Page 612 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

There were twenty-six files in all. Each arranged in alphabetical order, according to the name of the person who’d been involved in the accident. Her plan was simple. She would search through the files and find the ones that took place six months before Avery’s death. Then she would see if she could find some relationship between the accidents. With any luck, she might find some of the names in the journal. It was a long shot, but that’s all she had to go on. Her intuition told her that Avery’s death was connected with the mill. But how? Walter’s words about Avery played over and over like a broken record. “That same wild imagination, always thinking there was something sinister behind everything.” Was that what she was doing? Imagining things? Was it all just a wild goose chase? She shook her head at the thought of Stella. No, Stella suspected something too. Judith had also believed she was in danger. And Avery was solid as stone. If he believed he was in danger, then he had a valid reason. She looked at the stack of files. It would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Well, hey there, Syd.”

She instantly recognized the masculine voice and looked up. Sean O’Conner walked in her office and planted himself on the edge of her desk. Most people would sit in one of the chairs in front of her desk, but not Sean. He came waltzing in like he owned the place, as if his irresistible charm would cause her to melt. He even shortened her name, insinuating intimacy between them.

“What can I do for you?” she asked.

He flashed a brilliant smile. “How are things going? Are you getting us all straightened out?”

“Trying to.”

“Are you settling into your new place? Making new friends?”

Her eyes narrowed. Where was he going with his little charade of friendliness? “I’m getting along just fine. Why?”

He shrugged and looked at her stack of files. “Just making sure Kendall’s treating you okay.”

Her eyes went wide. “How do you know about Kendall?”

“Word travels fast in Stoney Creek.”

She nodded. “Obviously.”

“So these are the famous accident reports that I’ve heard so much about from Barb.”

“Yeah, after a week of stalling, she finally gave them to me today.” She didn’t bother hiding the frustration from her voice.

He opened one and began reading aloud. “Matthew Grider lost the tip of his index finger when he got too close to an edger. Ouch.” He tossed it back on her desk and picked up another file and skimmed its contents. “This poor fella died.”

She fought the urge to grab the file from his hands and instead picked up a pencil and began tapping it on her desk. Maybe Sean would take a hint and leave. No such luck.

“Buford Phillips was killed by a flying log that split off while going through the band saw.” He pointed. “Look, it says he was drunk.” He shook his head. “See, you’re doing all this research, and you’re only finding out what I could’ve told you from the beginning.”

“Oh yeah, and what’s that?” She reached and took the file from him.

“That these people had the same problem we do.”

She raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“Stupidity.”

She looked down at the file she was holding and tried to keep a poker face when she recognized Avery’s handwriting. It was the same bold print that she’d seen in his journal. She couldn’t have known it then, but Sean had unknowingly reached in the haystack and pulled out the needle for her. She read the description about how Buford was killed and then frowned. The writing in the next sentence had changed.

Buford Phillips was drunk at the time of the accident.That sentence was not written by Avery. She skimmed to the end of the report and noted that it was signed by Avery. She looked at the date–only a couple of months before Avery’s death. Had the sentence been there all along? Or was it added after the fact?

“Hello?”

She looked up and realized that Sean was studying her.

“Earth to Sydney.”

“Did you have something you want to talk to me about or did you just come in to shoot the bull? Because if you did, I have too much work to do to listen?—”

His laugh cut her off. “It doesn’t take much to ruffle your feathers.”

She shook her head.

He picked up another file and started leafing through the pages. “Actually, I did come in here for a reason.”

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