Whisper of Bones (Widow's Island #3)(16)

Tessa turned back to Emma. “Do you like working for Mr. Duvall?”

Emma nodded. “I’ve never had a boss that let me bring my daughter to work before, so yes.”

“He’s never inappropriate?” Tessa asked.

Emma laughed. “No. Roger’s not like that.”

Tessa circled around to the information she really wanted. “Did you work on Monday afternoon?”

“Yes,” Emma said.

“Was Roger here?” Tessa asked.

Emma looked at the sky. “He was in and out all day. I don’t remember any specific times.”

“Did you see him before lunch? After lunch?” Tessa prompted.

The smile vanished from Emma’s face, and lines bracketed her mouth. “I don’t know.”

But Tessa thought she did. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Tessa was looking for suspects in Jason’s murder—and that Roger would be on the list. Why wouldn’t Emma cooperate?

Was Emma protecting her job—and Roger?





6


Logan watched Emma’s face. She was holding out on them. But why?

“You’re sure?” Tessa pressed.

“I know I saw him several times during the day.” Emma blinked away from Tessa’s gaze.

Tessa’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Emma spread out her arms as Abby ran into her embrace.

Abby wriggled out of her mother’s arms and dropped her backpack. She squinted up at Tessa and Logan. “Who are you?”

“They were just leaving,” her mother said. “Go inside. Cookies are in the kitchen.”

“I’ll take one to Roger.” Humming, the little girl skipped toward the door, leaving her backpack on the ground.

Logan’s heart swelled. All children should be this happy and carefree. He pictured another child on the other side of the world, one whose short life had been full of hunger and trauma. He brushed aside the persistent image. He had done his best, and it hadn’t been enough.

“I need to get back to work.” Emma picked up the backpack and caught up with her daughter in a few quick strides.

“One more question,” Logan called after her. “Was Roger here when your daughter came home from school on Monday?”

Emma said over her shoulder, “I don’t remember.”

Abby tugged at her mother’s sleeve. Her loud whisper carried on the wind. “He wasn’t. Remember, I was gonna take him a cookie like I do every day, but he wasn’t here.”

Emma said nothing but took her daughter inside.

“That was interesting.” Tessa spun on her heel and faced him.

“I felt like she was holding back.”

“So did I, but I can’t force her to talk to us, nor can I prove she knows more than she’s saying.” Tessa started toward the cabins. She pulled out her phone and sent a text. “I’m going to ask Kurt to do a background check on her.”

As they passed the pool, Tessa hunched her shoulders against the wind blowing off the water. The door to the first cabin stood open. The front room was a combination kitchen and living area. There was no furniture, and drop cloths covered the floor. A slim man was cutting molding on a compound miter saw. He wore overalls, a purple tie-dyed sweatshirt, and purple Converse high-tops. His graying hair was pulled back in a man bun, and diamond studs glittered in both earlobes.

Tessa knocked on the doorframe and called out, “Roger Duvall?”

The man jumped. The saw handle slipped. Red liquid spurted across the room, and he jerked his hand away. “Shit!”

Tessa rushed in. “I’m sorry we startled you.”

“Not your fault.” Roger’s face whitened as he grabbed his wrist. Blood dripped onto the floor. “I was concentrating.” Drops of blood went flying as he waved toward the saw. “I swear there isn’t a single square corner in this entire cabin.”

“Maybe you should sit down.” Tessa steered him toward a box, and he eased onto it.

Logan turned off the saw. The abrupt fade of its whine amplified the quiet.

Tessa assessed the wound, a deep gash across the fleshy pad of the thumb. “Do you have a first aid kit?”

“Up at the house.” Roger craned his neck, trying to see the cut. “Did I take my thumb off?”

“No.” Logan examined the wound. Compared to wounds he’d seen in the Middle East, this one barely needed a Band-Aid. He lifted Roger’s hand above his heart to slow the bleeding. “But you might need stitches.”

“I’ll get the kit from my vehicle.” Tessa pivoted and strode from the cabin. A minute later, she returned, opened the kit, and tugged on gloves. “Let’s control the bleeding, then see what’s what.”

As she applied gauze pads and pressure, Roger’s face went whiter. To distract him, Logan introduced himself and Tessa.

Roger eyed their uniforms. “I assume you’re here about Jason.”

“Yes.” Tessa nodded. “When was the last time you spoke with him?”

“Monday morning. He was supposed to come and work on this cabin.” With his uninjured hand, Roger pointed to a pile of uncut molding. “He called to say he wasn’t coming. We argued. He was already behind schedule. I need to get this work finished. Two of these cabins are booked over Christmas. They were supposed to be done in October.”