Cold River - Carla Neggers [44]
Hannah understood that Jo was indicating this wasn’t a casual conversation among friends. “I just had a cupcake, thanks. I assume you’ve already talked to Sean and Bowie.”
Jo nodded. “Sean’s still up at the cemetery. Scott Thorne and I went out to Bowie’s place and talked to him.”
“How are his injuries?”
“He says fine. He was on his way to see about some work he’s doing for the Whittakers. How’re your injuries?”
“Nothing ice and a hot bath later tonight won’t cure.”
Elijah turned from the window and walked over to their table, his deep, clear blue eyes fastening on Hannah for a half beat, but he said nothing and sat next to Jo.
Stifling a surge of self-consciousness, Hannah kept her attention on the federal agent across from her. “It makes sense you’d want to check out what happened in the cemetery. Even if you weren’t in the middle of a major investigation, that was weird.”
Jo drank some of her coffee, holding the evergreen mug in both hands. “Tell us what happened.”
Hannah gave her account as thoroughly and objectively as she could, leaving out as much emotion and speculating as she could manage. Neither Jo nor Elijah interrupted.
When Hannah finished, Jo set her mug on the table and looked out the window at the dark, quiet street. “We’ve been tracking Melanie Kendall’s and Kyle Rigby’s movements. We know for sure they were in Black Falls in April and again in November. Melanie met Thomas Asher here in the café in April.” Jo sat back in her chair. “Did you see Kyle then?”
Hannah shook her head. “No, but he stopped by in November before he went up Cameron Mountain to look for Nora. You know that, Jo. He interviewed all of us. Dominique, Beth, me. He said he was a mountain rescuer.”
“He wanted us to believe Devin was a troubled teenager,” Jo said. “Money turned up missing at the lodge, at Nora’s apartment and here at the café.”
“That’s what we assume,” Hannah said, hesitant. “It’s not clear…”
“What’s not clear, Hannah?”
She saw it now. She’d stepped right into Jo’s trap. She had little choice but to press ahead. “We don’t know it was actually Rigby who stole the money. The cash stolen from the café was in a blue willow jar in the kitchen. If he’d come in here before his search for Nora and any of us had seen him, we’d almost certainly have remembered him. If we’d seen him anywhere near the kitchen, we definitely would have remembered him.”
Jo drank some of her coffee. She was steady, as focused as Hannah had ever seen her. “Are you suggesting he and Melanie had an accomplice here in town?”
“I’m not suggesting anything,” Hannah said.
“No one at the lodge remembers seeing him or Melanie near the shop where the money was stolen,” Jo went on. “Nora’s apartment at the Whittaker place is more isolated, but it still would have been risky for him to duck in and out of there with cash from her kitchen.”
“I’m not a law enforcement officer, Jo. Or a prosecutor. I don’t have to build a case.”
“That’s right. You’re a witness.”
“I have no intention of meddling in your investigation. I just know how easy it is for any of us to jump to conclusions. It’s been a long five weeks and we’re all frustrated and maybe scared—”
“Scared of what?”
Another trap, Hannah thought. She didn’t hesitate before answering. “We’re all afraid there are more killers out there. More murders in the works. That scares you, doesn’t it, Jo?”
“It doesn’t matter what scares me.”
“What about the prospect of this network having a connection to Black Falls? Does that scare you?”
Jo’s rich, deep turquoise eyes stayed on Hannah. “Did you help Drew with his cabin, Hannah?”
“No,” Hannah said, recognizing the question as a deliberate non sequitur.
“You know I’m a federal agent. Telling the truth—”
“I am telling the truth, and I know the law. I didn’t help Drew with his cabin. My brother didn’t help him, either. He carried supplies up the trail and left them where Drew asked him to leave them.”
“And you had no idea what was going on?”
“Not until late October.” Hannah glanced at Elijah, who hadn’t said a word; his expression