Page 16 of Hannah's Truth

“Go have a real honeymoon or something,” Suter added.

Bart knew two things. These guys weren’t leaving without taking a look around and Hannah had plenty of explaining to do. He squared up with Kellerman. “Our honeymoon isn’t your concern. If you need to look around, have at it.” He gestured toward the kitchen. “Tim’s domain is right there. Anything beyond it, you’ll need a warrant.”

“We won’t keep you closed down for long.”

Bart folded his arms across his chest. “You won’t close me down at all. Barring another victim, which is a definite health code violation, my diner will be up and running on schedule tomorrow.”

He said it with all the threatening enthusiasm he could muster for the idea of waking before dawn again.

“You don’t even know what they’re looking for,” Hannah hissed at him when the agents started snooping through the kitchen.

“Why do I get the feeling you do?”

“You’re wrong.” She glared at him and gave a small shake of her head.

“So I’ve been told,” he grumbled. He stalked over to the counter and watched Suter and Kellerman, hoping for a clue to their purpose in the way they conducted the search. They rifled through the dry goods, peered into the employee refrigerator, and took pictures of the whiteboard and Tim’s small desk.

That couldn’t be good.

Bart would bet his Army disability pay they’d never figure out Tim’s shorthand. He wouldn’t have managed it in this lifetime without a lengthy tutorial when the cook had come on board.

“What if they find something?”

“They won’t,” he said, cutting off her concerns. “The cameras in here are in perfect working order and I searched before Wallace arrived,” he added, nuzzling her ear to disguise the exchange of information. He felt her tremble and pulled her close to his side, enjoying it a bit too much when she leaned in.

A wife, even a pretend wife, was something he’d planned to avoid for the rest of his days. He counted it a lesson learned the hard way the first time around.

He slid a glance at Hannah while she was distracted by the pointless search. Vegas had been a fun diversion, but they both agreed it had ultimately been a mistake.

Still, her sweet taste lingered on his lips, challenging his self-control despite the bigger issues of the day.

Whatever was going on with her career, if he could help her out, he would do that. He owed her that much for the kindness and care she’d shown him after he’d been shot just before Christmas.

Agent Suter reached for the door to the walk-in freezer and Bart called out to stop him. “Hold up. You can’t go in there.”

Suter turned. “Sounds like that’s just the place I need to go.”

“Show me your food handler’s license and you can have at it.”

The agent tapped the gold shield clipped to his belt. “I thought we had an understanding, Mr. Bartholomew.”

Interesting that Suter chose now to revert to the formalities.

“You gave him your permission,” Hannah said.

A silent litany of curses that would make a drill sergeant proud danced through Bart’s head.

“What’ll it be, Bartholomew?”

Bart started toward the kitchen but Kellerman stopped him at the doorway with a hand to his chest. “That’s far enough.”

Bart looked down at the man’s hand and slowly followed the line of his arm all the way back to Kellerman’s face. It was enough to have the younger agent snatching his hand out of harm’s way.

“Wise decision. I have always cooperated willingly with your agency and various concerns. You don’t need to tear up a freezer to prove a point. I found the body and I can tell you Tim is an innocent victim of random violence.” He gave himself a high five for delivering a speech that was almost as convincing as the kiss the agents had interrupted.

“Duly noted,” Suter said. “But just in case he wasn’t so innocent or random, you don’t want more of his trouble interfering with your business, do you?”

“Of course not. But you’re not going into that freezer without my supervision. I’ve earned that much courtesy through the years.”

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