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Kaden sent her a rueful glance. “I told everyone in the diner I had information about Vanna that I intended to hand over to the FBI. By now I’m sure everyone in Pike has heard the story.”
“Seriously?”
“I wanted to stir things up. Our killer—or killers—have been annoyingly clever at staying hidden in plain sight. They managed to run over Drew and slam the judge into the back of his garage in broad daylight.” His eyes smoldered, his frustration vibrating around him. “It has to be someone local. Someone who wouldn’t be noticed driving around town or walking the streets.”
“I agree. But why pretend you have information for the FBI?”
He shrugged. “I was hoping it might make them desperate enough to expose themselves.”
Lia glanced toward the empty table. She didn’t doubt the men from the diner had quickly spread the rumor of mystery files and the FBI. And no doubt embellished the story until it sounded like the government was about to sweep into Pike and start hauling off potential criminals.
“It looks like it worked.”
“Too well.” He crossed toward the back of the room, peering out the window into the alley. “I didn’t consider the fact that anyone could have walked past and seen the files on the table.” He slammed a fist into his open palm, the sound echoing loudly through the office. “Damn. That was careless.”
Lia shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault. Anyone could have walked past and seen the files, but not everyone has a key to get in the building,” she reminded him.
He slowly turned to meet her steady gaze. “Wayne?”
“I think we should ask him.”
Chapter 19
Lia left the office to head upstairs. She’d left her phone on the counter when they were talking to Anthony.
“Who do you want to talk to first? Cord or Wayne?” Kaden asked, walking close behind her.
“Wayne.” Grabbing her phone, she tapped in a quick text. “I’ll see if he can meet us here.” Less than a minute passed before Lia had her answer. “He’s on his way.”
Kaden looked grim. “Let’s go back to the office. I don’t want him up here.”
Lia readily retraced her steps to the office. She understood Kaden’s caution. And honestly, she didn’t want anyone in her private space right now. Well, no one except the man who was walking close enough to tease her senses with his warm, male scent. Kaden would always be welcome in her home.
Still, she didn’t want to consider the possibility that the young man could ever be a threat. Not to her.
“I can’t believe Wayne would be responsible for any of this.” She spoke her thoughts out loud as they entered the office. “Certainly he couldn’t have been involved in Vanna’s death. He wouldn’t have been more than two or three years old when she disappeared.”
Kaden leaned against the desk, his arms folded over his chest. “What about his family?”
“He was raised by a single mother.”
“Do they live in town?”
“Yes.” Lia had driven Wayne home when the weather was bad or if he happened to work late. The house was rapidly decaying, with a sagging roof and a porch that tilted to a drunken angle. Amber Neilson did her best, but it was tough for a woman raising a kid on her own. It wasn’t the condition of the house that made her grimace, however. It was the location. “It’s just a couple of blocks from where Drew was hit.”
Kaden’s jaw tightened, as if her words confirmed his suspicion that Wayne was somehow involved in the crimes.
“Where does she work?”
“She bounces from job to job.” Lia didn’t mention the fact that Amber was often fired for not showing up for her shifts. “Last I heard, she was tending bar at the Bait and Tackle.”
“Did she ever work at the meatpacking plant?”
Lia hesitated, trying to latch onto a vague memory. “I think she was working there when she was pregnant. There were a lot of people in town mad when she was fired just a few weeks after Wayne was born.”
“A coincidence?” Kaden arched a brow. “Or a connection?”
“No, not Amber.”
