Page 40 of Grimm

Molly looked around the bar with a smile. “That’s it for the bar’s first night back in business. I’ll lock the doors and finish up the last of the dishes. You two have an exciting day ahead of you. You should get some rest.”

“Thank you, Molly,” Dezi said.

“I should be thanking you,” Molly said. “I would never have been able to last all evening. Give me a horse to ride, a fence to mend or even a hammer to swing, and I’m your girl. Waiting on customers behind a bar…” She shook her head. “I’ll definitely hire a bartender.” Molly waved Dezi away. “Go on. Gather your strength. I have a feeling you’ll need it tomorrow.”

“One more thing that’s been at the back of my mind all evening…”

“Shoot,” Molly said.

“When the fishing group checked in, did they have ten in the group or eleven?”

Molly’s brow knitted. “I swear I checked in eleven. Why do you ask?”

“I spoke with one guy in that big group of fishermen. He insisted they only came with ten.”

“Did you ask them what they did with their spare?” Molly grinned. “You would think they’d know if one of their guys had left.”

Dezi shook her head. “The guy I spoke with insisted they were a party of ten, no more.”

Molly frowned. “Then who was the eleventh guy who got into the building under their room block?”

“Could that have been the man who broke into my room and held me at knifepoint?” Dezi asked.

“It could have been,” Molly said. “I’ll look through the records in the morning. I should be able to find the spare man’s name. Did you see his face?”

“No,” Dezi said, kicking herself. “He was behind me.”

“What about you?” Molly asked Grimm.

Grimm shook his head. “Her attacker had a ski mask pulled down over his face and hair.”

Molly’s mouth twisted. “We’ll get him. Somehow…someway…”

They left the bar and crossed the lobby, heading toward the wing where their rooms were located.

“I hate that the first attack happened in the Lucky Lady,” Dezi said as she entered the long corridor. “Especially since you’re working so hard to restore her to her former glory. Your focus should be on your reconstruction, not a weird letter from my dead uncle and a random attack by a random guest.”

“None of this was your fault.” Molly stopped Dezi, gripped her arms and shook her gently. “Never forget that. There’s a crazy man out there stalking my prize chef for some insane treasure hunt that will most likely yield nothing.” Molly stared into Dezi’s eyes. “I mean, what did it buy your uncle?”

“A one-way ticket to a dead-end,” Dezi said. “Uncle Leon’s life did not improve after all the effort he put into finding a treasure that didn’t exist.”

“And yet you’re willing to chase after his clues, traipsing over the countryside, for what?” Molly held out her hands, palms up.

“We don’t know,” Dezi said. “That’s the problem. What if his clues lead us to something after all?”

“What if they don’t?” Parker challenged.

“Then we’ve wasted time and money chasing after clues that proved fruitless,” Dezi said softly.

Molly chuckled. “I’m not trying to discourage you from working through your uncle’s list. I’m just playing devil’s advocate. If it were my uncle and my letter, I’d be all over those clues until I found the exact location of the treasure.”

“And I’d be right there with her.” Parker slid an arm around Molly’s waist.

“And if you didn’t find a treasure? How would you feel?” Dezi asked.

Molly frowned. “I’d be disappointed. But if I didn’t follow all the clues, I’d spend the rest of my life wondering if there really was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.” Her frown lifted. “You have to see your uncle’s list to the end. If not for yourself, then for me.”

Dezi laughed. “My uncle obviously put a lot of effort into this hunt. The least I can do to honor him is to see it through.”

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