her face was clear, but Zach wasn’t ready to let her off the hook completely. He inhaled the rich aroma of his coffee, took a sip of the flavorful brew, then said, “What you did to TJ was cruel, Linda. You should be ashamed. You also should give some thought to what kind of guy would ask you to do such a thing. Character is important. You should look for it in those you surround yourself with, and work on improving your own.”
He exited the coffee shop and waved absently to Gabe Callahan, who was walking his dog on the opposite side of the street. His mind chewed on the stop sign problem as he began the walk to his office. He’d honestly thought he’d had it figured out, that Aiden had stolen it and Linda had stashed it.
“Back to square one,” he muttered.
Stop sign stealing happened everywhere, and most people considered it a relatively harmless prank. Nine times out of ten, kids were the culprits and the most serious consequence was that taxpayers had to foot the bill for a replacement. This time was different. This time the consequences involved the loss of a life.
Zach knew his town, knew the kids in his town. He’d learn the identity of the thief—or, more likely, thieves—sooner or later.
He also knew he needed to talk to TJ again ASAP and let him know he was off the pregnancy hook. Another time he would have walked straight to Heavenscents and taken care of it. Today, though, he didn’t want to go near Savannah’s house. If she’s even still there. For all he knew, she’d finished packing up her car and run last night anyway. After all, she didn’t trust him, did she? She probably thought he’d lied to her.
In order to avoid her place, he turned down Fifth Street. Halfway down the block, his gaze skimmed over a house, then his steps slowed. He knew his town. He knew the kids in his town.
His gaze jerked back and fastened on the house. Hmm …
It shared a back fence with Savannah’s place. Wouldn’t be hard at all to sneak the sign into the back door. Part of the problem that had niggled his brain was how did whoever sneak the sign down the streets. Hmm …
He walked up to the house and knocked on the front door. A minute later, a teen answered it. “Hello, Sheriff Turner.”
“Hello, Mandy. I’d like to talk to you about the stop sign.”
She burst into tears.
As Savannah hung up the phone, she realized her hand was shaking. Thank God.
She sucked in a breath, then smiled at her customers, a woman and her teenage daughter from Kansas. “May I help you? Answer any questions?”
“We’re fine, thank you.”
“Okay, then. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to check on something in the workshop. I’ll be right back.”
She hurried through the kitchen and almost ran to the back. “TJ, Ginger Harris just called. They want us at the sheriff’s office. She said they have good news.”
TJ all but melted with relief. He stepped away from the box he was filling with an order from the pet supply line—quickly becoming one of her bestsellers—and said, “Let’s go.”
“I have customers. I’ll hurry them on their way as quickly as possible.”
“Okay,” he said, rushing past her. “I’ll meet you there.”
He took off running, and Savannah stared after him, a little peeved. She’d intended for him to wait for her.
Back in the shop, she waited with outward serenity and inward impatience for her customers to make their selections. It proved to be a sixty-five-dollar sale, so when she thanked them and handed them their bags, her smile was genuine.
It faltered when a new group of shoppers entered Heavenscents as the others made their way out. Twenty minutes later, they finally left, Savannah flipped the door lock and turned the open sign to closed, then dashed out the back door. Arriving at the sheriff’s office, she was surprised to discover that TJ and Zach had gone for a walk.
Gabi invited—no, instructed—her to sit down. “I have information about the stop sign to share with you, but before I do it, I need your word that you will keep it quiet until this office gives you permission to share. Do I have it?”
“Yes.” The coldness in her friend’s tone didn’t surprise Savannah, but it did bother her. Gabi was loyal to Zach. Very loyal. Almost too loyal. It was weird.
“Mandy West saw Aiden Marshall and his