Page 28 of Broken: Taylor

Chapter 12

Mindy’s heartskipped a beat when Eric Hamilton walked through the front door.

Hopefully he’d bring good news. It was time for them to put Bryan to rest and her family to move on. As if in some sort of alternate reality, she and her parents went through the motions of every day life in a fog. Like when her grandmother died, the aftermath of death was always such a hard thing. With her brother being so young and his death a murder, it was even harder to grasp and fathom that he was gone so suddenly.

The expression on Eric’s face gave little indication of what he was about to say. His steely gaze moved from the display of pastries to her face. “Hello Mindy.”

Two simple words and yet in that moment once again her breath hitched at his deep voice saying it.

“Any news?” The customers in the shop were obviously aware of what had happened. Little could be kept secret in Laurel Creek. Heads turned following Eric’s trail to where she stood.

He moved closer and spoke in a soft voice. It was comical when two ladies seated at a nearby table leaned forward, their eyes locked on Eric.

“We have a suspect. There is a warrant out. Just waiting. I came back here in case he returns for whatever reason.”

She thought back to the man she’d seen earlier and her skin crawled. “What does he look like?”

Eric took her by the arm and guided her to a small storage room away from the prying eyes and ears. Once inside the tight space, the intimacy of the closed quarters made her hypersensitive.

“Did you see someone?” His gaze bore into hers.

“I think so. No one I knew. But there was a man in a blue jacket. He stood outside for a long while this morning. He gave me a strange feeling. I called my parents and told them to lock the doors and stay inside.” She sighed. “Probably just me being paranoid.”

“No, it’s understandable and actually a good idea until the guy’s caught.”

It was hard to look him in the face. He was so much taller than her and although slightly slimmer than the other Hamiltons, he was not a small guy. Although he’d yet to release her arm, she wasn’t about to ask him to. It was reassuring; the touch and the strength emanating from him.

Brows drawn together, he was quiet as she described the man she’d seen. Young, about thirty, with dark brown hair and glasses. The fairly nondescript guy would normally never stand out. But with it being so soon after the murder, everyone who was unfamiliar got her attention.

“Sounds like a reporter who was nosing around. If he comes in here and starts asking questions, let me know.”

* * *

Allison joggeddown the stairs and through the shop to answer the door. The constant bell ringing although the sign on the window was turned off was surprising. One of the downsides of living above your business was the locals knew you were there.

The wife of a prominent rancher walked in along with her air of entitlement.

If only Allison would have ignored the bell.

“How can I help you today? I’m currently closed.”

The woman lifted a brow. “Oh, I didn’t notice. The lights were on.”

Allison looked up to the darkened lights and waited.

“I need flowers for an impromptu afternoon get-together. I require two large centerpieces, an arrangement for the bathroom and another two for my sitting room. Can you manage that while I go over to pick up some food?”

She placed both hands across her ample bosom following up with a dramatic sigh. “Everyone thinks it’s so easy to host these things. With only a day’s notice.”

Allison wouldn’t know but she nodded sympathetically. “When do you need this by?”

The woman glanced at her diamond-studded watch. “Two hours? Is that enough time?

“Not really.” Allison scanned her limited selection of flowers. “A new shipment doesn’t come in until Monday. If you don’t mind them being simple, I may be able to come up with the arrangements for you.”

“Fine.” The woman’s aggravated sigh made Allison fight hard not to roll her eyes. “I’ll be back at 4.” She left without giving any information. No name, phone number or anything. Obviously everyone was supposed to know who she was.

As soon as the woman left, her cell dinged. It was a text from Taylor.