“My father? You saw him?” Watery eyes fixed on his as she ripped out a tissue.
Ryan nodded.
“He only wanted to talk about the barn being destroyed. Not if I was okay. I mentioned the threat again and that I believe he sent it.” She hiccuped and dabbed at her red-rimmed eyes. “He didn’t deny it. Just bolted. That was the second time.”
Not as bad as Ryan had imagined. “He didn’t admit to doing anything. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
She sniffed. “Even if he didn’t do it, he clearly wants nothing to do with me.”
Ah, that’s it. What set her off. Not her father’s guilt but his continued rejection. This topic couldn’t be resolved in a short conversation, and Ryan didn’t think he could offer anything new after all these years. He could sidestep the rejection and keep discussing the fire. Then maybe she’d be open to telling Russ about the letter and consider other suspects.
Ryan shifted on the edge of the bed. “Sounds to me like you really don’t believe your father’s behind all of this.”
She blew her nose and set the tissue on her lap. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I can’t imagine he’d hire an arsonist, but he’s the most logical candidate.”
She was right. He seemed to be the likely culprit, but Ryan had to plant doubt in her mind to get her moving forward. “Would your father really risk going to prison just to get you to leave town?”
She pulled out another tissue. “I know it doesn’t make sense, but who else would’ve done it? David is the only one who will benefit if I don’t last a year.”
“I think he’s a less likely suspect than your father, but we can’t rule him or anyone out at this early stage. What about someone who works at Evergreen?”
She tapped her chin. “You mean like Verna?”
He nodded. “She’s managed the resort forever and maybe she expected to inherit something from Wally. Or even Nico. He’s been the caretaker for as long as I can remember.”
“Yeah, maybe. But like you said, she’s like family. Nico too. Still, my dad and David are family, and I’m considering them. Why not Verna or Nico? And they were hanging out by the fire at the end. Maybe watching their handiwork.”
Now he had her thinking. “Can I make a suggestion to help figure this out?”
“Sure.”
“We have a former FBI agent working in our family business. Colin Graham. He’s a computer whiz. If Reid can free him up, Colin could dig into our suspects’ backgrounds to try to find motives.”
She cocked her head, her tears gone now. “You’re thinking I should ask him to look into my dad and David.”
“Yeah. And Verna and Nico. Maybe Wally too.”
“Uncle Wally. But why?”
“Just to see if he has a reason for choosing you over David that you don’t know about.” She might not want to look into her uncle, but Ryan’s law enforcement days told him people had things to hide, and they would do just about anything to keep them hidden. “Fair warning, though. If you ask for Colin’s help, you’ll have to be prepared for what he digs up.”
She twisted the tissue in her fingers. “Doesn’t look like the person behind the threat plans to give up, so I need to figure it out, and I’m not an investigator by any means.”
“I’ll get the ball rolling with him if you’d like.”
“Please.”
“And if he can’t do it, I recently worked two investigations with a company called The Veritas Center in Portland. They’re mostly a forensic lab, but they also have an excellent IT department. Maybe they’d take the job. Problem is, they’re pretty expensive.”
“I can’t put a price on finding this person, can I?” She clutched her arms around her raised knees and rocked.
Ryan could hardly sit by and not comfort her, but he did. “No matter who did this, I’m here to help you through it.”
She stopped moving. “You’ve been nothing but kind to me since I ran into you. I’m thankful for everything you’ve done—saving me at the barn and all. Really, I am. Not that you could tell. All I’ve done is snap at you.”
He smiled. “I’ve probably come across as pushy. Telling you what to do. But all I want is for you to stay safe, and if I can help with that, I want to.”
“I know. But you also know how being told what to do really sets me off. Always has since my dad took over after Mom died, and he pushed me around.” She worked her lower lip and went silent for so long he thought she might have changed her mind and clammed up. “Do you want to talk about our breakup?”
