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The smile flattened, but his eyes still twinkled in the way they always had. And now that she reflected on it, the description was apt.
“I would very much appreciate your help, Ms. Larsen.”
She took a moment while she arranged the papers in front of him to regain her composure. It wasn’t easy—having him so close was a class-A distraction all its own—but her excitement at what she might have found leveled that up a couple of notches.
“Look at this first.” She pointed at the will.
Mr. Reed had left his house and the surrounding few acres to his son, which was the property Anders lived on now. But he’d split the remaining acreage between his two daughters. If Mr. Reed hid the alien gizmos, there were three places they could be.
“What’s on the other properties?”
Mere smiled and pulled out the property documents. Anders helped her unroll the paper, and they weighed down the edges with books. The daughters had built their own homes after their father’s death, and their brother had sold the original property three decades later. The new owner must be Anders’s landlord.
Anders frowned as he peered at the documents. “These houses are too new, but the lean-to…I remember it now. Mr. Reed had me hide there when they were looking for me. It was close to the forest and out of sight of the house and the barn.”
“Could be worth investigating,” she said. “There’s also this.”
She pulled out the blueprints to the Reed house. And the blueprints for several additions both Mr. Reed and his son had received permits for. Mere would have to ask her aunt, but from the little she’d gleaned from pulling the documents, the house had remained relatively unchanged in the decades since. Mr. Reed had added an extra room a few years before he died, perhaps around the time Anders had stayed with him. His son had added a full garage and a new guest suite.
“If I was going to hide something important and secret, I might put it in a wall.” Mere pointed to the date on the blueprint of the last addition Mr. Reed had overseen. “Wasn’t this the year you…visited?”
“No, I arrived two years before, I think. My idea of time here was muddled at first. He could have stashed the device somewhere and hid it better later, especially since I failed to return as quickly as either of us expected.”
“Sounds like you have some places to look now.”
“But how am I supposed to look through walls?”
Mere rolled her eyes. “Was it made of metal?”
He nodded and his brows rose. “Stud finder.”
She held in the snicker that term always caused. He caught the pained looked and cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Thank you. Can I make copies of these documents?”
She bit her lip. “I have to make the copies since they’re official documents, and the blueprints have to be copied on a special machine. I’ll have to charge you.”
“Of course, Ms. Larsen.” He tipped his hat. “Much obliged.”
Mere resisted the temptation to swat him for his old-fashioned formality.
11
BLACK SUV
Two days later, Mere was beyond curious about how Anders’s search had turned out, but she hadn’t seen or heard from him since Wednesday. Not that she blamed him. She had asked for space, and he was giving it to her. She would have to make the next move if she wanted anything else from their budding relationship.
As she drove up to the library, a shiver ran down her spine. Parked in her spot was a black SUV with government plates. Oh boy, this wasn’t good. She parked and took a moment to gather her things, clenching her hands to still their shaking. Although it could be about anything, the likelihood it was about Anders was close to one hundred percent.
Mere exited her vehicle and approached the door of the library. Both front doors of the SUV opened, and two people emerged. The woman was taller than the man, but both wore dark suits and sensible shoes.
“Good morning. Are you the librarian?” the woman asked with a cool, professional smile.
Her partner didn’t smile at all. His gaze scanned the area and his hand hovered too close to his firearm on his hip for Mere’s comfort.
She played along. What other choice did she have if she wanted to keep Anders safe?
“Good morning. I am. What can I do for you?”
