"Look . . ." Brody raked a hand through his cropped hair. "I was at work yesterday until six, and then I was at the Roost. The boys can vouch for me."

The same boys who'd probably helped him damage Kayden's props, so in other words, they'd lie for him about his whereabouts.

"And at five this morning?" Kayden pressed, her ire fully riled.

"I was in bed, with my girlfriend."

"And how do we know you didn't sneak out and slip back in before she woke?"

"Ask Rachel. Her alarm goes off every morning at five, and she hits the stupid Snooze b.u.t.ton for a good forty-five minutes. Trust me, she'd notice if I wasn't there."

Jake looked at Kayden. If Brody's girlfriend confirmed his alibi and no other physical evidence surfaced, they couldn't touch him.

Kayden slammed the rental-car door after speaking with Brody's girlfriend, Rachel. "Of course she'd confirm his alibi." Frustration seared inside, making her restless and agitated. He was going to get away with his bullying.

Jake rested his hand on the open car door. "For what it's worth, she didn't appear to be lying."

"What are you saying?" He didn't believe Brody, did he?

"That I don't think Brody is responsible for the graffiti."

That hit her like a ton of bricks. "What? If not Brody, then who?"

"One of Brody's friends or the killer."

"And you don't think Brody's the killer?"

"Do you? Deep down, do you really think Brody's capable of murder?"

She pondered that. It'd been years since they'd been close, and Brody's reaction had raised questions in her mind, but deep down she couldn't see him killing someone. But that wasn't her area of expertise-it was Jake's. "I don't know. It would surprise me, but I've been surprised before."

"Trust me, I hear you." He exhaled. "But think about it. Nothing would please Conrad's killer more than to get us running around trying to catch whoever caused the vandalism rather than working on Conrad's case.

"I think Brody and his buddies are definitely to blame for the damage to your props, but the graffiti . . . When you called Brody on it, he truly appeared to be shocked. I don't think he did it. I think the killer did it to keep us focused on Brody-knowing we'd go right to him."

"So the killer is close by. Close enough to see what's happening with Brody."

"It's a small island. It wouldn't be hard to keep tabs on things."

She sighed with frustration. "So what now?"

"We work the case. We head over to Natalie's shop and confirm exactly when Conrad purchased the chalk."

Kayden shook her head. "I can't believe Brody still won't let us look at his books without a warrant. What a loser."

"We've called him out more than once in front of his peers. Refusing to let us take a look makes it feel as if he still has some measure of control. Plus, he just wants to give us a hard time, make our job more difficult."

"It's only going to work until the warrant comes through."

"Sheriff Marshall a.s.sured me we'd have the warrant before the day is out. It's only a matter of time before we get a look at the gym's time logs."

"That will make Brody even more fun to deal with."

"Good. Then maybe he'll lash out again. And this time we can catch him in the act."

"How?" They couldn't prove he'd been involved with either case of vandalism thus far. How would they be able to catch him in the act the next time?

"Sheriff Marshall has a deputy watching him. If Brody does anything to scare us off, he'll be caught red-handed."

"Nice." She couldn't wait to see the look on Brody's smug face when that happened. She'd thought she knew him, and he'd turned out to be a totally different person than she'd remembered. Had he changed so drastically, or had she never really known him at all?

She took a moment to study Jake. For years she'd thought she had him pegged, and she'd been dead wrong. There was no bravado with Jake-just skill and humble mastery. She respected his strength, and not just bodily strength, though seeing the defined muscles of his torso, his sculpted stomach and arms . . . Her heart had definitely skipped a beat. Hers. Who would have ever thought?

"You all right?" he asked. "You're looking a little flushed."

She stretched out, trying to ease the tightness in her body. "Just frustrated." In more ways than one.

12.

Natalie greeted Jake and Kayden with less enthusiasm than the last time they'd entered her shop, but she managed a level of politeness-even if it was remote.

"Back again?" She shifted her weight, rubbing her arms. "I hope the chalk tests came back okay?"

"We're still waiting to get the samples to the lab," Jake explained.

"Oh. So why are you here?"

"We need to confirm when Conrad bought his chalk."

"I told you . . ." She leaned against the counter. "The day before his death."

"We need you to be more specific."

Her eyes narrowed. "As in . . . ?"

"What time of day."

"Again," she said, her tone becoming more clipped, "he came in after work."

Kayden leaned against the counter beside her, propping her elbows on the countertop. "We're trying to determine which came first-Conrad's buying the chalk here or visiting Brody's gym for a climb."

"But Brody won't let you look at his books." For supposedly being at odds, she seemed to know quite a lot about him. What was up with that?

"Not without a warrant, but we'll have one soon enough," Jake said. "What we need from you is the actual time Conrad was in your shop. Buying his chalk."

