Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(40)
How did he answer that when he’d been trying to make up his mind all day? Looking at her anxious face, he knew he couldn’t do it though. “The job is still yours.”
Her eyes lit. “Thank you, Drake. You won’t be sorry. I’ll be ultra careful with them.”
“I know you will.” But what could she do if her uncle suddenly showed up? Maybe he should get her some bear spray like Kevin mentioned. “Do you carry bear spray?”
A smile tugged at her lips and she leaned over to dig in her purse before holding up a can of spray in a triumphant gesture. “Any good Mainer carries bear spray. You never know when you’re going to need it. You’ve seen bears around?”
He shook his head. “Kevin mentioned they like the berries this time of year, so I was a little worried about the girls.”
“I don’t have that many berries, so I’m not sure my fields will be much of a draw. But I’ll be watching for them.” Her gaze landed on the computer.
He went to the kitchen to get on the Internet. It was unlikely he’d find clues to Melissa’s affair with Wang online, but he wanted to see if there were any pictures of the two of them floating around. She and Heath had gone to many fund-raisers, and Wang was known to try to launder his money that way.
He scrolled through page after page, then finally paused over a familiar face at an event to raise money for Melissa’s favorite project, one for battered women. Melissa wore a black cocktail dress that showed off her model figure. Just off to the right stood a figure only partly in the frame. Though he had his head turned a bit, Drake knew it was Wang. The tenseness in the man’s shoulders and head told of his interest in Melissa. And standing by the serving table about ten feet or so behind Melissa stood his brother. Heath wasn’t smiling and seemed to be staring at Melissa and Wang.
Was this when Heath first became suspicious of his wife? Drake checked the date of the event. March 15, two weeks before the e-mail transcript began. Bingo.
“Research into your brother’s death?”
“Yeah.” He showed her the picture.
Kate studied it. “Your brother looks a little angry.”
“Yeah, he probably didn’t like the predatory look on Wang’s face.”
“How are you going to find out what was going on between them?”
He shut his computer. “I think I’ll have to call a lot of hotels and restaurants and see if anyone will talk. Wang is known to frequent sushi places and high-end hotels. If I could just get enough evidence for probable cause, I’d ask the sheriff to subpoena his credit card statements. And once the employee knows I’m investigating Wang, I probably won’t find out much. People are scared of him.”
She chewed on her lower lip, her blue eyes hazy with intense thought. The way her dark-blonde hair fell against her cheeks and neck as she sat there made him want to lean over and tuck it behind her ears. He wanted to get to know what she thought and felt, but it would all have to wait until he found justice for Heath.
She sat up straighter. “I have an idea. What if we look at those text messages and pick out some prime times when she was likely meeting Wang? I can pretend to be his accountant who is upset about some charges on that date. Maybe we can use the fear he generates to get answers.”
He looked at her with new respect. “That’s a terrific idea. A woman isn’t as threatening as a man, and you can say the charges are too high for a man by himself. The employee might look at the records and report how many were eating, that kind of thing.”
“And I can ask for verification on the identity because Wang is being audited.” A triumphant smile lifted her lips. “I think it will work.”
“Me too.” He got up and held out his hand to her. “This calls for a celebratory cup of hot chocolate.” She put her hand in his, and he lifted her to her feet. Her soft skin made him want to pull her closer, but he forced himself to step back. “I might even consent to a chick flick over popcorn. I’ve got Netflix.”
“I vote for Sleepless in Seattle.”
“I was thinking more like The Princess Bride where at least we have some swashbuckling adventure.”
The eye roll she sent his way lifted his spirits. “You can’t tell me you don’t like The Princess Bride.”
“I’ve only seen it about fifty times.”
He took her arm. “Let’s make it fifty-one.”
The dog huffed as if he couldn’t believe it either.
*
The girls squealed as they ran along the creek on her property looking for minnows, with Jackson on their heels. Kate smiled as she walked behind them. The last couple of days had gone very well between Drake and her. He finally seemed to be relaxing with her in charge of the girls. The sun blazed out of a blue sky, and the heat felt good on her face and bare arms.
Someone called her name and she turned to see Becky Oates walking across the blueberry fields toward her. A small white car was parked along the side of the road. Jackson stiffened, and a low growl rumbled from his throat.
Kate put her hand on his head. “It’s okay, boy.” She motioned for the girls. “Stay right here. Don’t go any farther along the creek without me. Take the dog.” The girls called for Jackson, but he whined plaintively before he obeyed.
Becky was huffing a bit by the time she reached Kate’s side. “I was on my way to your house and saw you out here.” Her purple-tipped hair was more garish in the sunlight than it had seemed in the dimly lit bar. She wore jeans so weathered they were nearly white and an orange shirt that clashed with her hair.