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“What’s wrong, sugar lips?” Floyd waved a hand in front of Liz’s face.

“The van. It belongs to the guy who came by here earlier, looking for Echo.” Liz grabbed her laptop and pulled up the website for the Channel 5 local news. His attack was the headline story, and a disturbing tidbit not included in the television report was revealed. “He has a criminal history.”

“Mercy me.” Floyd joined her. “You don’t think Echo had anything to do with what happened to him, do you?”

“I…don’t know what to think. She said she didn’t know who he was but took off right after I told her about him, claiming she forgot something at the farm. ”

Floyd scratched his forehead. “You sure she said she was going to the farm?”

“Positive. Why?”

“I know for a fact she clocked out and never came back because Audrey mentioned her leaving early and not returning.”

Liz cast a wary glance out the window toward their tenant’s mobile home. “Something fishy is going on. Think about it. Echo doesn’t want you to put her on the payroll. She moved to the area with no job and no place to live. What if she ran away from something?”

“Or someone,” Floyd said.

“There’s only one way to find out.” Determined to get to the bottom of who the injured stranger was and why Echo lied about having forgotten something, Liz strode out of the RV and down the driveway.

Floyd caught up with her. “Hang on. We can’t just march over there demanding answers and putting her on the defensive. She could be completely innocent.”

“You saw the news report,” Liz said. “The man was a convicted felon, recently released from prison. He tracked Echo here for a reason.”

“You have a valid concern, but let’s be careful about how we question her.”

“I’ll tone it down.” Liz crossed the wooden deck and gave their tenant’s front door a light rap.

Teddy, Echo’s pup, began barking.

The door opened, and Echo appeared. “Hello, Liz, Floyd.”

“Hello, Echo. We hope we’re not bothering you. Do you have a minute?” Liz asked.

“Sure.” She opened the door wider. “Would you like to come in?”

“Thanks.” Liz, with Floyd close behind, made their way inside. “Have you seen the evening news? ”

“No. I don’t watch a lot of television. There aren’t any decent shows on and the news is depressing. I would much rather read.”

“It certainly can be,” Liz agreed. “Do you remember when I told you a man was here looking for you earlier?”

“Yes. You said he was driving a white work van. Other than my co-workers, I haven’t given anyone my address or told them where I lived. I don’t know who the guy was.”

“The reason I’m bringing it up again is because someone attacked him over by Lake Terrace’s public boat ramp.”

Echo’s jaw dropped. “Somebody beat up the guy who was here looking for me?”

“Yes and, according to the news report, he was recently released from prison.”

The color drained from Echo’s face. “Is he…is he dead? ”

“They didn’t say he was dead, just that he was found badly beaten.” Liz pulled up the picture Gloria had sent her and showed it to Echo. “This is the guy.”

Echo studied it. “I’ve never seen him before in my life. What’s his name?”

“I don’t know. They haven’t released it yet.”

“I can make a quick call to a buddy who works at the television station and find out.” Floyd stepped out onto the deck, cell phone in hand. He returned moments later. “His name is Mick Grotto.”

“Mick Grotto,” Echo repeated. “The name doesn’t ring a bell.”

“You can’t think of anyone, maybe someone from Detroit who had any reason to come looking for you?” Liz asked.

“No. I mean, we handled a lot of criminal cases where I worked, but none in particular comes to mind.” Echo reassured them again, seeming genuinely puzzled and equally concerned by the news.

Floyd and Liz thanked her, warning her to keep her doors locked and headed home.

Liz waited until they were out of earshot. “Well? What do you think?”

“She looked mighty surprised. I don’t see any reason for her to lie about knowing him.”

“Except for the minor incident when she took off, telling me she forgot something at the farm but never went back there,” Liz reminded him.

“And the fact she doesn’t want to be put on the payroll.” Floyd stifled a yawn. “It’s been one of those days. I wouldn’t mind heading to bed.”

Floyd was already asleep by the time Liz joined him. She tossed and turned as fragments of her conversation with Echo ran through her head.

Their tenant appeared honest and straightforward. There was no reason not to take what she said at face value. But someone, a former convict, had been looking for her and that person had been viciously attacked, but by who and why?

