“Yeah,” she said automatically, then amended: “No.But I don't have time not to be.”
Jake's hand came to rest lightly on her shoulder.“The talk will die down once we solve this case.”
“No, it won’t,” Jenna said.“We’ve already had too many murders, and people keep wondering how I keep solving them.And what if we don’t solve this one?”The question slipped out before she could stop it.
"We'll solve this one too."His arm reached around her shoulders, hesitating slightly before giving her a quick, awkward hug."We're really good together, you know."Something electric passed between them before he abruptly released her, and cleared his throat."I'll give strict orders to our team to keep all these weird details private.All anybody has to know is that Claudia Kingsley was found dead on her own property.Then what's our next step?"
“We need to talk to Keir Kingsley.”
“Yeah, Mrs.Thornfield mentioned him,” Jake said, his hand dropping back to his side.“Separated for what, three months?”
“So I’ve heard.”Jenna pulled out her phone.“Let's find out if he already knows about his wife.”
She dialed the number for Kingsley Landscapes, which she'd looked up earlier.After two rings, a woman answered.
“Kingsley Landscapes, how can I help you?”
“This is Sheriff Jenna Graves.I need to speak with Keir Kingsley, please.”
There was a brief pause.“Mr.Kingsley is here.He's with a client right now.Can I take a message?”
Jenna exchanged a look with Jake.Keir was at work, business as usual.Either he didn't know about Claudia yet, or he was putting on a hell of a show.
“This is an urgent police matter,” Jenna said firmly.“I need to speak with him immediately.”
“Oh!”The receptionist's voice shifted from official to concerned.“Is everything all right?”
“I need to discuss that with Mr.Kingsley directly,” Jenna replied.“Is there somewhere private he can take the call?”
“Yes, of course.His client just left, and he’s alone in his office.Let me get him for you.”
As they waited, Jake leaned in.“If he doesn't know yet...”
“Then we're about to ruin his day, at the very least.”
The line clicked, and a man's voice came through.“This is Keir Kingsley.What's this about, Sheriff?”
Something in his voice—too calm, too controlled—raised Jenna's hackles.“Mr.Kingsley, I need to meet with you as soon as possible regarding a serious matter.Are you able to remain at your office for the next twenty minutes?”
There was a pause.“Is this about Claudia?Has something happened?”
Jenna's eyes met Jake's.The question seemed genuine, but years in law enforcement had taught her that genuine and innocent weren't always the same thing.
“I'd prefer not to discuss this over the phone, Mr.Kingsley,” she said.“We'll be there shortly.”
Another pause.“All right.I'll be here.”
Jenna ended the call and slipped the phone back into her pocket.“He asked if it was about Claudia.”
“First place his mind went,” Jake observed.“Could mean he's concerned about her.”
“Or he knows exactly what happened to her,” Jenna countered.She turned to Officer Miller “Finish processing the scene.I want every leaf, every twig, every particle of dirt cataloged and analyzed.Nothing gets overlooked, understood?”
“Yes, Sheriff,” Miller replied.
“And keep the media at bay as long as possible,” she added.“No details about the position of the body or potential cause of death.I don’t want any leaks about any of this.None.Is that clear?”
“Crystal, Sheriff.”