The Woods | Harvey #1

Chapter 10

Nicole marched into the station the next morning. Mason wasn't there. The only occupants were the officer that took care of the front desk and Clive. When he heard the door, the sheriff looked up. With a frown, he motioned for her to come over. She slowly walked over and sat in the chair across from him. "Hello, sir," she said as she forced herself not to shift around in her seat.

He leaned back in the chair. She fought a shiver at the coldness in his eyes. "Why did you feel that it would be okay if you left a note in my office?"

She thought fast. "I didn't want to leave it here. One of the others could have thrown it out by mistake or maybe you wouldn't see it on your desk here. I figured if I left it on your laptop keyboard back home that you'd see it."

He rubbed his face, his frustration evident. "How long were you there?"

She shrugged. "Maybe five minutes. I had to find the paper and pen, then I had to figure out what to write exactly, and then write it."

He frowned, but seemed to calm down. "My wife said she never saw you come back out. She didn't know when you left."

She smiled. "I didn't want to bother her, so I quietly left when I was done."

He nodded and then shook his head. "Fine." It was all she could do not to betray her immense relief. If he knew she was probably there for fifteen minutes, she didn't want to know what he'd do to her. His fingers drummed the desk. "Mason hasn't come in yet," he said in a low voice to himself.

Nicole had a feeling she knew where he was, but didn't say anything. She tried to look rightfully just as concerned as the sheriff. "Wonder where he is."

He shook his head. "Well, it's okay. I'll just have him make up the time later in the week."

A car pulled up outside and Nicole and Clive sat in silence. "Did Mason give you the run-down of the interview yesterday?"

"Yes, he did. Hydrochloric acid. That's something found in several household products, from what I understand. It's a good lead. Ashton – I'm sure he didn't tell you this – made very high marks through high school in chemistry. He knows a lot about these things."

She nodded and sat back, deep in thought. "Do you think he could be a temporary consultant on this? To tell you what he knows about hydrochloric acid poisoning?"

He shook his head. "He wouldn't admit to anything, so I don't think that would work."

She shook her head and smiled. "That's not what I'm talking about." She paused. "Sir, have you ever heard the line, 'keep your friends close but your enemies closer'?" He nodded, leaning forward. "Well, I was thinking that we ask him to come to the station so he can tell us what he knows. Butter him up, let him tell us things so we can judge just how extensive his knowledge is, and then, when he doesn't see it coming, we get him. We'll have enough evidence to prove he very well could have poisoned her."

Clive couldn't hide the grin that split his face. "Brilliant." Mason walked in the doors. "Mason, come here."

He walked over. "Yes, sir?"

"You should hear this girl's plan." He motioned to Nicole, and she repeated it, feeling every bit like the traitor she was. She kept reminding herself that to be believable she needed to do small things to get him to look like a murderer.

Though, to be honest, she didn't think he knew anything about this stuff. Of course, he probably had a lot of hidden talents and knowledge of things she wasn't aware of. She had only known him a year, after all. These people had known him his whole life.

When she finished, Clive looked at her with pride, and Mason looked at her as if he didn't know her. She tried to not give much thought to their expressions, or to what she was devising.