Page 52 of Spock’s Snare

“Maybe,” Spock says. “But we don’t know why. If you call him now, you warn him that we’re looking.”

“We?”

His grip loosens, but he doesn’t release me. “Yeah, Chloe. We.”

Behind him, the exposed wiring stretches through the wall exactly where it belongs. Nothing is missing. Nothing appears damaged. Yet Steven waited until after hours to tear into it, hours after meeting privately with Paul Scaro. My unease grows.

“Why would Paul come back to speak with Steven?” I whisper.

Whatever is happening at Riversedge Apartments, Steven Blackwood may not be the only person keeping secrets from me.

Spock releases my wrist and pulls his phone from the inside pocket of his kutte.

“I’m going to find out.”

The calmness of his voice doesn’t fool me. His jaw remains tight, and there’s a dangerous edge in his eyes that has been there since Steven stepped toward me. Spock may have controlled his temper enough to let Steven leave, but he hasn’t forgiven the man. Neither have I.

He taps the screen, then turns on the speaker before placing the call.

Spark answers after the second ring. “What’s up?”

“Have you looked into Steven Blackwood yet?” Spock asks.

There’s a short pause. “Chloe’s foreman?”

“Yeah.”

“Not yet. He’s on my list, but I started with Chloe’s former employees.”

I fold my arms across my chest and stare at the exposed wall. Until tonight, I wouldn’t have expected Steven to be anywhere near the top of Spark’s list. I trusted him. My father liked him.

Maybe we were both wrong.

“What happened?” Spark asks.

“We caught him tearing down drywall at Riversedge after the crew left,” Spock says. “Claimed the electrical work wasn’t finished.”

“It is,” I interject. “At least, everything I can see appears complete. I’m going to confirm it with the electrician.”

“There’s more,” Spock continues. “Blackwood spent most of the day hiding in the office instead of supervising the crew. Scaro came back this afternoon and met with him privately.”

“Paul Scaro?” Spark asks.

“Yes,” I answer. “The developer.”

A woman’s voice breaks into the conversation. “I can look into Blackwood.”

I recognize Juliet immediately. Her voice is slightly farther away, as though she’s sitting across the room from Spark.

“You sure?” Spark asks her.

“I’m already working through the people connected to Red Rock and Red Mesa. I can add another name.”

Spock’s gaze meets mine. The hard edge in his expression softens, but only slightly.

“Do it,” he says. “And look into Paul Scaro, too. See if there’s any connection between the two men outside this project.”

“What kind of connection?” Juliet asks.