“How’s Juliet doing?” Adam asked as he settled his impressive bulk into the chair beside Bianca. The wooden seat creaked under his weight. “She owns the art gallery in town,” Adam added, glancing toward Bianca. “You should pop by there. There are some amazing pieces.”
Bianca perked up. While she didn’t usually deal much with interior design for filming locations, knowing a good artist or art dealer could be incredibly helpful. Props departments often needed pieces on short notice. “I will,” she said.
Quinn looked up from his notes. “My poor wife is sicker than a dog,” he muttered. “She caught the flu.”
“Ooh.” Adam winced. “I’m sorry. It’s going through your family like wildfire.”
“It’s not just my family.” Quinn looked back down at his pad and scribbled another note. “It’s the whole community. Make sure you’re taking your vitamins. Leila and Dawn are down, too. So far, Hawk and I are the only ones who haven’t caught it.” He shook his head. “The rest of them don’t take their vitamins.”
Bianca grinned. “I’m not sure vitamins ward off the flu.”
“Well, I’m not sick,” Quinn continued to write the report.
“You’re too stubborn to get sick,” Adam drawled.
Quinn looked up. “I know.” He tapped the pen against the legal pad before looking at Bianca again. “You have absolutely no idea who would be leaving you notes or shooting at your tires?”
“None,” she said.
Quinn nodded slowly. “There were a couple of people who spoke out against the film at the public hearing.”
“Yeah,” Adam said. “I already have a list written down.”
Quinn glanced up. “Who was it?”
“The Rockefellers and their Concerned Citizens crew,” Adam said. “Also, Pike, Thatcher, and Boyd protested the idea of moviepeople in town, and so did I.” He glanced at Bianca. “Still do. Also, I saw Pike and Boyd today, and I can’t imagine either of them leaving stupid notes.”
Quinn rubbed a hand along his jaw. “It doesn’t seem like either of them, but I still want to talk to them. Then I’ll head out and speak with that citizens group.”
“I’ll come with you,” Adam said.
Quinn turned his attention from Bianca to Adam. “Why?”
Adam shrugged easily. “I can tell you’re down a couple of deputies.”
Bianca didn’t have time to get the darn flu. “Are they sick too?”
“Yeah,” Quinn said. “But I don’t need backup.”
“Everybody needs backup, Sheriff,” Adam said calmly. “I’m going with you.”
Quinn crossed his arms over his chest. Apparently the sheriff of Maverick County didn’t wear a uniform unless he had to. The relaxed posture didn’t hide the sharp intelligence in his gaze. “I can’t have you getting into a spat with a Rockefeller just because your girlfriend is getting weird notes. Although, the shot-out tire concerns me. A lot.”
Girlfriend? Bianca’s head jerked, but she kept her mouth shut.
Adam didn’t react much. “I’m just going for backup,” he said. “I promise not to hit anybody. Probably.”
Quinn stared at him for a moment before sighing. “Fine. But only because I don’t have anybody else right now.” He pointed the pen toward Adam. “And if you get the flu, it’s your own damn fault.”
“The Rockefellers?” Bianca asked.
“Yeah,” Quinn said. “The Concerned Citizens group.”
Adam snorted softly.
“They’re a bunch of nutjobs,” Quinn continued. “They don’t like anything going on in town.”
Adam stiffened. “Wait a minute. Didn’t Billy Rockefeller’s kid send notes to Sophie when she first came to town? Back when she wanted to build that golf course?”