AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Quinn and Abigail, plus Logan’s father and his wife, attended the service for his mother. It was great to have them there.”
Logan offered her an appreciative smile. “Anyway, it’s done, and life goes on. Right?”
“Yeah, it does,” Aiden said, and changed the subject. “How’s the store going, Laurel?”
“Fine.”
“It’s looking great,” Sam said.
“There is one issue, Aiden.” Logan’s voice held concern.
“What’s that?”
“Do you know Miguel Hobson?”
“I’ve heard of him. Why?”
“When I drove up this evening, he was looking through the window at the women.” He nodded toward Sam and Laurel. “This wasn’t a shopper checking out the products. He followed me into the store this evening.”
“He shoved you into the store, Logan.” Sam looked at Aiden. “Then Miguel pushed him again. Logan got him to leave.”
“You have two witnesses. If you want, I’ll write an assault report and arrest him. The problem is, the judge will probably release him on his own recognizance pending a trial.”
“It’s not worth the hassle. My concern is for Laurel and Sam.”
Aiden looked at Laurel. “When does the store open?”
She fought the urge to glare at him. “The day after tomorrow.”
“You’ll be working all day tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Keep your phone with you. Make sure my number is on speed dial. If Miguel shows up, call me. I’ll do my best to drive by several times a day. You have employees, right?”
“Yes. All three of us will be working at the grand opening and the following day. Afterward, two of us will be working each day for the rest of the summer.”
Aiden gave a slow nod. “Sam. Do you have a picture of Miguel? I want Laurel to show it to her employees.”
She shook her head. “No. I threw them away when we divorced.”
“I’ll check to see if he has a drivers license. If so, I can get a copy with his picture.”
They quieted when the waitress began setting down serving bowls filled to overflowing with fragrant Chinese foods. When finished, she left them alone. They ate for several minutes before Sam broke the silence.
“Do you have any idea who trashed the store?”
Aiden took a swallow of his tea. “No. We have a few cameras in Brilliance, and there’s one next door showing the bank entrance, but nothing showing the front of Laurel’s shop. We don’t even know if it was more than one person. The alarm system installation wasn’t completed, so the break-in wasn’t reported until Laurel arrived the following morning. I’ll add Hobson’s name to the list of possibles. To be honest, we may never be able to identify the person responsible.”
“I was lucky they didn’t break the front windows,” Laurel said. "What they did inside wasn’t pretty, but not as destructive as it could’ve been. If they’d damaged the soda counter or display cases, the grand opening would’ve been delayed.”
“All the floral arrangements were ruined,” Sam said.
“True, but they could be duplicated,” Laurel answered. “I did have to drive to Jackson for new containers, as the replacement order won’t arrive until tomorrow. The biggest issue for me has been not knowing who did it and why they targeted my store.”
Logan looked to Aiden. “Could it have been kids messing around?”
“I don’t know. They knew enough to avoid the bank cameras or do anything that might identify them. My instincts tell me it’s someone with an actual connection to Laurel.”
