You just couldn’t trust anyone in this business.
By the time Chase arrived at the family candle factory for work, the news had broken—another murder victim discovered at Brown County State Park. He’d called his parents on the way home to grab a shower, not only to let them know what was going on, but to explain why he would be late for work. Mom had been understandably upset, but promised not to mention anything to their employees. Dad, who had taken over the cooking duties when he’d retired a year ago, responded with his usual brand of comfort. “Sorry, son. Drop by tonight and I’ll toss something on the grill.”
Now that Chase was finally at work, he was determined to keep a low profile and get some paperwork done. But it seemed everyone wanted to talk about the day’s hottest news. He considered closing the office door so he wasn’t such an easy target, but he knew the open-door policy was interpreted literally by the employees at Good Things in Wax. Closed doors made people nervous.
The scent of the previous afternoon’s pour lingered heavily in the air. Naturally it had to be Cinnamon Red Hots. The strong smell always made his eyes burn. He didn’t need to walk around with red eyes—especially not today.
“Did you hear the news, Chase?” Irene Bledsoe stood in the doorway and clutched the straps on her insulated lunch bag with both hands. Apparently the police had not identified him to the reporters, thank goodness.
“I heard.” Seated behind one of the two desks in the crowded office, Chase offered the woman a polite smile. She’d been one of the first employees Grandpa Samson had hired back in the seventies when he expanded the family business.
“I wonder if it’s related to…” She licked her pale lips nervously. “Uh, you know.”
Oh, yeah. He knew. But he didn’t want to talk about it, certainly not with one of his employees, no matter how long she’d been employed by his family.
Irene lowered her voice to a near whisper. “Maybe the police will get some leads from this case that will help them with the first one. I never believed that story the paper printed. Kevin Duncan was a good boy, no matter what they said.”
Chase managed a nod. Irene was right. Nobody knew that better than him. Without a word, Chase went back to his paperwork. After staring a moment, the woman headed for the back.
He hadn’t written three numbers on his inventory report before Alex Young stepped into the spot Irene had vacated. “You hear about the body they found over at the park this morning?”
Chase nodded but didn’t look up.
“The radio said the guy’s throat was cut.”
Chase copied another item number onto his ledger. “I heard that.”
“Kinda spooky, don’t you think? That’s the second one. Somebody down at the Dairy Dip said they found this guy around the same place, too.”
Chase raised his head slowly and met Alex’s gaze. He kept his expression carefully blank.
Alex took a backward step. “I’ll just get on in there and see about the next pour.”
“Good idea.”
Chase returned to his report. Not two minutes later, his cousin, Korey, breezed into the office and threw himself in the chair behind the second desk.
“Seen the television lately? They found another body in the park this morning. Sca-ry. I hope this doesn’t end up hurting business.”
Teeth clenched to hold back a resigned sigh, Chase tossed his pencil on the ledger. He might be able to avoid discussing the day’s hottest news with the factory employees, but his cousin was a different matter. Subtle hints were lost on Korey.
“What do you mean? How can this hurt business?”
“You know. Tourists.” Korey used his forefingers as drumsticks on the edge of the desk. “If tourists find out two people have had their throats slit in these parts, they’re probably not going to want to come to the area. They won’t be shopping, which means the candle shops won’t be placing any new orders, which means we won’t be making any sales.” He ended his drum solo with a flourish and grinned. “I thought you, being a college boy and all, would have figured that out all by yourself.”
He had to admire Korey’s logic, even if it was flawed. More proof of a fact he’d long known—his hyperactive cousin may not have the patience and temperament for school, but he sure had a knack for business. His instincts were some of the best Chase had ever seen, and sometimes that counted for more than education.
“I don’t think we have anything to worry about. If word gets out, people might avoid the state park, but they’re not going to stop coming to Little Nashville. Besides, Internet sales are climbing. If you’d take a look at that P&L statement I gave you last week—”
“Ah, you know I don’t have time for that. You’re the one who’s good at number crunching. I’d rather spend my time getting my hands dirty.” Korey jumped out of the chair and headed for the door. Nothing held the guy in place for very long.
“You don’t fool me, bucko.” Chase smiled. “That awesome Web site you designed is what’s driving our business through the roof. That, and your contract with the Candle Corner, has our profit margin up twenty percent over last year.”
He stopped in the doorway and smirked. “Just trying to make sure I earn my keep so the new owner doesn’t throw me out on the street.”
Chase laughed. Korey liked to tease him about being the new owner, even though Chase was a couple of years away from buying out his cousin’s share of the family business. “I think you’re safe, buddy.” Then he sobered. Better give Korey the whole scoop before it broke on the news. “Guess I should tell you before you hear it somewhere else that I’m the one who found that body this morning.”
Korey’s eyes went round. “No kidding?”
Chase nodded.
“Ah, man. I wondered where you were this morning.” He paused. “Uh…what were you doing in the park?”
Chase lifted a shoulder. “Just walking. You know?”
Korey’s gaze dropped to the floor in front of his feet. “Yeah. I know. If I can help, just ask.”
It took a few seconds before Chase’s throat loosened enough so that it was safe to answer. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
When Korey disappeared in the direction of the pouring room, the face of a stubborn police detective came into focus in Chase’s mind. Was Irene right? Would Detective Jenkins uncover something that would help reveal what had really happened to Kevin?
He bounced a pencil eraser on the desk. Jenkins had refused to listen to reason last year, and nothing Chase saw this morning indicated he had changed. There had been times Chase wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake some sense into him.
Maybe Chase could force him to listen to reason this time. Maybe if he offered to help the police, he could somehow help clear up the dirty rumors still circulating about Kevin’s death.
Chase stood abruptly. The desk chair rolled into the wall behind him with a loud smack. What was he thinking? No way he was getting involved with another murder investigation. One was enough.
He tossed the pencil onto the desk and headed for the door. Numbers weren’t going to hold his attention today. He’d go see if Alex could use some help with that pour.
THREE
A sign on the side of the road a couple of miles inside the Brown County line caught Caitlin’s attention.