by Kathi Daley
Gage told me that they’d been able to confirm everything Mike had already told us.
“I am sorry that Luke didn’t confess before Mike had to shoot him,” I said. “I guess now we’ll never know with a hundred percent certainty that Luke was the one who killed Brick.”
Gage smiled. “We know.”
I raised a brow. “You do?”
“Remember the bullet that went through Brick’s body, which the killer dug out of the wall?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I remember. Did you find it?”
Gage nodded. “It was in the glove box of Luke’s truck. Not only did the guy keep the dang thing, he didn’t even take the time to wipe Brick’s blood off it. The lab matched the blood to Brick. It looks like we do have our hundred percent proof.”
I couldn’t help but grin. I loved it when everything came together in the end. Tony and I said our goodbyes to Gage and headed out into the sunshine. We were halfway across the parking lot when I saw a man standing just beyond the tree line. I turned to Tony. “Hang on. I’ll be right back.”
I walked as calmly and steadily as I ever had. I paused when I reached the spot where the man was waiting for me. “Dad?”
“Hey, Tessie. How is Mike doing?”
“He’s going to be okay.” I wasn’t sure if I should punch him or hug him, so I just stood there doing nothing. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard about Mike. I was in the area and wanted to check on him. I couldn’t go inside, but I figured you’d be along at some point. I saw your mother earlier. She didn’t see me. She was with Ruthie. She looked good.”
“Mom is doing fine. We all are.”
A look of sadness washed over Dad’s face. “That’s good. That’s what I hoped for. Listen, I can’t stay long. I know you’ve been tracking me. I need you to stop.”
“Why?”
“There are men who are piggybacking on your search. Men who are threatened by what I know and want me dead. They will stop at nothing and will kill anyone who gets in their way. For your sake, for Mike’s sake, and your mom’s sake, you need to let me be dead.”
I nodded. “Okay.” I glanced at Tony, who was watching us. “I need to go.” I turned and took a step away.
“Tessie.”
I turned back.
“I love you. I always have and I always will.”
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. There was so much I wanted to say, but instead, I just stood there and watched the man who had once given me piggyback rides fade into the forest.
Next from Kathi Daley Books
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Preview:
Sunday, November 11
The moon reflected off the calm sea as I stood alone on the deck of the small cruise ship I’d boarded several hours earlier, with my best friends, Mackenzie Reynolds and Trevor Johnson. The trip had been something of a whim after Mac’s new boyfriend, millionaire Tyson Matthews, had been given four tickets on the intimate ship, which held just twenty passengers. Ty had invited Mac, me, and Trevor, to come along for the voyage. It had taken a bit of finagling for the three of us to arrange to be away for an entire week, but it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up, so we did what we needed to do to make it happen.
Mac had just started her own software company and so had flexibility with her schedule, and Trevor had arranged for his manager at Pirates Pizza, the Italian eatery he owned, to cover for the week. What it had really come down to was my ability to find someone to look after my cat, Shadow, and dogs, Sunny and Tucker. Thankfully, my mother, Sarah Parker, who was already planning to visit my oceanfront home in the seaside community of Cutter’s Cove, Oregon, for the holidays, agreed to arrive a week early. We’d lived together in Cutter’s Cove more than a decade before while in witness protection, so she had friends in the area, and as an artist by trade, she could never seem to get enough of the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets that could be found from her studio on the bluff.
“Lovely evening,” said the ship’s captain as he walked up behind me.
I turned and smiled at the tall man, whose gray eyes sparkled with merriment as he took off his hat, revealing short dark hair peppered with gray around the temples. “It really is just about perfect weather this evening.” I held out a hand in greeting. “I’m Amanda Parker.”
“Captain Armand Desmond.” The man returned my offer of a handshake. “You are new to the cruise this year.”
I nodded as a lock of blond hair blew across my face. “I am here with Tyson Matthews, who is a guest of Harris Hamilton.”
“Ah,” the man nodded, replacing his hat on his head. “I should have realized. Mr. Hamilton is a frequent passenger and I should have anticipated that he was going to be with us on this voyage. It is, after all, almost Thanksgiving.”
“Mr. Hamilton always takes this same cruise?”
“Yes, so far he has. This is a good time of year for it. The ports are a lot less crowded than they are during the summer months.”
“I guess not having to deal with the summer crowds is a plus. Is the weather always this nice?”
“Not always. Last year it rained during the entire week of this cruise through the islands, but we are expecting exceptional weather now. I hope that you have a wonderful time.”
“Thank you. I’m sure I will. The ship is amazing, and I am looking forward to getting to know everyone.”
The captain looked up at the sky. From his serene smile, I imagined he was relaxed and content with his life on the sea. He took a deep breath of the salty air, then looked back in my direction. “We are approaching Port Townsend, where we will dock for the next twenty-four hours. My co-captain has the wheel, but I should get back to help with the docking. It was nice to meet you.”
