Page 70 of The Harborer
The kid looked nervous, and Shane placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Soon they stood in the narrow hallway that led to the restrooms and Noah’s office. The area was dimly lit and quiet, and the doors leading off it were all closed.
Cade scratched the back of his neck. “What’s up?”
Shane had already questioned Noah, Hailey, and Luanne about the keys to Mountain Coffee. Their answers had neither surprised him nor had they raised suspicions. They didn’t have any in their possession, either on purpose or by accident. Amy kept tight control of the keys, and they’d each made sure they’d turned them over before the end of any shifts they’d taken at the coffee shop.
“I’m trying to track down some keys that went missing at Mountain Coffee.”
Cade’s brows notched with confusion. “Uh, okay. What kind of keys?”
“Keys to open the place.”
Cade shook his head. “Amy never has me open for her.”
“Do you ever close?”
“Maybe twice when she had me clean for her. But each time, I drove the key over as soon as I was done. She’s kind of a Nazi about it.”
“So you went to her house and put it in her hand?”
Cade pursed his lips and glanced off to the side. Gears seemed to grind in his head. “That’s how it worked one time.”
Shane waited, his impatience growing. Finally, he nudged. “And the other time?”
Cade’s gaze returned and met Shane’s squarely. “Amy wasn’t home, and I was gonna leave it in the mailbox, but Micky opened the door, so I handed it to him.”
“How long ago was this?”
Cade shrugged. “Six, eight months ago? It was really cold out, so it would have been around February. Eight months ago,” he decided.
“And Amy wasn’t there, but Micky came home in the middle of the afternoon?”
“Yeah. He does that a lot.”
Shane glanced around to make sure no one lurked in the shadows. “Whatdoes he do a lot?”
“He leaves the garage. At least, when I’m there working for him. I figure he goes home and sneaks a few beers or takes a few hits before his old lady gets home, like he was doing that day.”
“How do you know he goes home to sneak beers and take hits?”
“Well, I don’t exactly. But the day I handed over the key, he smelled like a brewery. I also got a whiff of weed. Looked like he was having a party ’cause there were a few guys hanging out in the living room. I think Amy had gone to Durango for supplies.”
Shane’s mind flipped through different scenarios. “Did you recognize any of these guys?”
“No, but I didn’t really get a good look. It was dark inside, and he stepped onto the porch and shut the door behind him.”
“I hear you’re doing more work for him in his garage.”
Cade blew out a breath. “Yeah, and I thought it’d be cool, but with him gone so much, I got customers who think I should be wrenching on cars I don’t know anything about. Then they get pissed and yell atme. When I try to call Mick, I can’t reach him.”
“Have you ever noticed a silver SUV or a beige pickup in his shop?”
Cade’s gaze traveled to the side once more before coming back to Shane’s. “I don’t remember a beige pickup, but I did see a silver Chevy Tahoe there the other day. ’Course, they’re a dime a dozen.”
Bingo. “Did you talk to the owner?”
“Didn’t have to because Micky was around that day. But I don’t think the guy was there to have his car worked on.”
“What makes you say that?”
