“It seems that way,” Trace said. He blew out a breath. “I don’t get it. Mitch issued a statement indicating there were some issues with the original foundation as a result of the earthquake. He told the media those problems would be resolved as soon as possible so construction could resume. I watched him on the news while you snoozed all night.”
“Seriously?” That seemed doubtful.
Trace shrugged. “I assume his goal was to keep the masses from getting hysterical. I doubt there’s any merit to his statement. He did get the media to back off. That was undoubtedly his intention.”
Keegan nodded. Made sense. “Have you spoken to him?”
Trace shook his head. “No. I assume he’s been very busy. And I’ve been a little preoccupied myself.”
“Holding vigil over a sleeping man?” Keegan smirked.
Melinda swatted at his upper arm, heedless of the break. “Don’t joke about this. You could have died. I was worried sick.”
“She wasn’t alone.” Trace set a hand on Keegan’s shoulder and gripped it firmly just as the nurse wheeled a chair into the room. A blessedly lupine nurse.
What luck.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Melinda tiptoed into the bedroom for the millionth time the following afternoon.
Keegan hadn’t moved. He was sprawled out in wolf form on the mattress right in the middle, looking for all the world like an overindulged puppy. His head even rested on a pillow.
Trace crept up behind her and set his hands on her shoulders.
“He’s been asleep for twenty hours,” she whispered.
“He needed the rest to recuperate,” Trace muttered back. “Come, baby. He’s fine.” He led her out of the room once more and shut the door behind them with a soft snick.
Melinda’s shoulders slumped.
“Sit.” Trace pointed at the couch. “I’ll grab us a few beers. Maybe a little alcohol will calm your nerves.”
She padded to the sofa and slumped into a corner. “What if the damage is more than he can fix on his own?”
“Baby, Mimi was here for over an hour. She even sat by his side for a while. Don’t you think your grandmother would have known if he was in any imminent danger?”
“You’re right.” She blew out a breath and leaned her head back.
“Griffen called again while I was outside.” Trace stepped in front of her, holding out a dripping bottle.
“How’s the baby?”
“She’s perfect. Cries a lot.” He shrugged. “I guess babies do that.”
“Yep.”
“Maybe I should spend more time over at their house. It would be the perfect incentive to keep from getting you pregnant.” Trace chuckled as he sat next to Melinda and tugged her into his side.
“You’re trying to distract me.”
“Yep. Is it working?”
“Yeah.” She tipped her head back and took a long swallow. “Keep talking. What did Corbin say when you spoke with him?”
Trace winced. “He said they had no luck finding the previous inspector. It seems like he vanished from the face of the Earth.”
“Doesn’t anyone find that odd?”
“They do. But without him, there’s no one to question.”
“None of the workers from last year have known anything?”
“No one yet.” Trace took a long drink and then spoke again. “At least no one that would admit to it.”
“And the builder? Surely whoever was in charge of this project arranged for the materials to be below standard?” Melinda stiffened. The task seemed daunting. They had a dead man and a shit load of mysterious accidents and no one to pin it on.
“Templeton Construction is a huge company. Unfortunately they have so much money, they could have anyone in their back pocket. Hell, they could have the sheriff’s office blackmailed if they wanted. They say they’re looking into the allegations, but no one has shown their face in public except to say their team of lawyers is working on it and they have no comment.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. That’s big business for you. They would have totally covered their tracks. Hunting down whoever did this will be nearly impossible. Any paper trail has been destroyed. And with the earthquake, they can easily blame everything that occurred lately on an unstable foundation as a result of seismic activity. It’s a mess.” Trace tipped his bottle back for another drink. “My chief, Bergman, doesn’t think there’s much hope.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah, especially since the only guy who was willing to rat out the builder is now dead. And every angle we’ve looked into to implicate him has come up short. Even though Friedmont received obviously suspicious monthly payments from an unknown source, the money has proven untraceable.”