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Mina pointed her vehicle down Main Street, where business owners hustled around in the bright sunshine, decorating for the Founder’s Day festival on Saturday. The first Founder’s Day in a long time without Mayor Sutton. A wave of sadness hit Mina, her reaction stronger than she’d expected.

She shot a quick look at Nolan as he silently peered out the window. What was he so intently thinking about?

At a red light, she searched his face to see if something was troubling him, but he just seemed genuinely interested in the preparations and busy people around them.

“Looks like everyone is getting into a festive mood,” he said.

“Founder’s Day is a big deal here. People really come together to make it special.”

“This will be my first year.” A wistful tone crept into his voice. “Other than fireworks over the harbor on Saturday night, what can I expect?”

She gestured at Main Street. “This street will shut down to vehicle traffic. We have carnival rides, games, food, music, entertainment—you name it, we have it—for the whole weekend. I’m sure, as a local business owner, you’ve been asked to participate.”

“Yeah. We’re hosting kids arts and crafts at the inn.”

She flashed a look his way. “No offense, but who on your staff has experience with children?”

“Does being a child at one point in life count?” He laughed.

She rolled her eyes as the light changed. She pulled into the intersection, careful of eager pedestrians ignoring the crossing signals. “I’m serious.”

“Okay, in all seriousness,” he said, “Reece has a younger sister—ten years younger—and has some experience, but mostly we looked things up on the internet. If we have any real issues, we’ll be counting on parents to step in.”

Made some sense. “At least she has more experience than I do. Or you, only having an older brother.”

He swiveled to look at her. “You remembered.”

“How could I forget?” She played it down, but she remembered every second they’d spent together. Especially their long talks at night, the moonlight showering them on the cliff as the ocean crashed on the rocks below. “It’s because of him you’re who you are. Or more like how your parents treated both of you, is how you’ve become who you are.”

He sat silently for a moment. “It was really hard to live up to an older brother who achieved everything your father wanted him to achieve when you follow your own path—one your dad doesn’t care anything about.”

“I don’t know how you lived under his thumb for as long as you did.”

Nolan grimaced. “It’s all in the past now. I haven’t seen either of my parents in years. Not really since college. My team is my true family.”

She’d witnessed that very thing back in the day. Each team member had a reason for doing life on their own and had come together to form a kind of adoptive family. Not officially. But in all the ways that counted.

She’d even been a bit jealous until she thought about her almost idyllic upbringing here in Lost Lake. She glanced at him. “I’ve always been thankful to have what some people would say is a normal family and childhood. My parents always wanted me to do what I wanted to do. What fulfilled me. Even when I went into something as dangerous as law enforcement, they supported me.”

But if Nolan was to be believed, they didn’t support her in her relationship choice when they’d sent him on his way. She so didn’t want to have that conversation with them. Not at all. She sighed.

“What is it?” he asked.

She felt his probing gaze on her. Should she tell him? Why not? “I don’t want this thing from our past to ruin my relationship with my parents.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t ask them,” he said, but his tone held little or no conviction.

“Maybe.” She left him with the vague answer as they reached the inn’s parking lot. She parked near the main entrance and grabbed her metal water bottle and the stack of financial files from her backseat.

Nolan led the way to the conference room. At the long table, Hayden, Reece, and Jude sat behind computers, and Abby had a stack of papers in front of her that she appeared to be organizing. All of them looked up, their gazes expectant.

Nolan gestured for Mina to have a seat. She set the pile of reports on the table and took a chair near the end. He stopped at the head of the table.

“Long time no see.” Hayden chuckled.

“Did you get Cadence and Percy off okay?” Nolan didn’t comment on Hayden’s obvious interest in Cadence.

Hayden nodded. “I got her phone number, too, just in case we needed to call her.”

Mina smirked, but once again Nolan left it alone. “We’re here to review city financial records, but let me give you a quick update first.”

No one spoke, and they gave him their rapt attention as he recounted their morning.

Thank you for bringing this team here to help. I couldn’t do this without them. Without Nolan.

“Anything to report on Becca?” Nolan dropped into a chair next to her and looked at the others.

Jude lowered the screen on his computer. “I’m about to take off and hunt down one of her friends who hasn’t returned my calls. I’ll let you know if I actually talk to her, and if she has anything to report.”

