Page 31 of Snow River

“It’s Lila.”

Bear’s body stiffened as if someone had just shocked him with a jumper cable.“What about Lila?”

Nick eyed him with amusement.“Lila wants to throw us a goodbye party.Are you okay, Bear?”

Bear grunted, feeling like a damn fool.It threw him off, the fact that Lila was keeping things so “professional” lately.He missed her, missed the days when she’d been so free and easy with him.

“You’re invited, by the way.She wanted me to tell you.”

Why didn’t she tell him herself?Maybe because she didn’t actually want him to come.

“I’ll see,” he murmured.“You drinking today?”

“No, I actually came to talk to you.In private, when you have a chance.”

Martha picked up her tote bag filled with knitting and slid off her stool.“I can take a hint.You boys have your talk.I got places to go, like that corner over there.”She winked at them and strolled over to her usual table, where she was immediately joined by Old Solomon.

“What’s up?”Bear asked Nick as soon as no one was within earshot.Trader John was only two stools away, but everyone knew the hearing in his right ear wasn’t what it used to be.

“The Community hired me to find out who vandalized their space.They said you came out and looked around, but told them that was all you could do.”

“I’m not a cop.”

“Right.Not anymore.”

Bear went still.It figured that Nick would dig up that detail.He was an actual private investigator who had first come to Firelight Ridge on a job, chasing down Charlie Santa Lucia.Now they were in love, but when Nick had first strolled into the bar, he’d been on the hunt, nosing around asking questions.Bear had shut him down then, and he was still wary now.Charlie might be in love with the guy, but Bear knew he was smart and dedicated.He didn’t want him digging up his secrets.

“What’s your point?”

“I came here to give you a head’s up.Something’s not quite right at the Blackbear PD.”

Bear narrowed his eyes at the man.Lila and her friends had all accepted him wholeheartedly after he and Charlie had gotten together.Did that mean he could trust Nick too?

“Explain.”

“When I went out to the train station to survey the scene, Oil Can said they tried to file a police report in Blackbear, and mentioned you to the police.As soon as your name came up, they said you might have tainted the scene so there wasn’t much they could do.”

Bear’s jaw tightened so hard it hurt.“I didn’t touch a damn thing.”

“I believe you.It looked untouched to me.”He slid his phone across the table.“Here, I took a few photos—footprints at the edge of the clearing, that sort of thing.”

Bear looked down at the screen.Sure enough, Nick had found something he hadn’t.“That’s good work.They picked the right guy.”

“I did what I could for them, but I’m leaving town.I wanted to leave these photos with someone who might be able to use them.And I don’t trust the guys in Blackbear.”

Bear met Nick’s steady gaze.He got it.Nick was giving him a vote of confidence.“I’m still not a cop.”

“No, but you have your eye on a lot of things around here.You’re the guy who keeps things on the up-and-up.That’s why…” He seemed to debate with himself before finishing his thought.“That’s why I’m not bothering with them.And you should keep an eye on them.I wouldn’t want you to get caught in a bad situation.It sounds like someone has it in for you.”

Bear grunted.In his opinion, Nick was overstating it.Someone at the Blackbear station—probably Cromwell—had thrown a hissy fit because they didn’t want to haul ass all the way out to Firelight Ridge for a vandalism case.Which was par for the course.Who wanted to drive sixty miles down a gravel road just to interrogate a citizenry who generally didn’t want to talk to the police?

“Just watch your back,” Nick said.

Bear nodded.“Thanks, man.Can I get you something?”

“Nah.”He got to his feet, then cocked his head at the espresso machine.“Unless that thing’s going?”

“Waiting for Lila.”

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