Frank rode out. The horse came back. They searched. Found nothing.
I wrote down notes like every word was fascinating and kept the chirpy routine going, watching for the crack in the wall.
Nobody cracked.
“Declan …” I tapped my pen against my chin like I was working through something complicated. “You manage the station’s finances. Is that right?”
“That’s right.”
“Did anything unusual show up in the books around the time Frank disappeared? Withdrawals, transfers, anything that seemed out of place?”
His gaze flicked to Mitch, then back to me. “No. Everything’s as it should be.”
“Nothing jumped out at you at all?”
“No. Nothing.”
“Okay.” I kept the smile going. “I’d love to go through the books with you later if that’s all right. I’m pretty good with numbers. Probably not as good as you, though.”
Declan looked at Mitch again. Mitch looked back at him with an expression that gave absolutely nothing away. “Sure,” Declan said. “Of course.”
There was a pause before the of course that I would be thinking about later.
“Did your father have a credit card?” I asked.
Declan laughed, and it was the most natural sound the brothers had made since they’d sat down. “Frank? God, no. He thought credit cards were for people who didn’t know how to manage money.”
“So how did he pay for things?”
“Cash. But Frank rarely paid for things, that’s my job.”
“Oh, surely he had some kind of salary arrangement though?”
“Frank helped himself to the station float.”
I wrote that down. “Good to know. When was the last time he accessed the float?”
Declan’s eyes widened a fraction. That question had landed somewhere tender. “I don’t know exactly. He took money when he needed it. Could be every week, or it could be once a month. Nobody kept tabs on him.”
I jotted that info and was still formulating my next question when a young woman appeared in the doorway carrying a tray that smelled so good I nearly lost my train of thought entirely. Fresh coffee and warm muffins.
“I hope everyone’s hungry,” she said as she lowered the tray onto the table.
“Oh, lovely.” I accepted a plate she offered. “You have no idea what time I had to get up this morning to be here so early.” I looked up at her. “Are you staff here?” My research hadn’t flagged any women working on the property besides Cassidy.
Declan cleared his throat. “This is Bella. My girlfriend.”
Bella smiled, and it was so open and unguarded that I decided the relationship was either very new or very good. Possibly both. “These look absolutely delicious.” I nodded at the muffins. “Thank you, Bella.”
“You’re welcome. Blueberry coconut muffins today.” She smiled at Declan.
He smiled back all doe-eyed.
Yes, definitely a new relationship.
I ran Bella through the standard missing persons questions between sips of coffee. She answered all of them without any of the calibration I got from the brothers. No self-checking, no sideways glances, no small hesitations before the words came out. She’d known Frank for only a little while. Hadn’t noticed anything particular. She was helpful, and I believed she wasn’t hiding anything. “Thanks, Bella. You’ve been very helpful. I really appreciate it.”
“Oh, okay then. Well, if you need anything more, just call me. I’ll be right down the hall.” She gave Declan a small nod and headed back toward the kitchen.
