Kathryn continued to smile as she advanced to the counter. She did love to intimidate people. She leaned forward, and said softly, “This is what you’re going to do, Miss Warren. You can now press that little button and you will say, ‘Mr. Goodwin, Miss Goldshield is here, and she doesn’t have much time. She’s returning the packet you gave her yesterday but says you must sign for it in person.’ ”

Kathryn tilted her head so that she could hear Goodwin’s response, which was almost immediate. “Show her into the conference room. I’ll be there in a moment.”

“Promptness is such a virtue,” Kathryn said lightly as she tripped behind Pam Warren. “Having said that, the other virtue I admire most is silence. I know who that man is in there with your boss. Now, sweet cheeks, if you were a betting woman, who would you be betting on right now?”

“Ah . . . ah . . . you. Would . . . um . . . you care for coffee or tea? Anything?”

“Coffee would be lovely. Black.” Kathryn thought about the delectable breakfast she’d left behind in her car. It would be cold when she got back. Oh, well, she’d just order another one. She grinned at how fast Warren made it out of the room. Within a second, Joel Goodwin was in the room. He looked ill. He closed the door, then he locked it.

“Why are you here? I gave you everything yesterday. I thought we were done. Do you know who is in my office right now?”

“Well, yeah,” Kathryn drawled. “Why do you think I’m here? Do you want to see that gold shield again? Just so you know, Mr. Goodwin, it trumps Lincoln Moss.”

The little man wrung his hands. “I think there’s something you didn’t tell us yesterday, Mr. Goodwin. I’m sure you just happened to forget, so I’m very generously giving you another chance,” Kathryn said so softly, Goodwin had to strain to hear the words.

“All right, all right. I sent Jane Petrie a text to warn her. I’m in the newspaper business, and I have to protect my sources. You know how that works.”

“Actually, I do know how that works. What does he want?”

There was no sense pretending he didn’t know who the he was that Kathryn just mentioned, so he didn’t bother. “The same thing you want. I already told him I had no further information. He was just telling me what he could have done to me when Pam buzzed me that you were here. I don’t mind telling you that he made my hair stand on end. Everyone in this town knows how powerful he is. He is a very intimidating man. But . . . but you scare me more, lady, agent, whoever you are.”

Kathryn let loose with a chuckle. “You are a wise man, Mr. Goodwin. What did Mr. Moss threaten you with?”

Goodwin tugged at his collar. “For starters, he said a full-blown tax audit. Then he said he could shut down this paper in a nanosecond. Then he said he could have my kids expelled from their schools, then he started on how he could ruin my wife’s reputation. How’s that for intimidation?”