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“And why was she in Pike?” Lia added.
Both questions had to be answered if they were going to figure out what happened to Vanna Zimmerman.
Kaden continued to walk in a circle, his expression distracted. Lia remained perched on the desk. There was only room for one pacer at a time in the cramped space. Plus, she didn’t want to risk brushing up against his hard muscles. The touch of his hand had been enough to send tingles through her. She was afraid if she had full-body contact, she might self-combust.
Thankfully unaware of her absurd thoughts, Kaden came to an abrupt halt, turning to face her.
“I wonder if it’s possible she was here in her official capacity.”
“As an EPA agent?”
“Yes.”
Lia had never encountered an EPA official in town, but she assumed they made yearly inspections in every community. The city water supply, landfills, maybe even the local dairy farms. It seemed doubtful, however, they would do their inspections in the middle of the night.
“Can you ask your brother if there was a reason she might have been in Pike?”
His jaw tightened. “Darren died five years ago.”
The words were carefully devoid of emotion, which only made them more painful. This man was still mourning the loss of his brother.
“I’m sorry.”
“He never stopped searching for Vanna.” Kaden clenched his hands into tight fists. “He was certain her disappearance wasn’t an accident.”
Lia felt an odd urge to reach out and offer him comfort. She sensed this man didn’t easily share his emotions. Even his grief. With an effort, she resisted temptation.
“He thought someone deliberately hurt her?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“He didn’t say. At least not to me.” Kaden shrugged, but Lia didn’t miss the pain that darkened his eyes. As if the memory of his brother was still an open wound. “But if she was running down the road in the middle of the night, it seems possible he was right.”
Lia wrinkled her nose. “I don’t remember hearing any rumors of anyone in trouble with the EPA.”
“It was a long time ago. You couldn’t have been more than . . .” He tilted his head to the side, studying her with open curiosity.
“Fifteen.”
“Fifteen. What were you doing out in the middle of the night?”
She snorted at the hint of reprimand in his voice. “You never snuck out when you were a teenager?”
“Constantly. But I was a rebel. I doubt you were.”
She stiffened, offended by his words. Even strangers assumed she was a follow-the-rules, always-dependable bore.
“Why do you doubt I was a rebel?”
“Because you look like an angel.”
Oh. Her heart fluttered. Really and truly fluttered. Like a butterfly trapped in a net. Good grief. She cleared her throat, battling back the urge to blush.
“Did you come here to ID the body?”
His lips twitched, but he allowed her to return the conversation to the reason he was in Pike.
