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The protest was more reflexive than heartfelt. Lia didn’t want to think someone she knew was responsible for the awful crimes.
“Whoever entered your store last night had a key,” Kaden insisted. “It has to be Wayne or Della.”
“Either one of them could have left a key laying around.” Lia knew that sticking her head in the sand wasn’t going to help. Just the opposite. But there was a stubborn part of her that wanted to cling to her belief in both Wayne and Della. They weren’t just employees. They were a part of her family. “It’s not like we ever worried about being robbed. Not in Pike.”
Easily sensing her distress, Kaden smoothly turned his suspicions to a less sensitive suspect.
“Wayne and Cord are friends, right?”
Lia eagerly latched onto the opportunity to point the finger of blame in another direction. Selfish, but hey, she was human.
“Not really friends,” she conceded. “But I’m sure they’ve been together at the hospital to visit Drew. Or just hanging around town. Pike isn’t big enough for them to avoid each other.”
Kaden’s expression was distracted, as if he was mentally shuffling through the various bits of evidence against the young man.
“The Hurst family owns a dairy farm. Maybe they weren’t happy with the work Vanna was doing at the extension office. If she confirmed that the dairy industry was destroying the environment, it could have put their livelihood at risk.”
They exchanged a glance, knowing it was a stretch. Before Lia could respond, there was the sound of the front door opening, and Wayne called out, “Ms. Porter?”
“I’m in the office,” Lia called back.
Kaden straightened from the desk and lowered his arms. “He still has his key.”
Lia nodded, watching as Wayne entered the office. He was wearing a heavy parka, but he had on a pair of expensive sneakers. That meant he’d used his mother’s car to travel the short distance. He wouldn’t risk ruining his new shoes in the snow.
Belatedly catching sight of Kaden, Wayne skidded to a halt, his face flushing with pleasure.
“Oh . . . hey, man.” He cleared his throat, trying to play it cool. “How’s it going?”
Lia grabbed a laptop and moved forward to take control. She knew Wayne well enough to realize he had a wonderful heart, but he was like any teenager. If he thought he was being interrogated, he would shut down.
They needed information, not sullen silence.
She set the laptop on the table and took a seat, waving a hand to the chair next to her. “Thanks for coming so quickly.”
“No problem.” Wayne plopped down, his eyes widening as he caught sight of Lia’s face. “You’re hurt. What happened?”
Lia wrinkled her nose. She’d forgotten about her wound, but it offered the perfect opening.
“Someone threw a brick at me.”
Wayne blinked, staring at her as if he thought she was trying to make a joke. At last, he shook his head in disbelief.
“Where? In the store?”
She waved a hand toward the window. “In the alley.”
He continued to stare at her, as if lost for words. “I . . . I don’t get it. Who would do that?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.” Kaden strolled to stand next to the table.
“And you think I can help?” Wayne demanded.
Kaden nodded. “That’s the hope.”
“I can ask around. It’s hard to keep secrets in Pike.” Wayne returned his attention to Lia. “When did it happen?”
“Yesterday. Around noon,” Lia answered.
