“I’m glad you approve.” Nathan chuckled and dumped the suitcases on the bed. “I’ll take one of the couches, and you can have the bed.”
“No need. I’m not a prude. I have no modesty. I grew up with seven sisters, counting Talia.”
I slipped my hat off my head and turned to find a woman standing in the doorway.
“I had to see it with my own eyes.”
Nathan glanced over his shoulder at the woman and grinned. “Mildred, you’re looking as beautiful as ever.” He crossed the room and lifted the woman in a bear hug.
There was nothing petite and helpless about Mildred. She was one of those women who oozed organization with a motherly persona. Her gaze was assessing and unwavering, even as Nathan squeezed her tight.
“Had I known you were coming I would have made all your favorites.”
“There’s still time.” Nathan chuckled. “Mildred, I’d like to introduce Cassie, my girlfriend.”
“Aw.” Mildred’s face softened. “What happened to you, honey?” Mildred asked, touching air near my black eye as if she was afraid to make me hurt worse.
“It’s silly, really. I’m a klutz, and when a man tried to steal my fries, I ran into his fist.” I patted the woman’s arms. “But it’s fair. I think I broke his family jewels.”
“A girl after my ownheart.” Mildred’s smile grew as she pulled me into a hug. “Welcome, child. We’re glad to have you.”
“Thanks for having me,” I said awkwardly.
“Your family must not be big huggers,” Mildred said.
Seems she’d read my tense stance accurately. “I come from a big family, but there wasn’t much physical contact. We weren’t really brought up that way.”
“Oh well, the longer you’re here, the more we’ll change that.”
Mildred spun around and headed back out the door. “Dinner is in an hour. Bring your appetites.”
Nathan spent the next hour bringing Clayton and me up to speed on the case. He’d had a copy of the complete FBI file that included everything about the robbery, the plane crash, and poor Herbert Guillot’s death.
I would have had a hard time believing that Herbert’s death was in any way tied to the missing bank money had a fingerprint not been found on his eyelids. None of us could explain how or why the cash had moved. It honestly didn’t make sense.
“I can hack into the flight manifests to see if there were any locals arriving from New Orleans,” Clayton said.
“That’s a good idea. Can you also look into car rentals? I suspect he’s local, but I could be wrong. It wouldn’t hurt to check every angle.”
“If he’s local that’s going to make it more difficult.” Clayton said.
“I know. New Orleans is within driving distance. Since Amanda first started competing, my parents would load up the horse trailer and drive her over there. It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump away.”
My smile grew. “You’ve been in town for five minutes, and you’ve already reverted backto your country roots.”
He chuckled. “Darlin, they never left. I’ve just learned to adapt.”
Mildred tapped on the door. “Dinnertime.”
“Thanks, Mildred, we’ll be right down,” Nathan called out.
Clayton clapped his hands together and grinned. “Time to put on your game faces and show them you’re a couple.”
