Silent Sabotage by Susan Sleeman

Author:Susan Sleeman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-09-24T04:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

The Oregon Free members met in the small back room of a local burger restaurant that evening. Archer escorted Emily inside, and his muscles ached in spots where he didn’t know he had muscles. He worked out on a regular basis, but after a day of carrying sixty-pound bundles of shingles up a ladder, he now knew the true meaning of backbreaking work.

Emily set a large basket of vegetables from her garden and cartons of eggs on a table already laden with similar items. Apparently, they swapped homegrown and homemade items. She greeted her fellow members and received mixed responses. Initially, she introduced him as her friend, but when that elicited strange looks, he stepped up next to her and draped his arm around her shoulder to make their supposed relationship clearer.

Knowing looks passed around the room and despite his finely pressed khakis and button-down shirt, so unlike the well-worn jeans and T-shirts on most of the guys, they seemed to accept him. A friendly banter flowed between the members as they exchanged items. Emily finally seemed to relax, but he remained alert. He kept his arm firmly around her shoulder and his eye on the entire group, covertly scoping out signs of concealed weapons, but was gratified not to find any hint of one.

As they took their seats, one of the guys brought up the shooting. Archer felt Emily stiffen beneath his arm. He squeezed to let her know he was there for her and received a sweet smile for his efforts.

“It must have been horrible, Emily,” a woman with frizzy brown hair commiserated. “How on earth did you survive?”

“It wasn’t easy.” Emily took a seat and her closed expression didn’t encourage discussion.

If she were a trained law enforcement officer, she would have taken the opening and run with it instead of discouraging conversation. Archer’s gut reaction was to step in, but he restrained himself because he knew his interference this early on would put them off.

“I figured Delmar was trouble,” the woman went on. “We probably should have voted to remove Stan from the group, too.”

“Why’s that?” Emily asked casually, and Archer wanted to give her an atta-girl for her open-ended question that would keep this conversation going.

“I suspect he knew all about Delmar’s plan to bomb the bridge and was on board with it. If Cindy hadn’t intervened...poor Cindy.” The woman shook her head. “Poor, poor Cindy. She was such a sweet girl, not like Delmar at all, and she didn’t deserve to die.”

“Do you think Delmar let anyone else in on the plan?” Emily asked.

“Delmar? Nah. He was a loner, right?” The woman queried the rest of the group with a questioning gaze.

A young man with a stocking cap not fully hiding his greasy hair nodded. “I think the only reason Stan hung with Delmar was because of Cindy.”

“Then why would he go along with Withrow’s plan?” Archer asked and all the members turned to stare at him with What’s it to you? looks.

“I’m just curious,” he quickly added.

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