High-Stakes Inheritance

by Susan Sleeman

“No worries there. I’ll never risk getting hurt like that again.” The bitterness in his tone closed down the conversation.

  Without comment, Mia lifted the camera to the window and peered through the viewfinder.

  Just as well. He didn’t want to talk about it. Especially as the inky darkness broken only by his headlights seemed to shout out to protect Mia from future danger. Either Russ and his team had finished processing the murder scene or they’d gone home to return in the light of day. Ryan hoped they’d found a lead to move this investigation forward.

  “Did you see that?” Mia’s tone tingled with excitement.

  “What?”

  She pointed toward the resort office. “Over there. A light flashed in the window.” She rubbed her eyes and stared. “There it is again. Like a flashlight.”

  He slowed the truck and followed the line of her finger. “Yeah. You think someone broke in?”

  “Maybe Verna’s working late.”

  “With a flashlight? Not likely.” He flipped off the headlights, checked the office and watched the light cutting through the room. “This could have something to do with the threats.”

  Mia sat forward and kept the camera trained on the office. The lens whirred out. “This has got a great zoom, but I still can’t make out who’s in there.”

  “Let’s get closer for a better look.” He turned off the engine. “I’ll coast down the hill so we don’t draw attention to ourselves.”

  With the engine dead, chirping crickets filled the void as did the crunching of tires over gravel. He let inertia pull the truck closer, and near the store he swung the wheel hard to the left taking them as close to the building as he dare without being seen.

  He turned to Mia. “See anything?”

  “We’re not at the right angle.” She grabbed the door handle.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” he said and reached up to flip off the dome light. “I’ll go check. You wait here.”

  “Are you kidding me? I’m coming with you.” She raced outside before he could stop her impulsive action.

  He joined her near the front bumper. “I don’t want you to get hurt, but I know I can’t stop you. Humor me and at least stay behind me. Okay?”

  “Okay.” She fell into place behind him.

  Grateful for her easy acquiescence, he led the way as they crept to the long narrow porch running the length of the office and small convenience store. He signaled for her to stay put while he looked into the window. Surprisingly, she agreed again. Maybe she was learning to trust him.

  With silent footfalls, he closed the distance to the window and slowly rose up to look.

  What?

  Someone was in the office all right, but it wasn’t Verna as Mia suggested. Someone, with a flashlight in hand, was trying to break into the file cabinet. Ryan couldn’t make out clear details, but he could see enough to know this was a bulky, tall male, who didn’t appear to be armed.

  What should they do? This had to be related to the fire, maybe even Mia’s bracelet and the murder. If it was, they couldn’t let the guy get away.

  Ryan eased back from the window and joined Mia. “It’s a man, breaking into the file cabinet,” he whispered. “We need to call Russ.”

  “It’ll take too long for him to get here. This guy could get away.”

  “We’ll sit right here. If he tries to leave before Russ arrives, we’ll think of something.”

  Mia nodded and Ryan made the call while they settled on the bottom step to wait.

  Time ticked by in slow increments, palpable tension enveloping them.

  Mia shivered, and he wrapped an arm around her. She looked up at him with a confidence he didn’t like glinting in her eyes.

  “My turn to go look,” she whispered.

  He took her hand. “Wait for Russ.”

  She shook her hand free. “No. We have to see what this guy’s up to.”

  “Fine. Then I’ll go.” Ryan moved before she could stop him. At the window, he raised up like a peeping tom. The man had already wrenched open the file cabinet lock and held a cloth bag filled with files.

  That was odd. Of all the valuable equipment in the room, why take files?

  Mia sneezed, breaking the silence. The man spun and started toward the door.

  Ryan dropped down and frantically signaled that the intruder was on his way out, and Mia needed to get out of the doorway.

  Instead of moving away, she stood and planted her legs wide. Ryan heard a whirring sound coming from the camera.

  “Close your eyes,” Mia whispered.

  “What for?” Ryan asked.

  The door wrenched open.

  Mia fired off picture after picture.

