Alaskan Hideaway

Ursula grabbed a ceramic jar and set it on the counter before answering. “You mean you weren’t standing in the kitchen with your ear pressed against the door?”

“I was but he didn’t talk loud enough. Spill. Why are good-looking men bringing you bucket loads of flowers?”

Ursula shrugged. “It was one man and who knows why he does what he does?”

“So you admit he’s good-looking.”

“He is. He’s also my new neighbor.”

“Maybe he wants to be more than your neighbor.”

“Just the opposite, I think.” Ursula stepped down. “He’s bribing me to leave him alone.”

“If that were true, wouldn’t he have brought a cactus?”

Ursula laughed and filled the vases with water. “He’s as prickly as a cactus, but it seems his overachieving conscience won’t let him get away with being rude. Thus, the flowers. Now that he’s apologized, he can go back to brooding in his cave.”

“We’ll see.”

“Yes, we will.” Ursula trimmed the stems of one bouquet, stuffed it into a vase, fluffed the flowers and handed the arrangement to Catherine. “Here, you can put these out for your quilters to enjoy.”

* * *

IT DIDN’T TAKE long for the locksmith to do his thing. Once he’d gone, Mac made sure the deadbolts were latched and slipped the new keys onto his key ring. The leather fob had worn to the point that it was hard to read the M stamped onto it. Another of Andi’s craft projects, back before she realized leather came from cows.

Mac picked up his phone and dialed the familiar number. He was in luck. Detective Russ Ralston was in.

“It’s Mac. Just checking in to see if you’ve found any new evidence.”

“Sorry, nothing.” He sounded almost as frustrated as Mac felt.

“Have you checked out that tip from—?”

“You know I can’t share details. Rest assured, we’re following up every lead. That reward you offered has generated plenty of interest. So far none of the calls have panned out, but we’re still working on it. We won’t give up until we find him.”

Mac believed him. Russ was a longtime acquaintance and had a daughter two years younger than Andi. He was taking Andi’s murder as a personal affront. Not that Mac was relying entirely on police resources. The private investigator he’d hired was canvassing everyone even remotely connected to Joel Thaine, Andi’s boyfriend.

Mac never liked him. The first time they met, there was something...off about the young man. Nothing he could put a finger on, just the feeling Thaine was playing a part, saying what he was supposed to say to his girlfriend’s father. Come to think of it, Blossom didn’t care for him, either.

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