cup holders the company would be handing out at the annual picnic.
The next folder contained his credit card bill and a stack of receipts that looked like they matched the charges. The third folder was the information she'd asked him for-a list of projects Gerald had worked on. She wasn't sure how it was going to help, but she took the list from the folder, folded it in half and tucked it into her sling.
A quick glance through the remaining files and papers revealed more of the same-busy work. The company managers obviously gave Carlton just enough to keep him busy the few hours he was in the office but kept him far away from the actual running of the business.
After another quick check into the hallway, she returned to Carlton 's desk and tried the drawers. They were locked, all of them. She yanked on the handle of what should be a file drawer. Not only was the drawer locked but it appeared to have more than the usual flimsy device that was standard issue on most office furniture.
Carlton 's bookshelves held a few titles on business subjects that appeared to have never had their spines cracked. The rest of the shelves were filled with framed pictures of Carlton and his parents, Carlton and Bebe, and Bebe standing by an array of pink cars and boats, wearing an assortment of pink nautical outfits.
Harriet took one last look around the office then stepped quietly into the hallway and left through the same back door Carlton and Bebe had used twenty minutes earlier.
Aiden was standing on the porch to the vet hospital stretching his arms over his head then reaching down and touching his toes when Harriet drove past. She pulled into the next driveway she came to and turned around.
'Did you finish your surgeries?” she asked when she'd parked and gotten out of her car. He met her on the sidewalk.
'Yeah, I just finished. Do you have time for a cup of coffee?'
'Sure,” she said. “I wanted to ask you something anyway.'
'Let me tell them where I'm going,” he said with a nod back toward the clinic.
'I'll drive,” he said when he'd returned. “I can't believe you're safe tooling around with that thing on your arm.'
'Lucky for me there's no traffic to speak of this time of day.'
He helped her into the car and then drove them the dozen blocks to Annie's Coffee Shop on Ship Street. Harriet sat at a table while he ordered their drinks. He was still wearing blue surgical scrubs, and Harriet couldn't help but admire how well he filled them out.
'What are you staring at?” he asked when he came back and sat down opposite her at the dark wood table.
'I was just noting how well your scrubs fit,” she admitted.
'You do know what we wear under these, don't you?'
'You're going to make me blush if you keep talking like that.'
Aiden twined his fingers in hers. “Is that a bad thing?” he said with a roguish smile.
She was saved from answering by the arrival of their drinks-Aiden's cafe Americano her tamer hot cocoa.
'I had an interesting morning,” she said when Annie had returned to the coffee bar. She recounted her talk with Carla and her visit to Foggy Point Fire Protection.
'I know you like Terry, but I still think there's something going on with him, and I think Carla's starting to suspect something, too. She didn't quite say it that way, but she knows something isn't right.'
'I hate to say it, but I'm starting to wonder myself. I didn't want to say anything to Carla, but it seems weird to me he was at the house night and day for a couple of weeks and now all of a sudden he's only around in the morning. But he claims he's on vacation, and he says he hasn't found anything out about his dad. If that's true, what's he doing at night that's keeping him from seeing Carla?'
'That's what I was wondering. And I have an idea.'
'Now I'm afraid.'
'It's not dangerous or anything. I think we should follow him. Tonight.'
'I knew I should be afraid. We aren't detectives. You're a quilter and I'm a vet-we don't follow people.'
'But we could. I think Carla knows where he's staying. We follow him, and when we find out he joined a bowling league and is practicing his game every evening, we can tell Carla and then she won't be worried that she's done something wrong.'
'What if we follow him and he goes to the docks and picks up a drug shipment? What then?'
She didn't say anything.
'Didn't think of that, did you? We might find out things we don't want to know.'
'If he's a drug dealer or worse we do need to know that. It might break Carla's heart, but she needs to know if it's something like that.'
'I can't believe I'm saying this, but okay, say we're going to follow Terry. Do you have any idea how to do that without being detected immediately?” he asked.
'I have a few ideas,” she said with a smile. She picked up her cup and took a sip.
'Since I did early surgery I can be off by four.” He took a drink from his cup.
'Carla invited me to dinner at your house tonight. She wants to do another practice dinner. I'll call her and see how early we can do it.'
'Shall I pick you up on my way home?'
'No, my plan requires us each to have a car.'
'You're starting to make me nervous.'
'It's going to be fine. We're going to find out where Terry goes at night, and he'll be none the wiser.'
Aiden glanced at his watch. “I better go. I need to make sure everybody woke up okay after their surgeries. I hate to leave you on your own when you're like this.'
'I think I've just been insulted.'
'You know what I mean. When you're trying to help one of your friends, you take risks-it scares me.'
'I'm not taking any risks!'
Aiden tugged on the edge of her sling with his fingers. “Says the woman with the broken collar bone.'
'I was not taking a risk when this happened. I was walking in a public park.'
'Yeah, which just happens to be the scene of a crime.'
'It was broad daylight,” Harriet argued, her voice rising slightly.
'I don't like to see you hurt,” he said softly and stood up.
She stood up, too, and leaned into him as he put his arm carefully around her shoulders.
'I won't get hurt again. You'll be with me, remember?'
He guided her past the dirty cup station and out to the car.
'I'm going to go back home and see what the Willis gang is up to,” she said as they drove back to the Animal Hospital.
'I hope they're keeping their hands to themselves.'
'They've got bigger fish to fry. They're waiting for James to arrive.'
'He's the lawyer?'
'Yeah, and unfortunately, it's not hard to imagine more than one reason Mavis could need one.'
'She'll be alright. She's a tough old bird.'
'Not this time. You haven't seen her like I have. She cried when she found that quilt in her house. Have you ever seen her cry?'
'I'm sure with you helping it will all be sorted out.'
'I wish I had your confidence.'
'See you tonight,” he said when she was once again behind the wheel of her car. He leaned in the open window and kissed her. She smiled when he started to pull away, and pulled him back for seconds before she raised her window and drove away.
Aunt Beth was working on the long arm machine when Harriet came into the studio.
