“Did your FBI agent tell you that?” There was no mistaking the dubious pitch to Ian’s question.
“No, but I have confidence she’ll turn up some new leads. She’s smart, Ian. And good at her job, from what I can tell.”
Ian’s brown eyes searched Cole’s face. “You like her.” It was a statement, not a question. “She’s…nice.”
He almost rolled his eyes. Nice? Try drop-dead gorgeous. Wildly sexy. Or maybe intelligent and captivating was a more apt description. However you described her, Cole couldn’t deny that he was drawn to Jamie Crawford.
“She did seem nice,” Ian conceded. Then he sighed. “But let’s just hope she really is on our side, boss. The company is in trouble as long as the case remains unsolved, and if Agent Crawford is playing you, building a case behind your back while pretending to be open-minded…”
“She’s not.” The conviction he felt resonated in his voice.
“Like I said, let’s hope.” Ian’s next words brought a chill to Cole’s body. “Otherwise you’re in danger of losing everything you worked so hard for.”
After stopping at the B&B to shower and change, Jamie drove straight to the police station to see Finn, who spent twenty minutes describing to her the damage caused by the storm. He finished with, “At least I didn’t have to worry about coming to rescue you. You made it back to the B&B okay, right?”
Jamie fidgeted in her seat. “Actually, I didn’t. It started pouring as I was leaving, so I sought refuge at Cole Donovan’s.”
A beat of silence, then Finn’s face turned beet red and he looked ready to explode. “Are you crazy? You should have braved the damn storm and driven home!”
A thorn of offense stung her skin. “Jeez, you really need to calm down when it comes to that man. He was a perfect gentleman, Finn.”
“He’s a potential murder suspect,” he shot back.
“I had a gun. Not that I expected to use it, though. If he did kill his ex-wife, I highly doubt he would draw more attention to himself by hurting a federal agent.” She cocked her head. “Out of curiosity, why do you dislike him so much? Don’t tell me you’re jealous of his wealth.”
Finn barked out a laugh. “Hardly. Though he does like to flaunt his money, cocky bastard that he is.”
Somehow she found that unlikely. Cole seemed unbelievably indifferent to his wealth, a huge contrast to the rich folks Jamie’s mom had been forced to deal with. Kelly Ann Crawford’s job at the maid company had exposed both her and her daughter to some really nasty people. Jamie’s mom suffered veiled put-downs from her rich employers and had even been accused of stealing jewelry more than once. From what Jamie had seen so far, Cole didn’t flaunt a thing nor did he treat her as inferior.
She suspected Finn might have some bottled-up resentment toward the guy, and his next remark confirmed her suspicions.
“When he first showed up, he bought half the inventory at the art gallery just to show everyone he could.”
Jamie cast him a knowing look. “Ah, I get it now.”
“Get what?” he muttered.
“I happened to meet the gallery owner yesterday.” She studied his handsome face. “A stunning brunette by the name of Sarah Connelly.”
Her revelation got the reaction she’d expected—the same shuttered expression Sarah had donned when Jamie had mentioned Finn. The tight line of his jaw told her more than he probably wanted to reveal. Finn obviously had some history with the woman. Important history, seeing as he apparently hated Cole just for having had contact with Sarah.
“So you two used to date?” she added nonchalantly.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Did you love her?”
“Again, none of your business,” he snapped.
Jamie instinctively backed off. She’d never seen this volatile side of Finn. His blue eyes had darkened to metallic cobalt and his hands had become fists, pressed tightly over the arms of his chair. She suddenly realized the question she really should have asked was Do you still love her? But the answer was written all over his face.
“Sorry I brought it up,” she said in a quiet voice.
A breath shuddered out of his chest. “Sorry I snapped at you. Sarah…she’s a touchy subject for me.”
“Yeah, I see that.”
As if to punctuate his statement, Finn promptly changed the topic at hand to a more pressing one. “My deputy Max interviewed a few people yesterday before the storm hit. I’ve got Anna typing up the statements, and I want you to look over them when you get the chance.”
“No problem. Is there anyone who stands out as a suspect?”
“They all have alibis that check out, but they all share the same hatred for Teresa too.”
Jamie shook her head. “What was it about that woman that made everyone hate her?”