CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Amanda wiped away the rogue tears streaming from her eyes. Stupid. She’d been an idiot to seem mysterious about Aunt Anzhela. Then she’d been a bigger idiot to try and hide everything.

Jake was a genius. Of course he would figure something was awry. At least her explanation—completely true—had made sense to his logical mind. Why hadn’t she thought of telling him that basic fact sooner? Would have saved heaps of worry.

He pulled into Mary Galden’s driveway. The gravel stones crunched under the tires, reminding her of the many rural places she and her aunt had lived during the summers.

Amanda couldn’t remember spending even one summer with her parents. Seemed the moment school let out, they shipped her off to her aunt’s to satisfy their own need to be normal and respected in the community. At least those summer memories with Aunt Anzhela had been happy, providing the much-needed time away from parents who never understood her.

“Let me do the talking,” Jake said, knocking her out of her reminiscing.

“Sure.”

This time, she meant it. From now on, she would listen. Garner information. Bring it to Declan. Let him do some of the heavy lifting where investigative talents were concerned.

Mary opened the door, though this time confusion reeled in her eyes. “Hello, again?”

“Sorry to bug you,” Jake said. “We were able to do some research on the lawsuit and had a few follow-up questions for you.”

Amanda studied Mary’s face. Something about it. Was she afraid? Nervous? Last time, she’d been relaxed and welcoming. This time, she seemed—what was the word—paranoid.

“This isn’t the best time,” Mary said, her voice an octave higher.

“Oh, I’m sorry ma’am.” Jake glanced at his watch. “When would be a good time to come back?”

Mary peeked her head out of the doorway, darted her gaze left and right. “Oh, fine. Come in now. Quick.”

Amanda stepped quickly behind Jake to get inside.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

Mary walked over to the teapot. “I’ve received some weird phone calls lately. Since I talked to both of you.”

“What kind of calls, ma’am?” Jake asked, his eyes narrowed and ready to take action.

She placed two cups of tea, along with a container of milk and sugar, on a silver tray and brought it into the living room.

“Help yourselves,” Mary said.

Jake sat down, elbows on his knees, his posture hunched forward, ready for an answer.

“What type of calls?” he repeated.

Mary shrugged. “Let’s see. Hang ups, with no caller ID. Or a caller ID of a pharmacy, so I pick it up to see if it’s about my prescriptions, but there’s someone with a breathy voice on the other line saying I better keep quiet.”

“Threats?”

“Yes.” Mary inched the tea tray closer to Jake and Amanda, her shaking fingers almost toppling it off the table in the process.

“Whoa,” Amanda said, steadying the tea tray. “We’re fine, thank you. Just tell us what happened.”

“The calls at all hours of night, someone rapping on my back door in the early morning—”

“Do you know or suspect anyone?” Jake asked. “Have you told the police?”

Mary’s eyes turned dark as she shook her head. “During the lawsuit, the same things happened. I was the one who had the papers for our attorneys. I delivered them to the courthouse to file.”

“Go on.”

“Little things. Footsteps behind me in the parking deck, only to find no one was there. My tires were slashed one night.” Mary paused, blinking back tears. “My house got ransacked. They took my mother’s broach. All I had left of her memory.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Jake said. “Did the police tell you anything when you did speak with them?”

Amanda stood up, went to Mary’s side, and patted her hand. “You must be frightened to talk to any strangers like us. We’re sorry if we put you in this position.”

Jake glanced at her, his eyebrow raised for a moment as if trying to figure out her strategy. This was her talent. She knew people and emotions. He knew logic and reason. Mary seemed to need the former.

“The cops didn’t find anything,” Mary said. “They told me it must be neighbor kids playing a joke.”

Amanda knew better. The timing was no coincidence. Whoever had tried to shut Mary up must have had some connection to the lawsuit. But who? Which side? This recluse Randall guy? Or the company?

“Tell us about the day the lawsuit was resolved,” Amanda said. “You said your firm won, meaning Randall Kern lost.”

Mary nodded, reaching down to take a sip of tea.

“How did Randall take the news?” Jake asked.

“Not well. He started shouting in the courtroom. Saying he was innocent, the firm had been at fault, and he would eventually prove the truth.”

Amanda sat forward. “What about after? Do you think those were just rants, or did he try suing again? Going to the press?”

“No,” Mary said. “Actually, the opposite. He kept to himself, retired, went back to daily life. He occasionally volunteers for the fire department, but otherwise he became how he is now. An old man who wants to live alone. I’ve kind of adopted the don’t-speak-until-spoken-to policy with him.”

Someone with so much anger, living as a recluse, might justify trying to show how the firm was at fault.

“Do you think he’d talk to us again? I know he likes his privacy,” Jake said.

Mary shook her head. “I wouldn’t. He called me after y’all visited the first time, said it got him to thinking all about the accident. I don’t know if he can go back to the dark place without crawling into a bottle again.”

“He drank heavily?” Jake asked.

“Wouldn’t you?”

Jake nodded. “If something ruined my career, yes, ma’am, I believe I would.”

Amanda poured another cup of tea for Mary. “Have there been any problems since the news about the lawsuit died down?”

“No. Randall went back to living a quiet life. Our firm closed after the execs were killed on the roller coaster. I wound up doing administrative work for the local bank branch until last year, when I decided to retire.”

“If you think of anything else,” Jake said, “please call us at the Abandon Inn. Do you need the number?”

Mary glanced up and smiled. “Only hotel in a small town? No, I know Pearl. She’s in my sewing circle.”

“Thanks again for speaking to us,” Amanda said, giving Jake the “let’s get out of here” glance. They didn’t need to make Mary any antsier than she already was.

When they stepped out her door, five locks clicked into place with loud noises. “She’s frightened, Jake. Should we be?”

He turned to face her. “Us? Why?”

“Someone got to her between our last visit and today. This is a small town. Everyone must know we’re studying the derailment at Zephyr Land. You heard her. The Abandon Inn is the only hotel in town. What if the derailment was sabotage? If the person who did it is still living here and comes after us?”

“Don’t get paranoid on me,” he said. “We have permission to be here, and we’re going to stay until we get enough info for me to defend a theory in my position paper.”

He opened her car door, let her in, and walked around the back of the car to enter on his side. Before he did, she let out a soft whisper, “Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean someone isn’t really after us.”