Page 10 of Found Objects

Once he was gone, I realized that both Reggie and Fletcher were staring at me. “I missed something,” I rushed out.

“I said that Justin was very popular,” Reggie repeated.

“Oh, yes, so you said.”

“You don’t think he would be?”

“I’m certain I have no idea.”

They were staring at me again, looking at me oddly.

“Gentlemen?”

“You’re not drawn to him?” Fletcher asked carefully, studying me, which was odd.

“Is this a wolf thing?” I asked, crossing my arms, squinting at them.

“You don’t feel anything being in his presence?” Reggie asked.

“No.”

Fletcher glanced at Reggie. “He must have decided against it.”

I wasn’t following the conversation at all, but that was fine.

Justin returned, complimented my barista, and only then noticed that none of us were speaking. “What’s happening?”

“Nothing,” Fletcher answered quickly.

“Might we have a word with you outside?” Justin asked after taking a large gulp of his latte. “We would appreciate it.”

“Course,” I agreed, and the three of them walked out ahead of me, passing under the thick arch to first the parking lot, and then to the sidewalk I’d put in myself, paved in granite setts, then to an area with a small wrought-iron bench in front of an ammonite wall that rose fifty feet up. As The Bower was three stories high, it spanned from the ground to the roof. Many people had taken pictures of it over the years, as the ammonites were set in opal and sparkled in the sun.

“Quickly, if I may,” Justin said, gesturing at the wall, “this is stunning.”

“Thank you.”

“How did you pay for this? It must have cost a fortune, and from everything we’ve seen, you, sir, are not a millionaire.”

“My family did it a long time ago,” I informed him.

“Your family?”

I nodded.

“When?”

“Over several generations,” I lied smoothly.

Justin narrowed his eyes as he regarded me. “You know, we looked at your deed with the county, to your own land as well as the one for the land here at The Bower, and everything has simply run through your line. In fact, both land parcels belonged to your family before the town was established.”

“That’s right.”

“Justin, why do we care about⁠—”

“Just wait,” he ordered Fletcher, and his eyes flashed gold for a moment, which made both men instantly quiet. “This building is old, but it’s made of limestone. Not sandstone, not shale, but limestone, which is much harder to come by.”

“Yes.” I agreed, because there was no argument to be made.