Free Wickingham Way (A Harbour Falls Mystery #3) by S.R. Grey

like he didn’t quite believe what she was saying. But I knew he ultimately trusted Agent Lenehan, so it wasn’t a complete shock when, at last, he slowly lowered his weapon.
    “This had better be good, Erin,” Adam shouted out as the snow falling from the sky increased in intensity.
    Agent Lenehan and Stowe stood cautiously from their safe positions behind the sedan. When it was clear Adam wasn’t planning to shoot either one of them, they cautiously walked toward the porch.
    Erin—dressed in black over-the-knee leather boots, designer jeans, and a smart gray overcoat—appeared more runway model than government agent as she swept her strawberry-blonde tresses over one shoulder and carefully made her way across the snow-covered land.
    Stowe, in jeans and a dark parka, held Agent Lenehan’s elbow in an effort to help her navigate the uneven drifts of snow in her high heels. I had to concede the two of them looked great together.
    And that made me wonder if Stowe and Erin were a couple.
    I was so busy focusing on Adam’s contact and my former neighbor, and the possibilities, that I missed the look of fury on Adam’s face. At least I did until the last minute. And it was in that moment, when Stowe and Erin stepped up to the porch, that Adam took a swing at the man he thought had tried to kill him.
    “Adam, stop,” both Erin and I cried out as Adam’s fist met Stowe’s jaw.
    Stowe’s head jerked to his right.
    “That’s for taking a shot at me on Fade Island,” Adam said gruffly.
    Stowe rubbed his jaw and replied, “Guess you wouldn’t believe me if I told you it wasn’t me on the island that day.”
    “Yeah, right,” Adam scoffed, clearly not buying Stowe’s claim of innocence.
    Erin was quick to echo Stowe’s words, though, coming to his defense.
    Very interesting , I thought as Erin claimed the man who’d shot up Adam’s study was someone else.
    “Who?” Adam demanded.
    “One of Ruslan’s men,” Erin stated. “He was apprehended leaving Maine the other day. He not only fits the description Max gave us, but we just recently procured his full confession.”
    Adam still didn’t look fully convinced, but he grudgingly conceded it may not have been Stowe on the island that day.
    “It was not Stowe,” Erin insisted once more.
    Erin sure was adamant, and it convinced me further that there was something going on with her and Stowe. Did Agent Lenehan have a thing for Stowe Hannigan?
    It seemed so, I concluded when Erin reached up, touched Stowe’s jaw gently, and said softly, “You should put some ice on that soon.”
    When Stowe saw as realization dawned on my face—and apparently Adam’s too, as he smirked knowingly—he lowered Erin’s hand back down to her side.
    “I’m fine, Agent Lenehan,” he replied curtly, his green eyes moving from me to Adam.
    Stowe was trying to deflect by acting all professional with Erin. But it was too late. It was more than apparent there was something going on between them.
    “Agent Lenehan,” Adam tsk ed as he turned to Erin. “I’m surprised at you.”
    Erin blushed and whispered in a nowhere-near-convincing tone, “It’s not what it looks like, Adam.”
    “Uh-huh,” Adam replied skeptically.
    I was still by the door and suggested we take the conversation inside, as the snow and winds were picking up.
    “Hey,” Adam barked as he placed a hand on Stowe’s shoulder, halting his step across the threshold. The large man bristled, but Adam was undeterred. “You make one wrong move, you’ll be sorry.”
    Stowe glanced down at Adam’s now-secured firearm. “You think you’re fast enough?” he taunted.
    Adam scoffed, “I don’t need a gun to stop you.”
    Stowe rolled back his broad shoulders, and Adam stood up straighter.
    The two men, both powerful in their own right, sized each other up. I wondered who would win in a fight. Stowe was slightly taller and bulkier, but I knew Adam’s lean build gave him an edge in quickness. No doubt it’d be a