Nadine sighed, feeling as if she was on the verge of some breakthrough but not knowing what, then checked her phone. She could do a couple of hours of searching before she needed to leave. Better to focus on what was in front of her. She crunched back across the garden to return the rake, leaving a line of footprints in the gravel. She’d spent the entire time thinking instead of trying to let her thoughts pass.
Later she would come back and try again. Right now, she was going to find some clues.
Rebecca’s head shot up when she caught sight of Wes. “You’re on vacation,” she reminded him, as if he’d forgotten.
“I had to pick up a few things.” He’d hoped Rebecca would be working from home so she didn’t see him talking to Jason.
“One more day and then I’m off to the cottage,” she said. “Think of it, Wes. Two weeks of lazing on the dock with a stack of books and no cell access.”
“You forgot the bugs.”
She held up her arm. “You’d think the heavy pollutants in my bloodstream would have turned them off, but they do love feasting on my soft, sweet city flesh.”
“You could not go,” he said.
Rebecca waved that away. “Complaining about bugs is a cottage tradition. I’ll bathe in citronella and reconcile myself to itching. Also I bought a mesh hat.” She put it on and struck a pose, making him laugh.
He made a fuss of going through his desk until Rebecca left for a meeting. Then with an unhurried pace—nothing to see here, folks!—he walked to the I-team’s turf.
Tyler saw him. “Hey, Wes. Where you been hiding?”
Wes might not like Tyler, but he knew the value of maintaining a positive relationship. “Vacation. I’ve been doing some research.”
“What a workaholic. You got to learn to relax.” Tyler’s bushy eyebrows rose. “Anything interesting?”
Wes knew better than to spill the beans to Tyler. “I think so.”
“Mysterious.” Tyler yawned as Wes looked around him.
“Is Jason in?”
Tyler shook his head. “JJ took a couple days off. Why? You need to talk about your story?”
Shit, he hadn’t thought Jason would be away. He usually took time off in the winter. “I wouldn’t mind hearing what he thinks of it.”
“What he thinks of it? Doesn’t he know?”
“It’s something I’ve been working on,” said Wes, doing his best tokeep casual.
Tyler shook his head slowly. “I don’t know, man. Jason doesn’t appreciate the rogue thing—you should know that from when you were here as a temp. He hates not knowing what’s going on.”
A temp? “It’s nothing on the team’s radar.”
The other man stretched, showing deeper blue patches under the arms of his light blue shirt. “Your funeral. I thought you wanted to join us, but that’s no way to go about it. JJ’s not going to be happy with you coming in to say you know his section better than him.”
“I’m not doing that at all,” said Wes in frustration.
“Sure, I know that, but he might not see it that way.” Tyler unscrewed his bottle of Coke and drank half of it down, releasing the gas out the side of his mouth. “How about you give me an idea of what it is so I can help you with the pitch?”
“No, that’s fine,” said Wes immediately. “I’ll take my chances.”
Tyler laughed. “Listen to this guy. I’m not going to scoop you. I’m working on a hockey coach who bribed students to play on his team. That’s why they brought me on, for the broad-appeal stuff.”
“That does sound right up your alley,” said Wes. “I’ll wait to talk to Jason though. It’s not urgent.”
“Whatever,” said Tyler carelessly. “He’ll ask if you talked to me anyway.”
Wes frowned. “Why?”
