“She’s lucky to have you as a brother, Connor.”
His gaze dropped to the table.
“Well,” he said, “we look out for our own.”
Hank arrived with two mugs and a pot.“Coffee for the sheriff and the federal thundercloud.”
Selena looked at him.“Federal thundercloud?”
“You got an expression like rain with paperwork.You should try smiling more, ma girl.”
“Thanks,” was all Selena could think to say.Hank had always spoken his mind, that hadn’t changed.
Hank filled both mugs.“Anything to eat?”
“Not yet,” Connor said.
“You sure?I got chili that’ll make you see God or regret the attempt.”
“Coffee’s good for now.”
Hank winked at Connor.“I’ll leave you two to it.”
Connor shook his head as Hank moved away.“I think everyone in this town sees us together and comes up with the wrong conclusion.”
Selena looked around.
The family in the back paid them no attention.The older man with the paper glanced over, then looked away too quickly.Hank pretended to wipe the counter while listening with his entire body.
“Let’s focus on work,” Selena said.
Connor took a drink.“All right.”He leaned back and grinned.
“I don’t like that grin.What is it?”
“The fingerprints came back.Arnold contacted me.Belong to a couple of teenagers who sometimes get into trouble in the neighborhood.Looks like they broke into the hunting lodge after Warren’s death because they wanted to see a crime scene.”
Selena felt a mix of disappointment and annoyance.“You sure?”
“Definitely.”
He stared at her, the grin still there.
“What, Connor?You want me to say I was wrong?”She hated being wrong, almost as much as she hated Connor being the one to hold it over her.
“No, no, just you were so adamant about your hunches and...”
Selena took out her notebook.“What did you find at Ray Parkinson’s?”
The amusement left his face as he watched Selena write.He shrugged his shoulders and leaned forward, looking down at her taking notes.“Ray says he and Warren split because Warren was getting reckless with property deals.Risky contracts, bad buyers, a development option on floodplain land.He claims Warren was acting spooked, like he needed money fast.”
“Did Ray say why?”
“No.He said he didn’t know.”
“Do you believe him?”
“I believe he knows more than he said.He’s holding back,” Connor glanced out the window, watching a pickup roll past.“Ray and Warren had an ugly public fight last summer.Ray admits they hated each other, but he says he still feels bad because they were close once.”
