“Thank you.” She stowed her purse and trotted down the short hall that led to the sheriff’s office.

Half a minute later, she reappeared. “Go on down. He’s waiting for you.”

“Thanks.”

As she walked toward his office, Grace smoothed out a wrinkle in the black slacks designed more for utility than style. If she’d thought ahead, she’d have worn a more chic outfit for her visit.

But perhaps this would work in her favor. She could legitimately claim it was an impromptu call.

Nate stood when she appeared in his doorway, and the welcome in his smile warmed her from head to toe. “This is a pleasant surprise.” He came out from behind his desk and motioned to a small round conference table off to the side. “Please, have a seat.”

She crossed the room, scanning the pristine space that was devoid of clutter, the walls bare save for a framed photo of a two-story farmhouse flanked by towering oak trees.

“This decor is quite a change from your predecessor’s.”

Nate hitched up one side of his mouth as he claimed a chair at a right angle to hers. “I know. It took Eleanor and me a week to dig the place out. I don’t think Sheriff Blake ever threw out a document, book, binder, American Legion flyer—you name it. But as a weekend rehabber, I could see the potential. And a fresh coat of paint can work wonders.”

“Considering how you’ve transformed this place, I imagine your house will be a showplace after it’s finished.” Just get to the point, Grace. You didn’t come here to chitchat. “So I happened to be in the area”—sort of—“and decided to drop in and give you an update from the botanist at the university.”

“Was he able to identify the object?”

“Yes. It’s a sunflower seed.”

“So your seed theory was correct. Did he say if there was anything unusual about it?”

Amazing how their brains seemed to track in parallel directions.

“I wondered that too, and asked the same question. The answer was no. It’s an ordinary sunflower seed.”

“But not necessarily an ordinary food ingredient for the two people in question, in light of what you told me about them.”

“I agree—and that bothers me.”

“Don’t discount intuition.” He leaned back. “I have a piece of news too. That lead I mentioned in the Mavis Templeton case? It panned out. I was able to identify a suspect in the possible robbery.”

“Did you arrest him?”

“No. Insufficient evidence. But we’ve talked—and he knows more than he’s sharing.”

“He didn’t hurt Mavis, though. There was no indication of trauma. However, it’s possible the panic of a break-in triggered a heart attack.”

“Wouldn’t that have shown up in the autopsy?”

“Not if she died less than four hours afterward. My cause of death allowed for the possibility of an acute myocardial infarction, but I can’t say for certain it happened.”

“Then we couldn’t use that to pursue a felony murder charge, even though the late-night car sighting does fall within the window for time of death.” He tapped the tip of his pen against his palm. “I do have one other piece of news. My suspect also knew Fred Wilson.”