Nolan scratched his neck. “Before you go, we need your credit card and bank statements for the past six months.”

Jude arched a brow but didn’t question the request. He obviously trusted Nolan not to ask for something that wasn’t needed and would do as asked for the greater good, but she thought he deserved some reassurance. She explained their reasoning.

Jude lifted the computer screen. “I’ll print them right now.”

“You know this is just to rule you out, right?” Mina asked.

Jude kept his gaze pinned on his computer. “I do, but if my dad taught me anything that stuck—which isn’t much—it was to never ever reveal your financial information to anyone else. To that end, I’ll be redacting my account numbers before I turn over the statements. You need them, you’ll have to get a warrant for them.”

“Understood,” Mina said, not questioning his reasonable response. He was estranged from his wealthy father, and money was a hot topic. She didn’t want to bring all of that up when it wasn’t necessary right now.

“I also need someone to look at our past cases,” Nolan said. “See if we can spot a connection to the mayor.”

“I can do it,” Reece offered. “Anything in particular you think I should be looking for?”

Nolan slightly lifted his hands. “Could be a waste of time, but we have to look at every possibility.”

“Waste of time or not, I’ll do my best.” Reece stood. “I’ll get the files and get started right away.”

“Anything else to report?” Nolan looked around the table. “If not, Mina and I are going to get started on the city financial records.”

No one spoke. Not a word or even a movement, leaving the room as somber as when Jude’s finances had been called into question. Maybe the others didn’t think Nolan should’ve made the request when he knew his teammate—brother really—wasn’t guilty. They might think he should’ve insisted on Mina getting a warrant. Maybe she should have, just to protect his relationship with his team.

Too late. She couldn’t have a do-over.

He smiled at his team. “Feel free to offer to help with these records if you want.”

The room was suddenly a beehive of conversation and activities, and Mina almost laughed at their willingness to avoid the mundane task.

She split the stack of reports in half, gave Nolan one half, and set to work on the other stack without a word.

Jude got up and went to the printer, then stopped in front of Mina and dropped his statements on the table. “I’m out of here to check in with that friend.”

She looked up at him. “Thank you, and I’m sorry we needed to ask for these.”

He didn’t respond but spun and marched out.

“Guy’s clearly not happy,” Hayden said.

Hayden had been so quiet Mina had almost forgotten he was in the room.

“He’s got thick skin,” Nolan said. “He’ll get over it.”

“Either of you want lunch?” Hayden asked. “We could do delivery.”

“I could eat.” Nolan looked at Mina. “Anything you’re interested in?”

“Fried clams, hush puppies, and fries from the Rusty Hull,” she replied, wanting what she considered comfort foods.

“Sounds good to me too,” Nolan said.

“I’m on board.” Hayden looked down at his computer. “Anything to drink?”

“I’m good.” She held up her water bottle.

He clicked away on his keys, and she started down the listings. She’d heard the budget reviewed at council meetings she’d attended, but these reports gave her a new appreciation for the seemingly unending line of items needed to run a city. Also gave her a frustration over how long it was going to take to get through this stack of papers.

The meal arrived, and Hayden distributed the containers, the contents filled the air with fried goodness. She’d planned to work through it, but Hayden closed his computer and Nolan slid his papers aside. So she moved her reports and lifted a crispy clam to her mouth. She didn’t often allow herself to have fried foods, but was there any better food to eliminate stress? If so, she hadn’t found it.

She bit into the crispy outside and tender inside of a hush puppy and groaned.

“My thoughts exactly.” Hayden shoved the remainder of one into his mouth.

They ate, each obviously enjoying their food, but there was an underlying discomfort that remained in the room.

She searched for a safe topic to bring up to keep them occupied. “So, what’ve you been up to since I last saw you, Hayden?”

“Work. More work.” He shoved several ketchup-tipped french fries into his mouth.

“No girlfriend?”

“Nope. Nothing serious anyway.”

“You seemed pretty interested in Cadence.” She held off biting her fry in wait for his reaction.

“That reporter?” Hayden tilted his head. “Why would you think that?”

“The pair of you were flirting like crazy.” She shoved the crispy fry into her mouth.

“No way.”

“Ah, man,” Nolan said. “She’s not wrong. Not at all.”

