Joaquin’s body tensed. “Have the police been able to verify her story yet—where she was andwhen?”
Cate shook her head. “I’ll ask about that againtoday.”
“Any chance you can get an interview with the woman?” Tomasked.
“I tried. She hung up onme.”
Joaquin didn’t mention that he’d spoken with Mia last night or that his cousin had served with her. He knew they would push him to get an interview with her or to meet with her himself. He couldn’t say why exactly, but he was certain she hadn’t killed anyone. Part of it was the way she’d acted when she’d arrived on the scene Friday night. Part of it was the fact that she was too brutally honest to make much of aliar.
You’re attracted toher.
Yeah, hewas.
His cousin David had said Mia was too skinny for his tastes, but Joaquin was intrigued by her. Her delicate face. Her willowy figure. Those expressive eyes. The vulnerability she kept hidden beneath that controlled exterior. He’d seen it when he’d looked at her through his lens, and his camera neverlied.
Tom moved on. “Harker, what’s going on at CityHall?”
* * *
Mia satin the greenhouse reviewing internship applications and ranking them in order from most promising toplease, God, no. She didn’t make the hiring decisions—she was the newest member of the horticultural staff—but she appreciated being given a voice in the selection process. If only she couldconcentrate.
Instead of seeing the words on the page, she saw Joaquin. Joaquin smiling as he tried to teach her the steps to salsa. Joaquin dancing with Elena, his body moving in a way that made Mia’s thoughts go all X-rated. Joaquin’s dark eyes looking into hers. His naked body moving over hers. His bare chest beneath herpalms.
Yeah, like that was going tohappen.
Get your mind back on thejob.
Right. Internshipapplications.
This applicant had almost completed her coursework at Colorado State University and was most interested in the research side of things—tissue cultivation, the propagation of rare and endangered species. Would she be open to weeding and shoveling compost in the hot summersun?
The next one had three years’ experience working in community-supported agriculture and wanted to be a part of the community gardening program. That seemed like a betterfit.
Kevin, Mia’s boss, stepped inside the greenhouse. “Do you have a fewminutes?”
“Sure.” She set the applicationsaside.
Kevin sat on a stool across from her, his expression telling her something was up. “I saw the piece in the Denver Independent about that man’s disappearance and read that you’re a person of interest in thatcase.”
Fantastic.
“Yes.”
“This morning, human resources got a call from the Denver Police Department asking for your employment information—how long you’d worked here, whether you had a good record with us and so on. They wanted access to phone records from your work phone if you had one—which you don’t. They also wanted to know if you drove a company vehicle or were authorized to use the wood chipper, the bobcat, or any other largeequipment.”
“Why would they want to know that?” The moment she asked the question, the answer hit her. “Oh, for God’s sake.Seriously?”
They thought she might have used the equipment to get rid of Andy’sbody.
She fought back an impulse to laugh, the seriousness on Kevin’s face telling her he found this anything butamusing.
“We cooperated with them, of course, and told them about the outstanding work you’ve done. We want to stand behind you, but we also have a responsibility to this institution. Is there anything I ought toknow?”
Mia understood why he was asking this, but she couldn’t help feeling hurt. “No, sir. I’m a person of interest only because I was the last person to see him before he disappeared. He and I served together and were deployed together in Iraq. He was wounded and disabled. I was his executive officer. He has problems with anxiety and depression, so I check on him from time to time. As soon as they look into where I was that night, they will clearme.”
Kevin nodded, a frown on his face. “They’ve asked for our surveillance footage from Friday afternoononward.”
As much as this surprised her, it was also reassuring. If she’d been out there burying bodies among the rose bushes, it would have been captured by the surveillance cameras. Still, it was a lot of hassle for the securitystaff.