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“Oh, he did. Eventually. See, I’ve got this place I like to hang out, up in the rafters of one of the storage buildings. It’s great for chilling with a beer and taking in the sights, like a nosy old woman peeking out her window. Also, well, there are somewomen who know if they’re feeling lonely, I’m up there, ready and willing to make their night better. So it’s a good place for me to hang out.”
“And that night you saw things.”
“I did. I saw Yolanda and Bruno come storming out, after I heard raised voices from the town hall. Then, a while later, I saw Bruno slip off down his secret path into the forest. Have you found that?”
“Over by the storage sheds? Yes.”
“He sneaks off a lot. One night, I was up in my perch until two and never saw him come back. Course, I was occupied for an hour or so, and he might have come back then. But he’s fairly regular in his trips. I think he might have been meeting someone, though I never did figure out who. Not Penny, that’s for sure.”
I make a mental note that if I want gossip, here’s where to come.
He continues, “That night, though, it was about a half hour before he left. By then Penny was long gone.”
“Because it wasn’t him she followed into the forest, was it?”
“Nope. It was Yolanda.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I don’t need to track down Yolanda. Just as I’m trying to decide who can take over my Bruno-watch, she walks in.
“Any change?” she says.
I shake my head. “He’s stable. That’s all we can hope for. April should be here at any moment. I’ll need to head to the hangar as soon as I hear the plane, so I can talk on the way back here—she won’t want to waste any time on an update. That means we need two people to watch over Bruno briefly.”
“Two?”
“He’s been badly injured. We have no idea who did it, but there are a limited number of suspects.”
“You think someoneheredid that to him?”
“Are we going to presume not and take the risk of leaving him alone with someone who might not want him waking up?”
“Fine. Two people. Briefly. But it was someone in the forest who did this. Gran and Petra have told me what kind of people live up here. You know it firsthand, which is yet another reason why I can’t believe you’re trying this bullshit again.”
“Penny didn’t follow Bruno into the woods. She followed you.”
Yolanda physically pulls back, her brow furrowing at the sudden change of subject.
I continue, “Penny was spotted followingyouin the forest that night.”
“Let me guess. Gunnar?”
“I didn’t get his name.”
“Oh, you can’t miss him. Serious clothing allergy, but with abs, pecs, and bis that mean no one complains. I know he likes to watch from his perch. I know he likes to do a lot in his perch. Not from personal experience, mind you. He’s a very pretty boy with a very generous soul. A damn fine worker who offers a bonus that some of my crew have very much appreciated.”
“Okay…”
“So Gunnar saw me go into the forest.”
“It’s not personal,” I say. “He wanted to be clear on that. He finally decided he had to step forward, even if it might cost him a spot on your permanent crew, which he was hoping for.”
She rolls her eyes. “Ah, Gunnar. I’m actually surprised he came forward at all, when he had a personal stake in keeping silent. He gets a point from me for that. As for why I didn’t mention going into the forest that night, it was irrelevant, and I didn’t want to muddy the waters.”
“You thought it was irrelevant that Penny followed you and then vanished?”
Yolanda leans back against the filing cabinet. “I had no idea she followed me. If I had, I would have mentioned it.”
