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Promptly at eight a.m. the next day, Nolan held the door for Mina to gain access to the posh attorney’s office located in an equally posh neighborhood. The five named partners’ names—Janice James one of them—were engraved on the wall above the tall reception desk. The young receptionist, dressed in a formal suit of navy blue paired with a white collared blouse, looked up at them and smiled a smile she clearly didn’t mean. Terse, if such a thing could be said of a smile.

He and Mina had agreed on the drive over that she would take lead, so he waited for her to approach the desk, then stopped behind her, ready to take any action needed.

She dug out her badge and displayed it for the receptionist, whose name tag read Angela. “I’m Sheriff Park here to see Janice James.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“No, but this is regarding one of her clients. If you give her a call, I’m sure she’ll be glad to see me.”

“I’m sorry, but she only sees people with appointments.”

“I’m sure she’ll make an exception in this case.”

Angela crossed her arms. “I know she won’t.”

Nolan was surprised at how polite Mina had been, but it was getting her nowhere.

Still, with her taking charge like this, he got a chance to see her in action. Her easygoing approach was confusing him. Surprised him even. When he first met her, she was more aggressive, a take-charge woman. Something he found very appealing and something he had expected more of as she’d become sheriff.

“Look,” she stated firmly, “I’ve asked you nicely. You haven’t cooperated. I’m a law-enforcement officer, and I am here to see one of your attorneys. I know if you call her and tell her that I’m here to talk to her about her client, Mayor Ernest Sutton, she’ll want to see me. Appointment or not.”

Angela simply blinked up at her.

“Okay, other than me bringing you up on charges for obstructing a murder investigation, if you don’t pick up the phone and call Ms. James, I’ll be forced to create a scene in front of your clients.” Mina was glaring at the young woman now. “I’m pretty sure if that happens, one of the partners will step out here, and I’ll tell them how uncooperative you’ve been. If I have to do that, you might as well pack your things now as you surely won’t be keeping your job.”

Angela snarled at her. “Fine. But if I get in trouble, I’m holding you responsible for it.”

Nolan wanted to laugh. There was no way this young receptionist was going to hold Mina responsible for anything.

She picked up the phone’s handset and called Janice to explain the situation. She frowned as she hung up, then looked at Mina. “Have a seat. She’ll be right out.”

Mina crossed the room to a plush chair and sat, taking in several deep breaths and letting them out.

Nolan took the chair next to her and leaned close. “What happened to the day when young people respected law enforcement officers?”

She shook her head. “When I was her age, I was terrified of being caught doing something wrong. Not only from cops, but from my parents. Principal. Teachers. That respect seems to have disappeared in a lot of places. More so in the big city, but we still have issues with it.”

“I thought you were very diplomatic with her at first.” He placed his hands on the arms of his chair and settled back. “In fact, I was kind of surprised. The younger Mina I knew would’ve come in here guns blazing.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I guess I’ve changed.” She tilted her head. “Part of it came from having to supervise Abe. Since he ran for sheriff when I did and lost, he can be a challenge at times, so I’ve had to adjust my ways for him. I think it’s made me a more patient person. Perhaps more understanding. In any event, a better supervisor and sheriff.”

“That makes sense.”

“Well, if you ignore how I blew up at him.” She wrinkled her nose.

The side door opened, and a tall woman wearing a black suit and silky gray blouse stepped out. She wore impossibly high heels and looked at Mina with piercing blue eyes. “Sheriff? I’m Janice James. You wanted to see me. How can I help you?”

Mina crossed over to the woman, Nolan trailing her. Mina displayed her credentials and introduced both of them. “Can we step into your office?”

“I’m sorry, Sheriff.” Janice raised her chin. “But I’m rather busy today.”

“I think you’ll want to hear about this in your office. It’s regarding Mayor Sutton.”

“Ernie?” Her perfectly plucked eyebrows drew together. “Did something happen to him?”

“Like I said,” Mina didn’t back down, “I think you’ll want to hear this in your office.”

Janice eyed her for a long moment, then pivoted on heels that Nolan couldn’t imagine allowed her to remain standing much less perform such a quick maneuver.

Mina and Nolan trailed her down a wide hallway lined with closed doors to the last one. She slipped inside the room. They joined her and found her standing behind a glass desk with nothing but a small lamp and phone on it. The walls were lined with bookshelves holding official-looking law books, and the room smelled of her perfume.

She gestured at two black leather-and-chrome chairs by her desk. “Have a seat.”

