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Given that Dana is one of the sheriff’s good friends, I don’t really think it’ll be an issue, but the official request should come from Mancuso.
“I’ll deal with that,” he offers. “Key is not to raise any suspicions.”
“To that point, it would make more sense to have a detail on her while working at the clinic,” I propose. “I won’t raise any suspicions, by not putting in my hours at work, if she is covered there during that time. Half the town already knows she and I are seeing each other, so I don’t think it’ll surprise anyone if I spend all my off-hours here with her.”
“Agreed. I’ll let you get back to your evening, and we’ll talk in the morning.”
He gathers up the documents from the hood of his SUV, shoves them back in the envelope, and gets behind the wheel. I head up the porch steps and watch until I no longer see his taillights through the trees. I wait and listen for a few more minutes before heading back into the house.
“Who was that?”
Dana is sitting on the couch, a blanket on her lap and her feet tucked under her. She’s holding a mug in both her hands. I take a seat on the edge of the coffee table and lean forward, putting a hand on her knee.
I’ve been able to avoid telling Dana the feds have taken over the case, but given she appears to be right in the middle of it, I think she deserves to be brought up to speed.
“Special Agent Jason Mancuso.”
“FBI?”
“Yes. Our murder investigation turned out to be linked to two active FBI cases, and they took over, but that is not public knowledge. Given the nature of the investigation, they want to stay in the background, which is why the sheriff’s office is still doing all the visible work.”
“And it has something to do with this company looking to get their hands on my property?”
I nod and outline the workings of the type of development fraud HDLink is suspected of. Her eyebrows slowly crawl up her forehead during my explanation.
“What if that’s what that recording of Jespers was about? Isn’t development zoning something the county commission would deal with?”
She’s sharp, that’s for sure. Informing her was the right choice. She would’ve picked up on the extra surveillance sooner than later, and might’ve reacted in a way that put her at risk. Looping her in makes keeping her safe a whole lot easier.
“Yep,” I confirm, giving her knee a squeeze. “Which brings me to the fact you appear to be connected in several ways to this investigation.”
She scrunches her nose. “I’m getting that picture.”
“Yeah. I figure you’re likely to clue in on the fact I’ll be sticking close whenever you’re not at work, and you may notice some eyes on you at the clinic as well. The FBI will be keeping an eye out there.”
“Is that really necessary?”
I get the sense her question is more an automatic reaction than it is resistance.
“Maybe not, but I’d sure as hell rather be safe than sorry, and Mancuso agrees.”
Her lips press into a firm line as she looks over my shoulder and nods.
“Right,” she states briskly, as she unfolds herself and moves past me into the kitchen.
There she pulls a container from the fridge and reaches for a bowl in the cupboard.
“Still hungry?”
“Very,” I admit, not having eaten much at all since I left here this morning.
As she spoons a hearty portion of whatever it is from the container into the bowl, I get to my feet. By the time she slides the bowl into the microwave, I’m right behind her.
Sliding my arms around her, I tug her back to my front and lean into her ear.
“You okay?” I ask the same question I did earlier.
This time though, she shakes her head.
