Page 54 of Knox

“Can I help you?”

“Walter Lehman?”

“That’s right.” He didn’t come down from the porch or offer a hand. “Who’s asking?”

“Knox Hawthorne. Claire Hawthorne’s son.”

Emotion flickered across Walter’s face. Surprise? Guilt? There and gone too fast to read.

“Claire.” Walter’s expression eased into something that might’ve been genuine grief. “I was sorry to hear about her passing. Your mom was a good woman. Ran a good business.”

“Thanks.” I stayed at the bottom of the porch steps, keeping distance between us, just in case. “I’m trying to get the shop up and running again. Found your contract in her files.”

“She terminate it?” Walter asked, though his tone suggested he knew damn well she had.

“Yeah. Notes said there was concerning behavior.”

Walter’s jaw tightened. “That’s not exactly accurate.”

“No?”

“We had a business disagreement.” Walter crossed his arms. “I suggested she update her trail recommendations. Some of those routes were getting too popular, too crowded. Figured she’d want to send people to quieter areas. She took it the wrong way. Thought I was trying to tell her how to run her business. The exchange got more emotional than it needed to be. I was only trying to be helpful.”

“That’s all it was?”

“Yup.” Walter’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Why? What’d she tell you?”

“She didn’t tell me anything. She died before I got home.” The words came out harder than I intended. “I’m just trying to understand her business relationships.”

“Well, now you know.” Walter shifted his weight.

“Your company is Lehman and Son,” I said.

“My son moved to Washington a long time ago,” he said, beating me to my next question. “Walla Walla. We never got on well. I guess I had high hopes adding him to the company name.”

I nodded.

“Was there anything else?”

“Actually, yeah. I’m looking at some of her research on the missing hikers. She marked areas she thought were worth looking into. One of the trails comes very near your property. Do you ever see anyone out there?”

Interest sparked in Walter’s eyes. “The missing hikers? Claire was investigating that?”

“She was concerned. All three women visited her shop before they disappeared.”

“Jesus.” Walter shook his head. “I didn’t know that. That must’ve eaten her up inside.”

“I’m sure it did.” I watched him carefully. “Do you see hikers on the trails along your property line often?”

Walter was quiet for a moment, his gaze sliding past me toward the Jeep.

Toward Sloane.

“Who’s that with you?”

My muscles tensed. “A friend. She’s helping me go through my mom’s notes.”

“Pretty.” Walter’s lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “She one of the missing girls’ family members?”