Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90472 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“Maybe a little bit of both or maybe a large amount of one compared to the other. Who’s to say or know?” I shrugged. “There’s no set answer, no rhythm or reason, and way too many variables to make sense of it.”
“Promise me you’ll always come to me no matter what’s troubling you,” Ian said.
“Only if you do the same,” I countered.
“A deal,” Ian said and kissed me quick.
“So, anything you need to discuss with me?” I asked with a playful smile.
“Well, now that you asked,” Ian said, bringing his lips close to mine once again. “I have this aching need—”
I brushed my lips over his. “Mine is worse.”
“I can take care of that,” he whispered.
“Promise.”
“Aye, lass, I promise,” he said, and his lips settled against mine in a kiss that turned my legs weak.
I was up in his arms before I knew it.
“This calls for privacy,” he said with a quick glance to Mo and Roxie, both staring at us.
I didn’t waste any time locking the door once in the bedroom.
I was meeting Ian the next morning at his place for breakfast at half eight, as Ian would say, meaning eight-thirty. He had a Zoom business meeting noontime, but that was Edinburgh, Scotland time and with five hours difference that meant seven in the morning for him.
I took Mo with me and both of us were sorry to see the snow had melted more heavily in some places than others. Though that might change, a substantial snowstorm was headed our way unless, of course, it veered off course.
Instead of a straight path to the lodge, Mo and I enjoyed a walk through the woods. Something we both had been missing. Mo’s head went up before I heard the voices. We headed toward them, and I was surprised to see Stan, my dad, Josh, and another deputy at the gravesite where Travis and the unknown woman had been discovered. The protective tent had been removed, nothing more to be found in the grave.
I headed toward them curious as to what had brought them back. Mo ran ahead wagging his tail at the familiar faces.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Someone has disturbed what was left of the grave,” my dad said.
I looked and the hole was wider and deeper. “Someone was searching for something.”
“It looks that way,” my dad said. “I should have kept the crime scene unit here longer, but this is an old case and there are present cases in need of their attention.”
“How did you find out the grave had been disturbed?” I asked, certain Ian didn’t know anything about it, or he would have told me.
“I came upon it,” Stan said. “Something about this case has been nagging at me but I can’t put my finger on it. I don’t know if it’s a memory I’m trying to recall or what, but it’s like having something on the tip of your tongue and not being able to get it out. I thought if I came out here and wandered through the area I had visited with my friends back then, that it might jog my memory. I wound up here and discovered someone had been digging.” He shook his head. “Age combined with medication that robs the memory. Sometimes it can be a good thing to forget some past deeds other times not so much.”
“What now?” I asked my dad.
“Not much I can do,” my dad said, annoyed. “I can’t waste manpower to watch over the gravesite when I have more pressing issues. We’re making preparations if that snowstorm should hit us. The resorts in the surrounding area are booked solid, serious skiers arriving early hoping for a substantial snowfall so they have no trouble getting here and can hit the slopes right away. There’s no good reason for the grave to be monitored. We got what we needed.”
“Mo, quit digging!” Josh yelled.
Mo paid him no mind.
“MO!” I yelled but he was bent on retrieving something and that got me curious. I went over to him. “What have you found, Mo?”
A few more paws of dirt went flying then he turned with something in his mouth.
“Hand it over, Mo,” I said, holding my hand out to him and he dropped it in my palm, which meant he wasn’t interested in his find.
My dad, Stan, and Josh gathered around me to see what it was.
“A pin.” It was caked with years of dirt but from a quick glance I thought it looked similar to the pin I gave to Amy. I wanted desperately to clear the dirt away, but I was wise enough to leave that to a tech who knew what he was doing so I didn’t erase any possible evidence. “I know who could help you with this, Dad.”
“Kate at Yesterday’s Treasure,” Josh said with a smile. “I can take it to her and see what she says.”