“That never complicates a situation.”
She chuckled. “Regardless, I’m glad to have you around. Get a fresh perspective on all this.” Her cheeks warmed as she thought about all the other reasons she liked having him around.
His sexy grin returned, as if he could read her mind.
She forced her thoughts back on the case. “As for what we’re looking for, I filed the search warrant so we could locate your brother’s financial and mining records. I thought that would be a strong place to start our work.” She moved her weight from foot to foot as she tried to look at anything besides his smile. “Do you know where we could find them?”
He walked over to the pullout bed and lifted up the end. Packed underneath the metal frame were boxes overflowing with paperwork. “The last time I was here, he had some stuffed in the bathroom cabinets, as well,” he said, pointing toward the only other room in the small space.
Blake grabbed one of the boxes from under the bed and slid it out to the middle of the floor. There, on the top of the papers, was a letter from the county.
“Hey, take a look at this,” she said, picking it up and reading its contents. “It looks like your brother has a tax lien.” She handed him the certificate. “I think we have a clue as to why he may have wanted to commit suicide.”
Chapter Seven
The word suicide left an ashy taste in Jeremy’s mouth as he tried to swallow what Blake was saying. Robert wouldn’t have committed suicide over some property tax lien. He wasn’t the kind to roll over and just take a hit like that. He would have fought long and hard to protect what he had always called his “little corner of heaven.”
He stared at the paper in his hand. According to the paperwork, the tax lien certificate was supposed to go to auction if his back taxes weren’t paid. He looked at the date the letter had been issued. Three weeks ago. No doubt his brother had been worried about some company buying his lien and foreclosing on him.
It was just strange that his parents hadn’t mentioned Robert’s financial trouble. Robert must have been keeping it from them. Either he had the money and had intended on paying, or he had been trying to get it—without going to them. Maybe they were his last resort.
Jeremy shook his head. It didn’t make sense. Something didn’t feel right. “Let’s keep looking. Maybe we can find more that will help us make sense of this.”
Blake bent down. Her blond hair had started to wiggle loose from her tight ponytail, and a few stray locks fell into her face, making her look soft, touchable. For a moment he considered pushing the hair back from her face, but if he got that close again, it was hard to say what she would do. After what had happened between them in the mine, it was likely that she would get upset—and he couldn’t risk his chance at having a hand in solving his brother’s case.
Family came first, no matter how badly he wanted Blake...or how badly he had wanted her ever since they were in high school.
She pushed the hair out of her face, annoyed. “Your brother needed a better filing system,” she said, pulling a stack of papers out of the box and setting them on the floor.
The hair fell loose again, and this time he turned away. He couldn’t think of her like that...like anything other than a childhood friend or, better yet, a colleague.
He sat down on the floor next to her and started shuffling through the receipts, bills and pamphlets. They worked for at least an hour. No matter how badly he wanted to concentrate, all he could seem to focus on was the way her arm bumped against his as they each shuffled through the papers. Why couldn’t his brother have lived in a house that was something a little bigger than a glorified garage?
“Have you found anything?” He leaned toward her, his arm grazing hers as he looked into the pile of papers she had sitting in her lap.
She flipped through the pages. “Not much, but your
She chuckled. “Regardless, I’m glad to have you around. Get a fresh perspective on all this.” Her cheeks warmed as she thought about all the other reasons she liked having him around.
His sexy grin returned, as if he could read her mind.
She forced her thoughts back on the case. “As for what we’re looking for, I filed the search warrant so we could locate your brother’s financial and mining records. I thought that would be a strong place to start our work.” She moved her weight from foot to foot as she tried to look at anything besides his smile. “Do you know where we could find them?”
He walked over to the pullout bed and lifted up the end. Packed underneath the metal frame were boxes overflowing with paperwork. “The last time I was here, he had some stuffed in the bathroom cabinets, as well,” he said, pointing toward the only other room in the small space.
Blake grabbed one of the boxes from under the bed and slid it out to the middle of the floor. There, on the top of the papers, was a letter from the county.
“Hey, take a look at this,” she said, picking it up and reading its contents. “It looks like your brother has a tax lien.” She handed him the certificate. “I think we have a clue as to why he may have wanted to commit suicide.”
Chapter Seven
The word suicide left an ashy taste in Jeremy’s mouth as he tried to swallow what Blake was saying. Robert wouldn’t have committed suicide over some property tax lien. He wasn’t the kind to roll over and just take a hit like that. He would have fought long and hard to protect what he had always called his “little corner of heaven.”
He stared at the paper in his hand. According to the paperwork, the tax lien certificate was supposed to go to auction if his back taxes weren’t paid. He looked at the date the letter had been issued. Three weeks ago. No doubt his brother had been worried about some company buying his lien and foreclosing on him.
It was just strange that his parents hadn’t mentioned Robert’s financial trouble. Robert must have been keeping it from them. Either he had the money and had intended on paying, or he had been trying to get it—without going to them. Maybe they were his last resort.
Jeremy shook his head. It didn’t make sense. Something didn’t feel right. “Let’s keep looking. Maybe we can find more that will help us make sense of this.”
Blake bent down. Her blond hair had started to wiggle loose from her tight ponytail, and a few stray locks fell into her face, making her look soft, touchable. For a moment he considered pushing the hair back from her face, but if he got that close again, it was hard to say what she would do. After what had happened between them in the mine, it was likely that she would get upset—and he couldn’t risk his chance at having a hand in solving his brother’s case.
Family came first, no matter how badly he wanted Blake...or how badly he had wanted her ever since they were in high school.
She pushed the hair out of her face, annoyed. “Your brother needed a better filing system,” she said, pulling a stack of papers out of the box and setting them on the floor.
The hair fell loose again, and this time he turned away. He couldn’t think of her like that...like anything other than a childhood friend or, better yet, a colleague.
He sat down on the floor next to her and started shuffling through the receipts, bills and pamphlets. They worked for at least an hour. No matter how badly he wanted to concentrate, all he could seem to focus on was the way her arm bumped against his as they each shuffled through the papers. Why couldn’t his brother have lived in a house that was something a little bigger than a glorified garage?
“Have you found anything?” He leaned toward her, his arm grazing hers as he looked into the pile of papers she had sitting in her lap.
She flipped through the pages. “Not much, but your
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