“Look. I want to help. I really do, but I have an entire county’s safety to think about. Maybe you should stay with her. Or have her come stay at your cabin.”
After that little moment between them at the lodge, spending the night under the same roof wasn’t a good idea on so many levels.
“Besides, with our presence out here today,” Russ continued. “It’s not likely the suspect will come back tonight.”
“If things change, and you can spare someone let me know.” Disappointed, Ryan hung up and watched Mia until she entered the office.
He rushed down the hill and hung outside the door. Russ said it wasn’t likely someone would come back here tonight. Well, Ryan wasn’t about to risk her life on an assumption, even if he had to dog her every step.
* * *
Mia found Verna sitting with slumped shoulders behind her desk. She wore large glasses with thick lenses and fed papers into a shredder. The very shredder she’d purchased the day before. A large garbage bag filled with shreds sat next to the machine. The office smelled like a hot motor as if she’d been running it at maximum capacity.
Just what was she shredding? Mia hadn’t thought much about the purchase of a shredder at the time, but now? Now that Verna could be suspect, a red flag flew, bright and bold.
Mia shut the door, and Verna jumped.
She spun her chair. “About scared the living daylights out of me.” She slipped a file under a large blotter and glared at Bandit, who lunged at the filing cabinet behind the desk. Nose to the floor as best the cone allowed, he sniffed at the bottom drawer.
Verna watched him, eyes narrowed. “When Wally was alive, that dog wasn’t allowed in the office.”
Bandit whimpered, and Mia shushed him. He settled on his hind legs, eyeing the cabinet. She needed to get her questioning over before Bandit took aim at Verna and tried to bury her with sloppy kisses that she might not welcome. “I just wanted to find out if you’ve had a chance to file the insurance claim.”
She jutted out her chin. “Didn’t have time yet.”
Wow.Such a sharp tone as if Mia had asked her to do the impossible. Another red flag, but Mia shrugged as if it didn’t matter. “No problem. I’ll take the paperwork with me and fill it out tonight.”
Verna didn’t move, but sat like a queen on her throne, drumming her fingers on her cluttered desk.
“Is there a problem with that?” Mia asked.
“Problem? No. I just don’t like you inferring I’m incompetent.”
Mia waved a hand. “Nothing like that at all. I want to be sure it’s done soon, and I know how busy you are.” Bandit slowly eased closer to the cabinet, sniffing the floor on the way. “So is the file in there?”
Verna gave a terse nod.
“The way he’s acting you must have food stored in there too.” Mia laughed to try to lighten the mood and deflect Verna’s suspicions.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but no food.” She lifted a key on a chain from around her neck and slid forward to open the top drawer. The metal groaned on the tracks.
Bandit charged ahead on his oversized paws. He rose up on hind legs and sniffed the bottom drawer.Odd.If there wasn’t any food in the cabinet, why would Bandit be so insistent on getting inside the drawer?
He sensed something Mia didn’t, but she aimed to find out what. “Glad to see you’re careful with the records and lock them up.”
“Never had to do this before, but with all that’s been happening since you showed up, I decided it was a good idea to start securing the payroll and tax records.”
“Is that all you keep in there?”
Verna eyed Mia. “Why all the questions?”
“Figure I should learn about the business I’ll inherit,” Mia said, but would let go of questions about the drawer. No point in putting Verna on even higher alert. “Speaking of locking, did you think any more about the barn?”
Verna started thumbing through the files. “Like I said yesterday. There’s nothing in there worth locking up, and I didn’t give it a second thought.”
“Maybe a dead body was reason enough to chain the doors?”
Verna jerked out a folder and slapped it on the desktop. “You won’t shock me that easily. Russ Maddox told me all about the body you found.” She lifted her chin and pointed it at Mia. “Besides, if the guy was already dead there’d be no need to lock him up.”
