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“Mark Havane,” Liz repeated. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

“I don’t know. That’s what Audrey wrote down.”

“Has Echo shown up for work yet?”

“Nope. She should be here any minute. I’ll give her the message as soon as I see her.” Floyd ended the call, promising to let her know what it was all about, if Echo told him.

She didn’t have long to wait. Floyd called back while she was rolling up the hose.

“Mark Havane is Echo’s old boss.”

“That’s why his name sounded familiar. She mentioned him, how he didn’t believe her that someone took the lead investigator out. I wonder why he’s calling her at the farm,” Liz said .

“He must not have her cell phone number.”

“How did she react?”

“At first she seemed surprised, but then not so much. She took his number and thanked me.”

“Interesting. She wasn’t necessarily surprised or alarmed by the fact her former boss had tracked her down.”

“Nope.”

Liz thanked Floyd for letting her know, and then promptly dialed Gloria’s number.

“It might not be odd,” Gloria said after Liz filled her in. “Although you would think if they had kept in touch, he would’ve had her cell phone number.”

“Floyd said Echo didn’t seem concerned about it. Maybe I’m making a mountain out of a molehill. I wonder if Sheriff Nelson has had any luck getting a license plate number.”

A loud rumbling filled the air and Liz watched as a big box truck and two large work vans pulled into the driveway. Lucy’s Jeep was close behind. “It looks like the work crew is here to get started on my kitchen.”

“Woo-hoo. Lucky you!” Gloria whooped. “I’ll let you go.”

Liz quickly ended the call and hurried around the side of the house.

A whirlwind of activity ensued as the workers unloaded cabinets, boxes of flooring and a pallet of light fixtures. The materials were transferred onto carts and taken inside.

The sound of hammers and saws was music to her ears and, although she was determined to stay out of the way, Liz stopped by for a sneak peek while the workers took their lunch break.

“Well?” Lucy removed her safety glasses and joined Liz in the doorway. “It’s starting to take shape now.”

“I can’t wait.” Liz clapped her hands and spun in a slow circle. “It’s going to be beautiful. ”

“You’ll have the classiest kitchen in Montbay County,” Lucy joked. “You’ll be able to host parties to your heart’s content.”

“And you and Margaret will be the VIPs for our first one.”

The hours flew by as workers continued buzzing in and out of the house. Quitting time came, and the workers piled into their vehicles and drove off.

Liz waited until they were gone to slip back inside. The smell of fresh sawdust filled the air. She made her way around the massive center island and paused in front of what would be her farmhouse sink overlooking the side yard.

She stared dreamily at the open pastures and green acres for as far as the eye could see. Liz was still standing there, envisioning her dream home, when Floyd arrived.

“It’s looking good, sugar lips.”

“The transformation is going to be incredible. ”

“Are you happy?” Floyd slipped his arms around her.

“Thrilled.” Liz bounced on the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek. “I love what I see so far.”

“And I love you.”

“How is Echo?”

“She’s fine. I think she’s leaning toward coming home tonight. I stopped by her place before I came here. It doesn’t look like anyone was over there messing around last night.”

“That’s a relief.” Liz pressed a hand to her chest.

“She was gonna give that old boss of hers a call. She’s thinking he might be willing to put in a good word for her if she applies for a job over at the county.”

“Oh, good. I mean, bad for the farm, but good for her,” Liz said. “It would be a shame for her to waste her skills and knowledge. ”

“I agree.” Floyd patted his stomach. “I’m hungry, and you’ve been doing a lot of cooking. What do you say we order pizza?”

“I say that sounds great.” Liz reached for her phone. “We’ll have it delivered hot and fresh in under thirty minutes.”

A movement caught her eye. “Echo’s home.”

Their tenant parked behind Floyd’s truck, and Liz met her near the back door. “The workers got a lot done today.”

“I heard. I thought I would stop by to check it out.”

“We still have a long way to go, but at least we’re making progress,” Liz said.

“It’s gonna be beautiful.” Echo finished touring the lower level. She turned to go, and Liz stopped her. “We’re ordering pizza. Why don’t you join us for dinner?”

“I don’t want to impose. ”

“It’s not an imposition. We’ll have plenty.”

“Thanks. I need to run home and get cleaned up.”

The food arrived not long after Echo returned. The trio sat on the front porch, enjoying the warm summer evening and discussing the renovations.

Echo confirmed no one had bothered her place. “I talked to my old boss, Havane, earlier. He promised to give me a glowing recommendation. I think I’m ready to apply for a county job.”

“Good for you,” Liz beamed.

“We’ll miss you,” Floyd said. “You’re a hard worker, but you need to follow your heart and do what makes you happy.”

Liz dipped her crust in the pizza sauce. “Was there a reason for his call?”

“You know, now that you mention it, I’m not sure. He said he tracked me down through another former co-worker and was surprised to find out I had moved to West Michigan.”

“Is he still a supervisor at the place where you used to work?” Liz asked.

“Yeah. He said they’re super busy. He’s in charge of hosting the inner-city fundraiser again.” Echo explained it was an annual event that raised money for area youth programs. “It was great fun. We did crazy things to raise money. My favorite was the wheelbarrow obstacle course.”

“I’m sure Montbay County plans similar events,” Liz said.

Echo wiped her hands on her napkin and grabbed her cell phone. “I have pictures.” She tapped the screen and handed Liz her phone. “That’s me and my co-worker Vanessa, the one who died. She’s in the wheelbarrow. Mark is on the right. You might get to meet him. He said he would be in the area tomorrow. If he had time, he was going to give me a call. ”

Liz studied the short man with the pudgy middle. His hair was gray and thinning on top.

“Mark doesn’t look like he would be able to move very fast, but he can,” Echo said.

Liz started to hand the phone back when something prompted her to take a closer look. She tapped the screen to enlarge the picture.

“What is it?” Echo asked.

Liz pressed a hand to her forehead, struggling to remember what the bartender had said about the man who was in Kip’s buying a Montabello cigar. “Do you remember the description Pam, the bartender at Kip’s, gave us of the cigar-smoking stranger?”

Echo’s eyes widened. “She said he was short, kinda roundish and balding, with gray hair. You don’t think…”

“We need to run this over to the bar to see if your old boss is the guy who was in there.” Liz sprang from her chair, and Floyd stopped her .

“Hold on. I’m going with you this time. Before we leave, we need to find out if she’s working.”

“You’re right. She told us she was the day shift bartender. I’m hoping she’s still there.” Liz made a quick call to the bar. “She’s there, but will be clocking out soon. We need to get a move on.”

The trio piled into Floyd’s pickup truck and took the back roads to Belhaven. Downtown was packed, and the only empty spot was in the post office’s parking lot across the street.

With Floyd leading the way, they made a beeline for the bar.

Pam was in the corner ringing up purchases. Liz caught her attention and made her way over. “Pam.”

“Yes.”

“I was in here the other day with my friends, asking you about a man who purchased a Montabello cigar. ”

“I remember.”

“We showed you a picture, but you weren’t sure if that was the guy.”

Pam tucked the order pad into her work apron and nodded. “Yeah. He wasn’t a regular and hasn’t been back since, at least as far as I know.”

Echo stepped forward. “Actually, I think the person who came in was my former boss. I have a picture of him and was wondering if you could identify him for us.”

Pam shrugged. “I’ll try.”

Echo pulled up the photo and showed it to the woman.

“It’s kinda dark.”

Echo tapped the screen. “Does that help?”

“Yeah.”

Liz’s heart hammered in her chest as the bartender studied the photo .

“This is the guy.” She handed the phone back. “I’m almost a hundred percent certain because I remember the mole above his eye.”