  “What the—” the man shouted.

  Ryan clenched his eyes from the flash’s bright light. He got it now. She was trying to blind the guy so he couldn’t leave. Too bad Ryan hadn’t taken her advice and closed his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and listened. He heard the guy banging around as if he were dazed.

  Footfalls traveled past Ryan. The flashes should have rendered this man’s eyesight as useless as his eyes, but Ryan wouldn’t take any chances. Hoping to tackle the intruder, he shot from his spot. Missed him. Banged his shoulder into the porch post.

  “Think something that stupid will stop me, girly,” the gruff voice shouted from an area that sounded very near Mia.

  Ryan blinked hard. Through the splotches coloring his vision he saw the huge male body slam into her.

  “No!” he shouted and leapt to his feet.

  Mia hit the ground hard. Her head snapped back. The camera catapulted into the air.

  “Stop,” Ryan commanded and bolted down the stairs.

  The intruder uttered a foul laugh before charging into the darkness. Ryan wanted to chase after him, but needed to check Mia.

  Please, Lord, let her be all right.

  He turned and knelt by her unmoving body. “Are you okay?”

  She slowly sat and looked around. “What happened to the camera? Chuck’s gonna kill me if I broke it.”

  Ryan sat back on his haunches and laughed out his tension. Her ability to stay levelheaded when under fire was one of the things he’d always liked about her.

  Thank you, God, for protecting her.

  “We might be able to catch that guy. Do you think we should go after him?” She’d survived an attack and seemed determined to come to the bottom of what happened, not run away in fright.

  His smile fell away. This was too similar to Cara. She’d said she could handle that creep Quentin. Said he deserved for her to continue counseling him even when he’d formed an unhealthy affection for her. Now, Mia, who God help him, he’d started to care about more than he should, wanted to chase the man who’d slammed her on to the concrete.

  He prayed for the strength and wisdom to keep her safe.

  SIXTEEN

  If Mia believed God looked out for her, she would thank Him for saving her life right now. More likely, He was looking out for Ryan who’d survived the intruder’s escape without injury. She was not so lucky. The back of her head throbbed. She gingerly felt the area and winced. Her fingers came away sticky. Blood. She swiveled on her bottom and spotted the concrete parking block where she’d hit her head.

  No way she’d tell Ryan about the blood. He’d return to clucking over her like a mother hen. Although she was beginning to warm to his concern and wouldn’t mind if he pulled her into his arms and comforted her, she wanted to get into the office and see what the burglar had done before Russ arrived and took over the crime scene. If Ryan knew she was bleeding he would make her see a doctor.

  Mia rocked forward, trying to get up. Dizziness enveloped her. She sat back.

  “Here.” Ryan handed her the camera. “Let me help you.” He bent low and lifted her by the arm.

  She lurched to her feet and swayed.

  “Whoa.” He grabbed her by the upper arms. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Fine, just got the air knocked out of me.�
�� Mia pointed down the driveway for a diversion. “Looks like Russ is here.”

  She’d expected Russ to come barreling down the drive with lights blaring, but then he didn’t know the burglar had run off and Russ was likely in stealth mode so he could catch him.

  “Can you wait here for Russ while I take a quick look to see what was stolen?” She didn’t wait for an answer, but started moving toward the office as fast as she could before fresh waves of dizziness took her down.

  In the office, she found the tall file cabinet behind Verna’s desk tipped on the side. Files splayed across the linoleum like avalanched snow. A filled white pillowcase sat near the files.

  She wanted to peek in the case, but Russ and Ryan’s voices drifted through the doorway stopping her. Russ would come inside soon, and she didn’t want him to catch her touching anything.

  Her back to the door, she took in every detail. The computer, other office equipment and valuables were untouched. This guy wasn’t a random thief. He wanted information. If they hadn’t interrupted him, he would probably have gone for the computer hard drive next.

  Too bad he’d worn a cap pulled low over his eyes, and in the dark she hadn’t seen him clearly or she could at least have given Russ a description of the guy.

