“Well, thank you. We have a kitchen down the hall, if you want to eat where it’s quiet.”
“No, stay,” Chelsey grumbled. “You don’t have to leave on my account.”
“I brought an extra sub,” Darren said, glancing at Chelsey.
“No thanks. I have a yogurt.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, yogurt is my life.”
Darren scratched his head and turned to Raven.
“You do like subs, I hope.”
“Yum. What kind did you get?”
“One roast beef, one turkey, and a veggie sub. I, uh, wasn’t sure which you’d prefer.”
“All three are fine. But I could go for turkey.”
“Turkey, it is. And I’ll take the roast beef. You said something about a kitchen?”
“Stay here. I’ll grab plates.”
He handed her the bag.
“Put the veggie sub in the refrigerator,” said Darren. He nodded at Chelsey. “If you change your mind, feel free.”
Chelsey grunted something indecipherable.
Raven boosted herself onto the counter to reach the top shelf. Her heart pounded as she rummaged through the cupboards for plates. Ever since LeVar got Darren and Raven talking, she couldn’t get the state park ranger out of her mind. She grabbed two sodas from the refrigerator, closed the door, and muttered to herself. She yanked the door open again and snagged a third soda. Inside the office, she set the extra soda on Chelsey’s desk. Her boss swiveled her eyes to the can.
“Thanks,” Chelsey said under her breath.
Raven gave her a love tap on the shoulder.
“Brighten up, sunshine.”
The sandwich tasted wonderful and sure beat the salad she would have built at home. Still, she worried about her mother alone in the house. She couldn’t call LeVar to check on her. Her brother worked this afternoon at the Broken Yolk.
Darren gazed around the room.
“I always wondered what it was like to work at a private investigation firm.”
Raven chewed her sandwich and dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
“Considering a career change?”
“I’m happy at the state park. Peaceful days, no one staring over my shoulder, and good company.”
He met her eyes, and she felt her face flush.
“I enjoy hanging out with good company.”
“How’s business?”
“We can’t keep up,” Raven said, glancing toward Chelsey. Her boss was too immersed to reply. “One case after another.”
“What are you working on today?”
Raven sipped her soda.
“An infidelity case, but it’s turning into something larger.”
“Oh?”
“A client hired us to monitor her fiance, Damian Ramos. The guy is young enough to be her kid.”
“That’s always a bad sign.”
“I caught him flirting with a cute blonde at Benson’s Barbells in Kane Grove. You know the place?”
“I’ve heard of it.”
“The girl turned out to be Ellie Fisher, from Wolf Lake.”
Darren’s forehead creased.
“Why do I know that name?”
“She’s the girl on the news who went missing.”
Chelsey glared at Raven through the tops of her eyes. Whatever goodwill Raven earned by offering her boss a soda flew out the window when she talked shop with Darren.
“Wow. Did this Damian Ramos character kidnap Ellie Fisher?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out.”
“I trust you’re keeping the sheriff’s department in the loop.”
Raven looked at Chelsey. Her boss shoved her chair back and stomped toward the kitchen.
“Was it something I said?” Darren asked.
“Don’t worry about her. She’s in one of her moods.”
“Sorry. I spoke to Thomas this morning. The cookout was such an enormous success, he wants to have one every week, at least while the pleasant weather lasts. He’s hosting next week. We should invite Chelsey to the grill-fest.”
Raven bit her lip.
“That’s the last thing we should suggest.” Raven leaned toward Darren and lowered her voice. “Chelsey and Thomas won’t acknowledge their history together. They’re still hung up on each other. But neither will admit it.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “If I had my way, I’d lock them in a room and force them to talk.”
“You’re sure Thomas still has feelings for Chelsey? He’s getting pretty chummy with his neighbor.”
“Naomi Mourning?”
“You bet.”
“Wow. That happened fast. I mentioned Naomi and Scout the other day, and Chelsey got sullen.”
“You mean she’s not always this way?”
“She’s fun to be around. Most of the time.”
Raven coughed into her hand when Chelsey returned to the room. Darren leaned back in his chair.
“What will you do about Damian Ramos?”
“Follow him from work, see what he’s up to when he’s off the clock. Flirting isn’t cheating, and we can’t prove he had anything to do with Ellie Fisher going missing. But if he’s guilty, I’ll nail him to the wall.”
“You shouldn’t spy on Damian alone. There’s no telling if the guy is dangerous.”
“I’m good at not being seen.”
Darren gave her an unconvinced grunt. She wished he’d offer to accompany her. But she didn’t expect Darren to abandon his post at the state park, and she barely knew the man. He finished his sandwich, crumpled the wrapper, and tossed it into the garbage.
“Be careful.”
“I promise.”
“Text me after you arrive. It’s a smart idea to share your position with people, just in case the surveillance mission goes south.”
“Roger that.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
He brushed his hair back.
“We should do this again. Lunch, I mean.”
“Maybe next time I’ll drive to the park,” Raven said. Chelsey didn’t look up. “Anyway, I can’t thank you enough for bringing me lunch. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“I’ll be around. Just me, three families camping, and a few dozen squirrels.” He stopped in the doorway. “Nice to see you again, Chelsey.”
“You, too,” said Chelsey.
Raven rolled her eyes over the half-hearted reply.
A part of her wanted to take the afternoon off and spend the day at the park with Darren. And it wasn’t only to avoid Chelsey’s mood swings. Something about Damian Ramos made her flesh crawl. Like waking at midnight and finding a scorpion on the pillow.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Friday, July 17th
4:20 p.m.
“Are you sure about this? I don’t want to offend her,” said Naomi as she opened the truck door.
Thomas helped Naomi down from the cab. He’d parked the F-150 a block from the Broken Yolk where shoppers enjoying their lunch hours hustled through the village, the afternoon straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
“Ruth will be
