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The officer pinched Echo’s license between his index finger and thumb. “Your driver’s license expired several months ago.”

“It did. I’ve been meaning to get a new license. I moved from Detroit and haven’t had a permanent address until a few weeks ago.”

“A few weeks is plenty of time to apply for a current license.” He pulled a notepad from his pocket and began writing.

“Are you going to give me a ticket?” Echo asked.

“I’m taking down your information. I’m going to cut you a break and give you a verbal warning.”

“Thank you. I…I’ll take care of it right away. ”

“Driving with an expired license could get you a ninety-day jail sentence and a five hundred dollar citation.”

“Five hundred dollars?” Liz pressed a hand to her chest. “That seems a little steep.”

The cop shot Liz an annoyed look. “And I could also put Ms. Quigley in jail for ninety days.”

“Yes. I mean, I’m sorry for even saying anything. I have to admit, I’m shocked at the fine and jail time.”

“Driving with an expired license is a misdemeanor. The State of Michigan takes this matter seriously.”

“I understand. Thank you for the warning.”

The officer returned to his patrol car and drove off.

Echo waited until he was gone. “I didn’t know it was such a big deal. ”

“I’m sure now that you do, you’ll get it taken care of right away.” Liz reached for her seatbelt buckle. “Do you want me to drive?”

“No. I’ll be very careful. I guess I had better get that done ASAP.”

“The sooner, the better.”

They reached the farm without further incident, and Liz and Echo carried the bags of groceries inside. While Echo began assembling the pots and pans, Liz ran home to put away the few items she’d picked up and grab some storage containers.

She took Duchess out for a short walk and then finally they made their way back to the mobile home on the hill. Teddy stood waiting by the door, his small tail thumping as his sister trotted in. She gave her brother a nudge with her nose and made a beeline for his food dish.

“I renewed my license online while I was waiting. It was actually very easy.” Echo chuckled as Duchess successfully kept her brother at bay while she feasted on his food. “She has a healthy appetite.”

“She does.” Liz gently guided her pup away from the dish .

Teddy hurriedly took her place and gobbled up what was left.

Liz washed her hands, eyeing the counter filled with food. “There’s a lot more to this than I thought.”

“I like your plan of dividing and conquering. One of us can work on the sauces while the other starts on the chicken souvlaki.” Echo tapped the top of the recipes. “I’ll let you pick.”

Liz studied each sheet. “The main dish looks pretty cut and dried. You start on that and I’ll work on the other.”

While they worked, the women chatted about life on the farm, and Liz mentioned Pepper and Piper. “The pigs are settling in.”

“Floyd has been talking about getting some for a couple of months.” Echo finished prepping the fresh garlic and set it aside. “I don’t see you as a pig kinda person. ”

“I’m not.” Liz remembered the stench from the slop pail. “The thought of feeding them makes me nauseous.”

“It takes a special person to farm.” Echo reached for the bottle of olive oil. “You have plenty of room to expand with all the barns and land.”

“Which is Floyd’s plan. If he has his way, we’ll have cows, chickens and maybe even more pigs.”

“While living in the most beautiful home in the area.”

Despite Liz’s fear the meal preparation would be a total disaster, Echo and she whipped up an acceptable authentic Greek meal and an array of Mediterranean sauces.

Liz’s sides were more labor intensive, and it took some time to chop, mash and blend the ingredients for the different sauces.

Echo reached for a clean spoon. “We’ve earned a chef’s sample.” She eased a heaping spoonful of chicken into two small bowls and handed one to Liz. “I hope it tastes as good as it looks.”

Liz scooped up a small piece of chicken, savoring her bite. “It’s missing something.”

“The pita,” Echo said.

“What about the creamy sauce?”

“Crud. The tzatziki. I’m sure we have enough for the pitas and some extra to use as a side sauce. It’s chilling in the fridge.” Echo darted to the fridge and removed the cucumber sauce. She added a dollop to her chicken and did the same for Liz.

Liz took another bite. The creamy cucumber with a hint of dill tingled her tastebuds. “Perfect. It’s absolutely perfect.”

“I hope Treece likes it.”

“I’m sure he’ll love it.”