  “You’re hurt,” Ryan said from behind.

  She jumped and spun around to face him.

  He stood in the doorway, alone. She could hear Russ talking outside. Maybe one of his officers had also arrived.

  Eyes flashing with worry, Ryan strode across the room. “Why didn’t you tell me you were bleeding?”

  “Because I wanted to get a look inside before Russ got here and sent me packing.”

  “Let me look at it.” He turned her around, and she wobbled. “Dizziness is not a good sign.” He softly probed with his fingers. “The wound doesn’t look too bad. Are you nauseous?”

  She faced him and smiled. “No, I’m fine. Just a bump.”

  His eyes creased, and his mouth drew up in a pucker. “You don’t appear to have a concussion, but I think you should have it checked out anyway.”

  She waved away his concern. “Really, I’m fine. But thanks.”

  “If you won’t go to the doctor, you’ll need someone to check on you tonight. To make sure you really are okay.”

  “I think you’re overreacting.”

  “And I think you’re downplaying how serious this could be.” He stroked the side of her face, letting his fingers linger long enough to raise her heartbeat.

  Even if he was trying to take charge, she enjoyed the feel of his fingers. Coarse yet gentle against her skin.

  “You two better not have touched anything.” Russ charged inside, an officer trailing on his heels. He looked at Mia. “Can you tell what’s missing?”

  Ryan hissed out a breath and removed his hand. “You done with me, bro?”

  “You can go.”

  What? Ryan was so concerned and now he was going to abandon her when the great inquisitor had entered the room?

  Ryan pulled out his cell. “I need to update my staff in case the burglar is still on the property.” He looked into Mia’s eyes. “Anything I can do for you?”

  He wasn’t deserting her. The warmth oozing from his eyes settled over her like an electric blanket.

  Russ gave a pointed cough. “You two lovebirds about done so I can ask Mia a few questions?”

  Lovebirds? Russ must be mistaken. Mia looked at Ryan and at his intense gaze she felt a rush of heat shoot up her neck.

  He laughed at her discomfort, obviously not bothered by this public display of affection. “I’ll go check out the lodge to be sure this guy didn’t make a stop in there first.”

  “Good idea,” Russ said. “Report back if you find a problem.”

  Ryan went outside, dialing his cell as he went.

  Mia, feeling her face start to cool, crossed the room. Now that Ryan was gone, she didn’t need to keep up the pretense of feeling fine. “Would it be okay if I sat while we talked?”

  “Fine by me,” Russ said.

  Mia gently lowered her battered body on to the cracked vinyl chair by Verna’s desk and put aside the emotions Ryan had stirred up to concentrate on the break-in.

  “Can you tell what’s missing?” Russ asked.

  She described what she’d observed then launched into her take on the burglary. Russ interrupted frequently to ask clarifying questions, making the process take forever. His questions went on and on, eating up time Mia could better use to figure out who’d broken into the office.

  Thirty minutes after he began, he abruptly ended by stabbing his finger at her lap. “That the camera?”

  She lifted the mangled body. “It is.”

  “If I remember right you’re a photography buff. Any hope we can get a picture of the guy off that?”

  “Depends. If the flash was bright enough and if the memory card is still intact then maybe.” She tried to open the small compartment housing the memory card. “I can’t get it out, but maybe Chuck can remove it without damaging the card.”

  “Who’s Chuck?”

  “A photographer on the documentary crew and the camera’s owner.”

  Russ nodded as if for the first time she answered his question correctly. “Good idea. Normally, I’d take the camera into evidence and get the state lab to extract the card, but breaking and entering is such a minor offense the lab will take their sweet time. You think you can get this Chuck guy to work on it right away?”

  “I’ll ask.”

  “Let me know if he can’t fit it in soon, and I’ll get one of my men to send it in. Before I let you go, let’s take a look in that pillowcase to see if the contents mean anything to you.” Snapping on latex gloves, he crossed the room and lifted the case onto Verna’s desk.

