Page 24 of Lost Cause
“It’s okay, Gabe.” Abby grabbed his forearm. “Detective Ulrich might sound like a real tough guy, but he’s harmless.” She shifted her attention to Burke, her mouth turning down at the corners. “What stunt are you talking about?”
He didn’t know if she was playing dumb or if she really was clueless. “Arriving here before the time we arranged to meet. Crossing the crime scene barrier when you knew I didn’t want you to. Probably hoping to question Lemoine without me and keep the information to yourself.”
Her nostrils flared. “Before you jump to conclusions, how about looking at the ferry schedule? We had two choices. Six or nine a.m. You’re a smart guy. Do the math. Which one would you take not to be late for an eight o’clock appointment?”
His anger deflated. He’d let his temper get the best of him, jump to conclusions, and made a fool of himself in front of people he hadn’t even met. But he wouldn’t retreat.
“Right. Sorry.” He ducked his head to show the sincerity of his apology. “So, are we good to move forward?”
She gave a sharp nod, but he could tell she didn’t agree. She turned to Gabe. “Let me officially introduce you to Gabe Irving. I guess you can figure out he’s on our team, but you might not know he’s a former Oregon state trooper.”
Burke offered his hand in a gesture of goodwill. “Hopefully we can move past this too.”
Gabe shook hands as if he was trying to dislodge Burke’s arm from his shoulder. “Just know I have my eyes on you.”
The warning didn’t surprise him. “Understood.”
“And behind the storage bins is Samantha Griffin.” Abby spun. “She’s the fabulous forensic expert I told you about.”
He was glad Sheriff Ryder had decided to pay her for her services. “Thank you for coming at such short notice, Samantha.”
“Sam.” The tall, slender woman with friendly greenish-blue eyes smiled. “Everyone calls me Sam.”
He nodded toward the bins. “Let me help you get these up the steps.”
“I got it.” She quickly tipped back the hand truck. “And before you’re impressed with my brute strength, you should know the bins are empty for evidence storage.” She chuckled.
Burke laughed with her. “All the same, I’d feel better about helping.”
“Hey, no worries.” Gabe pushed back from the other cart. “I’ve got nothing to prove, so feel free. Take my stack. And before you start up the steps, these aren’t empty.”
Well played!The guy left Burke with no choice but to go over to the other stack. Not if he didn’t want to have another altercation. He wasn’t certain about having Gabe around. Could be problematic. Was he here because Abby wanted to include him in the investigation? If he was on the LLL team, he certainly had to possess redeeming qualities.
“After you all.” Burke motioned for them to go ahead and grabbed the hand truck, the metal cold beneath his fingers.
Abby picked up the cooler, and they all started up the stairway. While the others went ahead, Burke took his time, getting a better look at the surrounding area. Daylight removed some of the intimidation from last night. In fact, the sun sparkling through the trees brought a sense of peace. Not so, once he caught sight of the building itself.
The shutters appeared as if mere threads kept them attached, and a good percentage of the dark blue, almost black paint had chipped away from the siding. Several tiles were missing from the slate roof, and their once dark-gray color had faded into a lighter pewter. The massive wooden front door, though impressive in size and intricate carvings, was weather-worn andneeded a good refinishing. The broken basement window stood wide open to the elements.
Victor was neglecting his property, and the place would fall into ruin if he didn’t act. If the man couldn’t convince himself to go outside, he could at least have his estate manager take pictures to share with him. Or maybe he’d done that, and he just didn’t care. Burke couldn’t understand his behavior. Not at all. If he ever owned property, no matter how busy he was in life, he’d respect God’s blessing and do his best to care for it.
By the time he reached the top landing, Abby was approaching the door.
He settled the containers on the heavy stone walkway, making sure not to drop the clipboard he’d braced on the top bin. “Hold up, Abby. Can I have a word first?”
She fixed appraising eyes on him, but turned and joined him on the landing. “What is it?”
“First, I wanted to apologize again for the way I handled things when I arrived.” He made sure his sincerity sounded in his tone. “There was no excuse for my behavior. I won’t let it happen again. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said, but her skeptical gaze told him he still had a lot to prove.
The sight of her might leave him out of control, but he would do everything within his power not to behave so childishly again. After all, he didn’t want to feel this way. Not when he didn’t have the time or inclination to get involved with anyone.
So shut it down, man, and don’t throw a tantrum again.
“One thing, before the day gets going,” she said. “I’d like your permission to overnight the locket to Nolan so he can take it to an antique dealer to authenticate. He won’t mention Estelle or Victor, and he won’t show him the pictures inside.”
Good. Great even. She was focused on the case instead of their conflict and running things past him before acting. “Sounds like a good plan.”
