Page 50 of Just Between Us

He finally glanced at me and accepted the sheet of paper I held out to him. He read it and immediately tried to hand it back to me. “It looks like King Equities was trying to buy Wabash Lake. Doesn’t seem like anything special.”

Something was poking at my insides, telling me this was notnothing. “What is Wabash Lake?” I asked.

Annoyed at my insistence, JP sighed. “It’s a piece of land that runs between Sullivan Farms and their family home.” His words slowed as they rattled out of him, and he frowned, looking at the paper again.

I held up the file folder. “There are all kinds of documents about a Homestead Act and property division between the Kings and Sullivans. I know your dad has it out for them, but buying a lake seems really misplaced. Historically, King Equities buys businesses for profit, not remote woodland property. And look at the date.”

I leaned forward to point at the date at the corner of the page. “When did your mom go missing?” My skin prickled.

“September thirteenth.” His flat voice made my blood run cold.

I sat back and crossed my arms. “So why would King Equities be drafting a letter of intent to purchase land to Red Sullivan only three days after she leaves?”

His dark brows pinched together. “Business can’t stop just because your wife leaves you.”

I toyed with my lip. “Yeah,” I conceded. “I suppose you’re right about that. It just seems reallyodd. As far as you know, Sullivans still own the land?”

JP shook his head. “Their property borders the trail that winds around the lake, but the Department of Natural Resources owns and maintains the lake and the walking trails. I think the Sullivans sold it to the DNR when we were kids. It’s federal land now.”

My eyebrows popped up. Some things could be written off as coincidence, but there wassomethinghere. I could feel it. I shifted to my laptop and clacked away on the keys, pulling up the archived business expense ledger. Sure enough, around the time of Maryann King’s disappearance, there were two uncategorized payments to someone named Terrance Sinclair.

Follow the money.

I tucked the papers back into the file folder and closed my laptop. “Hey, I’m going to look into it ... maybe see if there’s something there.”

“Fine by me.” He swiveled in his chair to face the computer. “It’s your time you’re wasting.” He leaned back in his chair and blew out a heavy breath as he checked his watch. “I’m heading out too. I have a meeting with my father in about an hour.”

“Oh.” I straightened. “I didn’t realize your father was back in town.”

JP rubbed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets. “He is. I’ll be telling him about your employment at our meeting.” Our eyes locked and my stomach tightened. “I intend to keep it vague.”

I still wasn’t clear on JP’s intentions and whether or not he was playing both sides. At a loss for words, I nodded. Keeping your mouth shut was an integral part of business consulting and something I’d perfected over the years. It was when youdidn’tkeep it shut that you found yourself up to your elbows in trouble.

The Outtatowner PublicLibrary was in an aging building at the edge of town. A banner on the outside of the brick building advertised upcoming renovations. Despite its age, the inside of the library was bright and inviting.

Summer sun streamed through the high windows, illuminating the displays of books with everything from contemporary romance to memoirs to domestic thrillers. I had learned through the Bluebird Book Club that Emily had recently been put in charge of the children’s department.

I smiled to myself, wondering whether I might see her friendly face. Instead, as I approached the main circulation desk, I was greeted by Bug King’s signature scowl.

For a fleeting moment, I wondered whether she was having a bad day, or if, like me, her features tended to skew naturally towardresting bitch face. I took a deep breath, hoping for the latter, since I needed her help. I was also hoping for a little insight into the King’s patriarch, Russell.

“Good morning, Miss Bug. It’s nice to see you again.” I smiled and stepped up to the circulation desk.

Bug nodded. “Likewise. Can I help you find something?”

I looked around, appreciating the quiet buzz of a busy morning at the library. “I didn’t realize you worked here.” I hoped my smile appeared genuine, despite the white lie. “I guess I assumed you worked for the family business.”

Her tight smile gave away nothing. “Why be a glorified secretary when I can be here and read all day?”

I shrugged. “Well, you got me there.” I set my shoulders, determined to get what I came for. “Mr. King—the younger one,that is—needed me to come up here and look at a few old records.”

One skeptical eyebrow crept higher. “Is that so?”

“He has a big, important meeting with the boss, so he sent me. Mr. King’s office is at your place, right?”

Her chin lifted as she assessed me. “My brother works out of the King estate from time to time.”

I tilted my head. “Your house, you mean.”

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