Blind Trust by Sandra Orchard Page A

counterfeit.” Julie rewound further. “We probably should upgrade to a digital system. These tapes—”
    â€œStop there,” Tom ordered. The black-and-white image was grainy, but there was no mistaking Brian Nagy, Verna’s son. Tom hit the Play button and watched the man place some plumbing couplers on the counter and then pull out a bill. He couldn’t make out the denomination. “Did Brian seem nervous to you?”
    Julie squinted at the screen. “Not that I noticed.”
    Tom tapped the Rewind button again and watched as the morning’s customers sped backward through their buying. At the sight of an unfamiliar businessman, he hit Pause and tapped the screen. “Do you recognize him?”
    â€œUm . . . yeah, he looks familiar. Oh, I remember. I met him in A Cup or Two a while back. I remember because he knew Kate’s mom and commented on their resemblance.”
    The guy on the phone. “Peter?”
    â€œYeah, that’s right.”
    Tom squinted at the screen. Could Kate’s caller be the counterfeiter? But if he wanted to blackmail her as she supposed, dropping a phony twenty in the hardware store wouldn’t incriminate her. Still, Tom didn’t believe in coincidences. He forwarded the video a few frames and hit Pause again. He could just make out the form of someone in a plaid shirt and ball cap outside the window behind Peter. The shirt reminded him of the stranger who’d disappeared from the coffee shop yesterday. The guy would have been standing by the barrels where the old-timers played checkers. But his head wasn’t tilted down to watch a game. He seemed to be watching Peter inside the store. A lookout? Or a spy?
    The vice-like grip on Tom’s chest twisted tighter. It was bad enough this Peter guy was likely the person who’d left cryptic messages on Kate’s answering machine. What was he supposed to make of some stranger lurking around town spying on Peter?
    The tinkle of the store’s bell over the door tugged Tom’s attention from the screen.
    Kate rushed toward them, her expression growing brighter as her eyes lit on the screen in front of them. “Did you get the counterfeiter on video?”
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” Tom demanded.
    Julie greeted Kate with a hug. “I called her as soon as I got off the phone with dispatch.”
    He should have known.
    â€œWhat have you found?” Kate asked.
    Tom’s thumb hovered over the Fast-Forward button. The last thing he wanted to do was fuel Kate’s fear, but he needed to know if she recognized the second guy.
    Before he had a chance to decide how much to reveal, Julie blurted, “So far it could be Brian Nagy—I’ve heard he’s a bit of a gambler.”
    â€œReally?” Kate shot him an overeager, sounds-like-our-man look. “Or?”
    â€œOr that Peter guy who knew your mother. You remember him?”
    Kate’s face went chalky white, her gaze clinging to Tom’s. “He was here?”
    Julie’s attention bobbed from Kate to him. “What’s going on?”
    â€œNothing you need to worry about.” He could worry enough for all of them. Her supervisor had confirmed last night that a Peter Ratcher was one of their GPC liaisons, and that he was back in town. Tom didn’t believe in coincidences, and the fact that this Peter was here a day after Kate got that anonymous call was too coincidental.
    Apparently Tom failed to disguise his concern, because the curiosity in Julie’s eyes turned to alarm. “Kate?”
    â€œI had another cryptic message on my machine,” she admitted softly. “We think it might have been Peter.”
    Julie threw her arms around her friend all over again. “I’m so sorry. You should have told me. What can I do?”
    â€œLet us know immediately if he returns.” Tom waited for Julie to release Kate and then motioned to the tape player.