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“You and I aren’t, no.”
“You aren’t?” Tiffany groaned. “I should have known.”
June’s brow knitted in confusion. “What are they doing then?”
“Investigating,” everyone else said in unison.
As Fiona, Tiffany and June entered the shop, Jane and Beau veered from the group to travel to the rear of the grocery store.
“What are we doing back here?” Jane inquired, wrinkling her nose at the scent of spoiled food coming from the trash dumpster.
“We’re scouting all the exits.”
Good thinking. Next, they timed a walk to and from the Treasure Room.
Then they timed a jog.
Finally, a full-on run.
Jane stared at her watch in surprise. “A round trip can be done in three minutes. One of the shopping firefighters totally could’ve run to the Treasure Room, committed the murder, incapacitated me and returned in less than ten minutes without the others noticing his absence.”
How long was the killer in the shop? Had any of the firemen stepped away from shopping to, say, go to the bathroom?
Beau nodded, only to shrug. “But did they?”
Yeah, something still felt off.
Jane focused on Beau. “Has Holden found any sign of where Lucy might be staying?”
“Every time he discovers one of her hidey-holes, she’s packed up and gone before he arrives.”
Argh! Holden was an experienced tracker. Lucy wasn’t an expert fugitive. How was the loan officer able to conceal herself so well? Unless someone was helping hide her. Like a partner. Did Jane trust her? Did she trust Christopher? What if the two were working together? A modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. But why target Jane for a game?
Or perhaps Lucy had set up several fake hidey-holes. A means of keeping the tracker busy while she maintained her current, and sole, base.
Hmm. Yeah. That one. Jane would bet her last dollar. Well, maybe not her last dollar. But a few nickels and dimes she found on the street, sure.
During the final trip to the store, she noticed a familiar truck being parked in the lot. Her stomach fluttered with nerves as Christopher emerged. What a perfect chance to question him. But why had he chosen this exact moment to shop? What were the odds? Because no, Jane hadn’t started believing coincidences were real. Unless Maggie had called him and mentioned seeing Jane in town, seizing any excuse to reach out to her ex? But why would Christopher want to bump into Jane now? To glean her case findings?
“Do we avoid or confront?” Beau muttered.
“Do you even know me?” she asked, then tsked.
“Jane and Beau,” the fireman called, smiling and waving as they approached. “We go a couple years and barely see each other and now we’re running into each other left and right.”
Did he seem a little too bright and happy, as if he were putting on a show? Of course, she could be noticing strain from his morning break up and discovering his ex-girlfriend might be a killer.
“I’m glad we’ve been able to catch up,” she replied, walking with him into the store. “Why, I was just considering telling Beau I hoped we got to see you today, wasn’t I, Beau?”
“Yep.” The one word response, uttered in a clipped tone, left Christopher blinking with confusion.
“How’s Sheriff Ryan?” the fireman asked as they selected carts.
“He’s recovering.” An idea popped inside her mind. “I should bake him a casserole. Yes, yes. That’s one of the reasons we’re here, now that I consider it. There are ingredients to gather.”
Christopher unveiled a smile tinged with sadness. “After months staying with Maggie at her place, I moved back into my apartment this morning and realized I had no food.”
So maybe he had a decent excuse for being in the right place at the right time. Either way, perfect segue! “Oh? You and Maggie broke up?” she asked, as if she didn’t know. Their group of three headed for aisle one.
