“I’m anxious to hear what he has to say. Glad you’re on board, Mr. Hayes,” Agent Bradley said.
“Grant,” he corrected.
Bradley nodded. “Grant. Glad you could come. Agent Hart will bring you up to date.” She and Sheriff Taylor continued down the hall.
Before they could leave the building, an older man wearing jeans and a blue chambray shirt entered, carrying a tray of disposable cups.
“Ah, Dan, it’s good to see you,” Melissa Bradley said.
The man smiled and held out the tray. “I was about to start my shift at the bar and grill and thought you all had been working so hard you could use some of Cook’s coffee from the diner.”
Agent Bradley moaned and reached for a cup. “You’re a lifesaver. Thank you for thinking of us.” She turned to the sheriff and handed him the cup.
Sheriff Taylor lifted the cup in salute. “Thanks, Dan. Perfect timing. We were just on our way out.”
“Don’t let me keep you,” Dan said. “We’re counting on you to make our town safe.”
The sheriff’s lips thinned. “We’re doing the best we can.” He followed Agent Bradly out of the office.
As the door swung closed behind them, Dan called out, “That’s all we can ask.” He turned to the deputy behind the front desk. “Joe, you need a caffeine boost.”
“Sure do,” the man said and grabbed one of the cups.
When Dan turned to Avery, she shook her head. “No, thank you.”
Dan pointed to the cup closest to him. “This one has a dash of caramel and cream, the way you like it, Agent Hart.”
She gave him a strained smile. “In that case...” Avery reached for the cup he’d indicated. “So nice of you to remember.” She held the cup without taking a sip.
Grant held up a hand. “None for me.”
Avery turned, the frown dipping lower on her forehead. “Ready to go?”
Grant nodded and followed her out the door. He waited until they were back in his rental car before turning to her. “What the hell just happened?”
“I don’t know,” Avery said. “Is this part of my memory loss? Was I here and forgot everything that happened over the past four days?”
Grant shook his head. “I feel like we just stepped into the Twilight Zone.”
“Me, too.”
“But you weren’t here. You were in a hospital bed, according to the nurse and doctor who worked with you.”
“If I was in the hospital, why do Agent Bradley and Sheriff Taylor act as if I’ve been here the entire time?”
“Perhaps we should have asked them,” he pointed out. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
She shook her head. “Truthfully, for a moment, I thought I was having a memory lapse, and I didn’t want them to think I wasn’t capable of working the case. I wanted to gather any information they might have about what they’ve been working on. I don’t know. I feel like I’ve stepped into an alternate dimension.” She pushed a hand through her black hair, pulling it up into a ponytail.
Grant watched Avery’s movement, something about her hair jogging a memory. “Is it me, or did they act like you had come back into the office after just leaving?”
Avery’s eyes narrowed. “The deputy at the desk did say the sheriff was right where I’d left him. I thought it was strange then.”
“And Agent Bradley asked if you’d forgotten something, like you’d left and come back. Not to mention that man, Dan, made coffee just the way you like it.”
“That was strange.” Avery drew in a breath and huffed it out. “How would he know how I like my coffee?”
Grant stared at the entrance door. “When we arrived, did you see the man and the teenager holding the door as a woman came out?”
