21. Chase
It’s the little things I’m thankful for in this small town. The reliability of good coffee, fresh chocolate croissants and the fact that my overworked brother decided to work from his tiny office down the street today rather than at the Inn, tucked away in a corner table behind his laptop.
I can’t have Noah here when I talk to Dad.
Okay, maybe probe for information is more like it.
“Got a minute?” I ask. It’s early enough that most of the guests haven’t come down for breakfast yet, and I’m not overly concerned about the elderly couple by the window in the far corner.
“A few. Training Tessa while it’s quiet. She’s been here three days and trying to change up the menu.”
“It is a little outdated,” I argue.
He glares at me. “Did you need something?”
My jaw works as I struggle with the words I hope don’t set off alarms.
Dad’s expression shifts to caution. He’s trained to sense a threat coming.
“What do you remember about Robert Woods?”
His expression softens. “Same thing everyone remembers. He’s a fraud and a thief.”
“That’s what you remember?”
A sigh. “No. I remember a family man. A successful businessman. And a judge that was too quick to sentence.”
“You think he was innocent?”
He watches me. “Why are you asking? Is it Pepper? Is she digging into her parents?”
“No.” It’s not exactly a lie. “I am.”
“Why?”
My instinct is to tell him it’s none of his business. To just answer the question. It’s quickly followed with the urge to tell him what Pepper told me. That the two people in that car found burnt and dead—were not her parents.
“She’s done a lot for us—with Elliot and his place…his things. I want to do something for her.”
Again, not entirely a lie.
Dad sighs. “I think there were others involved.”
My ears perk. “In the fraud?”
“Yeah. And Pepper’s Dad never gave any names. Not even in exchange for a lighter sentence.”
“How do you know this?”
“We talked. He wasn’t afraid of going to prison. He was afraid of what would happen after—people didn’t trust him to not cave under pressure while in lock up.”
“He was afraid…something might happen to him there?”
Dad shakes his head. “To his family.”
A silent moment passes between us. “Did you like the guy?” I ask out of curiosity.
He scoffs. “Not my type.” He taps on the bar before pushing off. “I trusted him. I think he didn’t know what he was doing. Until he did…and it was too late.”
I nod because that seems more like the Mr. Woods I remember. “Did he ever mention leaving town?”
“Not to me.” He glares, and I know I’m starting to set off those alarms.
But I push through. Regardless of the risk of him asking questions I can’t answer. “What about her mother?”
Dad clears his throat and leans in. “Let me guess. She’s curious about her parents death and…the timing. And you promised to help?”
“I didn’t promise anything. I’m just curious.”
“Well, you’re about eight and a half years too late on your curiosity. Not gonna find anything now.”
Anything…or anyone?
“Were you suspicious?”
A low grunt. “I’m always suspicious. But I have four—”He swallows. “I have three boys. There’s never a dull moment.”
Dad steps back, assuming our QA is over since it’s pointless. And maybe he’s right. But I’m not sure I’m willing to settle for an unsolved mystery when it comes to Pepper.
The main door chimes, and Levi powers in. “God, I hate the school car line.”
“Where’s your nanny?” I ask, taking a sip of my coffee.
Levi’s chest huffs, like he’s reminding himself to stay calm. “Said she gets anxiety sitting in traffic.”
Dad shakes his head and hands his oldest son an empty mug, then points to the machine. “Help yourself.”
“Help myself?” he protests.
“Don’t need you getting into it with my new waitress.”
Levi’s eyes roll. “Let me guess, she’s late?”
As if on cue, the kitchen door swings open and Tessa powers in behind the bar. “Hey, boss, fruit and bagels all set up for the continental breakfast. Aaaannd…I took the liberty of adding a few Tess-Specials to the lunch menu.” She sets a step stool down in the center behind the bar and steps up.
Dad holds his hands up. “What are you doing?”
“Sprucing up the board.” She points up to the chalk board over the bar that spreads across the back wall.”
“Why?” He practically grits.
She perks a brow. “Because once I get it up there, you can’t take my specials off the menu.” Then flashes us all a sinful grin.
Dad crosses his arms. “You think I can’t get up there?”
She chuckles. “Oh no, Mr. Reeves, I’m sure you’re—”
“Aiden!” he growls.
Tessa rolls her eyes playfully. “Like anyone here would ever question how capable you are.”
