Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 51995 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 260(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51995 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 260(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
He would never be able to coral her, would he? “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you call him by that ridiculous nickname. And I’ve been looking into the clinic employees since day one.”
“Well?” she demanded, all but daring him to prove his smarts. “Have you found anything?”
He heaved a sigh. Soooo badly he wanted to spill what he knew. Only thing he could do? Repeat, “I’m pursuing several people of interest.” For his own peace of mind, he changed the subject. “Did you get someone out there to beef up security?”
“I called a local business from…mmm…Peach State Security. Yes, that’s it. We haven’t managed to connect, though. Apparently he just opened up shop. I’m going to give him a couple more days.”
A few days? Not good enough. “I instructed Sheriff Moore to have a deputy patrol the cemetery each night, but he doesn’t have the resources to spare the man much longer. Nor do I.” If Conrad had to spend the next few nights parked in front of her cottage, he would. “If you don’t hear back from Peach State Security by the end of business today, let me know. I’m acquainted with several firefighters here in Atlanta who install security equipment on their off days.”
“Okay, will do,” she said as a muffled knock drifted to his ears. “Gotta go. I’ve got a visitor. No doubt it’s someone else wanting a peek at the crime scene. Don’t worry, though. Rolex and I are taking care of it.” Click.
Conrad pursed his lips and stared down at his phone. Organized chaos. He saw it now. She was Hurricane Jane, both the wind and eye of the storm.
Throughout the day, as sense of bemusement blazed brighter and brighter. He decided to shelve his work for the evening, take a break, and start fresh in the morning. Maybe he’d have better results then.
At home, Conrad changed into shorts and tennis shoes, and strapped his phone to his bicep. He headed to Piedmont Park to jog. The hilly paved trail offered the perfect challenge; he lost himself along the Active Oval while listening to a little league ballgame in the distance, then spiked his heart rate by sprinting up and down the stairs. Sweat covered him.
Again and again, his thoughts returned to Jane. Awareness and uneasiness grew, sensitizing his nerve endings. Besides her bootleg investigating, how else did the gravekeeper spend her time? Was it the single purple hat or did she have more? How good were those blueberry pancakes? And why did any of this matter?
He’d only met the woman once and spoken with her twice. He shouldn’t be this obsessed. But he was, and he didn’t like it. On the other hand, he liked it. A lot.
What was he going to do about this? About her? What should he do?
By the time he strode into his condo an hour and a half later, he’d burned off some excess energy and none of his inner agitation. He craved a hit of Jane’s peace and—noises spilled from his kitchen.
He sighed. No need to grab the gun he’d locked in his safe. He knew the identity of his visitor. Only two people had a key and a free pass from the doorman. But only one of those people ever stopped by unannounced.
Yep. Sure enough. Wyatt puttered about the kitchen, opening cabinets and grunting with disgust. He was younger than Conrad and roughly the same height. A hazel eyed, sandy-haired playboy who was still a kid at heart, with no real emotional armor. He always looked for the best in every person. Something Corbin had done too. Perhaps the reason Conrad had been drawn to him as kids.
With Wyatt, Conrad got to be a big brother again. The pain of losing his family in a car accident didn’t hurt as much. Even if it was an all too brief reprieve.
He leaned against the doorframe and waited. At last, Wyatt noticed him and straightened.
The other man spread his arms, unabashed. “You need to go grocery shopping, bro. I’m here to celebrate getting back together with my girl by pillaging from your coffers, but all you’ve got is a bottle of ketchup and protein shakes.”
“I’ve been busy,” he said with a shrug. “Why are you celebrating with me and not her, anyway?”
“Because I already celebrated with her, and I missed you. By the way, I’m ordering us a couple pizzas and you’re paying. It’s the least you can do since I’m here honoring you with my presence.”
Conrad snorted. Thing was, the guy wasn’t wrong. “Deal.” He grabbed a glass and filled it with water at the sink. “In return, you can give me some romantic advice.” No one had dated around more than Wyatt. Although, granted, none of his relationships had ever stuck.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Grinning, Wyatt snatched the glass from his hand, water sloshing over the rim. “Romantic advice? Who are you and what have you done with my big bro?”