Chapter 10
Rain hammered the windshield in steady sheets as Aiden pulled the truck into the lot.
The headlights cut through the downpour, glinting off the slick blacktop and the shadowed outline of the old spa.
The place sat on the edge of Lilac Lake, half-hidden behind a row of dripping pine trees, and I still couldn’t believe he’d bought it.
Aiden had converted the whole building, turning it from a spa that I had unfortunately shut down, into the regional ATF office.
They rented it from him now, which seemed to be government efficiency at its finest. He killed the engine, and we both shoved open our doors.
Cold rain slapped my face, dampening my jeans by the time we reached the reinforced front door.
He punched in a code, and the lock clicked open. Warm air met us inside, carrying the faint tang of varnish and fresh coffee. The cameras mounted in the corners tracked silently with their little red lights glowing. I always tried to find the hidden ones.
As usual, I didn’t have any luck with it.
The first floor was surprisingly homey. Leather sofas lined the walls, still smelling faintly of new hide, and a sleek white counter stood empty behind the glass door.
“Are you ever going to get a receptionist?” I shook water from my hair.
He wiped rain off his angled face. “I’m sure we will at some point, but it’s not like this is open to the public, so why deal with another person?”
The floor creaked softly as we climbed the newly polished wooden stairs.
“Let’s hit the conference room,” he said when we reached the second floor.
I knew the layout by now. He’d located the smaller conference room on the second floor while designing the larger one downstairs.
I followed him through a glass door into the room, where James Saber leaned back in a chair at the far end of a long redwood table. His boots were up, his expression easy.
“Hey,” Saber said, voice low and smooth. “You two didn’t have to come in tonight.”
“We’ve got to figure this one out,” Aiden said, sliding a glance at his teammate. “Do you all want to order dinner?”
I shook water off my coat. “I’m not really hungry now.” This case was making me nauseated.
Saber gave a small shrug. “I could go either way. Don’t care.”
“Okay.” Aiden didn’t argue. He never did when it came to food.
I smiled at Saber. “How are you doing?”
“Fantastic.” His tone was dry, but his eyes warmed a little.
Saber was as tall as Aiden, with tawny brown eyes that reflected the ceiling light.
His skin carried a bronze hue that made his scars stand out sharper, three pale lines cutting across his right temple.
His brown hair had been freshly cut, still curling beneath his ears.
He was good looking in a dangerous kind of way, just like Aiden.
Should I try to get him and Donna together?
“What?” he asked.
I had to stop broadcasting my thoughts all the time. “I was just wondering if you’re dating anybody.”
Aiden groaned. “Leave Donna alone. She can find her own dates.”
Amusement filtered through Saber’s eyes. “I’m not sure I have the constitution to tangle with the Albertini family.” His accent carried a faint trace of Spain, though he’d never said exactly where he grew up.
“We’re a lot of fun,” I argued.
He held up a wide hand. “I’m sure, but yes, I am dating somebody.”
“Still?” One of Aiden’s eyebrows rose.
Saber nodded.
“Who?” Yeah, I’m nosy. Very.
“You don’t know her. She’s an agent in Los Angeles,” Saber said. “If it doesn’t work out for us here in Timber City, I’m hoping our unit gets located back in LA.”
That so didn’t work for me.
“That’s the plan,” Aiden said quietly. “Although I want to make it here. You should invite Larissa up for a weekend.”
“Already have,” Saber said. “She’s on a case, but when it’s finished, she’s going to visit. Who knows. Maybe she’ll like it here.”
I opened my mouth to ask more questions about this mysterious Larissa, but Aiden nudged me with his hip. All right. I guess I could go slow with the interrogation.
He pulled out a black leather chair for me, and I sank into it, unzipping my coat fully. The air smelled faintly of rain and cedar from the wet floorboards.
Across from Saber, a screen blinked to life on the far wall. He hit a button on the remote, and the lights dimmed slightly.
“I found this,” he said.
Aiden sat next to me, the chair creaking slightly as he pulled off his jacket and draped it over the back. The scent of rain and leather still clung to him.
The screen came to life as Saber kept typing on the keyboard. “The bank has good coverage that reaches toward Mrs. O’Shea’s shop. This is in the early morning. Right before the pie contest.”
Static rippled across the feed, and then a shadow moved through the gray wash of the camera. The person moved away from Nana’s back door.
I blinked and leaned closer. “Are you kidding me?”
Saber shook his head.
Aiden gave a short, disbelieving snort.
“No. Just no,” I muttered.
The figure was unmistakable even in the grainy black-and-white footage.
The person had dressed head to toe in a leprechaun outfit with an oversized hat, shoes curling at the toe, and dark trousers.
A vest looked kind of sparkly even in the rough footage and gleamed faintly with moisture. A full mask obscured the face.
“I’d say… maybe five two?” Saber guessed.
“Think it’s a woman?” I asked, heart sinking.
“Looks like it to me,” Aiden said, squinting. “What’s that on the vest?”
I swallowed. “That’s the O’Shea family crest.” My voice came out low. My head started to ache, pulse steady behind my eyes.
Aiden turned sharply toward me. “Excuse me?”
