Love Inspired Suspense December 2015, Box Set 2 of 2 by Margaret Daley Page A

Aurora?”
    â€œYes, it’s a new addition from Seattle. When Brad acquired a silent partner, he purchased a couple of trawlers that belonged to the fishery as well as overhauling the Tundra King. That brings his fleet up to ten boats. The rest are independently owned but sell their catches to us.”
    â€œWho captains the Blue Runner?”
    â€œStill Tom Payne. He was sweet on Aunt Betty. She thought of him as a friend. After her abusive husband died, she didn’t want to get serious with anyone else. Tom understood that. But that reminds me, I need to talk to him. Maybe Aunt Betty said something to him about what she wanted to talk to me about. His boat is due back Monday. He and his crew went out crabbing on Wednesday.”
    â€œSo they were good friends?”
    â€œYes.” Rachel took the picture of both the Tundra King and Alaskan King and the Blue Runner and studied them. “That might be when Aunt Betty took this photo. It looks like the Tundra King just arrived at the pier while the Blue Runner is getting ready to leave. That coincides with the date on the back of the pictures. It’s daylight and Aunt Betty might have taken them on her lunch hour.”
    â€œIf she was worried about something, why didn’t she say anything to Linda? Or you at that time? You all are family.”
    â€œI don’t know. Maybe it was something she didn’t think Aunt Linda should know, or she was going to tell her sister and me when we finally talked. We may never know.”
    â€œHey, you two. Are you hungry? Dinner—or whatever you want to call a meal at three in the afternoon—is ready in the kitchen.”
    After they were all seated and Lawrence blessed the food, silence fell over them for five minutes while they satisfied their hunger.
    Eventually, Rachel broke the quiet. “Do you think I should give the police chief these photos? They really don’t show anything but three boats and the shipping warehouse, and I think Tom would love to have the one of the Blue Runner.”
    Jake’s intense regard took her in for a long moment while her aunt and Lawrence discussed what the photos meant. Finally, Jake said, “I think you should give them to Randall. I know the man, and he was a good pick to run the department. I worked under him, and I never had a reason to question his integrity.”
    â€œSo you think I should tell him that Aunt Betty wanted to talk to you and me?” Rachel asked, still trapped by his penetrating gaze as though no one else was in the kitchen but them. Her heartbeat accelerated, and she wiped her sweaty palms on her pants.
    â€œYes. He can’t do his job if he doesn’t have all the pieces.” Jake glanced at the photos in the center of the table, releasing her from the invisible tether connecting them.
    Her stomach tightened. What was going on with her? Granted, she hadn’t seen Jake in a few years, but she shouldn’t be reacting to him like this. Their lives were on different paths.
    â€œI’m not sure they have any significance to Betty’s murder, but he needs to rule them out. The first one is of the Tundra King and Alaskan King unloading their catch at the loading dock. The second is Blue Runner in its slip. The third is boxes stacked in a room, which you said looked like part of the new shipping warehouse.” Jake picked it up and flipped it over to show the date. “Since these may have been the last photos Betty took, maybe they will help Randall.”
    â€œSon, we haven’t talked about someone slashing your tires earlier. If they hadn’t, you’d have seen the fire much earlier or even come upon the persons who set it.” Gramps took another bite of his turkey and Swiss sandwich.
    Jake frowned. “To tell you the truth, with all that has happened, I haven’t had time to think about it, but you’re right. I only went to the police to find out what progress had been made on