Mina sat first, and Nolan took a seat next to her, biting his tongue when he wanted to start asking questions. He couldn’t. He’d promised to take a back seat. He might literally be sitting next to Mina, but he needed to keep his promise in mind.

Janice remained standing. “Now what’s this about?”

Mina fixed her attention on the attorney. “I’m sorry to tell you, but Mayor Sutton has been murdered.”

“Murdered?” Janice dropped into her chair and sat unmoving except for her eyelashes fluttering at the speed of hummingbird wings. “But how? Where?”

Mina explained, her tone sympathetic. “Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt him?”

“No.” She frowned. “But then I wasn’t involved in his day-to-day life, especially not his working life, so I wouldn’t know.” She took a long breath. “Poor Becca. I’m sure you told her first. How is she handling this?”

“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to locate her,” Mina said. “Might you know where she could be?”

Janice gave a quick shake of her head. “I wasn’t involved in her daily life, either, so I don’t have a clue. Perhaps she took a trip.”

“Can you think of anyone who might want to hurt her?” Mina asked.

“Becca?” Janice’s eyes widened. “No, she’s the sweetest girl. Always thinking of others before herself. I can’t imagine she would’ve made anyone mad enough to want to hurt her.”

Mina shifted in her chair and leaned closer. “We’ve had reports that you’ve recently spent quite a bit of time with Mayor Sutton at the Rusty Hull restaurant. Can you tell me what you were doing together?”

“Updating his will.”

Nolan couldn’t believe she was being so forthcoming, but he was glad she was. Hopefully, she’d keep it up and provide the mayor’s will.

“Isn’t a busy restaurant an unusual place to discuss a will?” Mina asked.

She silently folded her hands on the desk. Her long nails were coated in a silvery-white color. “Probably, but he didn’t want anyone to know he was making changes, and he hasn’t been able to drive here to take care of it in my office.”

“Is that due to the cancer?” Mina asked.

Janice gaped at her. “How could you possibly know that? He told no one except me.”

“It was revealed at his autopsy.”

“Autopsy.” She clapped a hand over her mouth and took a long breath. “For some reason hearing that word makes his death seem more real.”

“I know he was your friend as well as your client, and I’m sorry for your loss.” Mina sat wordlessly for a moment. “I hate to have to ask you questions at a time like this, but I know you’ll want us to find the person who killed him.”

“Of course.”

“Do you know why he hid his cancer from everyone?”

“To keep the time he had left as normal as possible. He especially needed that with Becca. He didn’t want her to feel bad until it was clear that he wasn’t going to beat the cancer.”

Mina got out her notepad. “Why did he change his will?”

“I’m sorry.” Janice stared at her hands. “I really am, but I can’t help you. Attorney-client privilege continues even in death, and I’ll need a warrant to ignore it.”

Not a surprise, but Nolan had hoped for a different answer.

Mina didn’t seem surprised either. “I can get a warrant, but all that will do is delay our investigation.”

“Like I said, I’m sorry.” Janice’s eyes creased. “I simply can’t share the details.”

Mina crossed her legs and gripped the arms on the chair but didn’t speak for a moment, and Nolan knew she was thinking. About what, he had no idea, but Janice didn’t blink or move. A perfect lawyer pose, not stymied by anything happening around her. She probably was excellent in court.

Mina relaxed her hands on the chair. “About this latest will. Did Ernie have a copy of the document containing the final changes?”

Janice leaned forward. “I had no idea that he’d died, so I emailed it to him this morning right before you got here. I assume you’ll be able to find it in his email.”

Mina nodded. “He obviously wouldn’t have signed it, and it won’t be official.”

“That’s correct,” Janice said. “He’d have a copy of the will we drew up after his wife passed away. Both electronic and paper. That’s the document I’ll present to the probate court.”

“But you’ll contact the beneficiaries about their inheritance, correct?” Nolan asked, not able to keep silent any longer.

“Yes, but not by gathering them all together as you see in TV and movies. Ernie has named me his executor. As such, I’ll contact the beneficiaries after the will goes to probate.”

Mina’s phone chimed from her pocket, but she ignored it. “Can you think of any reason the killer might have associated the mayor’s death with the Lost Lake Locators team?” She shared about the team and their purpose, the pride in her voice warming Nolan.

Janice looked him over as if seeing him for the first time. “Interesting, but no. Ernie never mentioned the team, and I know nothing about them.”

“Might he have mentioned the refurbishment of the Portside Inn and Lighthouse?” Nolan asked, thinking Mina might not mind him asking such a question.

“Yes, I think he did mention that. But really just in passing as we drove by the location. He mentioned that he liked seeing younger people moving into town.” She tapped a fingernail on the desk. “I know he didn’t state who the occupants were, though. I would’ve remembered such an interesting team.”