“The sauces should be ready for sampling, too.” Liz gave each of the sauces a thorough stir, sliced off several pita pieces and spread a spoonful of sauce across the top of each before handing one to Echo.

It was getting close to five, and Liz consulted her watch. “We need to wrap this up so I can get out of your hair and you can get ready.”

“Thanks, Liz. Thanks for everything, for helping me with the cooking, for being the best landlord I could ever ask for.”

“You’re welcome.” Liz scooped a spoonful of hummus into a to-go container. The spoon slipped from her hand and the contents splattered. Her arm bumped the container as it slid across the counter. A fast-moving Liz blocked it with her elbow.

“Nice save,” Echo joked.

“Thanks.” She attempted to swipe the sauce from her elbow and ended up smearing it on the front of her blouse. “I saved the sauce but messed up my blouse. ”

“I have some stain stick in the laundry area.” Echo motioned her into the hallway. She rummaged around inside the cabinet as Liz swiped at the stain. “It can wait until I get home.”

“I found it.” Echo handed the stain stick to her and slammed the cabinet door shut.

A ceiling panel popped out and dangled over the top of the dryer.

“Your ceiling panel came loose.”

“It keeps popping out.” Echo grabbed the stepladder next to the washer, climbed to the top, and popped the panel back in place.

“Do you want me to have Floyd swing by and fix it?” Liz finished dabbing at the spot. “It looks like the runners are crooked. I’m sure it’s an easy fix.”

“It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me at all.” Echo hurriedly placed the stain stick on the shelf and propelled Liz back into the kitchen. “This place is perfect. I didn’t mean for it to sound like a complaint. ”

“You weren’t complaining. If you change your mind, let me know.”

“I will.”

Liz finished helping clean up and began making her way toward the door. “We made some delicious dishes. I hope Treece and Floyd appreciate all our hard work.”

Echo trailed behind. “It turned out to be a good day, after all. The cop didn’t throw me in jail or fine me for the expired license and our dinner dishes are delish.”

“I’m sure you’ll take care of updating your license soon.” Liz told her she hoped she had a nice, relaxing evening. She coaxed Duchess out onto the deck. During the walk home, she thought about their earlier conversation about Mick Grotto.

Echo had explained her reason for jotting the man’s name on the slip of paper she and Gloria had found, but she’d also written a phone number next to it. How had Echo gotten the man’s phone number?

Would the investigators trace a call to her if they checked Grotto’s phone records?

Back at the RV, Liz placed the food on the table. She turned her laptop on and typed Grotto’s name into the search bar.

His attack was no longer headline news. There was only a small blurb at the bottom of the local newspaper’s page.

It was a repeat of what Liz already knew. The man had been attacked near Lake Terrace’s public boat ramp. The story ended with no mention of the man’s current condition, which struck her as odd.

Curious to see if there was anything else out there, she dialed Ruth’s number.

“Hey, Liz.”

“Hey, Ruth. I’m sorry to bother you. ”

“No bother. I’m getting ready for a NASCA call via Skype. We’re hammering out the details of our annual Chicago meeting. I’m on the planning committee.”

“It sounds exciting.”

“You should join us sometime. If you like people watching, you can meet some interesting characters.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” Liz promised. “I was checking online to see if there were any updates on Mick Grotto, the guy who was here looking for Echo the other day and was attacked down by Lake Terrace.”

“You know, now that you mention it, I haven’t heard anything about him either.”

Liz could hear tapping on the other end of the line.

“Strange. Yeah. There’s nothing new online. Let me see if I can hack…err…I mean, access the coun ty’s database.” Ruth grew quiet as the tapping continued. “Uh-oh.”

Liz switched the phone to her other ear. “You found something.”

“Yep. I’m surprised this hasn’t hit the front-page news yet. Are you near your computer?”

“I am.”

More clicking. “I want to forward something to you. What’s your email address?”

Liz rattled it off.

“I just sent it.”

“Hang on.” Liz switched to her email screen. A message from “Spymobile” popped up. “I got it.”

She double-clicked on the link Ruth had sent her. A photo with a caption beneath it popped up. Liz stared at it in disbelief. “No way.”