“That’s Nana’s outfit,” I said bluntly. “She wears it every year during the parade. She handmade it. I’d recognize those booties anywhere.”
“Huh.” Saber scratched his jaw, the scrape loud in the quiet room. “Why would your grandmother dress in her own little outfit to plant dynamite hours before the pie contest?” He shook his head. “Unless that’s the point. For us to ask that question.”
I wanted to smack him. “She wouldn’t do that.” So that dynamite had been there all morning? What if Nana had gone back there by herself before the pie tasting contest? My throat felt tight. “That isn’t her. My grandma doesn’t move like that. She’s more graceful.”
Aiden looked doubtful, his brow furrowing. “We have to turn this over to Sheriff Franco.”
I sighed. “Do you have to do it tonight?”
“No,” he said, glancing at Saber. “But we do need to give it to him tomorrow. I made an agreement that if he gave us access to CCTV around town, we’d share anything we found.”
“Somebody must have stolen Nana’s outfit,” I said, rubbing my temples. The rain outside drummed steadily on the roof, the sound low and relentless. “Though it’s strange she didn’t mention it.”
Aiden placed his hand over mine, the warmth cutting through the chill. “We’ll talk to her.”
What good would talking do? “The stupid prosecuting attorney won’t believe her outfit went missing. This is getting worse.”
“Somebody’s obviously trying to set her up,” Aiden said.
My heart rolled over. He believed her—really believed her—even with the evidence stacking up like a wall. “My grandpa’s going to lose his mind.”
“I would,” Aiden agreed quietly. He turned toward Saber. “This is fascinating. Did you see anything else?”
“Yeah.” Saber fast-forwarded the footage. “The figure drops the dynamite and takes off, out of camera range. Unfortunately, from the angle of the camera, I can’t tell if the person came out of the shop or not. They’re not there, and then all of a sudden, they’re in the shot.”
I leaned forward. “Did you catch them anywhere else?”
“Not yet,” Saber said. “They disappear after that. There aren’t enough CCTV cameras anywhere else.”
“Shoot,” I muttered. My nerves hummed with frustration. “I’d love to see what kind of car that person got into.”
Saber leaned back, jaw tight, and clicked the remote. “Me, too.” The screen blinked once before going dark, throwing us back into the low light of the room.
Aiden exhaled and turned toward him. “What about the front of the O’Shea’s shop? Maybe somebody went in that way? Somehow got past the security, which is doubtful, and came out the back door? Maybe?”
“Couldn’t tell you.” Saber shook his head. “I’ve checked all the CCTV from the area. That’s all I’ve got so far.”
The rain outside intensified, rattling the windows and echoing through the hall. I rubbed my palms together for warmth. “I don’t see how the alarm didn’t go off.”
Saber winced. “I don’t either.”
I scratched my chin, the edge of anxiety tightening my throat. “Could somebody have gotten to the CCTV feed?”
“I don’t see how.” Saber clicked a few buttons, and the screen flared back to life, this time showing Nana’s shop.
“The only blind spot’s here, on the east side.
There’s one window that neither the bank nor courthouse covers.
We checked it, and it’s fine. And even then, we’d still catch a shadow or something. ”
Aiden tilted his head. “This doesn’t make sense.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Saber said quietly.
I sat back, the chair’s leather creaking beneath me. The faint scent of cedar polish and wet wool filled the air, mingling with the low hum of electronics. “None of this is helping Nana.”
Aiden’s hand tightened over mine. “No, it’s not. But we’ll figure it out.”
“How?” I threw up my free hand. “If we can’t catch anything on CCTV besides somebody in an outfit that she owns, then what? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know.” Aiden’s expression hardened.
I couldn’t catch a thought. “The dynamite was planted right outside the back door, right? We have a clear view of that.”
Aiden’s nostrils flared. “The dynamite could’ve been right inside. The blast took out that entire section, so we don’t actually know, and the CCTV we just watched didn’t help.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. “This sucks.”
“I agree,” Aiden said, his voice low but certain. “We’ll find the answers, Anna.”
I wanted to believe him. I really did. But the air felt heavier now, filled with the sharp scent of burnt coffee and the constant patter of rain against the windows. Nothing added up, and dread sat cold in my stomach.
My phone buzzed against the table. I pulled it from my purse and checked the screen. “Oh, man.”
“What?” Aiden asked.
“It’s from Donna.” I swiped the screen open, my heart sinking further. “She says Jolene went to print early with tomorrow’s online edition of the Timber Gazette.”
Aiden groaned. “Just give me the headline.”
I stared at it, then said quietly, “Fiona O’Shea accused of food tampering. Felony charges to follow.”
The silence in the room deepened until the rain was the only sound.
I kept reading. “Damn it. Jolene mentions that I’m representing Nana and that Clark is dating Gloria’s niece. That my firm might have a conflict of interest.” How in the world had she discovered Clark’s girlfriend? I didn’t even know he was dating somebody until earlier today.
Aiden stared at me, his blue eyes darkening.
“What?” I asked, my stomach sinking.
“You might have a conflict, darlin’.”
No. Absolutely not. I wouldn’t trust Nana’s defense to anybody else but me. I sat back and crossed my arms.
I had to protect my grandmother.