  “It’s full of files.” He drew out a stack of manila folders and then handed her a pair of gloves. “Check these out. Anything significant?”

  Mia set down the camera then donned the gloves and flipped through the stack. “They’re financial records for Pinetree, but I can’t see why someone would want to steal them.”

  He gave her a clipped nod. “I’ll get Verna’s take on them tomorrow.”

  The idea of Verna looking at these didn’t sit well with Mia. If the property manager was up to something, she could hide the evidence or just not explain what the documents held. “I think you’d get a better evaluation from Kurt Loomis. He handles the finances for Pinetree.”

  Russ’s scowl lightened. “Thanks for the tip.” He cleared his throat as if saying thanks made him uncomfortable. “I need to help my officer so you’re free to go.”

  Mia was tempted to comment on his discomfort, but shed her gloves then picked up the camera and exited with her mouth closed. Russ clomped behind. Outside, the air had chilled considerably, and Mia wrapped her arms around her stomach to chase away the cold.

  Russ came alongside her and made a quick jerk of his head at the lodge. “Looks like your Prince Charming is on his way back.”

  She ignored his sarcasm and waited for Ryan who clipped along the path with a flashlight illuminating his way. Her face warmed at the memory of his parting gaze. She hated to admit it, but she hoped he’d look at her the same way when he arrived.

  How hopeless was she? Less than an hour ago he’d told her he didn’t want to care about a woman ever again and she had her own emotional baggage preventing her from moving forward with him. And still she wanted him to be interested in her…?

  Wishing she could let go and trust him, she watched him amble down the path. When he got nearer, she could see the outline of Bandit’s cone as he leapt and snapped at the moving beam. He caught her scent and charged. She wanted to bend down and greet him, but her head was still woozy.

  Not that it mattered. He galloped straight past her and into the office.

  Russ grunted. “Guess you haven’t learned to control him, huh?”

  “Let’s see. How many hours have I had free for dog training?”<
br />
  “Mia, where are your manners?” Gladys, wearing a faded caftan with bat-like arms and cinched around her waist, stepped out from behind Ryan.

  “What are you doing here?” Mia asked.

  Ryan stepped forward. “I called her. Since you won’t go to the doctor, someone has to check on you throughout the night.”

  Mia flashed him a frustrated glare.

  Gladys tromped between them and snatched the flashlight out of Ryan’s hand. With her tongue poking from the side of her mouth, she came at Mia. She used her finger to probe the bump on Mia’s scalp as the flashlight warmed the skin. “You’re right, Ryan. Doesn’t appear to need stitches.” She turned to Ryan. “I can take care of things now.”

  “Don’t leave that dog here,” Russ said with a scowl.

  “I’ll get him.” Ryan came toward the office.

  Before he reached the sagging porch, Bandit charged out. He paused to look up at Mia. She laughed at the crazy expression on his face surrounded by the plastic cone. His mouth clenched around something thick, small and brown, and she sobered.

  “Do you see that?” Russ asked. “What in the world does he have?”

  “Bandit,” Mia called in singsong. “Come here, boy. Let me see.”

  So as not to scare him, she eased closer. He wagged his little tail as if he was excited to see her then shot into the darkness.

  “You better hope he didn’t take anything important,” Russ said.

  Mia waved off Russ. “Relax. He probably just swiped a treat from the store.”

  “Let me know what happens with that camera,” Russ said over his shoulder as he went to join the other officer at his car.

  “Okay,” Gladys slipped her hand under Mia’s elbow. “Let’s get you up to the lodge.”

  “I need to talk to Russ about something then I’ll stop in to make sure you’re settled.” Ryan patted Mia’s arm.

  For once, Mia didn’t argue. She let Gladys lead her away without complaint, because she knew Ryan had her best interests at heart.

  She appreciated his concern for her safety—and she didn’t want to do anything to cause him more pain—but no matter his fear she couldn’t be coddled. She’d go to the lodge now, but she had no intention of simply sitting around and waiting for another attack.