Hayden fixed an imposing stare on them. Nolan had told her that the first day he’d met Hayden in the library, the guy had glared at him like this for no apparent reason. But as their study group gathered, he’d given everyone the same look, so Nolan hadn’t taken it personally. She imagined it worked well when Hayden was an Oregon state trooper but otherwise, he could easily intimidate people.

Like right now.

She picked up a fry, swirled it in the ketchup, and changed the subject. “I thought one of the team would be married with kids by now.”

Hayden shrugged. She’d caused him to shut down, and he wasn’t likely to talk for the rest of the meal.

Of all the team members, he was the one who needed the most control over his life. Nolan might like to be in charge, but Hayden demanded control. Maybe that meant he couldn’t let a woman into his world.

Maybe it stemmed from when he’d lost his parents as a teenager and had been put in foster care. Unlike a lot of the stories often told about foster care, he’d had a very positive experience, but he never fully connected with his foster family. Once he aged out of the program, he didn’t stay in touch with them. He got through college on scholarships and hard work, and like the others on the team, replaced their nonexistent or dysfunctional family with each other.

Both men seemed kind of sullen, and she was likely to blame.

“Maybe you guys should consider arranged marriages,” she joked to lighten things up.

“Oh, gross.” Hayden rolled his eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Right.”

He shuddered. “Trust me, I’m not that desperate for a woman in my life.”

She looked at Nolan, wondering why he hadn’t commented at all, and found him holding a fork of coleslaw at his mouth and watching her. Had her questions touched a nerve on his family or on the way he’d once thought she’d bailed on him?

She really wished they were alone and she could ask him, but Hayden was large and present in the room.

Nolan’s phone rang. He looked at his screen and pushed his lunch plate away. “It’s Dylan.”

He tapped the phone. “Putting you on speaker, man, so Mina can hear you.”

“Got something for you.” Dylan’s excited tone carried throughout the room.

“This about Wade?” Nolan asked.

“Better than that. I’ve identified your Smythe fella.”

“You have?” Mina jumped to her feet. “Who?”

“He’s one Zachary Tate. Lives in Seaside Harbor. Works in transport at the hospital. Professes to be a starving actor and has debt up to his eyeballs.”

Adrenaline kicked Mina’s heart rate up, and she planted her hands on the table to keep from pacing the room. “How did you find him?”

“I traced the login for the mansion reservation. He didn’t bother to hide his IP address. Not a surprise. Most people don’t do that.”

Mina didn’t care why he didn’t hide the unique internet number assigned to his computer, she just wanted to know if it meant they could find him. “So do you have his physical address?”

“I do indeed. I’ll text it to you.” Dylan took a short breath. “And before you ask, I checked the hospital schedule to see if he’s working today. He’s off.”

“Talk about first-rate service,” Nolan said.

“Hey, you hired the A-Team of forensics.” Dylan chuckled. “Still working on Wade, but I also have information on your graduation pictures. Located them online. I first found them at the academy. I had to hack their database to get the information. So either your suspect is a hacker, he hired a hacker, or he knows someone at the academy.”

“If Tate didn’t bother to hide his IP address, he’s not likely a hacker,” Mina said.

“Good point,” Dylan said, “But he could’ve hired one.”

“If he knows someone at the academy, it might mean he’s in law enforcement,” Nolan said.

Mina didn’t like his implications. “Not at our office. My sergeant has investigated everyone who’s worked there past and present and found nothing suspicious.”

“He might’ve covered his tracks,” Nolan said. “Or could be serving in another agency or even be private now.”

Yeah, could be on the LLL team. She gave Nolan a pointed look. She hoped he didn’t think she was beginning to suspect his team, but she wouldn’t take time to clarify that. “And the other place you found pictures, Dylan?”

“The individual photos are used as rookie pictures at the agencies the team worked for on their first jobs,” he answered. “Again it would’ve required hacking to access them, but all agencies? That’s unlikely.”

“So at this point, it’s kind of a dead end.” Nolan leaned back.

“Seems like it,” Dylan said. “But you never know when the information could be helpful.”

“We have another favor to ask.” Mina told him about Percy and Cadence. “If I text you the information can you run a background check on them to see if they’re legit?”

“Sure, but is this top priority?”

Mina glanced at Nolan to get his opinion.