Nolan had hoped the mayor would’ve said something so they could figure out the connection, but he wasn’t surprised the guy didn’t discuss them with his out-of-town lawyer.

“Where were you Monday afternoon between three and five p.m.?” Mina asked.

Janice lifted her shoulders and angled her body like a viper about to strike. “Certainly you don’t suspect me of killing him?”

Mina sat calmly, not at all bothered by Janice’s antagonistic posture. “We just have to rule you out.”

Janice sniffed as if it was too much for her to provide an alibi. “I was in a deposition here in the conference room. I can get a written affidavit from all of the participants, if that will help.”

“That would be a big help.” Mina smiled. “Is there anything else you can think of that might help us find Mayor Sutton’s killer or locate Becca?”

Janice relaxed her shoulders and narrowed her gaze. “Not at the moment, but then I never thought I would have to think about who killed Ernie. I only ever wondered how long I had left with my friend before the cancer took him.”

Mina stood and laid a business card on the sparkling glass desk. “Please take some time to think about it. If you come up with anything you think might help us, I’d appreciate it if you’d contact me.”

“I will.” Janice slowly rose to her feet, acting like all of the fight had gone out of her and grief had settled in. “I’ll show you out.”

She strolled to the door at a slower pace than when she’d led them to her office and held it open. After saying their goodbyes in the waiting area, Mina and Nolan strode out to the hallway.

Mina turned to Nolan. “She may not have helped us in figuring out who did kill the mayor, but one thing is clear. She has a solid alibi, and we now have one less suspect.”

“Good point.” Nolan was glad she was optimistic. Too bad he couldn’t find the same optimism. Not when they were no closer to figuring out how the mayor’s death was related to him and his team and finding the real killer.

In the car, Mina got out her phone to check for a text she’d received while talking to Janice, but her phone rang in her hand, and she looked at the screen. “It’s Dr. Osborne.”

She answered. “Thanks for calling me back.”

“You asked about blood types,” he said in his usual straightforward tone.

“I’ve gotten the mayor’s and Becca’s types since I left the message with you, but I still need his deceased wife’s type.”

“Mary’s? Why on earth would you want that?”

“Just to confirm that Becca is indeed the mayor’s daughter.”

He sputtered for a moment. “Don’t tell me there’s a question about that.”

“Not really. Just a line of inquiry I need to close out.”

“I have Mary’s type on file from when she passed away, but I can’t give that information to you without a warrant.”

Of course not. Mina resisted slamming a fist into the steering wheel and searched for an easy solution to her problem. “What if I give you the mayor’s and Becca’s blood types. Can you look at Mary’s and confirm that they are her biological parents?”

“I can give you the probability of it being true, but I can’t state that it’s so without a DNA test.”

“That’s good enough for me. The mayor had type O blood, and Becca’s is type AB.”

“Hold on for a minute.”

She heard fingers tapping on a keyboard in the background and wanted to urge Dr. Osborne to move faster. But she held her tongue so he could find the information they needed.

“I can tell you it’s highly probable that Mary and Ernie are Becca’s biological parents,” he finally said. “Will that do?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Are you any closer to finding her or Ernie’s killer?”

“Just like you can’t tell me about Mary’s blood type, I can’t tell you that. Sorry. I know you’re friends of the family and would want to know.”

“No worries. I understand. Let me know if you need anything else.” He ended the call.

She shared the information with Nolan and then looked at her screen. “I missed a text from Dylan. Says to call him ASAP.”

“Then call him,” Nolan said, looking like he wanted to grab the phone from her hand and make the call himself. He was probably antsy after sitting nearly mute through that entire interview with Janice.

Mina appreciated his cooperation. She tapped Dylan’s phone number and sat back to wait for his answer. “Dylan, it’s Sheriff Park.”

“I wondered if you were going to call.” His frustration flowed through his tone. “I got a name and address for Patriotic Puzzle.”

Mina’s heart kicked hard. “Who is he?”

“Guy’s name is Ty Rowe.” Dylan rattled off a Lost Lake address.

“We’re in Medford right now, but on our way back to Lost Lake, and I can head right over to his house.”

“You should find him at home. He’s in IT and works from home.”

“If that’s his line of work, I’m surprised you could trace his Instagram post and get his ID,” Nolan said.

“He might be in the business, but he’s obviously not very good at it.” Dylan laughed. “Actually, if he’s in IT it’s surprising he’s on social media at all. We know all the pitfalls and avoid it like the plague.”

