Page 110 of Lost Cause
Eager to see Abby again, Burke parked in front of the inn and charged for the door. He’d gone home after the lighthouse incident, but she remained in Lost Lake. One day, she drove down and they’d visited Victor at the hospital together. He had very little residual damage from the stroke and would go home the next day. He was all smiles as his son decided to move in with him to take care of him.
Then two weeks had passed since he’d seen her, and talking on the phone wasn’t the same. Each day, it was all he could do not to jump in his truck and drive up here. He couldn’t. Not and close out all the paperwork and loose ends from the investigation. And she was busy with Sheriff Park’s investigation into her abduction, along with a new missing person’s investigation the team had taken on.
Their separation highlighted a problem. A big one. They lived hours apart. Something they’d discussed at length on their calls without coming up with a solution. This distance could stop them from ever getting together.
“Detective Ulrich?” A blonde dressed in dark-wash jeans, dress boots, and a leather jacket strode toward him and shoved out her hand. “Sheriff Mina Park.”
He grasped her hand, not surprised at her solid grip.
She released him. “I was hoping I’d find you here.”
“Something you need for Abby’s kidnapping investigation?”
She shook her head. “I’d heard you and Abby were an item.”
Not at all what he expected her to say, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to respond to such a private question.
“I didn’t mean to sound nosy—sorry about that. I just figured if you two were together, you might be thinking about moving out this way.”
“And if I was?” Burke asked, still not sure he was comfortable with this discussion.
“If so, I have a detective position coming available.”
“You’re losing your detective?” When he was thinking about moving here, he’d asked Abby if the county sheriff’s department had any openings. They didn’t—just one detective on staff, and she seemed like a lifer.
“No, thank goodness. Detective Lyons isn’t going anywhere.” Mina firmed her stance. “We just received a grant to work cold cases, and I’m hiring a detective to manage them.”
“Impressive,” he said. “From what my sheriff tells me, grants are hard to come by these days.”
“He’s right.” Mina frowned. “But unfortunately, my department didn’t have a very good closure rate back in the day. We’re the worst county in the state for outstanding cold cases.” She cringed. “On the bright side, it made us the most eligible department for a five-year grant to clean up the backlog. I already talked to your sheriff, and he gave you a strong recommendation. So if you’re interested in the job, it’s yours.”
“Wait. What?” He shook his head. “No interviews or comparing me to other candidates?”
“I posted the job internally, but no one applied. A good thing when many of the cases went unsolved with these staff members employed. It’s time for fresh blood, and I was just about to post it outside.”
“Even if your staff didn’t apply, won’t they be upset with an outsider coming in?”
“Not likely. Not when they didn’t want the job.” She pulled a business card from her jacket pocket and handed it to him. “Even if it turns out one of them does take offense to an outsider, from what your sheriff tells me, you’re not the kind of guy to let that stand in your way. If you’re interested, let’s sit down on Monday and talk about the details. See if we’re a good fit.”
“Name the time.” He couldn’t hide his eagerness.
“Eight work for you?”
“I’ll be there.”
She smiled. “Now forget I interrupted your party with business talk. Nolan wouldn’t be happy if he knew I was accosting detectives in the lot on the way in.” She laughed.
He did too, and they walked inside together. The faded midcentury décor took him by surprise. He halted inside the door to gawk at it.
“I take it you haven’t been here before,” she said.
He turned in a complete circle, the furnishings not improving. “I expected something a little more professional looking.”
“The team is working on updating the place, but they have little free time.”
“I don’t envy them. This looks like a ton of work.”
“Move here, and Abby just might rope you into helping.” She chuckled. “Let’s go back to the ballroom. And before you expect a true ballroom, it’s really just a large meeting room, but it’s another blast from the past.”
