Page 57 of In the Bones
Tim found Shana pacing the hall after he’d finished up with Woody. She made no attempt to hide her nerves as she guided Tim to her office and sat him down. He knew she would watch the recording of the interview just as soon as she could, but this was Mac’s brother-in-law. Shana couldn’t wait to find out what she’d missed.
“According to him,” said Tim, “there’s no connection between Mikko and Angelica. They barely talked that night, and she spent most of the evening with Woody. The body was found in Helle’s home, and Woody knows the situation doesn’t look great for him either. I gave him every opportunity to point the finger at Helle. You’d think he’d play every angle he could to save his own ass, but he didn’t. That said, he doesn’t trust the guy, though I think he wants to. There’s the partnership and all that, which he’s taking very seriously.”
“Huh,” said Shana. There was a stain on her shirt, a small, pale smear of avocado from Darcy’s breakfast, and it triggered a pang of longing in Tim. “Where does that leave us?”
“There’s something off about all this,” he said. “The house, the Tesla, the Rivermouth. Helle’s clearly got money, and Woody has none. He admits to parting with forty grand, the family’s entire savings, to invest in the project. In my interviews, they kept referring to each other as a partner. No offense to Woody, but what does he bring to the party? The figurative one, I mean,” he added, his voice dipping low. “Woody says Helle wants him to run the business. So why not just hire the guy? Why take Woody’s money, a drop in the bucket of the property’s cost, when Helle could just pay him a salary, be in full control of financial decisions related to the business, and pocket all the profits for himself?”
“That is strange,” Shana agreed. She’d spotted the stain and was dampening her finger on her tongue to scrub it away. “We’ve been operating under the assumption that the house is central to it all. It’s where Angelica Patten’s body was found, plus Molly Kranz and Nicole both spent time there. But maybe the Rivermouth is a bigger part of this than we thought.”
It was the same impression that had formed when Tim stood, head cocked, outside the place that very morning. “I think we should look into Helle’s finances.” Tim would see if he could expedite the request. Mac had a friend who was a judge. He’d helped them out before.
“Do it,” said Shana. “Let’s make sure we’re not overlooking something with him.”
On the way out the door, Tim hinged at the waist and touched his lips to Shana’s nose. They stayed that way for a long moment, their breath mingling. Her self-possession, so concrete now, giving him strength.
There was no question in Tim’s mind that he’d chosen the right career path, and yet, that decision was a heavy cross to bear. Hell, some days that cross felt like it was made of solid lead. If he’d gone into accounting like his sister, a miscalculation might result in an extra hour of work. An amended spreadsheet, at worst. If Tim slipped up on the job, an innocent person might go to prison. Someone else might die.
Along the way, the team had missed something. Disregarded a critical clue.
And they were running out of time to pinpoint the oversight and make things right.
FORTY-NINE
Tim
The posters of homes for sale had multiplied since Monday, papering most of the real estate office front window. On the glossy cardboard every house was a palace, wide angles and strategic lighting expertly employed to maximize their perceived worth. His own house, when he bought it, had looked great on the brochure too, but digital enhancements were a façade designed to conceal every flaw.
You had to look closer, deeper, to see the real thing.
“Oh,” Stacy said when he pushed through the door, her gaze locking on the sidearm he wore at his hip. “Are you here for me?”
“If you have a free minute.” Tim could hardly see her behind the massive bouquet of red roses on her desk. He leaned past them to get a clear view of Stacy’s face. She blanched noticeably as she pushed the flowers aside.
“Do all witnesses get this kind of treatment?” she asked, smoothing down her short hair. “It’s my third time seeing you this week. Fourth, if you count Nicole’s party.”
“I promise I won’t take too much of your time.”
The laughter drained from Stacy’s eyes, but she did a good job of hiding it. The woman had been expecting banter, maybe even some light flirting, but Tim was wise to the dangers of opening the door to witness vamping. As he pulled out the padded chair across from her desk, a figure emerged from the back room.
“Blair,” he blurted. “Didn’t expect to find you here.”
“Oh. Hi.” Blair flashed him a smile, but her knees had locked, her feet fixed to the floor.
In truth, she looked as flustered as Tim felt. An hour ago, he’d been with her father, attempting to determine whetherWoody had murdered his one-night stand. Now, he was face to face with their daughter. At their previous meeting, Stacy had implied that Nicole had been keeping the girls in the dark. How much did Blair know now? Was she aware of Angelica, or her father’s trip down to the station?
“It’s good to see you,” he said. “No school today?” It seemed early for the kid to be done for the day.
“It’s intern week.” When she clocked Tim’s puzzled look, she said, “All the seniors are off this week to do a work internship. This is mine.”
“Ah. Right.” Tim vaguely remembered his younger stepbrother Jean-Christophe participating in the same program. J.C. had shadowed a park ranger and had the time of his life. “Think you might want to go into real estate?”
“Maybe?” She glanced at Stacy. “It’s definitely fun.”
“Take a client with impossible standards to fifty different houses only to have him put his hunt on hold before you commit,” Stacy said with a laugh. “Can you give us a few minutes, Blair? Maybe grab some coffees down the street? Critical part of the experience,” she mock whispered to Tim. “Agents run on caffeine and open house cupcakes.”
“Sure thing,” Blair said, giving Tim another nervous smile on her way out the door.
Pity flooded Stacy’s face the moment Blair was gone. “I saw the news this morning. It’s all going to come out, isn’t it?”
