Page 94 of Bad Seed

Harley glanced toward the mountain. “Oh wow. It sure is. Thanks,” she said, and disconnected. “It was Rusty. The feds wanted to know if I’d ever spoken to Tip Crossley since my arrival. You heard what I said. I wonder what’s going on?”

“No telling, but I sure see what’s coming. I hope it stays rain, and not sleet or snow.”

***

The moment that call ended, Rusty called Jay Howard back.

Jay answered with a question. “So?”

“You were right.” And then she told him everything Harley said.

“Perfect,” Jay said. “Now all we need is to find Knickey and squeeze him until he talks.”

Rusty’s call ended at the same time Ellie started jumping up and down at the living room window. “Daddy’s home! Daddy’s home!”

“Thank goodness,” Rusty said, and saw them pulling in beneath the big carport only seconds before the heavens unloaded.

Wind and rain slapped the window where Ellie was standing. She screamed from the sudden shock, then slapped back, leaving a little handprint on the window.

Rusty ran to get her and picked her up. “Ellie, honey, we don’t hit windows. They’re made of glass, and glass will break. And that would cut your hands and make them bleed, and then the wind and rain would come into the house and make a mess.”

Ellie frowned. “Scared me.”

Rusty rolled her eyes. “Yes, but no hitting windows,” she said, then shifted Ellie to her hip and headed for the kitchen to help with the groceries.

Mikey came in with a paper bag from Granny Annie’s Kitchen, and Cameron was right behind him with the grocery bags. He paused to give Rusty a quick kiss and then tried to kiss Ellie’s little cheek, but she was having none of it.

“What’s the matter with baby girl?” he asked.

Rusty put her down. “Sissy, go see what Mikey has.”

Ellie ran to see, while Rusty started helping Cameron unload. “She’s mad. The wind and rain came suddenly and slammed against the window where she was standing. It scared her. But did she cry? No. She just hauled off and slapped the window for scaring her.”

Cameron grinned. “Someday I predict that attitude will save her life…if we survive her raising.”

“What did you get from the bakery?”

“Cookies and brownies. Cookies for the kids and brownies for you,” he said.

“You didn’t get anything for yourself?” she asked.

He winked. “I’ll have some of both and you for dessert.”

A shiver of longing slid through her. Cameron Pope…her Soldier Boy…still held the key to her soul. She brushed a kiss across his lips. “Definitely on my agenda for later. In the meantime, I’ll fill you in on what I’ve learned about the case,” she said, and began going over the details as they put away the groceries.

Chapter 15

The storm that began on the mountain swept down through the valley, thoroughly drenching Jubilee’s nightlife. When the power went out in the area nearest the music venues, they were forced to shut down for the night.

The hospital was running on generator power, and the police department was on high alert for the possibility of thefts and flooding in the low-lying areas. Josie Fallin was tucked in tight in her tour bus with her brother, Alex, and her assistant, Trinity, and the men in her band were in the bus parked beside them.

Wolfgang Outen was on the phone in his suite. He’d already alerted Amalie to the fact that he was in town and would see her tomorrow, and was on the phone now talking to Ray Caldwell.

“Yes, the hotel tour went great. Liz had all the answers I needed,” Wolf said. “I spoke at length with Harley Banks. I understand she’d finished your audit, so I’m assuming you’ve had time to look at the figures.”

“Yes. I am going to sell the inn, and I have a figure in mind.”

“I’m listening,” Wolf said.

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