I swallowed back a wave of nausea. “Why would you think that?”
“There was more than one set of tire marks. There were two other sets at the edge of that field.”
“Two others?”
“All three vehicles came in through the back entrance. They all parked in different places, but all three of them stopped facing into that dirt field. Feliks’s stash is probably buried under the intersection of those headlights.”
“Maybe they were just … doing business there.” I pressed back in my seat as six lanes of traffic closed in around me. “You know, on top of the ground. Covertly. In front of the headlights.”
Nick shook his head. “The dirt was freshly turned. There wasn’t a single footprint in it. Someone cleaned up after themselves. And I’m going to find whatever it is they’re hiding.”
Nick’s jaw was hard set. I had no doubt he would tear this county apart until he got what he was after. “How long will it take you to get a warrant?”
“Maybe a day. Probably two. The farm isn’t in my jurisdiction, so we’ll need to coordinate with the guys in Fauquier County. I’m going to run you home,” he said, his tone leaving no room for discussion. “I’ll have to pull a few favors. Judges don’t like being dragged off the golf course, and it’s probably better if I do this myself.”
He pulled into my driveway with a sharp jerk of the wheel. The car lurched to a stop, and I reached for the handle. “Hey, wait,” Nick said. I turned, hoping he couldn’t see the guilt and fear written all over my face. He cupped my cheek. Stroked it with his thumb. “I know today got a little crazy. How about I come by later and take you to dinner?”
“That sounds…” I cleared the tight knot from my throat. “That sounds really great, but I should probably skip dinner. I have a ton of work to do, and I’ve been gone all day. I’ve got some deadlines to juggle.” And one very dead body.
Nick leaned in and stole a sweet, soft kiss that left me feeling even guiltier. I threw open the door and got out. Watched his car peel out of the driveway. He waved at Officer Roddy as he hurtled past his car.
Across the street, Mrs. Haggerty’s curtains were hemmed open, her white hair hovering like a specter behind the glass. I’d had enough of the woman. That was it. I was finally going to give her a piece of my mind.
Her curtain fell closed as I crossed the street, my low heels clicking as I stormed up her front steps.
“Mrs. Haggerty!” I banged on the door. “It’s Finlay Donovan, and I have something to say to you.”
I had just raised a hand to bang on it again when it flew open. The rush of warm air from inside threw me off-balance.
“It’s about time you came around.” Mrs. Haggerty glared up at me over the gold rims of her half-moon glasses, her tawny-rose lipstick wobbling outside the natural lines of her wrinkled scowl. She wore too much rouge on her pasty cheeks, and her old-lady perfume was thick in my nose.
I gaped at her, breathing shallowly. She didn’t make any gestures to invite me in, but she didn’t shut the door in my face either. “What do you mean?”
“It’s about time. I’ve been waiting for my apology for a year now. Now then, you said you have something to say to me?” She lifted her chin, the loose skin underneath wobbling proudly between the gold chains hanging from the tips of her glasses.
“That’s why you wouldn’t open the door for me last week? Because you were waiting for me to … apologize?”
I tipped my head, baffled, as she gave a tight, determined nod. “I knew you would eventually, since you probably want to know if I saw anything suspicious happen in your garage.”
The ground bottomed out from under me. “You saw something suspicious inside my garage?”
“I’m not a member of the neighborhood watch for nothin’。”
“You’re not?” I caught myself, shut my mouth before I said something stupid, and shook my head. “I mean, of course you’re not. And you’re right, that’s exactly why I came over. To apologize. For…” She raised the two pencil-thin eyebrows she’d drawn lopsided on her face. I had no idea what she expected me to atone for. She’d been the one to spy on my house. She’d been the one to tell on Steven and kick my marriage into a downward spiral. She’d been the one to blab it to the rest of the neighborhood watch. And yet, at the end of it all, the blame belonged squarely on one person’s shoulders. And they probably weren’t the bony, hunched ones in front of me now. She lifted her chin higher, waiting.