Chapter 4
Haley woke from a restless night’s sleep to the scent of sausage and coffee. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that, no matter what the circumstances, she still needed to attend to her daily urges. She mourned the lack of clean clothes and headed to the tiny shower to freshen up as much as possible. Afterwards, she headed to the kitchen area, to find Nathan jotting something down in a small notebook. He glanced up and, taking in her wet hair, nodded. “You look more relaxed this morning.”
“It’s the shower. Did I smell coffee?”
He nodded toward the counter and the ancient coffee maker. She grabbed a mug and filled it before glancing at the stove. Link sausages, scrambled eggs and what looked like a misshapen biscuit sat on the back burner in a plate. When she’d taken it to the table and sat, ready to eat, Nathan continued. “I didn’t want to wake you so I went ahead and ate earlier.”
“What time is it?” she asked as she filled her fork.
“Around nine.”
“Nine?” she looked out the window at the spring sun shining on the porch slats and frowned. “I never sleep that late.”
“Well, you had a restless night,” he replied as he glanced down at his notes.
“How did you know?”
“I’m a light sleeper,” he replied, and she knew she’d kept him awake.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. I rested fine.”
She glanced around the room. “Where’s your dog?”
“Taking some time out in the woods,” he said, not looking at all concerned.
“By himself? Aren’t you worried he might wander off or get injured?”
He grinned, “Sam is a trained tracking dog and has been in some risky situations in the past. He’ll be fine.”
So, the dog was just a tool, like a compass or backpack to Nathan, she realized. Not a beloved pet. She wondered at the disappointment she felt at the notion that Nathan didn’t feel affection for his pet.
She finished her meal and cleared her plate, taking the time to wash it then glanced around for anything else to clean but all evidence of cooking was gone. She wiped her damp hands on her slacks and turned to scan the living area. “Do you have your computer booted up and hooked to the internet?”
He nodded. “I was on it a few minutes before you woke up. It should be ready to go.”
She picked up her mug and refilled it then headed to the sofa while he remained at the kitchen table. As she booted up and searched the web for news of the murder, he worked at his own task.
“I don’t understand,” she said after several minutes of searching. “There is nothing on the internet about a murder or body being found in the business district.”
“It’s still the weekend,” he said, and she heard him approach. “Maybe no one has discovered the body.”
“There’s a weekend crew that comes in to clean,” she said, all too familiar with the weekend staff. She’d worked too many Saturdays, getting reports ready for Mr. Winters, than she’d like to admit. “Surely, one of them would report the body.”
He didn’t say anything but walked over to the fireplace and took his sat phone from the mantle. He dialed then waited for a few minutes. “Hi, Hank. This is Nathan Tayler. Yeah, we’re at her grandfather’s cabin near the top of Knobby Crag. We should be good for the next few days.” He paused and then continued. “Will do. I do have a question, though. Haley has been online looking for some mention of the shooting.” Another pause, “We’re secure.” He leaned back and frowned, whether at the question Hank must have asked about the internet being secure or at Hank’s answer, Haley didn’t know. When his frown deepened, she figured it was the latter. “Yeah. She said there’s a cleaning crew there on the weekends.” He glanced up at Haley. “Saturday or Sunday?”
“Usually around noon on Saturday,” she said and stood from her place on the sofa and walked to the kitchen as an excuse to move. She emptied her coffee into the sink, suddenly aware of the acid in her stomach.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll check back in a day or so. “He disconnected the call and replaced the phone on the mantle before meeting her gaze. “No news of a body in the area or of a shooting.”
She frowned, “How can that be?”
“Maybe someone came in and cleaned up after you left. Maybe the cleaning crew were cancelled for the week. We have no way of knowing for sure and there’s no point in speculating.”
She nodded but still felt uneasy.
“Did you figure out who it was? You said the voice sounded familiar, right?”
She nodded then shook her head, aware of the conflicting signals she conveyed. “I thought it was familiar, but I can’t figure out who it was.” She huffed an exasperated sigh. “I’m useless at this.”
He went to the sofa and sank down on the side opposite of where she’d been sitting. “You’re not supposed to be good at it, unless you have a law enforcement background. What did you do at the office?”
“I was, am, an accountant. I was one of three in the office. The other two focused on the daily accounts and planning. I usually work on taxes and financial statements for audits and on special projects.”
“Nothing unusual in the statements or office, that you can remember?”
She shook her head then tilted it to the side. “I never encountered anything but there wasn’t a lot of information sharing in the office, either. The other two accountants have been there a lot longer than I have and I think they have some ownership issues.”
“How long have you worked for, what’s the name of the business?”
“Winters and Madden Investment Group. It’s a real estate investment group. The area is rife with mountain resorts and there’s more going up every year. The company was one of the ‘Up-and-comers’.”
“And Winters is the one who fired at you.” At her nod, he asked, “What about Madden. You know him?”
She shook her head. “I met him once, at a holiday party. But he’s rarely in town. I think he may live in Charlotte or on the east coast. They have a couple of offices.”
He glanced at the computer. “Do you think you’d be able to access any information on the company for me?”
She nodded, eager to do something, anything. “I’m sure I can.”
He gestured at the computer. “Go to it. I’m going to go outside and find Sam.”
She made herself comfortable on the sofa, tucking a small pillow behind her back and woke the sleeping computer. As she began to work, she was vaguely aware of the front door closing.
Nathan stoodon the porch and whistled shrilly. A moment later the thud of feet sounded from the side of the mountain slope near the cabin and Sampson appeared, his ears flopping and tail wagging. Nathan held his hand out and Sam playfully took it in his mouth before nudging his head under Nathan’s palm. As he rubbed the warm head, Nathan asked the dog. “Find anything interesting, buddy?” He chuckled at the dog’s body, fairly wriggling under his petting hand. He stepped off the low porch and went to the truck. “We need to start securing the place, Sam. It might be near the top of the knoll, but a good tracker will find us pretty soon.”
He opened the truck’s tool hauler and extracted his surveillance bag. As he knelt and unzipped the bag, he thought of Haley Boyd. She didn’t seem like a woman who’d lie or fabricate stories. If anything, her answers to his questions about the shooting and her business had been short and succinct.
Her story was one that seemed straight out of a movie. But he believed her. Somehow, the honesty had shown through in her face and tone when he’d found her on the side of the road. Now, he had to figure out exactly how to help her. And, as he took out the first motion detector, he mused, this was a decent start.