The Case of the Sin City Sister by Lynne Hinton Page A

behind Eve as she picked up Daisy and moved farther into the office. She put the cat back down by her small desk, turned on the light, and then headed straight for the coffeepot that was on the table near the window. She took the empty pot into the back bathroom, rinsed it out, and filled it with water, then walked back to where the men were standing. She poured the water into the machine, put a filter in the basket, and measured out the coffee. She slid the pot back into its place and turned on the maker.
    Caleb waited until Jackson made his way around his desk. The detective removed his hat, hung it on the rack beside the file cabinets, and sat down. He motioned for his client to take a seat in front of him, and Alford did. He was holding his cup, having already discarded the small pastry bag.
    “I still want to find out what happened to him,” Caleb said. “I’m going to hang around a while.”
    Eve made her way to her desk. She was choosing to let the Captain be in charge of this conversation.
    “You don’t have to,” Jackson replied. “I can call you back in Virginia if I hear anything.”
    Caleb shifted in his seat. “Actually, I’ve met someone.”
    Eve glanced up.
    “Oh?” the Captain responded.
    “She’s an officer,” Caleb added. “Rochelle Kent.” He crossed his legs, appeared a bit more comfortable. “We met when I first got into town.”

    Jackson nodded. “I know Officer Kent,” he responded. “She’s a fine police officer, a nice person.”
    There was an awkward pause.
    “I’m sure it seems odd that I’ve met someone since I’ve been on this trip. I wasn’t expecting anything like that. I wasn’t looking for this kind of thing.” He took a sip of his coffee.
    “Nothing’s odd about meeting someone,” Jackson replied. He looked over at Eve. “That coffee ready yet?” he asked gruffly.
    “Not yet,” she replied.
    “I know it seems weird that I want to find out what happened to a family member from more than a hundred years ago, but I just feel connected to him, and I want to find out what happened. I feel like I’ve been called to this search. Do you think that’s possible?”
    Jackson didn’t respond right away. “Sure it’s possible. Look, I don’t believe in that hokeypokey stuff, but she does. You need to be talking to her,” he finally commented and raised his chin in Eve’s direction. “She’s your gal when it comes to feeling called to something.”
    Eve rolled her eyes. “It’s hocus-pocus, not hokeypokey.”
    Caleb turned around in his chair to get a better look at Eve. “So, you think it’s possible?” he asked. “Do you think we can find out what happened to my great-grandfather?”
    “I think lots of things are possible,” she responded. She got up and walked over to the coffeepot. She waited a few seconds until it had finished brewing and then poured two cups. She handed one to the Captain. “You want a refill?” she asked their client.
    He shook his head and repeated, “You think we can find out what happened to Caleb?”
    Eve returned to her seat. “I don’t know, Mr. Alford. Probably not,” she said.
    Jackson smiled and nodded his approval.
    “But there’s no harm in doing a thorough investigation,” she added.
    The smile faded from Jackson’s face. Clearly, this was not a case he was interested in pursuing.
    “I was actually planning to leave town this weekend because it seemed I had done everything I could do here. I figured you could just call me if you found anything. But then I met Rochelle, Officer Kent. It just seems like a sign that I’m supposed to stay. Does that make any sense?” He looked first at Jackson and then turned so that he could face Eve. “Does it?”
    Eve looked at the client and then at her father. “It makes perfect sense. You have to read the signs.”
    “Then maybe you’ll take me out to the mine?” he asked.
    The Captain looked puzzled. “Why do you want to go out there? The skeleton wasn’t your