But then again, Mo thought, maybe her sister wouldn’t have said any of those things. Tricia had fallen in love with a man who wasn’t her husband. That she could do something like that given how straight-laced she was... Well, Mo smiled to herself. Maybe Tricia would have understood, maybe even approved since the only two people who could get hurt were Mo and Brick.
Mo started at the pounding on the door. She shot a look at Brick. “Your father?”
He shrugged and got up from the bed to pull on his jeans. She grabbed what she could find of her clothing and hurried into the bathroom and closed the door. She could hear voices. The marshal?
She was dressed pretty much by the time Brick tapped on the door.
“There’s someone who needs to see you,” he said.
She opened the door and looked out. Her brother-in-law, Thomas, stood just inside the door—which was almost in the middle of the tiny studio apartment.
“Thomas?” she asked, stepping from the bathroom. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brick pull on a shirt. They were both barefoot and she hadn’t been able to find her bra. Her body still tingled from their lovemaking and she knew her cheeks had to be flushed. “What are you doing here?” she asked, catching the tumble of covers on the unmade bed out of the corner of her eye.
“I have to talk to you,” he said, a muscle jumping in his jaw as he looked from her to Brick. “I had a feeling you’d be here.” He didn’t sound approving, which instantly got her hackles up.
“We should step outside.” She moved toward him even as he glanced pointedly at her bare feet. “This won’t take long,” she said to both him and Brick. Once out on the outdoor second-story landing, she demanded to know what he wanted.
As if seeing her ire, he said, “I’m sorry, but I had to talk to you. I came up after Jeffrey called me, but when I got there, he and JP were being arrested. Do you have any idea what is going on? Does it have something to do with Tricia’s death?”
His words stopped her cold. Did he know about Tricia and JP? “Why would you ask that?”
“Because she worked at that animal shelter they owned.”
“Remember, I was suspended. I don’t know what charges are being brought against them,” she said truthfully.
“It’s not just that,” Thomas said. “I found something in Tricia’s closet, hidden in the back.”
“Why were you digging in—”
“It’s a box with a note on top that says I am to give it to you.”
She took a breath and let it out slowly. “Did you look inside?” Of course he would look. Any normal person would.
“There were some papers in a manila envelope. I couldn’t make heads or tails out of them.”
Mo nodded. “She left some other ones for me, as well. You don’t need to worry about it. I’m taking care of it.” She started to turn back to the door inside. The night air was chilly. Brick’s warm arms called to her. She hadn’t let herself admit it, but she felt safe with him. Safe and protected in a way that didn’t take away her own strength, her own ability to take care of herself.
“It wasn’t just paper,” Thomas said. “There was also a key to what appears to be bank security box in the bottom of the envelope. I wasn’t able to open the box at the bank, but I thought with your police connection...”
She stopped midstep. A safety deposit key? Maybe Tricia had left something even more important. Mo still wanted a letter or a note from her sister. She knew Thomas did, as well.
“Give it to me and I’ll see what I can do,” she said, holding out her hand.
“I don’t have it. I locked it up in my desk at work until I saw you. I didn’t expect to find you here in Big Sky or I would have brought it.”
She studied him in the faint starlight. “Why are you here if you hadn’t known I was?”
“Jeffrey. He called to say he needed to see me.”
“About what?”
“He wouldn’t say. I just assumed it had something to do with one of his seminars. He had approached me about working for him if I ever thought about leaving my pharmaceutical job.”
This surprised her. “Were you thinking of leaving it to work for him?”
Thomas let out a laugh. “Not now that he’s been arrested. Listen, I’ll let you get back to...” He waved a hand toward the apartment door. “I’m helping lock up Jeffrey’s house after the FBI are finished.”
“I didn’t realize you and Jeffrey were that close.” She could tell the question irritated him.
“It’s not just me. There’s a group of us who have volunteered to help. I’m sure he’ll be out within hours once he calls his lawyer.” Mo wasn’t so sure about that, but she kept her thoughts to herself. “I plan to drive back to Billings tomorrow afternoon,” he was saying. “If you’re back by then, why don’t you stop by my office?”
“Tomorrow’s a Sunday. You normally don’t work—”
“I like working on the weekends. It gives me something to keep my mind off everything.” He must have seen her hesitation. “Or you can wait until Monday or whenever to get the key. Up to you.”
He had to know how anxious she was to find out what Tricia had left for them. “I’ll drive over tomorrow. I’ll call when I get to town.” In the meantime, she wanted to spend the rest of this night with Brick.
BRICK’S CELL PHONE brought him swimming up from the wonder of deep, nightmare-less sleep. For a moment, he couldn’t find his phone, he was so wrapped up in Mo’s warm body. His hand snaked out. He felt around on the table beside the
