“The truth’s important. Withholding information that could help us is what’s wrong. I’m just asking you to do the right thing now. If you do the right thing, you might well end up basically solving this case.”

  She could see that appealed to Christa.

  “Okay. I can try. I really don’t know much, though. They keep all the dealings with that firm very confidential, and to be honest, it’s bothered me before now. Why does everything need to be kept so tightly under wraps? I’ve wondered myself what really goes on.”

  “The relationship between Mr. Reed and his sister. What was it like? What was your impression?” May asked.

  Christa frowned. “Not close. They didn’t seem to like each other very much, but for some reason my impression is that they did do a fair amount of business together. I think they had to start running some affairs through the company, and through other people, for some reason. They seemed to change that recently. Madeline wanted to take a step back.”

  “Which other people?”

  “I don’t know. It was a snippet of conversation I overheard, and I think it was someone else within the company that was going to take over some of what she did. Whatever that was.”

  She pulled onto the main road. Now they were following Owen back to the police department.

  “Did Madeline have any role within the company?” May asked curiously. What exactly was being taken over? she wondered.

  Again, Christa made a face.

  “No official role, but it was strange how involved she seemed to be. Whenever there was a function or an event she’d get dressed up and head off. I first thought she was just a leech who enjoyed partying on Reed Leisure’s dime. But I then decided Mr. Reed didn’t seem like the kind of person to give anyone a free lunch, not even his sister, so I decided there must be some kind of trade-off.”

  “What else?” May said, feeling encouraged.

  “She made a lot of travel arrangements which Reed Leisure paid for. She was forever going off to exotic places like Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania.”

  “Is that so?” May asked. “For work? Or for vacation?”

  “I think they were charged as recruitment trips, but I have no idea why.”

  May filed that information away. Something about it was niggling at her mind.

  “Anything else?” she asked. “Anything about Danny? He was also killed. Can you think of anyone who’d have a motive?”

  Christa thought about that for a few moments.

  “He did have a fight recently. Someone from the hotel called us because Danny ended up shouting and swearing that he was going to take them down. We are always called to mediate in those situations”

  “Who was it?”

  At last, May thought, they seemed to be getting somewhere.

  “It was the personnel manager. Lewis Brooks. They had a fight over a woman. I think she worked for the hotel, and she was Lewis’s girlfriend, and Danny made a pass at her. But I might be wrong about that. It was definitely something to do with a woman who worked there, though. They came in here for mediation and both of them were yelling at each other so I overheard some of what they said. But I don’t know more than that. My private opinion, just between you and me, is that Danny is quite a womanizer. He’s flirted with me in a nasty, entitled way when he’s been in here. You shouldn’t speak badly of the dead, but I didn’t like how he made me feel.”

  “I would also have felt uneasy,” May sympathized. “The fight between them. How serious was it?”

  “Look, to me it was just one of those things. We handle conflict issues fairly often. It wasn’t as serious as some have been.”

  But Danny had ended up being murdered in a strange way, May thought. Something, or someone, had certainly thought that what he’d done had been serious enough.

  They had now reached the police department and she couldn’t think of any more questions. She didn’t think Christa had more information to give, but was grateful for what she’d obtained.

  “Thanks a lot. You’ve been so helpful. And I’ll make sure it stays under wraps,” she said.

  She climbed out and closed the door.

  Owen was climbing out of her car, so she walked over to him. The sun was setting and a fresh breeze was cooling down the warm summer air. What passed for rush hour in this small town had already come and gone, and the streets were quiet.

  “Did you get anything from the receptionist?” he asked.

  “Yes. But I don’t know how helpful it’s going to be,” May admitted. “I found out that the sister is a bit of a freeloader, but she does do some work for the hotel.”

  “She does?” Owen asked.

  “Yes. I don’t know what work it is, but I am wondering if she maybe sources cheap labor for the hotel. As she seems to travel on ‘recruitment trips’ to Eastern Europe frequently.”

  “Is it legal to do that?”

  May shrugged. “It would depend if it’s done correctly. For all I know they are using a loophole to save on costs somewhere down the line. That might be worth investigating, though. I mean, two people have been killed in a very strange way. So there has to be something underhanded or wrong going on. There really does.”

  Again, something niggled at her mind. She wished she could pin down what was bothering her.

  “What are we missing, May?” Owen asked.

  “I can’t stop thinking that there must be something I’ve seen or heard recently that’s relevant to this. I hope my brain puts two and two together.”

  “Maybe we should run all of those people through the system?” Owen asked. “Madeline Reed, Danny Charter, and Lewis Brooks? Perhaps one of them has some sort of record. That could take us further.”

  “Good idea,” May said.

  They headed inside, and Owen hurried through to the back office. There, he sat down and logged onto the computer system.

  “Madeline Reed, Madeline Reed. Let’s do her first.”

  May peered over his shoulder as he searched. But it seemed the system was coming up blank.

  “She’s done nothing,” he said. “I’m going to look for the others.”