“Thanks. It was nice meeting you as well.” I waved as the man walked away.
After he left, I returned my attention to the sea. I thought Trevor, Mac, and Ty were going to meet me up here and wondered what had kept them. Not that I wasn’t enjoying a moment of solitude. I liked the quiet and often sought it out, but tonight, under the stars, it seemed just a bit too perfect not to share. Sensing a movement behind me, I turned and watched as Trevor stepped onto the top deck from the stairwell and walked toward me. He’d dressed in black slacks and a dark gray jacket this evening, and with his dark eyes, long lashes, and thick dark hair, I thought he looked as if he could easily get a job as a GQ model.
“Wow. It is gorgeous up here.” Trevor stepped up to the railing, took a position next to me, and kissed my cheek.
“It really is.” I smiled in return. It was chilly, but not so cold as to be uncomfortable if you were bundled up.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“Not long.” I let out a long, relaxing breath and leaned into Trevor’s shoulder. “Have you seen Mac and Ty? I thought they might meet us out here.”
“From their total absorption in each other during dinner, I think they had other things on their mind.”
“Oh sure.” I blushed, although I had no idea why. I supposed it was because things with Trevor and I were somewhat undefined, and any topic of conversation having to do with sex made me feel awkward and unsure, especially because we’d decided to share a cabin so Mac could bunk with Ty. “I did notice they seemed more interested in each other than in their lobster.”
“It’s understandable. It is a beautiful night and we are cruising on a luxurious ship where every possible want or need has been seen to. The stars are twinkling in the sky, the breeze is both warm and gentle, and the soft music playing in the background on every deck and in every hallway seems to have been selected to set the scene for romance.”
“It really is just about as perfect an evening as we could hope for,” I agreed. “At first, I wasn’t sure the trip would be worth the effort of making last-minute arrangements, but I’ve always wanted to tour the San Juan Islands.”
“Have you visited them before?”
“Once,” I responded. “Wh
ile I was in witness protection.”
Trevor’s smiled turned into a frown, and the tone of his voice changed from playful seduction to barely veiled annoyance. “Ah. I remember the two weeks of hell when you simply disappeared without a trace.”
I placed my hand on Trevor’s arm. “I’m sorry. You know I had to go.”
Trevor let out a slow breath and then kissed my forehead. “I know.” I could tell he was struggling to regain his previous mood. “And the past is in the past, so let’s not dwell on things that no longer have the power to hurt us.” Trevor’s gaze narrowed. “Unless they do.” He turned and looked me in the eye. “Any more texts?”
I shook my head. “Not a one.” I forced a smile, although the familiar knotting in my stomach that accompanied any memory of the text I’d received a couple of weeks before could not be denied. The text had been sent from an unknown source and included a photo of Mario and Clay Bonatello, the brothers who had forced me into witness protection when I was a teenager. It also included a message: She who spills the blood must pay the price. Before they’d been murdered by their own family, Mario and Clay had worked for them. After I witnessed them killing a man in cold blood, they had set out to eliminate the only witness to their crime. I had been placed in witness protection and had thought myself safe until they found out where I was living and sent someone to kill me. Their discovery of my hiding place had forced me to run once again, which is when I had spent two weeks on Madrona Island, at the very northern edge of the chain. Eventually, my mother and I got a message from my handler, a man I knew only as Donovan, that the boss of the Bonatello family had decided he was tired of cleaning up the brothers’ messes, so they’d been eliminated, and suddenly, after two years in hiding, Mom and I were free to return to our home in New York. I hadn’t been back to Cutter’s Cove until this past spring, when I returned to help solve the murder of a friend. According to Donovan, he had no idea who had sent the text or why, but he had promised to keep an ear to the ground and let me know if he heard anything. I’d decided to go about my life and not to worry about things I could not control.
When I noticed Trevor’s serious expression, I changed the subject to something a bit less intense. “When Ty said this ship was geared toward those looking for a luxury experience, I had no idea just how amazing it would be. It seems that no expense has been spared to ensure a first-class experience.”
“It is pretty nice.” Trevor’s smile seemed to have returned as he leaned his forearms on the railing, then bent over just a bit to look down into the dark sea. The ship was traveling at a good pace, creating a fairly large wake that glittered in the moonlight. “I wonder how much the tickets for this cruise would cost if we’d had to pay for them. Given the intimate setting and the attention to detail, you know they couldn’t have come cheaply.”
“I’m sure the tickets were a pretty penny,” I agreed. “The food, which has been excellent so far, would demand a hefty price tag if served in a five-star restaurant.”
