right. That’s pushing it a bit far. But still…” He raised his eyebrows.
Dammit, I should’ve done more than threaten those people. “I told you. I was trying to help someone.”
“Daniella Troth.”
“You know her?”
“The sheriff’s office does, after last night. She hadn’t been on their radar before, but now…”
“They’re suspicious of her because I stopped the reporters from harassing her?”
“Who’s getting harassed?” Nick stepped up behind me and began kneading my shoulders. God, I loved that man.
“No one.” Willard half stood and stuck out his hand. “Good to see you, Nick.”
“Likewise.” Nick took a brief break in my neck rub to shake Willard’s hand, then resumed when I pointed at my shoulders.
Willard sat back down. “I was just telling Stella here that she’s a YouTube star.”
“Hmpf.” My shoulders stiffened.
“The altercation with the reporters last night?” Nick didn’t sound surprised.
“Stupid reporters,” I mumbled.
Nick squeezed my shoulder, then kept rubbing. A moan rose in my throat, but I remembered just in time that Willard was sitting three feet away, so I kept myself appropriate.
“It wasn’t actually the reporters who posted the video,” Willard said. “It was a Rikki Raines fan waiting outside the building.”
“I thought the cops had chased them all away.”
“Yeah, well, you know how that goes. The comments for the video are mostly in support of you, by the way, trashing reporters in general. You even got an interview request and a marriage proposal.”
Nick stopped massaging my shoulders again. “Do I need to be worried?”
I patted his hand. “Nah. You’re still my first choice. Now keep rubbing.”
“Yes, ma’am. So,” he said to Willard, “you’re here to continue questioning us? Because Detective Watts didn’t seem finished. At least not the way she was fingering her handcuffs as Stella spirited me away.”
“Daddy issues,” I said. “I’ll explain later.”
Willard laughed. “No, I really did just want to check in. After seeing that YouTube video I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“Very kind of you,” Nick said.
I was curious. “How’d you find that YouTube video, anyway? Willard, were you surfing?”
“No.” His mouth twitched. “Your favorite police officer saw it and told me about it.”
“What favorite—Do you mean Meadows?” An officer in Willard’s department who’d rubbed me the wrong way since the day I met him when he didn’t believe I was having a life-or-death situation on my farm. He’d sort of redeemed himself later on, but he was still a jerk. “What was he doing looking me up on YouTube?”
“He wasn’t looking you up. He was looking up Rikki Raines, and anything that might shed light on her murder.”
“On YouTube?”
“People post all kinds of things. You never know what you might find.”
“Even if you’re Meadows.”
“Yes, even then. Anyway, he ran across that video from last night. He, um, was quite…impressed.”
“I’m sure.” I held up a hand. “We were talking about something before Nick came in. What was it?”
“Harassment,” Nick said.
“Right. Daniella. Reporters. Willard said the cops suspected her.”
“No, I didn’t. I said she was on their radar now.”
“How come?”
“Because she knew Rikki Raines. Very well, I guess. Not sure why.”
The side door opened, and Lucy came in. She froze in the doorway. “What happened? What did I miss? Why didn’t you call me?”
“Relax, Luce, everything’s fine. Well, not fine. I mean, it’s fine here, it’s just not…” My brain stopped working.
“Detective?” she said. “Why are you here?”
“Hello, Lucy.” He got up again to shake hands. “Everything here at the farm is going along as smoothly as always, as far as I know.”
She cocked an eyebrow.
“Right,” Willard said. “That might not be all that reassuring. But really, I’m here about something else entirely. Sorry to frighten you.”
She
Dammit, I should’ve done more than threaten those people. “I told you. I was trying to help someone.”
“Daniella Troth.”
“You know her?”
“The sheriff’s office does, after last night. She hadn’t been on their radar before, but now…”
“They’re suspicious of her because I stopped the reporters from harassing her?”
“Who’s getting harassed?” Nick stepped up behind me and began kneading my shoulders. God, I loved that man.
“No one.” Willard half stood and stuck out his hand. “Good to see you, Nick.”
“Likewise.” Nick took a brief break in my neck rub to shake Willard’s hand, then resumed when I pointed at my shoulders.
Willard sat back down. “I was just telling Stella here that she’s a YouTube star.”
“Hmpf.” My shoulders stiffened.
“The altercation with the reporters last night?” Nick didn’t sound surprised.
“Stupid reporters,” I mumbled.
Nick squeezed my shoulder, then kept rubbing. A moan rose in my throat, but I remembered just in time that Willard was sitting three feet away, so I kept myself appropriate.
“It wasn’t actually the reporters who posted the video,” Willard said. “It was a Rikki Raines fan waiting outside the building.”
“I thought the cops had chased them all away.”
“Yeah, well, you know how that goes. The comments for the video are mostly in support of you, by the way, trashing reporters in general. You even got an interview request and a marriage proposal.”
Nick stopped massaging my shoulders again. “Do I need to be worried?”
I patted his hand. “Nah. You’re still my first choice. Now keep rubbing.”
“Yes, ma’am. So,” he said to Willard, “you’re here to continue questioning us? Because Detective Watts didn’t seem finished. At least not the way she was fingering her handcuffs as Stella spirited me away.”
“Daddy issues,” I said. “I’ll explain later.”
Willard laughed. “No, I really did just want to check in. After seeing that YouTube video I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“Very kind of you,” Nick said.
I was curious. “How’d you find that YouTube video, anyway? Willard, were you surfing?”
“No.” His mouth twitched. “Your favorite police officer saw it and told me about it.”
“What favorite—Do you mean Meadows?” An officer in Willard’s department who’d rubbed me the wrong way since the day I met him when he didn’t believe I was having a life-or-death situation on my farm. He’d sort of redeemed himself later on, but he was still a jerk. “What was he doing looking me up on YouTube?”
“He wasn’t looking you up. He was looking up Rikki Raines, and anything that might shed light on her murder.”
“On YouTube?”
“People post all kinds of things. You never know what you might find.”
“Even if you’re Meadows.”
“Yes, even then. Anyway, he ran across that video from last night. He, um, was quite…impressed.”
“I’m sure.” I held up a hand. “We were talking about something before Nick came in. What was it?”
“Harassment,” Nick said.
“Right. Daniella. Reporters. Willard said the cops suspected her.”
“No, I didn’t. I said she was on their radar now.”
“How come?”
“Because she knew Rikki Raines. Very well, I guess. Not sure why.”
The side door opened, and Lucy came in. She froze in the doorway. “What happened? What did I miss? Why didn’t you call me?”
“Relax, Luce, everything’s fine. Well, not fine. I mean, it’s fine here, it’s just not…” My brain stopped working.
“Detective?” she said. “Why are you here?”
“Hello, Lucy.” He got up again to shake hands. “Everything here at the farm is going along as smoothly as always, as far as I know.”
She cocked an eyebrow.
“Right,” Willard said. “That might not be all that reassuring. But really, I’m here about something else entirely. Sorry to frighten you.”
She
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