  He tapped more keys. “Nope. Danny Charter has no recorded offenses. And nor does the only Lewis Brooks who resides in Minnesota.”

  But May’s mind was on that international travel.

  “Madeline Reed traveled a lot. And you know what I’m remembering? Christa said that they started running some of her transactions through the business, and through other people. She didn’t say who or why. But perhaps it was because they had to. Because Madeline was being scrutinized in some way.”

  “There might be more to discover,” Owen agreed. “But how can you find out what it is?”

  With a thud of her heart, May realized what she needed. Unfortunately, the international travel angle pointed straight to one organization, and one particular person, that she would need to ask for help.

  The problem was that she really, really didn’t want to.

  Was she going to be able to make this call?

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Feeling extremely reluctant, May dialed Kerry’s number. She didn’t want her sister involved in this case at all. She didn’t want her to interfere or try to take over, or derail the investigation.

  But she needed information that only the FBI databases could provide.

  Listening to the phone ring, May wondered how best to approach this delicate situation.

  Kerry answered sounding upbeat.

  “Hello, sis! I’ve just been in town, catching up with a couple of old friends. I need a favor from you!”

  From her? May thought it was going to be the other way around.

  “What favor?” she asked cautiously.

  “Look, I’m in town at the moment. In fact, I’m walking down Main Street. How about I meet you at Dan’s Bar in five?”

  “Sure. I can be there in two,” May said, glancing down the road. She hadn’t been in Dan’s Bar for a while. And handsome Dan, the owner, had been her unrequited crush for years. Thoughts of him surged. Hopes flamed. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to see him again, and she could move the situation forward.

  “I’m going to talk to Kerry,” she told Owen. “She might be able to give us the information we need. I shouldn’t be long. Half an hour, maybe? Then I’ll come back here and let you know what I found.”

  “Okay,” he said. “I’ll wait here for Sheriff Jack to get back. Perhaps Mr. Reed gave him more information when he told him about his sister’s death.”

  “We’ll catch up later,” May agreed. She turned and headed out of the police department, walking quickly down the street toward the bar.

  At this hour, there was already a buzz at Dan’s Bar, and she heard the music and voices before she reached the well decked out corner building. She stepped into the glamorous interior, immediately feeling her heart speed up as Dan gave her his trademark flashing smile. With his strong-jawed face, his crisp, perfectly cut hair, and his muscular arms, he always looked the part of the dashing barman.

  “How’s my favorite policewoman?” he asked.

  Was she really his favorite? May wondered, with a nervous twist of her insides. At that point, light suddenly dawned. She was the only policewoman in this town!

  “Hi, Dan. I’m great. It’s good to see you again.” She smiled, feeling herself start to blush.

  “It’s been a long time. I’ve missed seeing you here. How have you been?”

  “I’m doing great,” she said. “You?”

  Her cheeks were burning now. She’d felt so capable when talking to Christa. So ready to say what needed to be said. And now, in front of her good-looking crush, she was totally tongue-tied. Why couldn’t she come across as clever, witty, funny, or better still, flirtatious?

  “Never better. What can I get you?”

  “A coffee, please,” May said, aware she might still have a few hours of work ahead.

  “How’s your sister?” he asked as he moved to the coffee machine. “I heard she’s in town?”

  May felt her heart sink.

  She had to face the harsh reality that she was involved in a crush triangle!

  She was crushing on Dan, Dan was crushing on Kerry, and Kerry couldn’t care less about either of them, because she had a new handsome, wealthy fiancé.

  “Kerry’s in town. She came to tell my folks she got engaged,” she said to Dan.

  She saw the disappointment etch itself into his face.

  “Engaged?” he said.

  For a moment, May wondered if perhaps now that he knew this about Kerry, he’d pay her more attention. Perhaps now she’d get somewhere with him.

  But then she realized how that made her feel. It made her feel small and inadequate, as if she was only ever expecting second best, and somebody else’s cast-offs.

  May felt something inside herself, something she hadn’t even known was there, start to strengthen.

  Did she really want to be trapped in an unspoken crush with a guy who was clearly infatuated with her sister, and wasn’t ever more than polite and friendly to her?

  That was a hard thought to have to accept. She wasn’t sure if she was ready for it.

  “Yes. Engaged,” May said firmly. “She’s very happy about it.”

  At that moment, Kerry breezed in.

  “Hi, sis! Sorry, I don’t have long. I have to get back to the folks’ place by six to take a conference call. Work never waits. There are still cases to be followed up on. Still important developments I need to keep track of.”

  She ran a hand through her blond hair. The diamond flashed.

  May saw Dan’s gaze on her, at once infatuated and devastated.

  “I’d love a beer, please, Dan,” she said.

  “Coming right up.” May thought Dan mentally shook himself as he turned away.

  “Anyway, the favor I need from you,” Kerry said.

  “What is it?” May asked, hoping she might have some room to bargain.

  “Brandon’s finally managed to get away from work. He’s flying here first thing tomorrow morning. And I still don’t have a car! The day ran away with me. Could you take me to the airport tomorrow so we can meet him?”

