Chapter One

Einar Rasmussen Jr. was angry. The deep grooves in his face that reminded me of cedar bark were twisted, and the agate-blue eyes never blinked.

"So Miss Steinmetz told me to be here by noon," Einar Jr. growled, planting both fists on my desk. "It's twelve-fifteen. I've been waiting for her out front, but nobody's there."

Unseen by Einar Jr., a small child sat on my feet. "Carla-Ms. Steinmetz-left before eleven to do a story on a new restaurant," I explained, trying to keep my patience along with my composure. The child was bouncing up and down. "She should be back any minute."

The agate eyes narrowed. "A new restaurant? So you mean that harebrained scheme the Bourgette kids came up with?"

I nodded. "Dan and John. They want to build a Fifties-style diner where the old warehouse burned down by the railroad tracks."

"Dumb," Einar Jr. declared. "Alpine doesn't need a new restaurant. My son, Beau, would never come up with such a harebrained scheme. When it comes to business, those Bourgette kids haven't got the sense to pour sand down a rat hole."

I didn't know the Bourgette kids-who were actually thirty-something-well enough to assess their business acumen. But then I didn't know Einar Rasmussen Jr. much better, and I'd never met his son, Beau.

"It's different here now with the college," I countered as little Brad Erlandson started to squeak like a rubber duck. "Alpine's no longer just a stagnant mill town. You ought to know. You've had a big hand in helping build the new community college."

The flattery wasn't intentional, which was ju