“True of most law enforcement officers too,” Mina said.

“I’m sending you his picture right now,” Dylan said. “Take a look and let me know what you think.”

Mina waited for the photo to come through, then tapped on it. She held it out to Nolan. “It’s the guy Paisley saw with the mayor on Monday.”

Nolan nodded, a blaze of excitement in his eyes. “Now that we know Ty Rowe and Patriotic Puzzle are one in the same, it cuts two of our many suspects down to one. Feels good to eliminate another one.”

“Yeah,” Dylan said. “Figured you’d like that. That’s it for now, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I have anything to report.” He ended the call before Mina could thank him for his help.

She shoved the key in the ignition and gunned the engine a bit too forcefully. But, come on. It felt good. They had a solid lead to pursue for once.

“Hold on,” she said to Nolan and whipped the vehicle out of the parking lot, the tires squealing as she rounded a corner.

“Don’t sheriffs have to obey traffic laws too?” Nolan grinned at her.

She laughed but didn’t slow down. She wasn’t going to waste time. In the mountains between Medford and home, she had to be more careful, but not leaving the city. “By the way, I went by the mayor’s house last night, and his office bookshelves were empty.”

“So he’s most likely selling the sports memorabilia. Maybe the auction house will know why he was selling it.”

“If it was because of the cancer, I doubt he would’ve told them.”

“Yeah.” He gritted his teeth. “Doesn’t seem likely.”

“I also checked his files for a will and his insurance but didn’t find anything. I would think he’d have kept the will at home, but maybe he has a safe deposit box. And he might have the insurance online only.”

“I’ll text Dylan to have him look for both things on the mayor’s computers.” Nolan got out his phone.

She pointed her vehicle into the Coastal Mountain Range and watched the wooded trees whizz by on the narrow country road heading toward the ocean. Normally she loved the peace of this drive. The time to reflect on God’s beauty. To realize what a small cog she was in the wheel of life. All her problems would drift away. But not today. Today she had a larger-than-life purpose—a missing woman who might be alive, likely needing Mina to rescue her.

The pressure was immense. Greater than Mina had ever experienced. Nolan was sitting beside her, and she had three teams of professionals helping, and yet, she felt alone.

Oh, please let her be alive.

Nolan put away his phone and turned to look at her. “What about the other thing you were going to do last night?”

He would go there when she wasn’t ready to discuss it with him, but she couldn’t ignore his question. “You mean talk to my parents?”

“Yeah.”

“By the time I finished searching the mayor’s house, it was too late. I would’ve had to wake them up, so I didn’t go.”

“Honestly, I didn’t think you would.” He gave a bitter smile.

She stared at him when her focus should’ve been on the road. “Why would you say that?”

He didn’t answer right away but took a few deep breaths. “I’m not sure you really want to let go of your anger with me.”

Was he right? What if her parents had been duplicitous enough to have sent Nolan packing without ever telling her? Would it be even worse than Nolan having left her?

Oh, man. She just didn’t know.

She faced the road again. On the surface, it made no sense that she didn’t want to know the truth about why he’d left the way he had. But she’d carried the anger for so many years, it was almost comfortable. Like a favorite pair of jeans she didn’t want to get rid of even when they were worn out. It took more effort to let it go than to continue on the same path.

Nolan had bailed on her. He’d left her devastated, and she’d shut herself off. Closed down. Completely. Was that the effect of holding unforgiveness in her life? Did she need to forgive because she not only needed God to forgive her sins, but for her emotional well-being too? To be able to love and trust a man—anyone—again?

Oh, please, help me find it in my heart to forgive him. To move on. To trust.

Maybe he was right. Maybe she did need to make a point of seeing her parents. Not only for him, but for herself too.

“You could be right, I don’t know. I’ll go see them as soon as I can.” She looked at him again. “But you know this investigation and finding Becca has to take priority over anything personal.”

He sagged against the door. “I know.”

She couldn’t say anything else to change his disappointment. At least she couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she clammed up and kept her attention on the drive. They remained unspeaking through the coastal range, down to the Oregon coast. Silence, save the tires running over wet pavement, filled the car. Not a comfortable silence. But one loaded with tension.

She approached an inexpensive apartment complex on the outskirts of town and breathed a sigh of relief. The complex was located far away from pricey, ocean-view housing. She wouldn’t consider this a slum by any means, but it was definitely bargain accommodations. Two six-story blocks of apartments with outdoor concrete walkways and faded aqua doors greeted them, the blacktop lot crumbling.