  May stared at her in consternation.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t,” she said. “I’m busy with a case. I’m going to be working on it from early tomorrow.”

  “Oh.” Kerry didn’t look that upset. “In that case, could you loan me your car? It would be nice to arrive there with a decent set of wheels. Mum and Dad’s car is really elderly and I like driving fast, as you know. It’s on my to-do list to buy them a new car. I just haven’t actioned it yet,” she said firmly.

  May wanted so badly to say no to her sister again. She’d had the whole day to make a plan to get a car. May was busy, she was working, she was on the trail of a murderer. She needed her wheels and she didn’t like the thought of Kerry speeding off in her treasured car.

  But she couldn’t refuse. Not when she had a trade-off to make. She’d have to loan her prized wheels to her sister, even though it burned her to do so.

  Dan placed Kerry’s beer and her coffee on the bar counter.

  May stirred in cream and sugar.

  “I guess you can borrow it,” she said reluctantly. “But please, drive it carefully.”

  “Don’t worry.” Kerry beamed. “I’ll return it in top condition.”

  May wasn’t so sure she’d get it back at all, given Kerry’s driving skills.

  “I’d appreciate that. And no speeding fines, please. It’s embarrassing, not to mention illegal, when people see the deputy’s car speeding,” May said firmly.

  “Oh, yes. I never thought about that. But anyway, you want to tell me anything about the case?” Kerry then asked, as Dan turned away to serve a new customer. “Perhaps there’s something I can help you with?”

  Kerry sipped her beer. May knew what she was thinking. Kerry was always the one who called the shots. Always the one who kicked in and ran things, and the one who made decisions. She didn’t want to tell her anything else because she was sure that as soon as she did, Kerry would be desperate to muscle in.

  “It’s a murder case,” she admitted.

  “A murder?” Kerry said, her eyes widening. “Oh, how unusual for this town. You’re handling a real case at last! I’m sure it’ll be a great learning experience for you. You’ll learn a lot about running an investigation from the ground up. I can advise you, of course. Perhaps we can go through it quickly. Do you have any leads?”

  This was May’s chance.

  “I have a lead,” she said.

  Kerry leaned forward, interested.

  “What is it?”

  But May shook her head. She couldn’t tell Kerry. However, she had to ask her for the favor.

  “I don’t want to say more. Not in here,” she said, looking around as if one of the nearby locals might overhear if she did. “But I need some background, and I was wondering if you could help provide it.”

  Kerry looked surprised, as if she hadn’t expected May to come back at her like that.

  “What background?” she asked.

  “On one of the murder victims.”

  “There’s more than one?” Kerry seemed even more intrigued. “Is this a serial? If so, shouldn’t we be involved? That’s the FBI’s domain.”

  “The victims are linked, and they are both involved with the same company, so it points to a motive related to the workplace, rather than a true serial crime,” May said.

  Kerry nodded, looking disappointed.

  “But the victim I’m looking for some background on is a woman who made frequent trips out of the country and I am wondering if she was possibly a person of interest to the FBI. If you tracked her, or her transactions.”

  “Well, you’ll need to tell me the full circumstances,” Kerry said bossily. “I can see I’ll have to get involved. This is definitely not looking like a local issue any longer.”

  “No,” May said firmly. “Right now, I just need to know the background. As a favor. Like loaning you the car.”

  For a moment, Kerry looked absolutely furious. As if May had outmaneuvered her.

  May knew they were all the way back in their sister rival territory. This was a place they seemed to have been their whole life, prompted mainly by their mother’s habit of pitting the daughters against each other in a competitive way, to ensure each one tried their hardest.

  May didn’t want her sister to be mad. And she desperately needed her to agree to this. She didn’t want to have to explain anything more, or for Kerry to muscle in on the case.

  So she guessed it would come down to how badly Kerry needed that car, and whether she was prepared to put her own ego aside to help.

  May sipped her coffee and waited, looking as calm and unbothered as she could. Inside she was shaking. This mattered so much to her.

  Kerry didn’t speak. Her face was mutinous.

  “Kerry,” May said quietly. “This is really important to me. I need to do this. I want to do it with my team and not get the FBI involved in managing it. If there’s a need for the FBI to be involved, I will call you first, I promise. But at the moment we’re just getting information, and I don’t want to lose this lead. It’s my first chance on a big case. And I’ve never had a chance to work on a murder case that I’m officially managing, as the county’s deputy,” she added truthfully. The previous murder case, her boss had handed over to the FBI.

  Finally, Kerry nodded.

  “Alright. I’ll help. What do you need to know?”

  May felt a surge of relief.

  With her sister’s help, she hoped they would uncover information they needed to get further in this troubling case.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  May walked back to the police precinct feeling hopeful. Kerry was going to make the call somewhere quiet, and then she was going to walk down the road and take May’s truck back to their parents’ place. It would be hers tonight and tomorrow morning.

  May hoped she’d get it back in one piece.

  She headed into the police department, where Owen was finishing off on a call.

 

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