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Kaden found it impossible to imagine the glamorous woman living in the cramped kitchen of an old house, but back then, she might not have been so fussy about her accommodations. Especially if she was already honing her skills in the art of blackmail. She would have realized she was destined to have the lifestyle that was once just a dream.
Kaden glanced down the snow-packed road. “It’s close to the railroad bridge.”
“True.” Lia studied the building, which was set far enough from the road that it wouldn’t be readily noticeable. “She might have come back here that night for some reason.”
“Yes.” It was an odd place to go at midnight, but then again, there might be a new intern living in the apartment at the time. “Maybe she left something behind when she returned to the university.”
“Or deliberately hidden it,” Lia added.
Ah. That made sense. If she had some sort of evidence that proved a local farmer or business was violating the EPA laws, she might have left it in what she hoped was a safe location until she was in the position to use it to her advantage.
Kaden turned in a slow circle. He pointed at the road that veered through the edge of the trees. “That’s the road to the Hurst farm, right?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s check it out.”
Kaden climbed into the Jeep and set the heater on high. The sky was starting to cloud over and there was a dull chill in the air. It wouldn’t be long until the snow started to fall. The sooner they finished checking out the area the better.
He waited for Lia to pull on her seat belt before he made a shallow U-turn and headed down the side road. This time he bypassed the path leading to the meatpacking plant and veered to the right. The lane was narrow, but it was recently plowed and obviously well maintained. Kaden assumed it was Farmer Walsh who was responsible. The rest of the roads in the area were barely passable.
It took several minutes, but at last they cleared the trees and Kaden caught a glimpse of the Hurst homestead. It was beautiful. The white farmhouse, with the traditional wraparound porch and black shutters. The neatly tended paddocks and the massive barns painted a bright red. The rolling fields coated in a layer of pristine snow. It was exactly what you would expect to see if you traveled to Wisconsin.
Unfortunately, Kaden could also see the shed next to the house was empty. And unless the family parked their vehicles in the barn, there was no one around. Marla was no doubt at work. So where were Cord and his dad? It was possible they were out doing chores. Kaden didn’t know what all was involved in running a dairy farm, but he assumed it would be a demanding schedule. Especially in winter.
Turning his attention from the house, Kaden studied the surrounding fields. They were on the top of a ridge that gave them a fantastic view of the area. Including the ugly sprawl of buildings below them.
“You can see the meatpacking plant from here.” He wrinkled his nose at the smoke belching out of the tall chimneys. “I can’t imagine the Walsh family was excited when the place was built. It can’t add to the value of their land.”
Lia pointed through the front windshield. “And that’s the reservoir.”
Kaden tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he studied the distant lake surrounded by a high chain-link fence. It was within easy walking distance of both the plant and the farm.
“It’s like the Bermuda Triangle,” he murmured. “Vanna could have been coming from any of these places.”
“Or the extension office.”
“Or town,” he added in dry tones.
“It doesn’t look like there’s anyone around,” Lia said, shivering despite the heater being on high.
Kaden studied her pale face, which looked oddly drawn, as if she was tired to the bone.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She grimaced. “I think I’d like to lie down for a little bit.”
“No problem. It’s going to take a couple of days to recover from the blow to your head. You need to take it easy.”
She didn’t argue. Which meant she was even more tired than she wanted to admit. Not surprising. Even if she did insist her wound wasn’t bothering her, she’d been violently attacked. The adrenaline rush from that encounter would suck away her energy. Maybe for days.
Jamming the gear into Reverse, Kaden backed into the driveway and turned the Jeep in the direction of town. He pressed his foot on the gas pedal, going at a speed that felt like a crawl but was as fast as he dared on the slick road.
Lia leaned back in her seat, her eyes closed as if she was too weary to keep them open. It wasn’t until they were back on Main Street that she sat up straight and glanced around.
“Kaden, look,” she abruptly broke the silence, pointing toward the ambulance that was parked in front of the courthouse. “Something’s happening.”
Kaden had noticed the emergency vehicle, but he wasn’t interested in anything but getting Lia tucked in her bed as quickly as possible.
