He nodded to the phone in her other hand. “I’ll leave the other with you. Unless there’s evidence linked directly to our perp, we won’t need it.”
“Oh. Okay.” She tucked the phone Bud had provided for her back into her pocket. “I suppose I’m gonna need it. We’re going to be scrambling to get this cleaned up and get things going.”
The colonel nodded. “In case you haven’t heard, the governor’s office has already announced a three-day delay on the opening.”
Her brows shot up with surprise. “Wow. Three days. Okay. I guess we have our work cut out for us.”
“Maybe Ms. Walker could come in to give her statement in the morning?” Jake suggested. “It’s been one heck of a day, sir.”
But Cassidy shook him off. “No. Tonight would be better for me. I’m going to have a million things to do before we can open.” She turned to look at Jake. “You go on. I’ll be along as soon as I can.”
“I can keep an eye on things,” Bud Thompson interrupted. “They’re going to be processing the scene for hours, if not a day or two.” He jerked his chin in Cassidy’s direction. “You get out of here for a bit. You’ll have to hit the ground running once they give us the go-ahead to clean up.”
She whirled to ask Colonel Aronson if he thought it would actually take days, but the man was gone. She spotted him walking toward the south lot with one of the police captains. “Days?”
Bud shrugged. “Let’s see how things play out. I’ll hang around.”
Cassidy pressed the tips of her fingers to the center of her forehead, then rubbed in tiny circles, working to her temples. “Days,” she whispered.
Jake leaned in as Bud walked away. “Don’t worry about that yet.”
He placed a hand on her back, and for the first time since he’d hopped onto her merry-go-round this morning, Cassidy didn’t feel duty-bound to pull away.
“The governor’s office had to give the press something,” he continued in a soothing tone. “No one expects you to—”
He stopped talking abruptly as she turned into him, burying her face in the base of his throat. His arms came around her and she sank deep into his embrace. Lips moving against the fabric of his shirt, she mumbled, “It started out such a good day.”
She felt rather than heard his chuckle. “I don’t know,” he crooned into her hair. “It’s not ending too badly.”
Pulling back, she tipped her chin up to look into his eyes. “You think?”
“I know.” Lowering his mouth to hers, he kissed her sweetly. When they parted, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Hey, Cass?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m gonna need a date for the fair.”
She chuckled as she allowed herself to be tucked back into his embrace. “Well, what do you know? It so happens I’ll be here every day.”
Epilogue
Cassidy stood at the top of the hill looking down at the crowded midway. If anyone had asked her a day ago if they’d ever get the fair up and running, she would have been torn between laughter and tears. But here they were, open for business and welcoming record-setting crowds.
As Colonel Aronson had predicted, Troy Baker’s identity had been confirmed before she’d even left State Police headquarters the night of his arrest. He’d continued to play cat and mouse with the investigators well into the next day, but eventually they’d informed him they were sitting on a pile of evidence high enough for them to move ahead with or without his statement.
Then Baker’s tale of woe and persecution came tumbling out.
For her part, Cassidy had spent the past few days trying to focus on the task at hand. A conversation with Trevor Baker went a long way in helping her understand his convoluted reasoning. Troy Baker believed she turned his brother against him, and if they hadn’t both testified in court, he would have received a lighter sentence. And he might still have a relationship with his brother.
Cassidy knew there was nothing she could do to set their relationship to rights, but she could focus on getting the grounds cleared and secured. The governor’s office, the board of directors and the fair’s staff had done most of the hustling.
Once the damaged rides were removed from the site, a local amusement company had brought in an elaborate inflatable obstacle course to fill open spaces. From the length of the line to go through the course, it looked like the addition was going to be a hit with fairgoers of all ages.
A few of the musical acts set to perform were unable to reschedule and a couple had dropped out, but the entertainment chair was the type of woman who always had backups for her backups, so they were able to make sure the main stage was fully covered.
The livestock judging had resumed early morning, as had the arts, crafts and culinary contests. So far, the revised schedule seemed to be working smoothly. Hands on her hips, she smiled as she pivoted in a semicircle, taking it all in.
“You’re looking smug this morning,” Jake Donovan said, his voice gruff in her ear.
