Twilight at Blueberry Barrens (Sunset Cove #3)(47)

He dragged his attention away from the way she licked so delicately at her cinnamon roll and reached for his cell phone. He scrolled through the names and found Mike.

Mike answered on the second ring. “Mike Toucet.”

“Good morning, Mike, this is Drake Newham.”

“Drake, it’s good to hear from you.” He sounded harried. “To say I keenly feel Melissa’s loss is the biggest understatement of the year. I called Rod the other day, and he told me you’d gone to Maine. Are you having any luck figuring out what happened up there?”

“Not yet, but I’m working on it.” How did he tell Mike about the affair? The man had thought a lot of Melissa, and Drake hated to destroy her good image. “Some evidence has turned up, and I wanted to run it past you and see if you’d had any inkling about it.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Did you ever suspect Melissa might be having an affair?” The pause before Mike answered was so long, Drake thought he might have lost the connection. “Mike?”

“I’m here.” He heaved a sigh. “I never would have guessed that’s what was going on. She seemed a little distracted in the couple of weeks before she died, and she left work early quite often. I thought maybe she had some personal issues she was working through, but I would have bet my life she was crazy in love with Heath. I’m shocked.”

“I was afraid of that. You saw no evidence of a big ring she was wearing or hiding maybe in her office?”

“I haven’t had the heart to go through her desk yet. I planned to do it this weekend though.” The sound of footsteps echoed through the phone. “I’m heading to her office now. She had a locked file drawer where she kept sensitive documents. I don’t know if I can get in it, but let me try.”

Drake listened to his breathing and something rattling as Mike tried the drawer. Where might she have put the key? Maybe in her purse on her key ring? He didn’t have Melissa’s possessions, only Heath’s.

“It’s locked up tight. Oh wait, I think she gave me a copy of that key once. It might be in my desk.” His steps sounded again, faster this time. Metal slides scraped. “Here it is. Hang on.”

Drake gave Kate a thumbs-up as he listened to Mike rush down the hall again. Metal rails screeched, and Mike gave an exultant laugh. “Holy cow, you won’t believe what’s in this box. An engagement ring fit for a queen.” Rustling sounded before Mike spoke again. “And air tickets to China. Three sets. She’s got them for the kids too. Flight date was for a week after she died.”

Something squeezed in Drake’s chest. “Thanks, Mike. Let me know if you find anything else of interest.”

“Will do.”

Drake ended the call and put down his phone. His world had just been rocked, and he wasn’t sure how to deal with the doubts rising like a storm.

Kate placed her small hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”

Her touch calmed him, and he put his hand over hers. “Melissa planned to take the girls with her to China.”

Kate’s eyes widened. “Heath surely wouldn’t have let her. With joint custody he would have to agree for them to leave the country.”

“She was going to take them and leave as soon as they got back from vacation.”

“Are you rethinking your belief that he’d never hurt her? That kind of betrayal might make any man do something unexpected.”

Was he? The sinking sensation in his gut began to subside, and he shook his head. “While it might have pushed him into shoving her off the cliff, why would he jump himself? He’d be abandoning his kids. That’s not like Heath. He adored those girls.” His confidence returned and he squeezed her fingers before moving his hand.

She folded her fingers together in her lap. “Okay, so we keep digging.”

“We sure do.” He admired the way the sunlight coming through the window lit her head in a halo. “How was everything last night? Any noises?”

“Not a sound the past couple of nights. I’ve still been shoving my dresser against the bedroom door though, just in case. I should call the sheriff and see if he’s heard anything about Uncle Paul.”

“I’ll take care of it.” He pulled out his phone again. “I want to ask him about that autopsy report again. He promised to get it to me, and I still don’t have it.” He called the sheriff’s office and asked for the sheriff, but after two rings, Deputy Kissner answered. “Good morning, Deputy, this is Drake Newham. Listen, I still don’t have that autopsy report on my brother and sister-in-law. I know it’s been a crazy time for all of you, but could you get that e-mailed over to me?”

“I’ll do it right now,” the deputy said.

“And Kate is here with me. She wondered if there’s been any news of her uncle.”

“Not a hint of a clue, I’m sorry to say. But we’re still looking.”

“Thanks. Keep me posted.” He ended the call and told Kate what he’d learned, which was nothing. “I’m beginning to wonder if the sheriff doesn’t want me to see the autopsy. Maybe there’s something in it that will strengthen my skepticism.”

“Danny isn’t like that.”

“Maybe not.” He flipped his phone over. “I dug through Melissa’s cell phone records and found Olivia Maunder’s number. She’s Melissa’s best friend and was hosting that event, the one with the picture of Melissa and Wang. I’m going to call her.”