Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96970 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“The reason I’m informing you is because it involves a Timber employee. And since you seem particularly interested in keeping them in compliance… I thought you might want to know about it.”
I immediately stood and grabbed my jacket. “Let’s go.”
When we arrived at the scene, a man I recognized as Karim Haddad was patiently scrolling his phone, while an older woman in Carhartt overalls and work boots shot him an evil eye from across the driveway. The small house behind them was divided into two apartments—one side neat and tidy, the other with a collection of half-rusted metal outdoor furniture and dead plants in front. The two-car garage was the same. One half was spotless, while the other was cluttered with a mishmash of storage totes and trash bags.
“What’s going on?” I started with Karim since I didn’t know the woman.
Karim tilted his head at his neighbor before sliding his phone into his back pocket and crossing his arms. “Sue seems to think I’m preparing to dispose of dead bodies.”
Sue snapped, “It’s a barrel of lye! What else does a man do with a barrel of lye, I ask you?” She stepped forward and held out her hand. “Thank you for coming, Chief. I’m Sue Garrison. Mr. Haddad and I share this garage, and I found multiple suspicious chemicals being stored there. Not just the lye. I’m concerned for my safety. I have two dogs, and the last thing I need is to wake up in the middle of the night dead!”
I saw Kinsey stifle a laugh out of the corner of my eye while Karim simply exhaled.
“Well, let’s take a look, then, shall we?” I asked. “Show me what you’re concerned about, and I’ll figure out whether or not it’s being stored properly. Karim, is that okay with you?”
Sue bustled forward. “He doesn’t have to consent since I consent for both of us, and it’s a single space.”
“That’s not exactly true,” I said as Karim said, “Go ahead. There’s nothing improperly stored, and I’d like her to have peace of mind, even though she’s being a pain in the ass about it.”
Sue huffed.
Just then, a car pulled up, and Alex got out. “What’s going on here?”
I could tell right off the bat he was angry. “Alex—” But before I could ask what he was doing there, Karim’s shoulders dropped.
“Thanks for coming. I’m sure it’s fine, but I didn’t want to be alone in case it wasn’t,” he said.
Alex moved closer and stood next to him, placing a hand on Karim’s shoulder. “Of course. It’s no problem. More problems with your neighbor?”
Sue’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, so you’ve been complaining about me to other people? Sounds about right. Maybe I’m the one you’re planning on using the lye on!”
I could tell Karim was considering agreeing out of frustration, but I didn’t want the words out there. “Hey, everyone needs to take a breath and calm down. Karim, you and Alex can stand over there,” I said, indicating one side of the driveway. “And Sue, if you don’t mind standing over there, that would be great.”
I met Lieutenant Pope’s eyes and tilted my head toward one side of the garage so we could split the work.
Pope headed to the side that was the more obvious fire hazard. “Sir, right off, I can see empty cardboard boxes stored near a space heater.”
Sue’s eyes widened. “That’s… that’s not… those are mine! And those boxes are going to the dump next week. Look over there. Those barrels and cans.” She pointed to the tidy side, where there was a clear workbench with various cans and barrels stored underneath. Each was clearly labeled.
I squatted to look through them. Sure enough, there was a giant barrel of lye. There were also chromatic oxides, argan oil, and essential oils such as clary sage and neroli.
I peered up at Karim. “You make soap?”
His face broke out into a huge grin. “Yeah. And I sell it at the farmer’s market. Me and Tavo share a table. How’d you know?”
“It smells amazing in here,” I said with a grin. “And I recognize the silicone molds on the shelf above your workbench.”
Karim’s body seemed to relax even more as he grinned back. “Legacy Lather dot com. I make a Himalayan cedarwood scent that you might like. Check it out.”
Alex let out a huff of laughter. “I actually think he likes the white champaca,” he murmured softly enough that only I could hear it.
Memories of sniffing up the column of his neck to the spot behind his ear that always smelled sweetest, of running my nose up the back of his leg as I dropped kisses everywhere, came flooding into my head.
I cleared my throat and tried to focus. “Okay, well… I should… Do you mind if I peek inside to make sure the contents match the label?”