It’s true. Between his ESPY award and personalized championship belts spread across the place, anyone who didn’t know Aiden Reeves is a world champion boxer would now.
Dad shakes his head. “Fine. Just don’t sue me if you fall.”
She purses her lips, assessing all of us. “I got three strong boys here. Someone will catch me.”
“Don’t count on it,” Levi grumbles.
Tess pulls herself up on the stool and climbs onto the counter for a higher reach.
Dad grunts. “I’m going to go check my workers comp insurance.”
I sip my coffee, feeling my brother’s glare shift from the waitress to me. “How’s married life?”
“I’m not—” I glance around and decide it’s not worth risking our cover. Especially with Tessa floating above us. “Married yet.”
“But you’re playing house,” he pokes.
“Can someone pass me the blue?” Tessa points to the bowl of thick chalk on the counter.
I grin at my brother and slap his back—just to get him off mine. “You mind, bro? I’m color blind.”
He slides his tongue aggressively across his bottom lip and stands, circling to the other side of the bar.
“That explains your colorful personality, Chase,” Tessa mumbles.
“Not the dark blue, the light one,” she whines.
“What’s the difference?” Levi barks.
“You can’t see dark on dark, genius.”
Levi mumbles something about not being the one fired from three jobs in the past year and holds the bowl up to her.
Frustrated, she quickly picks one, losing balance and gripping one of the cabinets for support with a yelp.
“Christ,” Levi murmurs.
Tessa waves him off, swatting her hand in his direction. “Get back, you might catch my cooties.”
Levi rolls his eyes. “Still better than having to carry your broken ass to the hospital.”
“At least it’s not a grumpy ass,” she fires back, just before the handle of the cabinet Tess was gripping swings open and she flies backward. My brother catches her petite frame in his arms with a huff, his eyes flashing at the contact and sets her down.
“Next time, I’m letting you fall.”
The brief chat I had with Dad wasn’t an entire waste. The fact that he knows there were others involved—which wasn’t mentioned in any of the articles I read after Pepper fell asleep—is incredibly insightful.
Unfortunately, it brings me to Noah’s office. Since he’s the closest I can get to pulling some records. His establishment is tucked in between two storefronts on Main Street and he doesn’t have his own sign. Thank God for that. With his high paying clients all being outside of town and his pro bono clients all in Hideaway Springs, the less walk-ins he gets the better.
He swings the door open, his eyes flashing wide. “What happened?”
I hand him a dollar bill. “Your bound by attorney-client privilege.”
“Jesus Christ, come in.” I follow him into the small office. There’s a glass desk in the middle, a bulletin board against a deep blue wall behind him. One plant in desperate need of some love and two armchairs for clients. Oh, and framed black and white photos of our small town across the walls. No one in them, just the town in general.
“You take these?” I point to them.
“Can we cut the small talk, Chase. Did Mayfield find her?”
I blow out a breath and settle into one of the chairs. “This isn’t about her ex.”
He leans back in his chair. “But it’s about her?” It’s barely a question.
“About her parents.”
“They’re gone. And from what I understand, there was nothing in the will left to give.”
“This isn’t about money. I found Pepper at the site last night.”
He sits up. “Where they were found?”
I release a breath. “Where someone was found.”
“What does that mean?”
“Pepper isn’t convinced it was them,” I blurt out in a huff.
He draws back again, glaring at me.
“Don’t look at me like that. I know what you’re thinking.”
He sighs and shakes his head. “None of us wanted to believe Elliot died—”
“Don’t. This is different. She swears it wasn’t them.”
“Oh you mean the bodies that were barely identifiable?” He perks a brow.
My jaw works. “You think you’d be able to mistake Elliot’s body if it was…burned? Or Mom’s?”
He shakes his head. “I’d know.”
“So would I.”
There’s a beat before he sits up again, processing the information. “What do you need from me?”
“I want to start by finding out about the allegations. Dad thinks others were involved in the scam. But he doesn’t know who.”
Noah’s brows knit and he’s typing away on this laptop. Stopping every few seconds to read and then typing again. The process repeats three or four times. “Kyle Lowers. Looks like he worked with Robert Woods back in…two thousand thirteen.”
“You got an address?”
He glances up at me. “Not for a dollar.”
“Send me a bill and give me an address.”
Noah perks a brow. “Sure going a long way for someone you claimed you couldn’t stand back in the day.”
“Address.”
A few more clicks and another perked brow later, Noah smirks. “Colorado State Prison.”