Paws to Remember by Sofie Kelly

Author:Sofie Kelly [Kelly, Sofie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2023-10-17T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

I hadn’t asked Lita which of the old warehouses Jake Andersen was looking at, so I decided to start with the ones near the Sweeney Center, the hockey training center run by former NHL player Eddie Sweeney, who was also Roma’s husband. It turned out to be a good choice. There was a black Ford truck, extended cab, in the parking lot of the building on the upriver side of the Sweeney Center. It said “Andersen Consulting” in white letters on the driver’s-side door. There were no other vehicles.

I left two spaces between my truck and Jake Andersen’s when I parked. His vehicle was a lot cleaner; in fact, I guessed it had been washed since he’d arrived in town. That suggested he was someone who cared about appearances.

There was no sign of Jake outside the warehouse. I sat for maybe five minutes watching the main doors at the front before he came out. He was alone and I knew from the photos I’d seen on social media that I had the right man. I got out of the truck and headed across the pavement.

“Mr. Andersen,” I called out once I was close enough for him to hear me.

He turned to look at me.

Jake Andersen was taller than I’d guessed from his social media photos. He wore an olive green quilted jacket with a caramel-colored scarf at the neck and dark jeans. A pair of brown leather gloves poked out of one of the jacket pockets. He looked to be in good shape. He wasn’t skinny but he didn’t carry any extra weight, either. His dark blond hair was flecked with gray and had been expertly cut and he had a chiseled jaw and bright blue eyes. He had the kind of appearance that would make a lot of women and men take a second look.

“Mr. Andersen, my name is Kathleen Paulson,” I said.

He frowned. “I don’t know you.”

I nodded. “No, you don’t.” I didn’t get a chance to say anything else.

Jake held up one hand. “I don’t contribute to any cause when I’m accosted on the street, no matter how noble you may think yours is.” He said the word “noble” with a decidedly sarcastic edge.

Lita had been right. The man was abrasive.

“I don’t have a cause,” I said. “I do have a few questions . . . about Lily Abbott.”

His blue eyes narrowed and the lines around them tightened. “I don’t have anything to say about her. We weren’t friends.”

“You were friends with her boyfriend, Bryan James.”

The muscles along his jawline clenched. “I’m not answering any questions about Bryan or Lily or anyone else,” he said as he moved around me. “This conversation is over.”

He cut across the parking lot in long strides, but to my surprise he didn’t turn toward his truck; instead he headed for the Sweeney Center.

This was the only chance I was going to get to talk to Jake Andersen. There was no way going forward that he would talk to me on the phone or see me if I made an appointment.

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