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She’d updated the store accounts, including the payroll and the monthly bills and was skimming through a business prospectus she’d requested when the sound of shattering glass destroyed her concentration. With a muttered curse, Lia shoved herself to her feet and marched out of the office. The sound had come from the back alley where she kept her dumpster. It wasn’t uncommon for one or more of her neighbors to use it as their personal trash can. A habit she was attempting to curb since she’d gotten a ticket for someone throwing paint cans into the stupid thing.
Lia shoved open the door, but she was careful to remain inside the building. She wasn’t charging blindly into any situation. Not until they’d discovered who ran over Drew and murdered the judge.
She glanced toward the dumpster, frowning when she didn’t see any sign of movement. Had someone driven past and tossed out a bottle? She turned her head, absently glancing in the direction of her SUV. That was when she realized the back window was busted.
Damn. Had it been deliberately smashed? Or was it the result of an unseen crack and the frigid cold? It wouldn’t be the first time she had a shattered window.
Lia leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the damage, already assessing what she needed to do to get it repaired. She’d have to call to make a police report, contact her insurance, make an appointment with Sykes Automotive. . .
She was running through the mental list when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. She had no idea what it was, but she instinctively jerked backward.
That quick reaction saved her from a cracked skull as a heavy object scraped over her temple, taking a layer of skin before it thudded heavily to the ground. Pain stabbed through her head and the world went dark for a brief moment, but Lia, thankfully, didn’t pass out. With a strangled sound, she slammed shut the door and locked it before scurrying toward the front of the store to bolt the main entrance. Then, heading back to the office, she closed the door and locked it before grabbing her phone and sending a frantic text to Kaden.
I need you
* * *
The diner was exactly what he’d expected. A long, narrow room with Formica tables and tiled floor that was worn by years of wear and tear. A high, wooden shelf that held a collection of black-and-white ceramic cows ran the length of the walls. There were hundreds of them, in all sizes. Obviously, a reference to the numerous dairy farms that surrounded the town.
As he entered, Kaden caught sight of the long table near the back counter, where a half dozen men were sitting together, sipping coffee and no doubt sharing gossip. They were dressed like men who worked with their hands in thick flannel and coveralls. Their faces were ruddy from days spent in the sharp wind and they had various amounts of hair that were flattened by their hats. They fell silent as Kaden entered, their brows lifting when they realized he intended to join them at the table.
He smiled toward the hovering waitress before taking a seat and introducing himself to the locals.
Thirty minutes later, Kaden felt a stab of satisfaction as he glanced around at the men who watched him with rapt expressions as he shared yet another memory from his days on movie sets. He didn’t really like to talk about his years as a stuntman because it always sounded like he was bragging. Or implying he was best buds with famous actors. But over the years he’d developed a few stories that centered on his occasional disasters. Like the time he destroyed a hundred-thousand-dollar Lamborghini. And when he’d forgotten to close the curtains on the trailer that was set up for him on the movie lot and a group of tourists were standing at the window watching him step out of the shower stark naked. And when the director asked him to fill in a small role and he kept screwing up the lines until the actress threatened to have them tattooed on her forehead.
As he finished the last story, the men burst out laughing, and Kaden leaned back in his seat, sipping his coffee. He’d already consumed two slices of pie. Lia wasn’t lying when she said it was the best. Now he judged the time was right to get to the reason he’d come to the small diner.
“Are all of you from Pike?” he asked, his tone casual.
They nodded in unison, but it was the heavyset man with a broad face and dark eyes who answered. He had told Kaden his name was Rex and he had a remarkable resemblance to Deputy Anthony. He also seemed to be the unofficial leader of the pack.
“Yep, born and raised.”
Kaden leaned forward. “I was wondering if you might answer a few questions for me.”
The men exchanged glances, suddenly wary.
“About the skeleton?” Rex demanded.
Kaden sensed the hesitation. This diner crew would shut him down if they suspected he was there to exploit their town. He had to let them know his interest was personal, not professional.
And the only way to do that was to be honest.
“My brother’s fiancée disappeared in this area over fifteen years ago. When I heard about the skeleton, I decided to travel here to see if it might be her.”
“Lots of girls have disappeared in these parts,” one of the men muttered.
Kaden grimaced. “So I’ve heard.”
“Any luck?” Rex asked.
“Not so far. I’ve been poking around in the hopes I could retrace her footsteps before she died.”
“Why do you think she would have been in Pike?” one of the younger men with a heavy beard and dark eyes demanded.
“Vanna worked for the EPA and this town was located in the area she investigated.”
“EPA?” Rex furrowed his brow. “That’s some sort of government watchdog, ain’t it?”
