Page 55 of Condemned By Secrets

Thinking about the farmhouse being condemned made Anna’s hands clench on the steering wheel. As if she needed another problem. Her stomach was burning with barely contained rage, she was in a horrible mood, and she was supposed to meet Luther for dinner.

Anna let out a frustrated sigh and started the car. At least he would be a bright spot on this awful evening. Things with Luther were . . . good.

She rolled her eyes at the understatement. They were way better than good, and it scared her—a little. She was developing feelings for him, and the walls she’d built were trembling under the weight of them. But those walls were a structure she was looking forward to demolishing—unlike the Cooper house.

As she drove toward her apartment building, she vowed to try and save the farmhouse . . .somehow.

???

Luther leaned against his cruiser and crossed his arms as he stared out over the fields of corn. A breeze blew and fanned the leaves that had already grown on the stalks. They were only half their full height, but they’d be flowering soon. As the cloud cover moved, he squinted against the brightness of the afternoon sun and was thankful the department had switched over to their white uniform shirts. The rays beat down on him with unrelenting heat. If the sarge took any longer, he’d climb back in the car and crank up the air conditioner.

Luther rubbed at his chin as he thought about why he was out here. Last night, when Anna mentioned the same developer of the Shoppes at Rolling Brook was planning a new build in town, alarm bells had started ringing in his head. He’d looked into the real estate broker behind the Shoppes deal—Gerald Harding. The man had his hands in a lot of pies. Not only did he buy and sell properties, but he developed them too. Restaurants, offices, retail, and now he wanted to build apartments? Yeah, Luther would bet some of those would be rented out to mystery tenants like with the Shoppes.

What was even more interesting was the mayor was pushing for this project to go through. It had Luther wondering just how much the mayor knew about the developer.

At the sound of tires crunching over dirt clods, Luther turned and saw Sergeant Jameson parking his SUV behind Luther’s cruiser. When the sarge climbed out, Luther pushed himself off his car and met the sergeant halfway.

Sergeant Jameson stopped, cursing, as he patted his pockets, looking for something. “Dammit, I don’t have my shades,” he muttered as Luther drew near.

Mindful of that, Luther walked to the sarge’s other side, so he wouldn’t be looking directly in the sun. “This will be quick.”

Sarge nodded. “Good. What’s the update?”

“The town just voted on another project by that same real estate developer.” The sarge was giving him ‘so what?’ eyes, so Luther continued. “The mayor pushed for it, and the committee approved it.”

Sergeant Jameson’s gaze became thoughtful. “So you think it’ll be another front organization?”

Luther had learned to trust his gut, and it was telling him yes. “I’d bet my next paycheck on it.” His jaw set then he shook his head. “Seems like the same setup. They’ll either rent space to fake tenants or bring in shell companies to launder money.”

The sarge just nodded as he processed what Luther had told him. “What’s your take on the mayor?”

The mayor worried Luther more than he’d like to admit. She was too close to Anna. Luther didn’t want the woman he loved to get caught up in this.

I’m in love with Anna.But the thought didn’t make him pause.

He’d come to terms with the fact that his heart was involved whether he wanted it to be or not. Every time he saw Anna, the damn thing beat faster, and he couldn’t stomach the idea of her getting hurt. If she was in danger—

Luther pushed down the fear rising up his throat and answered the sarge. “We already know somebody in the department’s involved . . . doesn’t it stand to reason they’d be protecting someone higher up—someone who benefits from the developments going in?”

Sergeant Jameson scratched at his chin. “It does. But if we’re going to implicate the mayor, we’ve got to have more than conjecture.”

Luther frowned because Sarge was right. “Yeah. I’m working on it.”

“If the mayor’s involved . . .” The sarge’s face flushed in anger, then he cursed. “It’s time to talk to the feds.”

Luther nodded. He was thinking the same thing. And he needed to tell Anna to stay away from the woman.

CHAPTER 21

When Sandy breezed into her office, Anna was pouring over archived newsletter articles on prohibition.

The older woman gave a high-pitched squeal before exclaiming, “I have a surprise for you!” She was carrying a large box, and Anna jumped out of her seat.

“Is that heavy?” Anna reached for the box and found it wasn’t too bad, but she still helped Sandy carry it the rest of the way to her desk.

When they’d deposited it, Sandy clapped her hands and squealed again. “Open it!”

Anna laughed at the woman’s apparent excitement but hesitated at the thought of what might be in the box. “O-kaaay.”

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