Trevor wove his fingers through mine as we stood shoulder to shoulder. “Tonight’s meal was exceptional, and the staterooms are not at all what I expected from a cruise ship. I guess I was imagining something small and cramped, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that our room not only has its own Jacuzzi but the deck overlooking the water is pretty roomy.”
I agreed the stateroom was pretty great. Personally, I was happiest about the fact that the sofa folded out into a bed. I wasn’t sure I would have been ready to deal with the mechanics of sharing a room with Trevor if it hadn’t worked out that we each had our own sleeping space. “It was really nice of Ty to invite us, but I have the feeling the other passengers all know one another. At dinner, it sort of felt like you and I and Mac were the odd ones out. I chatted with the captain briefly while I was waiting for you and he mentioned that Harris took this same cruise every year, but I wonder if the group as a whole has traveled together before.”
Trevor leaned into me slightly. “I spoke with Ty earlier, while you and Mac were unpacking. It seems that the cruise is an annual retreat for Hamilton Investments, so yes, I would assume that the passengers, other than the four of us, all know one another.”
While I knew that Harris Hamilton had given Ty the tickets, I hadn’t been aware the cruise was a business affair. “So all the other passengers work for Hamilton Investments?”
“As far as I know, they either work for the company or have come as guests of a Hamilton Investments’ employee.”
“I wonder why Ty was invited on the cruise if it is to serve as a retreat for the company. Inviting outsiders seems like an odd thing to do.”
Trevor put an arm around my shoulder. “Ty told me that he’d recently completed some computer updates for Hamilton and had stopped by his office to make sure everything was preforming properly. While he was in there, Hamilton’s assistant came in to inform him that she had four extra tickets for the cruise this week because two of his employees were fired earlier that same day. Hamilton offered the tickets to Ty on the spot, and he accepted.”
“Wow. I’m sorry to hear about the fired employees. I’m going to feel bad for using their tickets.”
“They wouldn’t have been able to use the tickets whether Ty accepted them or not,” Trevor pointed out. “If he hadn’t accepted them, they may even have gone to waste.”
“I guess that might be true. But what a drag to think you are going on a cruise and then end up being fired just a week before you are to depart. I’m sure their plus-ones were bummed as well.”
Trevor shrugged. “I’m sure it was a difficult situation, but we don’t know the details, so I think we should put it out of our minds. The two people who were fired might have been stealing from the company or sharing classified information or participating in some other activity that warranted their firing.”
I smiled at Trevor. “You’re right. I heard there is dancing in the lounge. I don’t suppose you want to try out some of your new skills?”
Trevor took his arm from around my shoulders and held out his elbow. “I’d love to take you dancing, but remember, my most consistent move seems to be foot stomping.” He looked down at my feet, which were sheathed in strappy sandals. “I’d hate to mess up your pretty pedicure.”
I laughed. “I think I’ll survive.” I’d been giving Trevor dance lessons since Halloween and he was progressing very nicely.
Recipes:
Orange Muffins
Beefiladas
Irish Stew
Brandied Cherry Cheesecake
Orange Muffins
Ingredients:
1½ cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
1¼ cups milk
2¼ cups sugar
¼ cup orange juice
3 tsp. orange extract
3 cups flour
1½ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. baking powder
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large mixing bowl, beat oil, eggs, milk, sugar, orange juice, and orange extract until smooth. Add in flour, salt, and baking powder and mix.
Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners (makes 24).
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cream Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. orange extract
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange extract, and heavy whipping cream in small bowl. Beat until smooth.
Frost the tops of each cooled muffin.
Beefiladas
Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless rib roast
Seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder
40 oz. salsa (approx.) (I use half hot and half mild)
8 oz. diced green chilies
1 cup sour cream
8 flour tortillas
2–3 cups grated cheddar cheese
Trim all fat off boneless rib roast. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powd
er. Place in slow cooker. Cover meat with store-bought salsa, either hot or mild, depending on preference.
Cook on high until meat begins to pull apart. Continue to shred meat as it cooks. When it’s completely done (cooking time depends on size of meat and heat of slow cooker, but about 8 hours), spoon meat from sauce with slotted spoon. Reserve sauce.
Mix meat in a large bowl with diced green chilies and sour cream.
Place ⅛ of meat mixture in a taco-size flour tortilla. Place in a large greased baking pan (9 x 13).
Cover meat with reserved sauce or cover meat with canned enchilada sauce; in my family, there’s a division as to which is preferable, so experiment a bit.
Cover with grated cheddar cheese. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.
Irish Stew
Ingredients:
1 tbs. olive oil
1 lb. beef stew meat
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
¼ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried parsley
2 cups beef broth
2 tbs. butter, melted
2 tbs. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Mashed potatoes:
4 baking potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
6 tbs. butter
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3 tbs. milk
Brown the meat in olive oil. Add garlic, onion, carrots, and spices. Cook for 5 minutes before adding beef broth. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for at least 2 hours.