Dead Certain - Mariah Stewart [54]
“Actually, it’s for the National Academy, not to be an FBI agent. And I just found out yesterday. The guy who’d been asked to go had a family emergency and had to back out, so they asked me if I wanted to take his place.” He smiled at his sister. “But I can go some other time. It doesn’t have to be now.”
“Are you crazy?”
“No, but you are if you think I’m going to leave for eleven weeks when someone is stalking you. Someone who may very well have just murdered two of your best friends for reasons we haven’t even begun to explore.” His mouth settled into a grim line, Evan added, “You’re coming back to Lyndon with me.”
“No, I am not. I have to be here for Marian. She only has one niece in Wisconsin, and someone is going to have to be here to walk her through things, to help her out, if she needs or wants it. She’s only nineteen.”
“If she had a niece, she had a sister or a brother.”
“Brother. Died three years ago.” Amanda shook her head. “Marian had only the one niece. Oh, maybe an odd cousin or two, but the niece is her heir, and she’s very young to have to do this alone. I’m sorry, Evan. I appreciate your concern, but I’m not leaving Broeder.”
“Then I’ll come here.”
“And miss your shot at some big-time training? Come on, Evan . . .”
“I’m not leaving you alone here.”
“I have a business to run,” Amanda reminded him.
“Your life is more important than your business,” Evan countered.
“If I could make a suggestion . . .” Sean offered. “Maybe Amanda could stay at my sister’s house. That way, she wouldn’t be alone, she’d be here for the funeral, and she’d be able to keep her business open. And we could keep a close eye on her. Besides, I need Amanda to go through the deceased’s shop and see if she can tell if anything is missing. This investigation is just beginning, Detective. Amanda may have information that she doesn’t even realize she has.”
“I’ll be fine in my house. You’ve just admitted that you’ve been watching it for the past few days, and there haven’t been any problems. I don’t see any reason to move out. Why can’t you just keep up the surveillance?” Amanda asked. Still, she was somewhat intrigued. She couldn’t help but wonder what any sister of Sean Mercer could be like. He was all business all the time, and had been since the minute she met him.
“That was before I had two murders on my hands.”
“I’d feel better if I were the one watching her back anyway,” Evan noted.
“Well, since she’s a witness in a murder in my jurisdiction, I think that responsibility is mine.” Sean held the phone in one hand, the fingers of the other hand poised to dial. “Besides, if we’re wrong about this, and these two murders are just some fluky coincidence—”
“Which neither of us is inclined to believe,” Evan muttered.
“—and have nothing to do with your sister, you’ll have missed a hell of an opportunity.”
“How big a town is Broeder, Chief?” Evan asked.
“We have about seven thousand people.”
“Incidence of violent crime?”
“Very little, actually.”
“And the last murder in Broeder was . . . when, Chief? Before Derek England, that is.”
“About six years ago,” Sean conceded.
“Well, if none of this is connected, you have one stalker and two killers on the loose at the same time. How likely is that, Chief Mercer?”
“Not very. I agree. But we have to keep an open mind and see what the investigation concludes.” He held up the phone. “Do I make the call?”
Amanda folded her arms. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Amanda, this is not negotiable. You stay with someone here in Broeder, or you come back to Lyndon with me now. Simple as that,” Evan told her.
“I’m staying, and you’re going.” She sighed and turned to Sean. “You win. If it’s all right with your sister, that is. Just make certain that she understands that I may have a bull’s-eye painted on my back.”
“I just hope we don’t have cause to regret this later,” Evan said, resigned to leaving Amanda in Broeder.
“Evan, I owe it to Derek and to Marian to do whatever I have to do. I couldn’t live with myself if