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“Young-boy clothes?”
“Yes, I have a hat with brown hair sewn into it and a flannel shirt. I didn’t take them off until I got inside the police station. The officers were surprised. It works as well as the Anita disguise does.” Rehashing all the details aloud made her stomach churn. “It seemed like a good plan at the time, but when the officer stopped me, the man in the car just pulled over. Like he was waiting for them to let me drive away. That’s when I said the gas pedal was stuck and I had to call you to come and get me.”
Scooter’s expression changed, went from frowning to—well, she couldn’t quite describe the way his face grew distorted and his eyes darted around nervously.
A shiver raced up her spine. “What?”
“That fireball, being locked in the boathouse, that wasn’t because they recognized you.”
“I know,” she said. “There was no way they could have. I was still in disguise.”
“I wasn’t,” Scooter said solemnly. “They must have seen me working on your car on the side of the road, and they recognized me last night.”
Josie’s blood turned so cold goose bumps prickled her skin. She’d never considered that possibility. “No,” she whispered. “No.”
“Yes,” Scooter said. “They probably watched me drive your car to the police station. They could even have followed us all the way back to my gas station.” He bounded to his feet. “No wonder they were here last night.”
Chapter Nine
Although he didn’t know the man well, Scooter was happy to see Ty—and Norma Rose—climbing out of Ty’s truck. Forrest had told him Ty used to be a private investigator. That’s what had brought him to Minnesota. He’d hung that hat up before asking Norma Rose to marry him, but he still had connections. Ones that had helped Forrest solve the case against Galen Reynolds. Scooter hoped Ty might be inclined to help him. He had a feeling he was going to need it.
Pulling his motorcycle up to the front door of the resort, Scooter cut the engine. “You go on in and change your clothes,” he told Josie.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I’m going home to put on dry ones, too.”
She climbed off the bike, but her steady stare said she didn’t believe he was simply going home. He wasn’t. But he wasn’t about to tell her that.
Hand in hand, Ty and Norma Rose approached. “Did you two fall in the lake?” Norma Rose asked.
“Yes,” Scooter answered. “Well, she fell in,” he said, correcting himself. “I jumped in to save her.”
“I didn’t need to be saved,” Josie said.
“What were you doing?” Norma Rose asked.
“Bringing in the raft we used last night.”
“Was it salvageable?” Ty asked.
“Yes,” Scooter answered. “Nothing more than a few surface burns. We pulled it ashore down by the first dock.” Hoping the other man would catch his hint, he added, “I’ll need some help and a truck to haul it to the barn.”
“Let’s go and do it now,” Ty said. “It’ll fit in the back of my truck.”
“If you don’t mind,” Scooter said, trying to cover up his gratitude.
“I thought you were going home to change,” Josie said, eyeing him guardedly.
“I am,” he said. “This way I won’t have to come back later.”
She pinched her lips together and glowered. “Then I’ll come with you and help.” Nodding toward Norma Rose, she added, “We’ll all go.”
“No, we won’t,” Norma Rose said. “You need to go and change your clothes. Those pants will probably be stained forever. Besides, I want to talk to you.”
“About what?” Josie asked.
“The resort.” Norma Rose stretched up on her toes and kissed Ty’s cheek. “See you later.” Snagging her arm, she tugged Josie toward the door. “I’ll put your pants in to soak while you change.”
* * *
“I’ll meet you at the dock,” Scooter told Ty as Josie watched him over her shoulder. “I don’t want to get your seat wet.”
Ty nodded and walked toward his truck while Scooter started his bike and headed back toward the lake. The cycle was parked and he was standing next to the raft when Ty arrived. Waving both hands, Scooter guided Ty as he backed the truck down the hill, and then he placed a rock behind the back wheels so it wouldn’t roll when Ty cut the engine.
As Ty climbed out of the truck, he said, “Norma Rose and I didn’t go to a picture show. We did a little investigating instead.”
