The General's Secretary. Debby Giusti

“The man was a murderer. He never should have been released from prison. In my opinion, he received his due.”

      Dawson flinched. “I beg to differ, sir.”

      Lillie’s stomach tightened. If only Dawson could shrug off the comment and not let the contractor get under his skin.

      “What’s that?” Karl turned, as if only now realizing the CID agent was in the room.

      “Granger Ford was recently released from prison, Mr. Nelson, because of new DNA testing that proved the trial was a mockery of justice.”

      So much for hoping everyone would get along. Glancing from Dawson to Nelson, Lillie felt like a drop of water on a hot iron.

      Dawson pointed his finger at the contractor. “People in this town stood by and allowed an innocent man to go to jail.”

      Nelson’s eyes narrowed. Before he could respond, the door to the inner office suite opened.

      General Cameron stood in the doorway, his hand outstretched. “Glad you stopped by early, Karl. We’ll have more time to go over the plans for the new museum.”

      The construction company owner shrugged off his displeasure with Dawson, returned the handshake and followed the general into his inner office.

      Once the door closed behind them, Lillie looked at Dawson, willing him to understand she needed to get to work. “You’d better go.”

      Digging in his pocket, he pulled out Granger’s key and dropped it into her hand. “I’ll stop by later this afternoon and follow you home after work.”

      Before she could object, he was gone, leaving her stomach in knots and her nerves stretched thin. She glanced through the window as he hurried along the sidewalk to his car.

      Handsome though he was, Lillie needed to realize the special agent was trouble, and right now, she had more than enough to last a lifetime.