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“We can talk about it later. Jess is expecting us, and I don’t want her to get started on some other project and shortchange our discussion.”
“Want me to take the lead, or do you want to do that?”
“She’s always prickly with you, but you’re the one who knows more about Cardin. I’ll jump in if she pushes back.”
He nodded and rapped his knuckles on the office door. When Jess answered, “Come in,” he opened the door and gestured for Savannah to go first. She went ahead of him and spotted Jess behind her desk. Sunlight streamed through the big window and touched her sister’s face. Jess looked older this morning, tired and anxious. Was it the situation with Cardin or a late night?
Savannah crossed the office to hand her sister the iced latte. “Early morning?”
“I was here at five.” Her gaze went past Savannah to Hez. “I don’t have much time.”
Hez appeared in calm command as he strolled over to face Jess. “I have some concerns about Peter Cardin. After looking over the personnel file you gave me, I wanted to find out about the employment gaps. Did you know he’d been in prison for embezzling money from clients?”
Jess’s face reddened. “You are invading Peter’s privacy! Yes, he got into trouble. He had a cocaine habit that he kicked. You, of all people, ought to understand giving someone a second chance. You asked Savannah to intercede for you and give you a chance here. Should I do less for Peter? He’s been a good and reliable employee.”
“I watched ninety-three minutes of video. He went in and out of the history building on sixteen occasions. Don’t you find that a little excessive? What would he be doing there? I believe we have to consider the possibility Cardin might be the one selling artifacts and running the funds through the school’s accounts. Especially in light of his embezzlement history. And another thing—he was wearing a gray hoodie in the video. He might be the man who attacked Savannah at the warehouse.”
Jess waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “He delivers messages to the professors all the time. Some of our history faculty hate email and prefer to receive important or sensitive documents by hand. You’re trying to pin something on him that’s completely innocent.”
Savannah heard the way her sister’s voice vibrated and knew she should step in, but Hez shot her a warning glance, so she kept silent. Why was Jess defending Peter so strenuously?
“I understand,” Hez said in a calm voice. “One more thing and we’ll let you get on with your day. Can you think of any reason why Cardin and Andersen might get into an argument?”
Jess took a quick breath. She glanced at Savannah with an appeal in her eyes, but Savannah let the silence stretch out. Jess knew something and didn’t want to answer.
“Any ideas?” Hez asked again.
Jess took a sip of her latte, then set it on her desk. “No idea. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”
“Fair warning—Augusta will need to hear what I’ve discovered,” Hez said.
Jess stood and leaned forward with her hands on her desk. “You discovered nothing, Hez, but just like you always do, you’re trying to turn a nothing-burger into something it’s not. You’re going to look foolish.”
“Augusta might agree with you, but we’ll let her decide.”
He turned toward the door, and a muscle twitched in his jaw. Savannah wanted to say something to defuse the tension in the air, but she turned and followed Hez out the door. Once the door shut on her sister’s angry face, she put her hand on Hez’s arm. “I think Jess knows exactly why Peter was arguing with Erik.”
He nodded. “I wondered if she didn’t want me investigating Cardin because she knew it would lead to Erik. Do you think she still cares about him?”
“She says she doesn’t, but Jess has always been so private that it’s hard to know for sure. She couldn’t wait for us to get out of there. I wouldn’t be surprised if she called Erik and Peter right away. What do you think Augusta will do?”
“I’ll soon find out. I’ll go see her right away and turn over the video. Something’s there, Savannah. I’m sure of it.” He held her gaze for a long moment. “Be careful. Things may heat up if Augusta pokes in deeper.”
She wasn’t aware for a few seconds that she’d taken his hand, but he didn’t pull away. His firm grip was a reminder of everything in their past, but it broke her heart to think that her contact with him would soon end.
Chapter 23
Slow-building tension had plagued Hez for the past two days, but it began to evaporate as he ran with Cody trailing behind. The distant rhythm of breakers on the beach paced him for the first couple of miles. As his path moved farther from Bon Secour Bay, the music of the waves gave way to woodland sounds. Early morning breezes rustled the branches overhead and sent ripples through the long grass in the occasional meadows. The forest wore the tired, faded greens of late September, signaling that fall was just around the corner.
Nervous energy had built up in him like a static charge after his talk with Augusta. When she’d heard about Cardin, she immediately asked Hez, Savannah, and Beckett to put their investigation on hold while the Pelican Harbor Police Department worked the case. As a former prosecutor, Hez understood perfectly. Having private citizens and the police actively investigating simultaneously created legal and logistical risks that could easily destroy a case. So Augusta’s request held logic—but Hez still hated being stuck on the sidelines.
He reached the side path leading to the cemetery where Ella was buried. He hesitated for a moment. Might he run into Savannah at the grave? No, she had class now. He turned off the main trail, and the crushed oyster shells crunched under his feet as he jogged up the gentle slope to the graveyard. The rusty gate still stood open. He slowed to a walk and went in. His panting dog followed him, tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth.
The air felt cooler and fresher than the last time he’d come here, and a clean light wind greeted him. Spanish moss hung from the arching limbs of ancient trees, waving gently like the remnants of old flags. Green bronze angels watched over monuments of stained marble and lichen-crusted granite. Weeds crowded the path, grabbing at his ankles and shins as he passed.
The genteel decay vanished when Hez reached the two newest graves in the Legare section of the cemetery. Bright sunlight fell on the weedless grass covering the graves of Ella and her maternal grandmother, and no moss or lichen grew on their headstones. Fresh flowers adorned each.
Ella would have liked this place. He could almost picture her playing in the grass and asking him the names of the flowers on her grave.
