Chapter 14
Bianca soon found herself sitting across from Sheriff Quinn Lodge at a heavy wooden desk stacked high with papers and thick file folders.
The room smelled faintly of coffee, leather, and the clean bite of disinfectant that suggested someone had wiped everything down that morning.
A wide window behind the sheriff looked out over Mineral Lake’s small main street.
Sunlight filtered through the glass, catching on dust motes drifting lazily in the air.
Quinn Lodge filled the chair behind the desk with quiet authority.
He was well over six feet tall with black hair cut short and even darker eyes that missed very little.
His shoulders were broad beneath a plain dark T-shirt, and the hard lines of muscle along his arms suggested he spent plenty of time working outside rather than sitting at the desk.
His badge rested beside a yellow legal pad where he was taking notes as Adam spoke.
Bianca took a moment and appreciated the guy.
The men in Mineral Lake were seriously good-looking.
She’d already noticed that fact several times since arriving in town.
Ranch work, clean air, and long days outside apparently did wonders for them.
A few of them would make fantastic extras in the film.
Of course, that could be a problem too. If they were too good looking, they might pull attention away from the actors.
Hollywood didn’t always appreciate competition from real life.
“How’s Juliet doing?” Adam asked as he settled his impressive bulk into the chair beside Bianca. The wooden seat creaked under his weight. “She owns the art gallery in town,” Adam added, glancing toward Bianca. “You should pop by there. There are some amazing pieces.”
Bianca perked up. While she didn’t usually deal much with interior design for filming locations, knowing a good artist or art dealer could be incredibly helpful. Props departments often needed pieces on short notice. “I will,” she said.
Quinn looked up from his notes. “My poor wife is sicker than a dog,” he muttered. “She caught the flu.”
“Ooh.” Adam winced. “I’m sorry. It’s going through your family like wildfire.”
“It’s not just my family.” Quinn looked back down at his pad and scribbled another note.
“It’s the whole community. Make sure you’re taking your vitamins.
Leila and Dawn are down, too. So far, Hawk and I are the only ones who haven’t caught it.
” He shook his head. “The rest of them don’t take their vitamins. ”
Bianca grinned. “I’m not sure vitamins ward off the flu.”
“Well, I’m not sick,” Quinn continued to write the report.
“You’re too stubborn to get sick,” Adam drawled.
Quinn looked up. “I know.” He tapped the pen against the legal pad before looking at Bianca again. “You have absolutely no idea who would be leaving you notes or shooting at your tires?”
“None,” she said.
Quinn nodded slowly. “There were a couple of people who spoke out against the film at the public hearing.”
“Yeah,” Adam said. “I already have a list written down.”
Quinn glanced up. “Who was it?”
“The Rockefellers and their Concerned Citizens crew,” Adam said. “Also, Pike, Thatcher, and Boyd protested the idea of movie people in town, and so did I.” He glanced at Bianca. “Still do. Also, I saw Pike and Boyd today, and I can’t imagine either of them leaving stupid notes.”
Quinn rubbed a hand along his jaw. “It doesn’t seem like either of them, but I still want to talk to them. Then I’ll head out and speak with that citizens group.”
“I’ll come with you,” Adam said.
Quinn turned his attention from Bianca to Adam. “Why?”
Adam shrugged easily. “I can tell you’re down a couple of deputies.”
Bianca didn’t have time to get the darn flu. “Are they sick too?”
“Yeah,” Quinn said. “But I don’t need backup.”
“Everybody needs backup, Sheriff,” Adam said calmly. “I’m going with you.”
Quinn crossed his arms over his chest. Apparently the sheriff of Maverick County didn’t wear a uniform unless he had to.
The relaxed posture didn’t hide the sharp intelligence in his gaze.
“I can’t have you getting into a spat with a Rockefeller just because your girlfriend is getting weird notes.
Although, the shot-out tire concerns me. A lot.”
Girlfriend? Bianca’s head jerked, but she kept her mouth shut.
Adam didn’t react much. “I’m just going for backup,” he said. “I promise not to hit anybody. Probably.”
Quinn stared at him for a moment before sighing. “Fine. But only because I don’t have anybody else right now.” He pointed the pen toward Adam. “And if you get the flu, it’s your own damn fault.”