"I don't remember that precisely."

"You must keep a record of purchases," Kayden said. They did at Last Frontier Adventures.

"Yeah." Natalie shrugged.

"So look up Conrad's purchase."

"All right. I suppose." Natalie moved to her computer and shuffled through the day's purchases, her countenance a 180 from yesterday. What had happened to shift her willingness to comply? Had Brody said something to her-told her they needed to stick together? Natalie scrolled down the screen and gestured for Jake to look at the screen. "Looks like he purchased the chalk at five-thirty."

"Vivienne said Conrad left work early that day, so chances are he climbed first," Kayden said.

But they'd still need to look at Brody's book and get confirmation from Conrad's secretary as to what time he actually left the office.

"Thanks, Natalie," Jake said.

"Uh-huh." She stepped from the computer, linking her arms across her chest.

Why was she so uneasy? Because they'd caught her climbing with Brody? Because they now had the time the chalk was purchased? Because the results of the chalk weren't in yet? What did she think they'd discover?

Jake pulled their rental car to a stop outside Patty Tate's home. While waiting on the warrant, at least they had something useful to do in the meantime-interview Patty Tate-and Kayden was thankful for that. Brody had resurrected old feelings, memories. Not for him, in the least, but for the person she'd been before her mom's death, before her mom's illness had taken hold, ravaging her once-vibrant and healthy body. Kayden had been different then-more relaxed, fun, untarnished. She suddenly ached for those days, for what she'd lost, and most especially for her mom. It was amazing how the effects of loss lingered, even after so many years.

She glanced over at Jake, wondering if he'd been different before Becca's death. Had he been more carefree? Carried less weight on his shoulders? How had his wife's death changed him? And did he miss his wife as much as she missed her mom?

She sighed. The two of them made quite the broken pair, and strangely, there was something of beauty in that.

Getting no answer at Patty Tate's front door, Jake guided Kayden around the rear of the home, where they found Patty at work in her greenhouse. The air inside smelled earthy and damp. Trays of baby seedlings up through full-grown plants sat on roughhewn tables made out of plywood and sawhorses.

Patty looked up at their approach. She was shorter than Kayden, but not by much, though far more muscular. Patty was of the climbing school of thought that big muscles meant faster climbing times, whereas Kayden believed in overall health and graceful dexterity and strength. Patty's curly dark-brown hair was pulled up in a lopsided bun, swirly strands sticking every which way. Her arms were covered with potting soil up to her elbows. She wore a loose-fitting geometric print T-shirt and tan capris. "Kayden McKenna."

"How's it going, Patty?"

"Can't complain. Won the race up Mount Marathon. Surprised you weren't there."

"My brother's getting married tomorrow. Didn't want to schedule anything so close to the wedding." Again she wished she'd been able to help out this last day before the wedding, but surely Bailey understood.

Patty shrugged. "Sucks to be you."

Wow! She was every bit the peach Kayden recalled her being.

Patty lifted her chin at Jake. "You must be the cop."

"Deputy Cavanagh."

"Brody said you two would be by."

Of course he had. It appeared he was doing anything he could to make the investigation more difficult. Why was that?

"We'd like to ask you a few questions about your relationship with Conrad Humphries," Jake began.

"What about it?" Patty brushed her hands off and came to stand with her back against the table in front of them.

"Mom, I dumped the latest in your workshop." A young man, probably seventeen or eighteen, stood in the doorway. Tall, lean, dark hair like his mom, but green eyes instead of her blue.

"Thanks, Shane."

Shane eyed the two of them.

Kayden tried to place where she'd just seen him.

"Didn't know you had company," he said.

Jake stepped toward him. "Didn't we see you over at Brody's gym?"

"Maybe."

"Shane works there part time," Patty said.

"That's right." Jake snapped his fingers. "Brody asked you to watch the counter while we spoke yesterday, and you were there again this morning."

Shane remained silent.

"You like working there?" he asked.

Shane shrugged. "Pay's okay, and I get to climb for free."

"So you're a climber like your mom?"

"Like a lot of people."

"Ever climb outdoors?" Kayden asked.

"Yeah." He expelled a huff. "I'm not just some gym monkey wannabe."

"Cool."

Patty glanced at her phone. "If you don't hurry, you're gonna be late for work."

Shane slid on his sungla.s.ses, lifted his longboard, and spun the wheels. "Later."

"It's nice both you and your son enjoy climbing," Jake said to Patty once Shane was gone.

Kayden had watched him do the same thing with Vivienne Humphries, trying to find something nonthreatening to talk about, to establish a rapport.

"Been taking him with me since he was a toddler. It's second nature to him."

"That's nice."