“It’s since burned down.But the cooper, the man who made and maintained the barrels to contain that whiskey, lived on your property.”
“Right,” I said.
“He did his coopering in your workshop,” he went on.
Well, wasn’t that kickass?
