Death in the Desert: A Small-Town Mystery (The Lost Gorge Mysteries Book 1) by Lee Dawson

Author:Lee Dawson [Dawson, Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elite Edition
Published: 2022-10-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

When Blake returned to the office and opened his door, his father-in-law sat perched on Blake’s chair behind his own desk.

“What’s up?” Blake asked as he shut the door behind him.

“We have our appointment today.” The mayor looked every inch the outdoorsman with his Carhartt pants and red button-up shirt, but with everything perfectly clean and pressed.

It took Blake a minute to remember what day it was. He counted days in numbers now—Friday, day four of Keen missing. “I thought with everything going on we would wait until next week.”

“Because of all that is going on is why we need to meet this week. Always remember, my boy, not to let anything interfere with progress. I’m disappointed that I didn’t hear from you about finding the girl’s bike. Am I to assume you’re looking at this as a criminal case?”

As usual, Blake sat in a guest chair in his own office. “Yes, but Sol is also organizing searches in the fields and valley around.” That was a lie, as no one had talked to Sol in a day. “Deputy Shinlock circled off a perimeter directly around the bike and finished up forensics on the site. He’s processing everything now.” He didn’t add that so far, the evidence had told them zilch and the site lay under a few inches of water.

“It must have been an out-of-towner or some seasonal worker.”

Blake didn’t know that but understood it would be the most popular theory. In the hierarchy of the Gorge, it went year-round residents, part-time residents, seasonal workers, and then the tourists—who everyone played up to but secretly gave the mental stink eye to. “Possibly, but right now the focus is still on finding Keen.”

“Don’t give me that PR crap; I taught you that. Tell me, are you going to find this girl? If you don’t, it will hang over all future elections.”

Blake hated him at that moment. Hated what having a father-in-law like him made him have to do. “I will find her.”

“Good, now let’s move on to other things. I am meeting with the town council next week to go over the figures for downtown.” For years the council had been pushing to rebuild downtown. The hope was to make it look less like a cow town and more like a ski village with a functioning ski lift from the hotel to the resort’s base. None of it actually necessary; tourists could drive faster to the resort parking lot than by riding a lift, but it would look good on a brochure.

The project would bring in more of those hated tourists and their much-sought-after money. Blake served on the committee with the mayor to make sure it happened.

“I’m a little concerned about the budget, Blake, and I think you know why.”

Discrepancy. The one word no one who deals in numbers wants to hear. “I thought you said that little miscalculation would work itself out.”

The mayor leaned across the table on his arms. “We can’t afford to have outsiders looking into the town.

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