Page 50 of Forgotten Path

She grabbed her purse and her suit jacket and marched down the hall to Chad’s corner office before she lost her nerve. His assistant, Ed, looked up from his computer screen as the loud click of her heels against the floor announced her approach.

“Hiya, Brianna.”

“Hi, Ed.” She paused and placed a hand on the counter that fronted his workstation. “Is he in?”

“Yeah. Did you have a meeting scheduled?” He frowned at the calendar on his screen.

“No. But I really need five minutes. Can you squeeze me in?” She gave Ed her brightest smile.

He clicked a pen against his teeth. After a moment, he said, “Okay. But really, only five minutes, Bri. He and Sharon have a call with the bankers about the Emerald Estates project in fifteen, and Iknowthat man hasn’t read the briefing package I put together.”

She gave him a sympathetic head shake. “Five minutes, I promise. What’s going on with the bank?”

Ed scowled. “You didn’t hear it from me, but it’s way over budget. Way over. He’s asked for a loan increase, and now he has to justify it.”

“Oh, yikes.”

Great. Chad was guaranteed to be in a foul mood, and her topic of conversation would only provoke him further. But if she didn’t do it now, she knew she’d never work up the courage to do it. Seize the day and all that.

“Yeah. Go ahead in, and remember—”

“Five minutes. I got it. You can start the clock right now.”

She crossed the hallway and rapped on the door.

“What?” Chad yelled from the other side.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Ed raise an eyebrow. She squared her shoulders and entered the lion’s den.

Chad looked up at the intrusion. “Brianna, I’m busy.”

She held up a hand. “I know. Ed told me you have an important call to prepare for. I only need a few minutes of your time. It’s important.”

He huffed out a breath and gestured sharply toward his desk chair. She hurriedly took the seat before he could change his mind.

“So, what is it?”

“I just had a visitor.”

He waited.

“Bodhi King.”

“Who?”

“He’s a forensic pathologist. He’s looking into Dr. Ashland’s death.”

“The newspaper said Doc fell from his ladder. I don’t know why the town’s crawling with law enforcement because a guy did a header. I mean, it’s tragic and all that, but—”

“I know you were there.”

“What?”

She took a breath and forced out the words. “I went to see Doc last Friday morning.”

He drew his eyebrows together. “Why?”

“I imagine for the same reason you did. Our copies of the complaints to the state about the water over at the estuary didn’t redact the complainant’s name on one of the pages. I knew Doc was the one who went to the Department of Environmental Protection.”