Joan made a face. “That doesn’t help you in the immediate future.”
“True. This is more like theimmediate, immediate future.”
“Here it is,” Joan said.
“What’s that?” Brant came around the desk and peered over her shoulder.
“I started a file a few weeks ago of commercial properties. Had no idea we’d need it this soon, of course. There’s a vacant building over on Pritchard in the Hardy complex.”
Brant wrinkled his nose. “That area doesn’t have easy access to the main roads.”
“If you want to be on the outskirts rather than in the city, there’s a building in Branch. Farther out there’s also one in Copper Creek.”
Brant squinted at the screen. “Copper Creek?”
Joan sat back in her chair. “That one is probably farther than you’d like. But it’s another old factory. Pretty good size, probably more room than you need.”
“That might be a possibility. Can you give me the addresses?”
She wrote the two addresses on a sticky note and handed it to Brant.
He already knew which place he would visit first.
Chapter Twelve
Kyle picked her up a few days later for the snowshoeing date. Layla had a bad feeling about how this was going to go. She’d watched YouTube videos for a half hour the night before, studying how people moved in them.It’s like walking, Kyle reasoned when she told him she had no experience. Maybe for him. And why did one want to walk in deep snow anyway? It seemed like a lot of work for so little pay off. He assured her it would be worth the trouble.
Penrose Falls State Park was five miles south of town. It was supposedly the perfect place for a beginner like her—straight trails, hardly any elevation, and plenty of trees to block the wind. Layla studied the scenery from the passenger seat of Kyle’s Range Rover as he pulled into the parking lot. Another snow passing through the area last night left behind a good six inches of powder. But the sun was out, and there was very little breeze.
“Where did you find snowshoes for me?” Layla leaned against the tailgate as he helped her put them on a few minutes later.
“They’re my sister’s. She has no use for them in Florida, so she keeps them here for when she visits.” He tightened the two straps over her foot then fastened the strap near her heel.
“Does she visit much?”
He signaled to her to switch feet so he could put on the other snowshoe. “Yes, actually. A few times a year. She’s into snow sports too.”
“Too bad she lives in Florida.” Layla watched closely in case she ever had to do this by herself.
“Yeah, she’s not a fan. But her husband is stationed there, so no choice,” he said, shrugging. He gave her calf a reassuring pat when he finished. “Okay, let’s try it out.”
Layla stood up and took a few sliding steps.
“They’re not skis,” Kyle said, giving her a one-sided grin. “Just walk.”
She knew this, but it was easier to watch videos than put it into practice. She frowned at her feet with the two tennis racket contraptions strapped to her boots. “Easy for you to say. You were probably born with them.”
He laughed. “Try.”
So she did, and even though she liked making him laugh with her clumsiness, it didn’t take long to grow accustomed to them. After a few laps around the lot, she and Kyle headed up a snow-draped hill in search of the hidden mine shaft he said was part of their mission.
The temperature had dropped into the teens after the system passed over the North Shore and had been hovering there for the last few days. With a tendency to freeze, she piled on the layers before Kyle came to pick her up. Maybe too many. Beads of sweat already tickled the small of her back under her base layer.
She pulled her scarf away from her mouth so she could talk. “How did you find this place?”
It was hard to speak as the elevation increased. She mistakenly thought snowshoeing wouldn’t be any more taxing than a fast walk, which she did faithfully four times a week either on the treadmill or around town. But she was winded when they stopped under a stand of firs so Kyle could adjust his backpack.
“I used to run all over these hills when I was younger.” He pointed. “Our family’s homestead is over there. You’ll be able to see it when we stop at the top of this hill.”
