Runs Deeper by R. D. Brady

Author:R. D. Brady [Brady, R. D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scottish Seoul Publishing, LLC
Published: 2019-06-11T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Nine

No one at the lumberyard would talk to Phineas. Oh, sure, everyone was pleasant enough when he first approached them. They all politely listened, many shaking his hand before the conversation started. But then as soon as he asked the first question about Steve, everyone clammed up.

No one wanted to say a bad thing about him. Everyone had good things to say. He always started with the general question, and everybody assured him that Steve was great at his job, really knew his stuff, and was really excellent to work with. But as soon as he traveled down a personal road, no one would tell him a thing.

His fingertips numb and his cheeks chapped, Phineas climb back into Stuart’s Ford Taurus. He’d spent two hours trying to get people to speak, and all he had to show for it was the beginning of frostbite. He turned on the engine immediately, knowing it was going to take forever for the engine to warm in this cold. The engine thermometer wasn’t even at the C, it was well below that. He hadn’t known engines could do that. How did these people live like this?

He braced himself and stepped outside, wiping off the windshield with the sleeve of his jacket before ducking back inside. As he waited for the engine to warm up enough that he could drive, he stared at the yard. A forklift passed, a load of wood on its front. Where had Steve disappeared to in such a rush? Reggie was gone too. He debated whether he should head for Steve’s home and speak with him.

But of course, if he’s a murderer, I’ll want to keep all interactions very public. The engine thermostat inched closer to C. Good enough. He put the car in reverse and slowly pulled out of the parking lot. The whole area was packed with snow. He’d never really driven in snow like this before, so taking it slow wasn’t an option, it was a requirement. Stuart was pretty easygoing, but even he would draw the friendship line at wrecking his car in another state.

He pulled into the bed-and-breakfast parking lot and quickly gained the steps and slipped in the front door. He pushed it closed behind him and leaned against it, breathing in the warmth. The car’s heat hadn’t fully kicked in until he pulled into the lot. He felt like a popsicle.

Jared appeared from the kitchen. “Oh, Mr. O’Rourke. How are you? I … I, uh …” He turned away from Phineas quickly and walked over to the desk. He rummaged around underneath and came back up with a handful of tissues.

Phineas step forward. What was going on? Jared’s eyes were ringed red. “Is everything all right?” The minute the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to suck them back in. Of course everything wasn’t all right. The man had obviously been crying. “Um, can I do anything for you?”

Jared shook his head, giving Phineas a watery smile. “That’s very kind of you.

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