“The Rockefellers?” Bianca asked.
“Yeah,” Quinn said. “The Concerned Citizens group.”
Adam snorted softly.
“They’re a bunch of nutjobs,” Quinn continued. “They don’t like anything going on in town.”
Adam stiffened. “Wait a minute. Didn’t Billy Rockefeller’s kid send notes to Sophie when she first came to town? Back when she wanted to build that golf course?”
“Yeah,” Quinn said slowly. “But he’s been working around town lately. Even helped out at the sheriff’s office.” He rubbed his chin. “The kid’s decent, and I don’t think he’d shoot at anybody. Plus, he’s at a football camp over in Boise right now.”
Apparently the sheriff had taken an interest in the kid. Bianca could appreciate that.
Quinn looked back down at the paper. “He has a good future if he doesn’t follow his parents’ mindset. I’m doing my best to steer him the right way.”
“That’s cool of you,” Bianca said. “Does he have any siblings who might’ve followed his lead?”
“No,” Quinn said with a grin. “Just him.” He set the pen down for a moment and rubbed his chin. “I don’t think it’s the group,” he admitted. “But you never know.”
Adam reached over and held her hand. “The movie crew is renting the space out at the old Samuelson place for their RVs and such,” he said. “So they’re pretty far away from the citizens group.”
Bianca turned toward him. “How did you hear that?”
Quinn answered before Adam could. “It’s a small town. Everybody knows everything.”
Bianca nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m starting to figure that out.”
Quinn picked up his pen again and looked at her. “Walk me through the night again.”
Bianca folded her hands together in her lap. “There was lightning and thunder,” she said. “A lot of it. The storm was really loud.” She paused, remembering the moment. “My car bucked,” she continued. “The steering wheel jerked and I swerved. Then I hit a tree.”
Adam watched her quietly from the side, his jaw tight.
“I didn’t hear a gunshot,” she said. “But the storm was so loud I probably wouldn’t have heard one.”
Quinn wrote several more lines on the pad. “Has anything like this happened to you before?”
Bianca thought back over the years she’d been traveling for work. “There’ve been a couple of places where people didn’t want a movie crew coming in, but nobody has ever shot at me before. They usually just yell.”
Quinn glanced at her. “Usually people just yell at you?” he asked.
“Pretty much.”
He studied her for a second. “Do you like your job?”
“I do,” Bianca said without hesitation. “I like seeing where movies can be made. Dealing with the public isn’t my favorite part, but I love finding locations and getting them ready.
” She was already looking forward to visiting Boyd’s landscaping business later.
The thought of seeing what changes she could make at the Willoughbys’ relaxed her shoulders.
Adam sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sheriff, do you have anything else for us?”
“Yeah.” Quinn’s dark gaze shifted to Bianca, suddenly serious. “Bianca, you need to be careful. If somebody shot at your tire, there’s a chance they’d shoot at you.”
The words settled heavily in the small office.
Bianca felt a chill crawl slowly down her spine, though she forced herself to keep her voice steady. “That wouldn’t stop the movie.”
“That’s probably why they only shot at your tire,” Quinn replied. “They’re trying to scare you. Maybe scare anybody who works with you.”
Adam’s broad shoulders went back. “We don’t scare that easy.”
“I know,” Quinn said. “I’ll get the slug from Elbert, but around here everybody owns a gun.
Without a witness it’s going to be hard to narrow it down.
I’m also going to talk to Boyd and the Nevin brothers.
Then I’ll head out and speak with that citizens group.
” His gaze moved back to Adam. “What do you say after lunch?”
“Yeah,” Adam said easily. “That sounds good.” He glanced at Bianca. “I’ll make sure Bianca is covered by then.”
Bianca frowned. “Covered?”
“Well, yeah,” Adam said. “Someone’s shooting at your tires.”
The simple statement made her stomach tighten.
“You’re in danger,” he said quietly. “You need to be careful.”
“It seems so unreal,” she admitted. The notes hadn’t bothered her too much at first. Creepy, yes, but people did strange things when they were upset about movies invading their towns. She’d seen protests before. But a bullet? That was different.
Just how far would this person go to stop the movie from being made?