Page 26 of Jenna's Threatened Sanctuary

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Regret and excitement battled for top billing as Calvin waited for Jenna to arrive. He pushed back the long curtains in front of the picture window in the living room and stared outside. If yesterday his nerves were stretched, tonight they had been torn to shreds.

“I can’t believe you told her to come here.” Dean sat on the sofa with his laptop balanced on his lap.

“What was I supposed to do?” Calvin let the curtain fall back into place and faced Dean with his arms thrown wide.

After his phone call with Jenna, he’d insisted she bring Oliver to his place. Her house wasn’t safe. Not if Stella’s killer sent flowers to her home address. And after speaking with the florist once he was done speaking with Jenna, he was more convinced than ever. No name was given when the order was made, and cash was paid. The description he was given of the man who’d placed the order was so non-descript it was almost comical. He’d told the owner if the man showed up again, to contact him immediately.

Now, he waited for his ex and her son to invade his house for the night. They could figure out a better arrangement tomorrow.

“Might be a good time to have that talk with Jenna.”

Calvin shot his friend an are-you-kidding-me look then rolled his eyes. “Tonight would be the worst time to have that conversation. When we’re trapped in a house with a toddler. Besides, I don’t want to think about that right now.”

“All right. Tell me what you learned about the lawyer.” Dean asked the question even though his focus remained on his computer, the tinkle of keys echoed in the quiet room.

Calvin plopped down beside Dean and rested his head against the back of the couch. “Milo Sholl has gone through a lot of trouble to keep his life looking shiny and clean. Either to impress the residents of Millerton County or because he’s a narcissist. The question is, how dirty is his personal life, and how far would he go to keep his image intact?” He needed to question him, and he needed to talk to Milo’s wife.

Debbie Sholl might provide more answers than her husband. He’d sent a message to Debbie through Facebook Messenger asking to speak with her. It was a long shot, but the only way he could think to get a hold of the woman.

A groan of frustration slipped from Dean’s mouth.

Calvin peeked at his friend’s computer. Lines and rows of numbers filled the screen. “What’s wrong?”

Dean pinched his forehead, causing wrinkles to mar the normally smooth skin. “It’s tougher than I expected to get into Stella’s personal accounts. There aren’t usually so many layers of security for a small-town bank. I got a look at her checking account, and nothing jumped out until I started looking for patterns.”

Calvin closed his laptop and shifted on the sofa. “What do you mean?”

Dean scrolled his finger over the rows on his screen. “See these deposits? If you just skim through the list the amounts wouldn’t seem out of the ordinary. But if you’re looking for apattern, one emerges. Certain amounts are deposited at certain times of the month. Three hundred dollars the first of the month. Another five hundred midmonth. None of them line up with her business accounts but are being transferred from several different places. I can’t uncover where the money’s coming from.”

“What about a campaign fund or accounts linked to Sholl?” Calvin’s gut told him they were close to discovering who was behind Stella’s murder. If Stella was in a relationship and was being sent payments to help her financially, a connection with a campaign fund linked to Sholl would be golden.

“I haven’t gone down that rabbit hole yet. It will be a lot messier with an attorney who has political aspirations. If I get caught poking around, it won’t be good.” Dean sucked in a deep breath. “It definitely wouldn’t help my chances of getting a job with the sheriff’s department.”

“Planning on sticking around for the long haul, huh?”

“Thinking about it.” Dean shrugged. “I miss being here. Miss my family. My friends. I love being an officer, but I know the sheriff’s department is small, so are the local PDs. I’m just hoping to get my foot in somewhere.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’ll be close. And if you can’t find a position anywhere, I can always use an extra set of hands. I’ve gotten a lot more work lately and can barely keep up.”

“Thanks,” Dean said.

A flood of light washed over the room and lifted Calvin’s head. He swallowed his anxiety and jumped back to the picture window. “They’re here.”

The hurricane of emotions brewing inside him settled into a gentle hum—only a few claps of thunder and bolts of lightning striking him down. He smoothed a hand over his hair, hating that he cared about his looks right now.

Dean tucked his closed laptop under his arm and climbed off the couch. “I should get going.”

“You can stay here if you’d like. There’s plenty of room, and I could use the support.” He pinned his friend with a pitiful stare.

Dean shook his head and chuckled. “No, but thanks for the offer.”

“The offer always stands.” Calvin sighed.

“I know. But you’ve got enough going on right now. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Dean gathered his things then gave a little finger wave before leaving.

Boo stood beside Calvin and whined.

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