Remote Consequences by Kerri Nelson Page A

surprised at myself and at the look I received from Ty. He seemed to settle down considerably at my response. He took a deep breath and leaned back in his seat. He crossed his arms over his chest, and I could tell he was considering his next words carefully.
    "Listen, I'm sorry about that. I wish I'd handled it differently. But you have to understand that I don't have time for this now, Mandy. I need your help. So, one more time, I'm asking you…who told you this might have something to do with the Brooks family?"
    I shrugged. "That has nothing to do with my report. It's probably nothing. I shouldn't even have mentioned it. That's all I know. I've got to go get Paget now."
    I pressed my hands down on the wooden chair handles and stood before him.
    "Mandy, come on. This is a police investigation. You can't make a statement like that and then leave me hanging. These are serious accusations. "
    I turned to leave and then looked over my shoulder, piercing him with a look. "No, driving off and leaving a person hanging is what you're good at. Remember?"
    With that, I took two steps closer to the door before his voice stopped me.
    "This isn't personal. This is my job, Mandy."
    I stepped into the hallway and pulled the door closed behind me.
    Damn .
     
    *  *  *
     
    I wasn't sure why I was protecting Colin. It didn't exactly seem smart, but I'd held it back for now. Ty hadn't exactly confirmed whether or not he'd searched the mayor's house yet. Though, I'd gotten the idea that he was still trying to figure out how to handle this mess and this was a huge deal from anyone's perspective.
    There was nothing more I could do for now. So, I did what I do best. I stepped inside The Back Porch Café and closed my eyes as I inhaled the scent of country cooking at its finest.
    I made my way to the bar and took a red-topped stool, hooking my boot heels on the footrest below.
    "What'll it be, Panda?"
    I lit up at the familiar voice. A gray-haired woman with her hair in a bun and soft tendrils framing the side of her face grinned at me from across the countertop.
    "Ms. Maimie, only you and Dr. C. still call me that."
    The woman let out a smoker's crackly laugh as she patted my hand and leaned in on her forearms for a kiss. I kissed her cheek. It was smooth, but heavily coated with foundation.
    "How come you are just now coming in to see me? I haven't seen you since the funeral."
    I blinked at the statement. "I'm sorry."
    "I miss her, Mandy. Your Aunt Patty and me worked here together for nearly twenty years. And that was after our Vegas days. She was my best friend in the whole world…" Her voice caught on the last word, and I watched as she shook her head to fight off the emotion.
    "I know. I'm sorry. I've stopped by a time or two, but I must have missed you. I should have swung by the house to see you. Brought Paget by."
    Ms. Maimie made a kissy-kissy face and gave my cheek a pinch. "What do you have to be sorry for? I know things have been tough on you and little sister. How is she doing, by the way? I've never been so scared in all my life as to when I saw her run out in front of that car."
    My spine straightened a notch. "You saw her accident yesterday?"
    "Of course I did. I was on the night shift and was heading out to my car as soon as the breakfast shift took over. She was crossing the street from Ingram's over there, and she just walked right out in front of that car. I saw it happening, but there was nothing I could do."
    "Oh my God. I didn't know that. No one told me the details…" My voice trailed off as I remembered Ty telling me this morning that he'd been the one to pull her out of the way. I hadn't thanked him for that. I'd been too busy giving him a hard time over this matter with the body.
    "Thank goodness Ty was there. It was like something out of an action movie, I tell you. He just came running and grabbed her, and they both flew through the air. Everyone was watching out the window."
    My mind raced with the images that