Floyd left early the next morning and Liz headed over to the house. With the main floor demolition complete, it was time for the workers to begin putting the pieces back together.

Lucy and Margaret, who were officially in charge of the chateau / farmhouse renovations, arrived promptly at nine.

The trio toured the lower level, going over the updates one final time. The roar of a loud engine echoed, and Liz stepped over to the window. She watched as a flatbed truck with John’s Johns emblazoned on the driver’s side door jostled along the driveway.

“Check it out.” Lucy playfully elbowed Margaret. “Liz and Floyd ordered you your own toilet.”

“Very funny.” Margaret scowled. “I am not using a porta potty. ”

“It’s for the construction workers,” Liz said. “I would never expect you to use a portable toilet.”

“Margaret doesn’t mind,” Lucy laughed. “She’s the queen of outhouses.”

“Enough.” Margaret made a slicing motion across her neck. “You’re never going to let me live down our Christmas crisis.”

“Never.” Lucy grinned. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help but have a little fun.”

The truck rolled to a stop. A man hopped out and began lowering the bed, right next to Liz’s SUV.

She flew out of the house, waving her arms. “Stop! Don’t unload it yet! That’s not the spot!”

“Where do you want it?”

“Over here.” Liz jogged to the corncrib.

“It looks pretty muddy. I don’t wanna get my truck stuck.”

“You won’t. I promise. ”

With a little persuasion, the man reluctantly unloaded the green and white porta potty next to the corncrib. Liz signed off on the delivery and returned inside. “What was so hard about unloading the toilet away from the house?”

She finished going over the planned work with Lucy and Margaret and discovered she’d misplaced her cell phone. Liz tracked it down inside the RV and noticed that she’d missed a call from Gloria.

She promptly called her back. “Sorry I missed your call.”

“I have some errands to run, and figured I would swing by if you’re going to be around.”

“I’m here with Lucy and Margaret. We’re waiting for the workers.”

“Workers meaning you’re one step closer to moving in.”

“I need to be a hundred steps closer. ”

Duchess pawed at Liz’s leg and trotted to the door. She could see her neighbor making her way across the driveway. “Christi’s on her way over. I gotta go.”

“See you soon.”

Liz scooped her pup up and meandered down the driveway. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Liz. It looks like you’re moving full steam ahead with renovations.”

“As quickly as possible.”

“Are you doing a full renovation or just fixing up here and there?”

“We gutted the place…walls, floors, cabinets, fixtures, you name it.”

“That’s gonna cost a pretty penny,” Christi said. “The reason I’m here is I was wondering if you caught this morning’s local news.”

“No. Why? ”

Christi told her about the man, Mick Grotto, being hospitalized. “I recognized the man’s van.”

Liz’s heart skipped a beat, and she knew exactly where their conversation was headed.

“He was here yesterday.”

“He was,” Liz confirmed.

Her neighbor’s eyes widened. “Did you know him?”

“No.”

“Was he lost and looking for directions?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Floyd knows him.”

“Nope.”

Frustrated, Christi stomped her foot. “You didn’t know him. Floyd didn’t know him. He wasn’t lost.”

“He was looking for Echo.”

“Your new tenant? ”

“Yes.”

“So your tenant knew him.”

“No, at least she said she didn’t know who he was,” Liz said.

“It doesn’t make sense. Why would a stranger show up on your doorstep looking for your tenant and yet she claims she doesn’t know who he was?”

“That’s an excellent question and one I can’t answer.”

“You’re not having very good luck,” Christi said. “First, Deanna Andretti dies and now this guy.”

“I knew Deanna. I have no idea who this guy is.”

“He had a criminal background. Something about insider trading and blackmailing powerful people.” Christi shuddered. “This concerns me. The criminal element has infiltrated our peaceful little community.”

“One can never be too careful,” Liz said .

“Which is why we installed cameras. I feel somewhat safer knowing I can keep an eye on what’s going on. Hopefully, Mr. Grotto didn’t bring any of his fellow criminals here with him from Detroit.”