Page 47 of Trouble Comes in Threes

Chapter Eleven

“Who?” Neely Kate asked. Her eyes widened as it dawned on her. “Randy.”

I nodded. It had been a long time since I’d needed an inside source at the sheriff’s department, but Randy Miller had been my friend for years, ever since he was assigned to watch over me after a man I’d put in jail had escaped and threatened to kill me. We hadn’t seen each other much since Liam was born, and I couldn’t help wondering if part of the reason he’d been more distant was because my husband was now his boss.

“But…” I said, “I only want to ask him to help us with the box.”

“You’re not gonna try to get some information about the murder?” she asked in dismay.

“In the past, he gave me information because he knew there was an outside crime organization trying to infiltrate the county, and I had sources that could help counter it. Now I’m just a nosy mom. I don’t want to put him in that position, and I definitely don’t want to go behind Joe’s back.”

Her lips twisted to the side. “I suppose that could work.”

I grabbed my phone out of my pocket but hesitated. “What about Jed? He might know something about the murder. And he might be able to help us dig up more on the guy with the record who lived next door to Miss Adolpha’s lodgers.”

Her eyes narrowed to slits. “I’m not talking to that man about anything.”

“What happened last night, anyway?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay…so Randy it is.” I considered calling him, but he was likely on duty, so I texted instead.

Hey, Randy, sorry to just text out of nowhere, but I’d love to get together and chat. Can you meet for lunch?

After I hit send, I sent another message.

It’s been too long since we caught up

I set my phone on the seat. “Done. I have no idea how long it’ll take for him to get back to me, so maybe we should head back to the office and work on some designs. How’d your consult go yesterday afternoon?”

“Good. I think they’re going to want some extensive work done—a patio, gazebo, and even a water garden. And they’ve agreed to let us take photos and post them on our website.”

“That’s amazing! I can’t wait to see what you come up with.” I ’d put my car in reverse and had started backing out of the parking space when my phone rang.

“Randy got back to me fast,” I said, reaching to answer my car’s touch screen, but as I pressed accept, I realized the call was from my partner. “Hey, Bruce Wayne.” I finished backing up and headed out of the parking lot. “What’s up?”

“You got a minute or two you can spare to run over by the jobsite on Hampton?”

I cringed. “Oh no. Did the plants not arrive in time?”

“Yeah, the plants got in okay.” He hesitated. “It’s something else.”

He sounded dead serious, and my heart fluttered. “Is this something I should be worried about?”

“Why don’t you just get over here, and we’ll talk about it then.” With that, he hung up.

I shot an anxious glance at Neely Kate. “Do you know of any other potential problems with the Beetham house?”

She shook her head, looking perplexed. “None that I know about. What do you think it is?”

“I have no idea.”

It took ten minutes to get there, and I was a ball of nerves as I parked at the curb and got out. Bruce Wayne’s crew was working despite the very wet ground, but one of his men was sitting next to the house with his elbows on his knees, his hands cradling his face. His clothes were caked with dirt and grass stains.

My heart sank. Had someone gotten hurt?

It wouldn’t be the first time. We had insurance, and workman’s comp would cover medical stuff, but I was still worried when I walked over to them.

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