“You’re certain you didn’t move it somewhere else? If you did, you need to tell me. Now.”
She whipped around to face him, hands on her hips. “Believe it or not, Duke Lowry, I might do makeup and hair for a living, but it doesn’t mean I’m a ditz. We decorated the car and left it right here.”
Whoa. She sounded like his mama, using his whole name like that. He could hear her voice from the past clearly.
Duke Carter Lowry, don’t you talk to a lady like that.
No, his mama wouldn’t be happy with the way he was treating Zuri right now. He blew out a long breath. “Okay, I deserve that.” He bent down to examine the tracks in the sawdust. “I didn’t mean to imply that you were forgetful. I’m used to interrogating criminals.” He glanced up at her. “Sorry.”
She took the icy stare down a notch. “Look, all that matters now is that we find the car for Boone and Vivien. My makeup case is in it too, and I need that for the wedding. The car has to be here.”
Zuri didn’t look like she was hiding anything. Maybe a little tired, but he guessed he’d woken her up. Still, her makeup seemed unsmudged, her hair perfect—silky and shiny. He had caught a hint of a scar on her neckline when she opened the door, wrapped in a blanket. It hinted at something traumatic. But he didn’t want to know. He just needed to find the car.
“I should call Boone and tell him.” He reached for his phone.
She grabbed it out of his hands before he could open the screen. “What kind of best man are you? You’ll stress Boone out and even more so Vivie.” She paced back and forth. “No. We can handle this. I mean, you’re a detective, right?” She spun around to face him again.
“Right. So if anyone will ‘handle it,’ it will be me.” He reached for his phone back. Ultimately, he was the one responsible for the vehicle. “I work alone. You should go back to your cabin and—”
“And what? Kick up my feet and relax? No way. I’m coming with you.”
What? No. “Doesn’t Vivien need you for…something?”
“I haven’t been able to get ahold of her today since she left Wilder House. This is how I can help. So, what should we do first?”
We? Over his cold, dead grinch body.
He drew in a breath. Duke Carter Lowry… “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got this.”
“Nuh-uh. You’re not gonna give me the brush-off. Thanks to my brothers, I’m an expert at dealing with bullheaded men who try to ditch me.”
He suppressed a growl and found his cop tone. “I’m not trying to ditch you. I’m just saying, you probably have better things to do.”
She folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Like it or not, I’m your partner now.”
She was determined, all right, and obviously loyal to her friends. He couldn’t help but respect that fierceness in her eyes. And the last thing he wanted was a fight with one of Boone’s friends.
He closed his eyes. Nichole could never stand being outside in the winter for very long, always worried about it drying out her skin and the wind messing up her hair. Two minutes out there and Zuri would probably have had enough and head back to her cabin.
This would work. He looked at her. “Fine. We’ll start by following the tire tracks in the snow.”
“Perfect.”
Duke waited for Zuri to exit before shutting the shed doors. Outside, he followed the tread marks. The snow fell lightly from the gray afternoon sky. The tracks were easy enough to see, but once they reached the parking lot it was impossible to distinguish one set from another.
“Well, that didn’t get us anywhere. Now what?” Zuri stood in the snow, a brightness in her clear, blue gaze showing her eagerness to keep going.
She wasn’t sick of the cold yet? Or his—what had Nichole called it?—oh yeah. His stifling presence?
“I’ll head to the sheriff’s office. Cole Barrett is one of the other groomsmen and a deputy there. Maybe he’s heard something.”
“Then I’m coming with you.” She headed to his truck, which he’d brought back from Boone’s that afternoon. Before she reached it, she did a quick spin with her arms wide open, her face toward the sky, and her tongue stretched out.
Duke stopped in his tracks. “What are you doing?”
“Enjoying the moment. You should try it.” She caught a snowflake on the tip of her tongue and grinned at him before hopping into the passenger seat.
Intriguing. Nichole would never do that.
He shook the thought right out of his head.
Hello. He had a case to solve.
Walking into the sheriff’s office after the quick drive, Duke forgot about everything but the case. No feminine perfume here setting him off or clogging up his logic. This was his world. Everything from the crackly voices over the radios in the background to the smell of coffee on the Bunn burner added to the sense of familiarity. And he could definitely use some right about now.
The deputy looked up from his desk. “Hey, Duke. Zuri. What are you two doing here?”
“We need your help. I…”
Zuri cut in front of him as she walked up to Cole’s desk. “We lost Boone’s Mustang. We’re wondering if you could help us find it.”
“How do you lose a Mustang?” Cole asked.
How indeed. But they should call it like it was. “It was stolen.”
“Borrowed.” She flashed that big smile of hers. It sort of lit up her eyes. How could she be so upbeat about this whole thing?
More importantly, why was he noticing her eyes?
Sheesh. It had to be Boone and all this sappy romance.
Duke pulled his gaze away from her and looked to Cole. “Either way, have you heard anything? Seen it around town? Last we saw it, it was parked in the maintenance shed at the Evergreen Resort.”
Cole reached across his desk to grab a notebook and started writing. Finally, someone who got it. “And the keys? Where were they?”
“I left them in the vehicle, in case the girls needed to move it while they were decorating. Beth and Zuri left it in the shed…at what time?” Duke turned to his optimistic counterpart.
“Oh, somewhere around one, I think.”
“And what time did you discover it missing?” Cole looked up from his notes.
“Just now.”
A gust of cold air at their backs marked the entrance of another person. “What do we have here?”
Cole stopped writing. “Duke, Zuri, this is Kyle Hueston, our sheriff. Sheriff, these two are here for the wedding. Duke is a detective down in the Twin Cities. Boone’s former partner. Zuri came to us from New York. I met her this morning at Wilder House.”
“Ah. So what brings you in? Is the bride still missing?” The man in the uniform chuckled as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Stolen vehicle.” Cole and Duke spoke at the same time.
Kyle’s smile slid off his face and was replaced with serious concern. Duke’s gut clenched. That wasn’t good.
But Zuri was oblivious. “No, I’m sure it wasn’t stolen. Probably just borrowed. Or a wedding prank. I mean, this is a small town. People do that kind of thing. Right?”
And here he thought New Yorkers were supposed to be cynical.