“Oh my gosh!” She slapped a palm against her forehead. “That’s it.”
Wally didn’t lock anything. So no surprise that the lodge had been unlocked for the package delivery. But why had the barn been locked yesterday? Not with a simple little padlock but a massive chain. She didn’t think anything of the locks at the time other than they were barring her way out of the fire, and she hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. And she never thought to ask Ryan if the south end was chained too or even ask how Jessie got in. Or the arsonist. Sure, Jessie said he drove a truck in, but did he have a key or cut the chain? Maybe Verna could shed light on the locks too.
Mia might be getting somewhere, and she eagerly reached for the key.
Her phone chimed. A text from Ryan.
No longer available. Need to meet with staff. Will text you when we finish.
She typed a quick acknowledgment and would go straight to the office to talk to Verna. After a few false starts, the engine caught and the cart sputtered from the garage. She raced down the twisting drive, enjoying the cool breeze whipping into her face in the hot afternoon. She crested the hill leading to the lake and let the vehicle coast to the bottom.
How many times as a child had she run down this hill to the water and jumped in, splashing, playing with David and the Maddox boys? Happy, fun times with her whole family. But that was before her mother died. Before and after, which was basically how her life was broken down. That one horrible moment defining the rest of her life.
She shook off her thoughts and looked at the rustic office. One car sat in the parking spaces, an electric-blue Chevy Bolt. Not the color of car she could picture the more reserved Verna driving.
Mia swung into the space next to it in front of the long log building that held the resort office on one side and a small store on the other. Verna and the office assistant manned the store during the off-season. In the summer months, they hired high school kids to staff the shop.
Unlike Wally, she pulled the key from the ignition, grabbed her folder, and went to the solid wood office door. She pushed it open, and a bell tinkled above. Verna’s neat desk sat empty.
“Mia? Mia, is that really you?” A high voice, not at all like Verna’s gruff tone, called from behind the door.
Mia stepped beyond the door to see a young woman with straight blond hair rushing around the assistant’s small desk. Khaki pants emphasized her long legs, and she’d paired them with a white button-down shirt. She’d finished off the conservative outfit with a pair of leather boots Mia would kill to own. She obviously knew Mia, but her identity was a mystery.
“Oh, my goodness, itisyou.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I heard you were back, but I refused to believe it until I laid eyes on you.”
Mia returned the woman’s infectious smile. “Do I know you?”
“Sydney…Sydney Tucker.”
Tucker? Mia knew the name, but the Tuckers in Shadow Lake multiplied faster than bunnies. She could belong to one of any number of families.
“Clueless, huh?” She laughed. “I’m Adam’s cousin and was a few years behind you in high school.”
Cousin to her friend? Really?Thatgirl? “But you’re so…so…”
“Normal-looking?” She tossed back her head and laughed. “Gave up the piercings after high school. The shock value no longer got what I wanted.”
“I would never in a million years have guessed your identity.”
Sydney mocked a runway pose. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” She suddenly sobered. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I didn’t know Wally well, but from what I knew, he was the best.”
“And now you work here,” Mia said absently to avoid the sadness of Sydney’s condolences.
She nodded. “Part-time. I’m finishing my associate’s degree in criminal justice then off to the police academy before I start work as an officer for Shadow Lake PD.”
“Police department? Thatisa change from high school.”
“Don’t you know it.” She laughed. “I suppose you’re here to see Verna.”
“I am. Is she around?”
“Nah.” Sydney frowned. “Lucky for you the warden is taking a long lunch again today.”
A warden and long lunch? Not the Verna Mia recalled. Maybe things had changed around here. “I remember her as being pretty nice if a bit reserved.”
“Maybe at one time.” Sydney perched on the corner of her cluttered desk. “Things were cool until Wally died. Now every little thing sends her ballistic.”
Mia’s radar beeped at full alert. Why would Verna’s attitude change when Wally died? Mia had always thought Verna was close to Wally, but the behavior Sydney described didn’t sound like a typical way to express grief.
