Page 28 of Edge of Steele
Ryleigh didn’t mind her midday shift, but she had a request and leaned forward. “Since I’m the one who called Veritas in, I’d like to be there to greet them when they arrive in the morning, if that’s okay?”
“Sure thing,” Russ said.
She looked at Finn. “Could we be there by eight?”
“Can do,” he said.
“Anything else we need to cover?” Russ asked.
“I’m ready with that list of competitors,” Colin said.
Russ grabbed a marker and crossed the assignment off the board then added a new item to investigate the list. He looked at Ryan. “You take this. Your experience with wildland fires makes you most familiar with logs and the best one to speak their language.”
“You got it,” Ryan said. “We don’t have a group at Wilderness Ways, so I have time.”
“Wilderness Ways?” Finn asked.
Ryan’s eyes sparked. “An organization for troubled teens. I’m the director.”
Finn scratched his cheek. “I thought you worked with Shadow Lake Survival.”
“I work part-time for both. But if the family business keeps booming, I’ll soon need to go full-time there and find a director to replace me at Wilderness Ways.”
Finn shifted to look at Russ. “You going to retire to work for the family too?”
“Never.”
“That’s what I said and look at me.” Ryleigh chuckled.
“I won’t give in to pressure. I help out when I can, and that’s the best I can do right now.” He clapped his hands. “That’s it, people. I’ll assign a deputy to babysit the crime scene so we can meet again tomorrow. Time to be determined.”
7
Ryleigh studied Uri Gates’s two-story townhouse from the quiet treelined road, Finn by her side. Gates’s place was located in one of the few newer developments in town. Newer according to Shadow Lake standards, built in the past twenty years. The building’s crisp white paint with black trim stood out next to the neighboring unit covered in dingy yellow paint.
She and Finn walked up to the side of the building and into a strong wind that buffeted her face. “No doorbell or security cameras on the property.”
“Not a surprise since he basically just moved in,” Finn said. “Or maybe he’s not into that.”
They entered the postage stamp-sized backyard through a squeaky gate to the sliding patio door in back. Both of them slipped into disposable gloves and booties, and Finn slid the door open. It grated along the track sending a horrific rasping sound into the air.
“Hope the neighbors don’t think we’re breaking in and report us.” Finn gestured for her to go first.
“Guess it’s good that Russ insisted on deputizing me before we left so I can flash my new shield at anyone who bothers to question us.” She grinned.
He returned her smile with the one that got her heartbeat racing.
Donotfall for that again.
She stepped over the threshold and forced her attention to the dark family room, coming up short at its trashed state. Sure, Russ had said the townhouse had been tossed, but the extent exceeded her expectations. The intruder had sliced open the cushions on a small sofa and spilled the innards across the room. The coffee table was upended. The debris brushed against a glass-enclosed gas fireplace with sparkling crystals in the base.
She picked her way through the mess to a modest-sized kitchen that butted up to the family room with two stools perched at the black granite counter. Stainless appliances gleamed as if recently polished. Maybe because his lease had been signed only a month prior. The contents from oak cupboards were swept onto black tile floors. A jug of vinegar had spilled, leaving the caustic odor radiating through the air.
Finn came up beside her. “Wonder if they found what they were looking for.”
“Who knows,” she said. “Let’s go upstairs and see if the mess continues. Remember this is a crime scene so watch where you walk.”
She led the way down a short hallway that took them to the front door and a steep stairwell leading upstairs. On the second floor, she found two bedrooms and headed for the closest one.
