Page 95 of Shadow of Hope
Ava took a breath. “Did he reply to the email?”
“Yes,” Colin said. “He said he went to her house and didn’t find a new will.”
“Doesn’t mean there really wasn’t one there,” Micha said. “Layne has a vested interest in stealing the updated will and seems to be the only one who benefits from it going missing.”
Dev looked at Ava. “Who told you that you would inherit half the estate? Was it the attorney?”
Ava shook her head. “Holly told me. I asked her to change her will back, but she refused.”
“So you never went to a reading of her will after she died?”
“No.”
“We need to check out Holly’s place,” Micha said. “And it’s time we confront Layne and put our cards on the table.”
“You want to go back to Portland?” Ava asked, trying not let her worry of him returning there raise her tone.
“I don’t mind going, but I don’t want to take you back there, and I’m not leaving you here without me.” His forehead crinkled in what she’d come to learn was his thinking expression. “Question for me is if interviewing Layne is more important than getting eyes on Nicks.”
“Reid could do one,” Dev said. “And I could do the other.”
“I can head right back to the cabin with you all,” Colin said.
“That still leaves us a man down here. Not good when I feel like we’re making progress that’s going to bring our killer out in the open.”
“Is Ryan available?” Ava asked.
Micha shook his head. “Reid said he needed someone to handle the training, and Russ’s full-time job won’t let him slot into our training schedule. And of course, we can’t call him in to go to Portland.”
“Okay, so what if we do a video interview with Layne?” Dev asked. “Reid could do it, and we can sit in on it. He could do this first, then locate Nicks.”
“Yeah, yeah. We’ll be able to see Layne’s expressions on video, so that should work. Assuming Reid persuades Layne to talk to us. I’ll text Reid.” Micha got out his phone and tapped the screen. He’d barely looked up again when his phone chimed, and he swiped a finger over it. “Reid’s on board. Will call us once he gets to Layne’s place.”
“What about Buck?” Dev asked. “We still haven’t ruled out his potential involvement in this, and if things really are coming to a head, we should get eyes on him too.”
“But who’ll do that? With Reid dispatched, only you or Colin could go to Buck’s place.”
“I’ll go,” Dev said. “My big bro can come back here and use his laptop to keep digging into Nicks and any other loose ends he’s still working on.”
“That works for me,” Colin said.
Micha gnawed at the inside of his cheek. “Like I said, I don’t want to be down a man here, but there’s no indication that anyone has located the cabin, putting Ava in immediate danger. So Colin, you go ahead and come back here, and Dev, you’ll leave the minute he gets back.”
“Which will be when, bro?” Dev asked.
“I’ll get keys to another vehicle, and weather permitting, I’ll be back in less than thirty minutes.” Colin ended the call.
Micha stowed his phone. “Which gives us time to grab a meal.”
“How can you eat with all this going on?” Ava got up, wishing Colin had returned with her bassoon by now, as playing it might calm her down. If she could focus on it. “I can’t even sit here, much less think about food. I want to do something. Help somehow.”
Micha took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You can help by trying to relax. The cabin is the safest place for you right now, and it’s best for you to hunker down here.”
He was right. Sure he was, but it didn’t make her feel any better to be reminded that each time she left this place it carried a risk.
A risk that could mean her life.
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