She nodded. It was nice to be back on the same page. “Although I am trained and can fight.” Sort of. While her mind was quick, her reflexes were merely average. Perhaps she could not win a fight with the sheriff, who was built like a wrestler and had supposedly been quite successful at the sport in high school and college. “Do you think I could take the sheriff hand to hand?”

“No.”

Her eyebrows rose and laughter bubbled up her chest. “You could stop and ponder the question for a moment.”

Huck smiled. “Sorry. I know you’re trained, but so is he. With his wrestling experience, he’d have you on the ground fast, and that’s where you’re at a disadvantage with your size and strength. However, you’re a zillion times smarter than he, so perhaps you’d kick his ass in the end.”

True. Not that she was going to physically grapple with the sheriff any time soon. Or ever. “Nice save.”

“Thanks.” His phone buzzed and he glanced at the face. “We can speak with the sister now at the mayor’s house.”

Laurel jumped off the table, careful to keep from spilling her drink. “I’d rather interview her alone without her family around her.”

“I tried and not a chance. Not only will Mayor Bearing be there, but his oldest son will as well.”

Laurel tugged on her earring. “Mrs. Bearing wants a lawyer to speak about her sister?” That was odd. She’d interviewed Steve Bearing as part of the investigation into the Snowblood Peak killings, and he’d asked her on a date. The attorney was charming and seemed intelligent, but a cloak of ambition clung to him so obviously even she could see it. As the mayor’s eldest son, he no doubt felt pressure to achieve.

Huck shrugged. “Who knows. He is her kid and most likely wants to be there for her. But it isn’t ideal as far as we’re concerned.” He snapped his fingers at the dog, who happily trotted into the hallway. “Although we want to interview him about his aunt, too, so we might as well take advantage of the moment. Seeing all three of them in the family home might give us insight.”

“Agreed. I’d also like to get a read on the mayor and see what he thought of his sister-in-law.” Laurel stopped by the computer room.

She introduced Huck and Nester. “While we’re gone, would you continue conducting background searches into the lives of all three women and buy me a copy of Dr. Lamber’s poetry books?” She stopped. “Also, let’s run a background check on the husband. We need to know more about him before we call him in.”