From the Shadows (Buckhorn, Montana #2) - B.J. Daniels Page 0,89

the deceased’s wallet, though. Devlin Wright. It appeared the man’s head had been bashed in from behind—much like Megan Broadhurst’s had.

Letting out a curse, he moved to the second body nearby. The man’s ID said he was a doctor. Dr. Claude Drake of San Francisco. He’d also had his skull crushed from behind. Again, just like Megan Broadhurst’s. That unsolved case had followed Hugh to his grave, something the old marshal had never gotten over. Now it was coming back to haunt Leroy.

Stepping back outside the wine cellar, he found Casey Crenshaw in Finnegan James’s arms. He’d picked up on the energy between the two of them. Lovers, he thought. He found that both interesting and suspicious, especially after his initial run of both of their names through his system. Finnegan James had been missing for months and presumed dead. Casey Crenshaw had been a main suspect in Megan Broadhurst’s murder.

“Is there a place we can talk upstairs?” he asked.

“There’s the main lounge and lobby,” Casey said. “If you want more privacy, you can use the office behind the main desk.”

He followed the two of them upstairs, sealing the doorway to the basement before they walked down to the main lounge and ordering one of the deputies to seal the entry with crime-scene tape.

Leroy took in the amazing hotel as he did. Ten years ago, he’d promised himself he would come back to the hotel as a guest. He never had. He blamed Hugh for that, even though he’d come to agree that evil did seem to live in certain people—and places.

“Why don’t you have a seat out here in the lobby while I talk to Mr. James,” he suggested to Casey.

Taking Finn back to the office, he closed the door and said, “Help me understand what’s going on here. Imagine my surprise when I ran your name through our system. Everyone thought you were dead, but I’m sure you were aware of that.”

“I can explain,” Finn said, and Leroy waved him into a chair as he sat down behind the desk and turned on his recorder. Patiently, he listened to the man’s explanation.

“You do realize how crazy that sounds. Okay, what’s this about a reunion?”

Finn explained. “I have the invitation in my room.”

Leroy studied him for a moment before he asked for the names of everyone who’d gotten the invitation.

“I don’t know, but I can tell you who showed up,” Finn said.

Leroy wrote down the names as Finnegan called them off: Jason Underwood, Dr. Benjamin Travers, Dr. Claude Drake, Jennifer Mullen, Shirley Langer, Devlin Wright and Patience Riley. “And these were the staff members the summer Megan Broadhurst worked at the hotel?”

Finn nodded. “And Casey.”

“Yes, Casey. Did you two know each other before this?”

“No.”

Leroy did the math in his head. “Who is missing?”

Finn frowned. “Claude and Devlin were the only ones.”

The marshal radioed his deputy outside the hotel to do a head count. “It appears that Patience Riley left earlier. You didn’t know that?”

Finn shook his head.

As a deputy appeared, Leroy said, “Go with Mr. James here to get the invitation, while I talk to Casey Crenshaw.” He looked at Finn. “Send her in on your way out. I hope I don’t have to tell you not to leave. I’ll want to talk to you again.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

THE MARSHAL STUDIED the young woman as she entered the room, remembering Casey Crenshaw from ten years ago. Who could forget that red hair or that face? Her freckles weren’t quite as discernible now, but those blue eyes... Those he could never forget.

Just as he hadn’t forgotten that she was a suspect in the original murder. In fact, she’d had a huge quarrel with the deceased that had been overheard by witnesses the night before Megan had been killed.

Ten years ago he’d seen fear in those blue eyes. Now he saw shock but also a wariness. “Please have a seat,” he said. “Maybe you can tell me what’s going on here and how you’re involved.”

She sat down, took a breath, let it out. “I came to Buckhorn to sell the hotel and property and take a few of my grandmother’s things that she wanted me to keep. That’s all. I was planning to leave for California tomorrow morning.”

He motioned the deputy who’d stuck his head in the doorway to enter and give him the invitation. “Tell Mr. James to wait. I don’t want him talking to the others.”

The deputy said that the crime-scene crew had arrived and had gone down to the scene,