Sue made a small sound. Shock, maybe? Robert showed no surprise at all, like perhaps this wasn’t news to him.
“Deputy Boverman,” Edi said sharply, moving between him and Tyler. “That’s inappropriate.”
Adam ignored her, his attention fixed on the small group. “People have a right to know who they’re dealing with.” His eyes traveled to Brooke. “So they can make efforts to keep themselves safe.”
Brooke knew Adam Boverman. He had moved to town several years earlier, taking the deputy job. Brooke wasn’t living in Irma when he arrived; she was away at school in Laramie.
When she came home with a degree in business and plans to buy her own restaurant, she took a job at one of the neighborhood diners while putting her plans into motion. Adam ate there regularly.
He was good-looking in that clean-cut, all-American way—sandy blond hair, pale blue eyes, and a solid build. She knew he was older than her, but wasn’t sure how much. Five or six years, probably. Nice guy, or at least healways seemed nice. He popped into the coffee shop sometimes, not as regularly as Edi, but on occasion.
Until recently, he’d been in a long-distance relationship with someone he’d met online. Brooke heard through the coffee shop grapevine—because that was how information traveled in Irma—that they’d broken up a few months ago. Something about the distance being too hard, about wanting different things.
Since then, Adam had been more visible around town, stopping in at local businesses, showing up at community events, generally making himself present in ways he hadn’t when he was attached.
He also had a reputation, though Brooke tried not to put too much stock in gossip. But over the years, multiple people had mentioned that Adam dated around. Nothing serious, nothing committed, just a string of relationships that never quite stuck, which was probably the reason his long-distance relationship was such a hot topic. She’d even heard people placed good-natured bets on whether he’d ever settle down.
Right now, though, watching him look at Tyler with something between satisfaction and hostility, his dating history seemed trivial. What mattered now was what he’d implied.
“What history?” The question came out before Brooke could stop it.
Adam’s attention shifted back to her, his expression softening immediately. “You don’t know?”
“Know what?”
He moved closer, his whole demeanor changing. Protective. Concerned. Like he was positioning himself between her and potential danger. “Tyler’s wife and child died in a house fire.”
The words hit Brooke like a physical blow. Wife and child. Dead. Fire. “Oh,” she said, looking at Tyler. “I’m so sorry. That’s...awful.”
Tyler nodded, his face a mask that gave nothing away, though something in his green eyes had gone dark and hollow.
“It’s terrible,” Sue whispered. “Absolutely terrible.” She gave her husband a look, and he replied with a subtle nod.
“It was ruled accidental,” Adam continued, “but there were questions. Things that didn’t quite add up. Tyler left town not long after, barely had them buried and memorialized before he was gone. We still had questions. We had to track him down and have the police in his new town question him.”
“That’s an exaggeration,” Edi said firmly. “The fire marshal ruled it accidental. There was nothing suspicious about it.”
“Not exactly true, now, is it?” Adam said. “There were questions. Plenty of questions. The timing, the insurance money, the way he just disappeared afterward.”
“Stop.” Edi’s voice went hard. “You’re sharing information about a closed case that has nothing to do with why we’re here today. And you’re doing it in front of witnesses to an active investigation, which is completely unprofessional.”
Adam held up his hands. “I’m just saying people have a right to know who they’re dealing with. Especially when there’s another dead body involved.”
“We don’t even know if there’s been a crime yet,” Edi snapped. “Could be a hiking accident, could be natural causes, could be anything. And Tyler was with friends when they found Brooke, who had already discovered theremains. He wasn’t anywhere near the scene until after it was found.”
Adam went completely still. “You’ve already interviewed the witnesses, Deputy?”
Edi flushed. “I, uh, yes. You took so long to get here, and Brooke was upset. I wanted to get it done so she could head home.”
“I see.”
Brooke glanced at Edi, noting the quiet defiance in her. She hadn’t done exactly what Adam expected, and part of Brooke admired that. But then her mind shifted, racing ahead to the weight of Adam’s words. Tyler had lost his wife and child in a fire, the kind of loss that would destroy most people and leave scars so deep they might never heal.
But Adam’s words kept echoing.Questions remained. He left town. Insurance money.
The implications were clear, even if Adam hadn’t stated them outright. People had suspected Tyler. Maybe not officially, maybe not enough to bring charges, but enough to make him leave.
And now he was back, and there was another dead body.
