Page 61 of Rafael

“Did they give you a name or description of the guy?” Rafael asked.

“They did.” YaYa squinted. “Ronald something… Roland Caney. One of the men described him as short and about so high.” The yoga studio owner held her hand several inches over Gisele’s head. “Dark, shaggy hair. Might have been wearing a gray jacket. Which is crazy in this heat.” She shook her head. “Ring any bells?”

“You say they were interested in my building?” Gisele asked.

YaYa nodded. “That’s what they said.”

“Gisele!” Another feminine voice called out, drawing Gisele’s attention from YaYa.

She turned to find Amelia Aubert heading their way. “Oh, I’m glad I caught you. Did those men find you?”

“What men?” Gisele asked.

“Two big guys came into the bakery this afternoon right before I closed and asked if I knew who owned the Mamba Wamba Gift Shop.” She glanced at YaYa. “Hey, YaYa. Heard you had a record enrollment for your early morning yoga session. My sales increased as well. Your clients meet at the bakery after your session.”

Gisele frowned. “What guys, and what did you tell them?”

Amelia turned back to Gisele. “Sorry. Two big guys. They said they were with the state Historical Society and wanted to ask questions about your building. They said they sent a representative ahead but hadn’t heard from him, so they came themselves to check it out.”

“Did they tell you his name?” Gisele asked.

“Yes, they did,” Amelia said.

YaYa crossed her arms over her chest. “Would it happen to be Roland Caney?”

Amelia’s eyes widened. “As a matter of fact, it was.” Her eyebrows descended. “You know him?”

“No,” YaYa said. “I think those same two guys showed up in front of the Mamba Wamba a little while ago, saying they were interested in purchasing Gisele’s place and that they’d sent a broker ahead but hadn’t heard back from him.” She paused and gave Amelia a pointed look. “They were looking for Roland Caney.”

Amelia’s eyebrows rose up her forehead. “But my guys said they were from the historical society. Come to think of it, they didn’t look like they were all that interested in history.”

“More like bouncers at a strip club,” YaYa said.

“Yeah,” Amelia said, nodding.

“Gisele!” another feminine voice called out behind Gisele.

YaYa laughed. “Aren’t you the popular one tonight?”

The three women and Rafael turned to find Deputy Shelby Taylor headed their way in her maternity uniform.

“What are you doing working so late?” Gisele asked as Shelby came to stand in front of her.

“I’m filling in for one of the deputies who was supposed to assist with the festival. His kid fell out ofa tree this afternoon and broke his arm. He’s getting it set now. Anyway, I wanted to tell you something interesting I learned today at the sheriff’s office about that guy we saw at the Crawdad Hole last night.”

Gisele shook her head. Was she living in an alternate universe or a really weird dream? “The guy in the light gray jacket with the dark, shaggy hair?”

Amelia and YaYa’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, that guy,” Shelby looked from Gisele to YaYa and Amelia, her brow furrowing. “Something about his face seemed familiar. When I went to work this morning, I realized why.” She pulled a sheet of paper from her pocket and unfolded it. On it was the mug shot of a man with shaggy dark hair and stubble on his face. His mug shot indicated he was five feet seven inches. The name on the mug shot was...

Gisele turned to Rafael. “Roland Caney. The guy who came into the shop this afternoon asking about antiques.”

“He came into your shop?” Shelby asked.

“Yeah.” A creepy feeling of déjà vu slithered across the back of Gisele’s neck, making the hairs stand up. She moved closer to Rafael and slipped her hand into his. “He said he’d been in the building a few years back when it was an antique store.”

“It would have to have been a few years ago,” Shelby said. “He was in jail for the past three and a half years for robbing a convenience store. He madeparole three days ago and immediately ghosted his parole officer. Thus, the picture that floated through with a BOLO alert.”

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