“I wouldn’t sit on it,” he said. “Running the background on the dad could reveal who the mayor seemed to be helping.”

“Okay, then I’ll get someone else on our team to help out.”

“Thanks, man,” Nolan said. “Text me Tate’s address.”

“Will do.” The call ended.

Expecting an instant text, Mina stared at Nolan’s phone. She could sense Nolan staring at it too.

“Do you really have to check Cadence and Percy out?” Hayden asked.

Nolan peered at his teammate. “You don’t need me to answer that question.”

“Nah, I know you have to do it.” Hayden rolled his shoulders. “They just seemed like they were telling the truth.”

“As do many people who try to deceive law enforcement,” Mina said.

“Yeah, you’re right. Forget I even said anything.” Hayden turned his attention back to his computer.

Silence consumed the room. Tension mounted. Mina wanted to do something to relieve it, but what? She couldn’t prove Percy and Cadence were telling the truth, nor could she make the text appear. Still, she had to say something. “This is excruciating. Are you sure you still have a signal?”

Nolan glanced at his screen. “Full bars.”

He’d no more than replied when it chimed.

“Hayden,” he called out and rattled off the address. “Get the property up on the screen, and let’s see if you can find a surveillance photo.”

“On it.” Hayden’s fingers flew over the keyboard, clicking into the stillness of the room.

An electronic map appeared on the screen with the address highlighted by a red dot.

“Zoom in,” Mina directed.

The screen whizzed closer in.

“I know that neighborhood.” She shook her head. “And not because I have friends or family living there. It’s a low-rent, high-crime area. Lots of drugs, petty crimes, and prostitution. Some assaults.”

Nolan frowned. “Dylan said Tate had money issues, so maybe that’s all he can afford.”

“Whatever the reason, we’re going to pay him a visit.” Mina got up.

Nolan stood and planted his hands on his hips. “Not without looking at a surveillance photo, and not without backup.”

She didn’t like that he was suddenly demanding, but he was right. They should have backup, but… “As much as I’d like to have someone watching our backs, I can’t afford to pull another deputy from patrol. The murder investigation already has us too extended as it is.”

“I’ll be glad to do it,” Hayden offered.

“I don’t know about that.” She studied him, her mind racing over what to do.

“Think about his skills.” Nolan apparently wasn’t going to give up so easily. “He’s former CBP and knows how to meld into the surroundings like he did down at the border. No one will even know he’s there.”

Nolan was right. A Customs and Border Protection agent would be highly skilled at surveillance and covert operations.

“What he said.” Hayden grinned, a crooked boyish smile that belied the seriousness of their discussion.

His smile was infectious, but she wouldn’t crack even a hint of one in return. “You’re not an official deputy, and if something went south and you had to use force, my agency’s reputation could be at stake.”

“Simple,” Nolan said as if deciding what to eat for dinner instead of a potentially life-altering decision like the one they had to make. “Deputize him too.”

Mina frowned. “I don’t?—”

Nolan flashed up a hand. “Before you say no, he won’t get involved unless you need him, but he’ll be there if things get out of hand.”

Unable to decide, she continued to stare at him.

Nolan met her gaze. “I haven’t let you down or embarrassed your agency, have I? Hayden won’t either.”

She could hardly think straight when his puppy-dog eyes peered at her.

“Okay, fine,” she said against her better judgment, then turned her focus to Hayden. “I’ll sign you on, but you’ll only act if and when I direct you to.”

“Scout’s honor.” Hayden held up his hand as if swearing an oath.

“He really was a scout,” Nolan said. “One of those overachievers who stayed in all the way through high school.”

“Good to know. If I need a fire started, I’ll be sure to ask.” She grinned, and they all laughed, but she didn’t let it go on for long. “Get that satellite photo up so we can wrap this up before dark.”

Hayden saluted and turned his attention to his computer.

Mina ran the op in her mind while she waited for the photo to appear. She had to wait for the final details to determine their actions, but she could at least get her mindset right for approaching a potential murder suspect.

Because one thing she’d learned on the job—she needed full focus whenever danger was present. Sure, she’d come under jeopardy as a deputy and sheriff, but today, making sure Nolan stayed safe and alive weighed even heavier on her than her usual goal to keep her deputies and county residents safe.