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“Wayne is only seventeen.” She didn’t bother to mention the boy would be turning eighteen next month. “And very naïve.”
Kaden blinked, as if blindsided by her fierce defense of the teenager. “I don’t mean him any harm.” He held up his slender hand. “I swear.”
“So why are you here?”
He hesitated. Was he reluctant to disclose his reason because he didn’t trust her? Or because he knew she wouldn’t approve?
“I think I might know the identity of the skeleton,” he finally revealed.
It was Lia’s turn to be caught off guard. She stared at him in disbelief, belatedly realizing she’d been distracted by the revelation that he worked in television. Was it any wonder she’d assumed he intended to sensationalize the skeleton in some sick way?
Now she struggled to accept that he might have an actual connection to the victim.
“Are you joking?”
He arched a dark brow. “I’ve been told I have an odd sense of humor, but not that odd.”
Lia grimaced. It’d been a stupid question. She glanced around the empty store. She’d gone from wanting to get rid of the stranger before he could lure Wayne into doing something stupid to wanting to discover exactly what he knew about the skeleton.
“Follow me.” Without waiting to see if he would obey her sharp command, Lia marched down the center aisle and into the narrow hall. Then, entering her office, she turned to watch Kaden cautiously step in behind her. He looked mildly surprised as he glanced around, no doubt comparing the sleek, modern furniture and expensive computer system with the cozy shabbiness in the front of the building. She waved a hand toward one of the steel-and-leather chairs set in the corner. “Have a seat.”
He paused, then with a faint shrug, he moved to settle on the chair that was designed for comfort as well as function. She occasionally held business meetings in the office and she wanted to make sure that no one was in a hurry to leave.
“It’s my turn to ask what’s going on,” he said, eyeing her with a curious expression.
Lia perched on the edge of her desk. “First, I need to be certain you aren’t here to exploit that poor woman,” she said, still not convinced she could trust this man.
“Exploit her? What are you talking about?”
“Wayne mentioned you have some sort of television show.”
His jaw tightened, as if he was offended by the suggestion he was there to take advantage of the situation.
“No longer. Nowadays I’m just a mechanic in Vegas. My presence in Pike is strictly personal.”
She studied his starkly beautiful face. She didn’t think he was lying to her, but she wasn’t sure he was telling her the whole truth. At last, she shrugged. Right now all that mattered was discovering the identity of the woman she’d seen all those years ago.
“You said you think you might know who the skeleton is.” She grimaced. “Or who she was.”
He tapped one slender finger on the arm of the chair, the silver gaze moving around the office before returning to study her with unnerving intensity.
“Do you work with the police department?”
“No.”
“Then what’s your interest?”
“The same as yours.”
He made a sound of annoyance at her vague response. “I feel like we’re talking in circles. Frankly, I’m getting dizzy.”
Lia sighed. He was right. Neither of them wanted to be the first to reveal what they knew. Like poker players trying to disguise what cards they held.
“I saw the woman the night she died,” she abruptly confessed.
She heard Kaden suck in a startled breath. “Where?”
“She was on the old bridge that spans the railroad tracks just outside of town.”
