door of what looked like a storage room. Inside he could see Lynne along with Sheriff Hancock. Neither of them noticed him as they concentrated on the younger woman, who was visibly trembling. The tension was so thick he could physically feel it pulsing in the air.
Unashamedly eavesdropping, Kir managed to figure out the blond woman had been caught in the storage room getting up close and personal with some dude named Nash, and that there were vials of tranquilizer missing. Presumably the same tranquilizer that was used on the dead women. Why else would the sheriff be there asking questions?
“You know who she’s talking about?” Kathy Hancock demanded.
“Nash Cordon.” Lynne’s voice was laced with an unexpected bitterness. “My ex-boyfriend. He owns the Bait and Tackle bar on State Street.”
The sheriff grunted, her expression twisting with a sudden displeasure. “Yeah, I know him.”
“I’m sorry, I truly am,” the younger woman whispered. “It only happened a couple of times.”
Lynne held herself so rigid that Kir feared she might shatter. “Has Chelsea answered your questions?” she asked, her gaze locked on the sheriff.
Kathy shrugged. “For now.”
Kir stepped into the storage room. It was obvious Lynne was reeling from what she’d just discovered. And the knowledge that she was so deeply hurt pissed him off. He had a vague memory of Nash Cordon. In school, he’d been a cocky bastard. Clearly, he hadn’t changed much in the past few years if he was willing to cheat on Lynne with her own employee.
Still, now wasn’t the time to consider the pleasure of tracking down the jerk and punching him in the nose. Instead Kir sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to focus on the sheriff. He couldn’t take away Lynne’s visible sense of betrayal, but he could bring an end to Kathy’s interrogation. That would at least give her the space to gather her composure.
“Hello, Kathy,” he murmured.
Kathy jerked her head in his direction, her expression remaining sour as she recognized who had interrupted her grilling of the two women. Long ago the woman had treated Kir like a younger brother. But that’d all changed the day his father had been shot.
No surprise. Everything had changed that day.
“Kir.” She offered a stiff nod. “I didn’t know you were still in town.”
“It’s going to take a while to organize my dad’s things and get the house ready for sale.”
Kathy looked uncomfortable at the mention of Kir’s father. She cleared her throat. “Are you here to see Dr. Gale?”
He had been, of course. From the minute he’d opened his eyes that morning he’d been devising a reason to seek out the fascinating vet. Only the knowledge she would be busy had kept him from arriving at the clinic at the crack of dawn. Instead he’d continued his self-imposed task of packing away his father’s belongings until it was nearly noon. Then, pulling on his boots and leather coat, he’d headed for the clinic.
He’d hoped to tempt Lynne to join him for lunch. After all, their last date had been interrupted.
“Actually, I need to speak with you,” he told the sheriff. It wasn’t a lie. He did need to report the missing gun. “I saw your SUV outside.”
Kathy hesitated before offering a grudging nod. Heading toward the door, she glared at the two women. “Don’t leave town. Either of you.”
Resisting the urge to send Lynne a comforting smile, Kir stepped aside to allow Kathy to take the lead as they left the clinic. Once outside, the sheriff stuffed her hands in the pockets of her parka.
The sun was blindingly bright as it shimmered and reflected off the snow, but the wind was biting.
Kathy shaded her eyes with one hand. “What do you need?”
“Can we talk at Dad’s house?”
“Why?”
“There’s something I want to show you.”
Kathy furrowed her brow. “I don’t really have time. In case you haven’t heard, we have two dead women.”
“It’s important,” he insisted.
“Fine,” she muttered. She pressed the side of the small radio attached to her coat. “Anthony, come in.”
There was the sound of static, then a male voice answered. “Anthony, here.”
“I need you to call Nash Cordon at the Bait and Tackle bar and tell him I want him at the station for an interview ASAP.”
“Ten-four.”
Kathy dropped her hand and glanced around the parking lot. “Do you want a ride?”
No. What he wanted was to return to the clinic and pull Lynne into his arms. He couldn’t explain the sensation. He had no reason to feel so protective toward the woman. It