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“Four months.”

“I was happy that we found an amazing doctor. With Doctor T gone now…” He shook his head, his smile sad. “You’re a godsend.”

“Thank you, Mayor Bricks.”

The woman stepped forward, smiling softly.

“Hi, I’m Ellis Bricks.”

“Hi, Mrs. Bricks.” I took her offered hand.

“Call me Ellis,” she said. “How’s Hollow Heights treating you?”

“It’s good. I love the town, but I’m here most of the time,” I said, and Ellis nodded. “So what brings you here?”

“My brother and his wife come to Hollowhaven every year to celebrate their anniversary,” Vincent said, casting a glance at his brother before turning back to me. “It’s next week, and they’ve been working with Doctor T on the details. It is a charity event to raise funds for Hollowhaven. They’d like to discuss it with you. Think you could help?”

The last time we saw each other, he’d punched Asher and stormed out. Awkward didn’t even begin to cover it.

“Oh, sure,” I said, trying to keep my tone neutral. “But I don’t think most patients will be comfortable with it.”

“Of course. We talked about that,” Ellis said. “Only for the residents who are comfortable attending the gala. No pressure. Hollow Heights is our home, and we just want to give something back.”

“Sounds good.” Turning to Mayor Bricks, I added, “You can wait in Doctor Stanley’s office. I’ll be there in a second.”

As Becca walked off with them, I turned back to Vincent. He was already looking down, scratching his jaw like he suddenly found the floor interesting.

“So… why are you here, Sheriff?” I asked.

Vincent’s eyes flicked toward me for half a second. “Just tagging along,” he said. “Figured it might help if I made sure everything runs smoothly.”

Yeah, right. He wasn’t fooling anyone.

“You should come with me then,” I said.

His lips pressed into a thin line. He’d rather do anything else. Like hunting down Asher or digging deeper into Hannigan’s death. Not babysit a charity meeting with me.

But he followed me without a word as I opened Doctor Stanley’s office after a knock.

“Everything is already wrapped up, isn’t it, Mayor Bricks?” Doctor Stanley asked as I took the seat next to Camille, giving her a nod.

“Yes,” he said. “Doctor T and Ellis had already sorted out all the details before... his death.”

Doctor Stanley’s face fell. “Do you have any leads, Sheriff Bricks?”

Vincent gave me a pointed look, like he knew I was hiding a criminal. Okay, he was right, but he had no concrete proof.

“Not yet.”

“I heard there was another death,” the doctor said. I studied the faces around me, noticing the subtle changes and signs.

Vincent looked frustrated, while Ellis and Camille looked scared. Mayor Bricks looked worried, and Doctor Stanley was curious to know more.

“If you need more assistance from our side, please don’t hesitate,” Doctor Stanley said. “Whoever did this must be punished.”

“I’m worried about what happened to Doctor Tomlinson,” Ellis said as we walked out of Doctor Stanley’s office, running her fingers along her pearl necklace.

“We can push back the date if you need more time.”