Page 45 of Bennett

That made her pause.

No sarcasm. No teasing.

Just quiet concern.

Her throat tightened a little, but she shrugged it off with a small nod. “Fine. Or I will be once you two go check things out.”

Bennett’s jaw tensed, but he nodded. “Let’s take a look.”

She glanced around to make sure the customers were still distracted with their menus. Her voice dropped slightly as she added, “Why don’t you go around back. I’ll meet you by the dumpster.”

Without another word, they left through the front door, so she turned and headed into the kitchen, her heartbeat kicking up as she opened the back door.

Laurel stepped outside, the rising sun casting long shadows across the pavement. The morning air was still cool, but a clammy breeze off the Gulf carried just enough warmth to stick to her skin. She spotted Bennett and Matthew already waiting near the dumpster, both men focused on the inside.

“Sorry for the detour,” she said as she approached, her voice low. “I figured fewer eyes back here.”

Bennett turned toward her, his gaze skimming over her quickly as if double-checking for injuries. “Don’t be sorry. You did the right thing.”

She stopped beside them, hugging her arms loosely around her middle. “It wasn’t burning when I got here. Just…left to smolder. It was like someone wanted to make a mess, not burn the place down.”

Matthew frowned, squinting at the charred fabric and half-melted trash. “Still fresh enough to reek.”

Bennett didn’t look away from the scorched remains. “You sure no one saw anything last night? No one hanging around back here?”

“No,” Laurel said quietly. “Pete was the last one to leave, and he didn’t notice anything.”

“Doesn’t look like the camera will be much help, either,” Matthew said, pointing to the device hanging off the corner of the building.

She muttered a curse. “That wasn’t broken when I threw trash in the dumpster yesterday.”

Bennett shoved a hand through his hair. “Convenient.”

“Very,” Matthew nodded then looked at her. “What about the other servers? Did they notice anything yesterday?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll have to call and ask.”

“We’ll do it,” Bennett said. “Just need their names and numbers.”

Laurel hesitated, unsure if her aunt would approve.

“Look, this is serious, Laurel,” Bennett said, his tone softer, yet firm. “Things are escalating. It’s no time to worry about hurt feelings.”

Matthew nodded. “He’s right, Laurel.”

Sighing, she nodded. “Okay. Come on inside and I’ll get the names off the roster while you two check out the note.”

“Roger that.” Bennett nodded, eyes scanning the parking lot, his posture all tension and calculation. “And Annie doesn’t know?”

“No,” she confirmed as she led them inside. “I called her this morning, kept it vague. She doesn’t need this stress on top of recovering from surgery. I’ll tell her eventually…just not yet.”

The men followed her into the breakroom and frowned at the note.

“They weren’t trying to hide this,” Bennett muttered. “Whoever did it wanted it to be found. Same with the dumpster.”

Laurel’s stomach twisted as a thought occurred. “What if this has nothing to do with the renovations next door?”

Matthew looked up at her. “What do you mean?”