Nothing about the sketchy location where her deputies often responded to callouts would deter Mina as she parked and raced for the third floor. She ignored the handrail and walkway railings with chipping paint. Nolan jogged up the steps behind her until they reached apartment 312.

She pounded on the door and stood back, her hand resting on her sidearm.

The door opened, and a tall, lanky man with thinning blond hair stared at her, a scowl on his face. “Yeah?”

“I’m Sheriff Park.” Mina held out her credentials. “And this is my associate Nolan Orr. We’re looking for Ty Rowe.”

“That’s me. What do you want?” He thrust out his chin in defiance. “I ain’t done nothing wrong.”

“I have some questions for you regarding your replies on Mayor Sutton’s Instagram posts.”

“That old geezer? Don’t tell me he complained to you.” Rowe frowned. “I didn’t do anything illegal. Just speaking my mind, which the First Amendment allows.”

“Do you mind if we come in and talk about this?” Mina asked, but she eased past him into an apartment that hadn’t seen a vacuum cleaner, mop, or dusting cloth in quite some time.

She stopped near a black leather sofa holding a laptop and gaming controls. On the opposite wall, a large TV took up nearly the entire space. Below that, several different gaming systems filled rickety-looking black shelves.

She didn’t sit, but he charged inside and plopped down next to the laptop. Nolan came to stand next to her, and they both looked down at him.

She cleared her throat. “You were seen on Monday having lunch with the mayor.”

“So what?”

“You were having a very heated discussion with him,” she said.

Rowe crossed his arms. “Far as I know, arguing isn’t a criminal offense.”

“What were you arguing about?” Nolan asked.

“What do you think?” Rowe rolled his eyes. “His stupid liberal politics. He’d give away the whole town’s treasury on his do-gooder crusades if people like me didn’t call him out.”

“And your approach is more conservative?” Nolan asked.

“Well, yeah.” He cocked his head. “Isn’t that the only way to be?”

“Where were you on Monday between the hours of three and five p.m.?” Mina asked.

“In a stupid meeting.” He shook his head. “We have a department meeting every Monday afternoon where they make us come into the office. It could easily be handled on a video call, but they just want to inconvenience us.”

“Write down the company name and a list of the people who saw you there.” Mina held out her notepad.

He grabbed it and started writing. “What’s this all about anyway?”

“Just information we need for an investigation we’re handling.” Mina continued to watch him as he wrote. The moment he finished, she took back her pad and pen and pocketed them. “Thank you for your information.”

Before he could question her about why she needed the information, she rushed to the door and down the walkway.

“Clearly he didn’t know about the mayor’s death,” Nolan said, catching up to her. “But why didn’t you tell him about it?”

She continued walking. “With his social media proclivity, he’d be all over the sites announcing it. I still rather it wouldn’t get around until we have a good chance of finding the killer.”

Which wasn’t now, she didn’t add and bring them both down. They didn’t have a good chance of it at all. She had to look at that suspect list again and see how she should proceed from here.

In the car, Nolan strapped on his seatbelt and kept his gaze pinned ahead.

She got out her notepad to flip to her suspect list. “We’re definitely narrowing down our list of legitimate suspects. Once we get the affidavits from Janice, she’ll be ruled out. Same goes for Rowe and Harmony, once we verify their alibies. Jude and Becca really weren’t true contenders in my book.”

“But we shouldn’t strike them off.”

“No, but I’m not wanting to throw a lot of resources into looking into them at this point. That leaves the mayor of Seaside Harbor, Wade, and Smythe.”

“The other mayor is a longshot at best, and I think Wade is kind of slimy, but I don’t see him as a murderer. So it seems like we need to put more resources into finding Smythe, unless Dylan brings something to our attention or we run out of other leads.”

“I agree with you,” she said, looking at him. “In theory at least. But we have no way of finding Smythe unless someone recognizes his photograph or Dylan turns something up with the online registration for the mansion.”

“We do still have the financial files for the county to review. That might reveal an additional suspect or point to the Seaside Harbor mayor.”

“Abe might know something after his interview with the guy, and he has quite a few leads he hasn’t reported on. We can get back to him on that.”

“Why don’t we stop by your office and talk to him,” Nolan suggested. “Then if he doesn’t have anything actionable, we’ll head to the inn where we can spread out in the conference room and begin evaluating the town’s records.”

She nodded but wasn’t any more eager to sit and review records than she figured he felt like doing. But investigations were often about doing the tedious work, and that’s where solid leads could be generated.

Let that be the case today.

Oh, please.

Becca had been missing for over thirty-six hours, maybe more, and Mina was certain finding the killer was the key to finding her and bringing her home alive.