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“He is in charge locally. I am with the global team. I’m just here for a site visit.”
“I see,” Susan purred. Her voice had taken on a deeper tone and now she was looking at him like a piece of choice meat in a butcher shop window. “Welcome to Cedar Bluff. Please come see me if you have any questions. Perhaps we could have lunch and you can tell me all about the ins and outs of the Rainy Day Club. I’ve been trying to become a member for a while now.”
Not happening in a million years.“You would have to talk to the head office about that.”
She let out a bark of laughter. “So closed mouth about things, all you club people.”
A chill went across his skin. He recognized that laughter. He’d last heard it through the air vent when he’d been in the cellar. This was the woman having pretty vocal sex with someone. It had to be a member.
Note to self: figure out which room the vent in the basement was connected to.That was going on his list of things to do immediately because for all her attention seeking, he recognized a shrewdness in her eyes. She was someone worth keeping a close eye on.
“Well, I’m off. Harper, first thing tomorrow morning I want you in the office. We have much to go over.” With that, she sailed out after nodding hellos to half the people in the bakery.
Flynn cocked his head. “I can see why she makes you tired.”
Harper’s hazel eyes widened. “What makes you say that? She—”
He waved her off. “It’s written all over your face if you know where to look.”
She snorted. “And you know me that well, do you? One kiss and you know all my secrets?”
Flynn leaned forward so his lips were inches from hers. “Not yet, but I will.”
Harper leaned back in the booth and stared at him. “I-I must go,” she shot to her feet and grabbed the file folder. “Take care,” was all she said before she left the bakery like it was on fire.
Flynn watched her through the window. He needed to talk to Shah and find out about this Astrid person. The last thing they needed was cops sniffing around the Manor. This whole openness to the community was a big fucking mistake. A bomb just waiting to go off that Flynn didn’t want to be anywhere near it when it did because there would be lots of casualties.
CHAPTERNINE
Harper plopped down behind her desk and fanned herself. She’d practically run from the bakery to the sanctity of her small office in the township building. Flynn O’Connor was something to behold. She’d thought he was sexy last night in his navy blazer and white shirt, but he was a fantasy come to life today with his black sweater and worn jeans. The stubble on his jaw only made it worse and those coal-black eyes; she was sure they could see into her soul.
She continued to fan herself. What the hell was the thermostat set to in here? She rubbed shaking hands over her face and chided herself for being ridiculous. O’Connor was just a guy who, admittedly, she had amazing chemistry with, but he was also from the Manor. And anyone from that place was suspect, as far as she was concerned. She needed to be careful around him.
Leaning back in her chair she looked out the window to the square below. There were days when she missed New York. The excitement of it, the energy. She loved that she could, at any hour, go out and buy milk, go to a club, or eat food from anywhere in the world. But the City also wore her down. And in the end, she was happy to move even if Cedar Bluff wasn’t her choice. Although, she’d missed small town life. Things like having dinner with her folks on Sundays and going to the square for the holiday functions. There was something so fresh, so pure in that.
At least that was how she’d thought of it before Astrid’s death. Now she wasn’t so sure. Someone had killed the girl and tossed her away like she was trash. It was easy, but unfair to blame it on outsiders. It could just as easily be someone from Cedar Bluff. She would be a fool to discount a local just because she knew them.
Flipping open the file one more time she picked up the sheet she’d been reading. It was the autopsy report on Astrid. Jason had sent her a copy. He’d wanted to come over and talk with her as she read it, answer any questions but mostly soften the blow. She liked him for that, but it wasn’t what she needed.
The fact was, working in New York City for ten years had hardened her in certain ways. She’d seen all kinds of things, dead bodies among them. As an assistant to one of the city’s Deputy Mayors, all kinds of things had crossed her desk. It was what got her the job here, it was also what made her leave the city. She’d seen too much. Knew too much about too many things.
She read over the report one more time. Astrid had been beaten but that was not the official cause of death. Someone had broken her neck. In short, she had been tortured. Maybe not in the traditional sense like waterboarding or pulling out her fingernails, but she was tortured and then someone killed her.
Because of the state of Astrid’s body, the findings were inconclusive in whether she’d been raped or not. But Mandy had privately told Jason, as she had Harper, that she thought it likely. How she knew was a mystery to Harper and there was nothing about it in the report but Mandy had been quite sure. She must have a feel for these types of things after doing so many autopsies. Kind of like when Harper knew when Susan was going to do something that would purposely piss certain people off and she headed her off at the pass. She just had a gut feeling about it.
Her phone rang. “Hey, Dana. How are you feeling today?”
“My head still hurts but not too bad. Derek took the kids out for breakfast, so I got to sleep a bit.”
“Nice.”
Dana yawned. “You took off in a hurry last night. Did everything just get to you?”
If by everything Dana meant a tall, dark, sexy-as-hell stranger whom she’d kissed with abandon… yup. “Well, when the power went out, it felt like the party was over. It was just time to go, you know?”
“Did you find what you were looking for?” Dana asked.
She tapped a pencil on her desk. “Maybe? I need more time to go back and check it out.”
