Either he was trying to protect the fact he was already journaling, or he wasn't the guy we were looking for. Given his young age, it seemed more likely that it would be his older brother anyway. Aodhagan apparently came to the same conclusion and turned to Apollo.
"It's normal to have mixed feelings when someone you are related to passes away, even when your relationship with that person wasn't easy. I just want you to understand that. Even when you hate someone, you can still grieve for them."
Apollo's knuckles tightened around the steering wheel, flashing white. "I don't need counseling from you. I have enough therapists already, thanks."
He seemed angry, and that was reasonable as far as I was concerned. He had a lot to be angry about. I hoped he turned out okay, but I wasn't sure. A lot of the damage was already done. Then again, look at all the changing that I'd been doing. It was always possible.
"Who do you think killed your dad?" Aodhagan asked them gently.
"Robert," they said in unison, and I could tell they'd already spoken about it at length. It was either the answer they'd rehearsed, or they really did blame him.
Aodhagan shook his head. "It wasn't Robert. We know that for sure."
Apollo's chin jutted out. "Well, it wasn't our mom."
That made my eyebrows rise. "No one said it was."
"No one said it wasn't, either," Aries said tightly.
I could tell they were getting worked up, and I knew Aodhagan could also see they were on the verge of melting down. It was time to end this conversation. I thanked them, told them I was sorry their father was dead, and returned to the car, leaving Aodhagan to converse with them for a few more minutes. When he got back, we watched the Escalade pull away from the shoulder, spewing dirt and pebbles in its wake.
He shook his head. "I don't think they did it."
I agreed. "Let's go and find Faith."
We called my house and found that Faith was at the build site. It was starting to get dusky when we pulled into the dirt lot around the fenced Crowe property. Most of the cars from earlier were gone. If Faith was here, I wasn't sure what she was doing. All the construction men were gone, no lights were on in the portable buildings, and I didn't hear any sounds of running equipment. All I could hear was the sudden pattering of a light rain and the sound of horny crickets doing their form of Tinder.
We got out of the car and glanced at each other. I was suspicious of the quiet. If Faith were here doing something, she was doing it silently. The gate we'd entered earlier was hanging slightly open. We wouldn't learn anything from out here. We entered the construction zone, Aodhagan calling Faith's name a little too quietly, like we didn't want to disturb the library-like silence around us.
Faith's head popped up from behind a trash bin, destroying the creeping feeling in the silence and rapidly spreading darkness. She blew a lock of pale hair from her face and cocked her head. "Yeah?"
"What are you doing?" It wasn't the important subject at hand, but still, I couldn't help but ask.
She shook her head. "I'm…not sure. Can I help you with something?" She floated out from behind the dumpster in her weird, wraith-like movements.
For the first time in months, the urge to take some pictures washed over me. I'd gone to art school for photography, but I'd given up on even taking photos after my last failed engagement. Something about Faith's extraordinary beauty, alarming frailty, and…perpetual nonexistence was compelling. She'd make an amazing subject. But only if she wasn't aware that photos were being taken.
"We just had a few more questions about your dad," Aodhagan told her.
She seemed confused but nodded anyway. She didn't get any closer to us. I wasn't sure why. "Do you have your pocketknife with you?" I asked.
A look of vague confusion crossed her delicate features. "Why would I carry a pocketknife?"
Either her skill for acting exceeded what I would have expected from her, or she really didn't know why someone would carry a pocketknife or why we were asking. Suddenly, I heard a piece of machinery start up directly over the hill of dirt. I glanced in the direction of the sound, considerably more comforted being aware that someone else was on the property. Faith was creeping me out, whether she was guilty or not.
"A lot of people carry pocketknives every day," Aodhagan pointed out, sounding like this was a totally normally conversation.
Her nose wrinkled. "Most of my clothes don't have pockets." The words were kind of meandering and vaguely enunciated, making me wonder if she was on something at the moment. She said it like the lack of pockets alone made the idea of carrying weapons ludicrous.
"A few people suggested to us that you might have killed your father. Why do you think they would say that?"
Again, she seemed confused. By our questions, by the approaching sound of the heavy machinery that had started up a few minutes before, or by the rain even. She was definitely high, though I couldn't say if it was a high of the legal or illegal variety.
"I don't know. I only wanted him to love me. Now that he's dead, he never will." I expected her to cry, but she didn't. She just kept staring off into space. I dared a tiny look at Aodhagan, and I could tell he was as creeped out by her behavior as I was.
"Faith, did you take something recently? Some kind of pill or something?" he asked.
The question seemed to befuddle her. "No. I had tea. It had lemon. Daisy made it. I haven't taken my pills today."
Maybe the problem was a lack of pills and not the presence of them. We didn't know everything that Faith was taking. Or what might happen if she didn't take them.
"Is Daisy here now?" Aodhagan asked. "I think maybe you should have someone drive you home."
She blinked. "Yes. She's here. We're going on a trip."
I paused. I hadn't heard anything about a trip. I glanced at Aodhagan, and he just gave me a small shrug. "Where are you guys going?" I asked gently.
She screwed up her face, probably trying to find a concrete thought. I was finding one, and I didn't like it. People leaving town wasn't the best thing when someone had just been murdered. What was Faith running from? I could easily see Daisy taking Faith away from the chances of prosecution, given her feelings for Faith.
"Why'd you kill your father, Faith?" I asked softly.
She shook her head. "I didn't." Now tears gathered in her eyes. It was almost getting too dark to see her. We needed to get this whole thing under control before it was completely night. "I just wanted him to care. I gave him everything. Even the plans. Daisy was so mad at me."
The Cat crested the hill of dirt and sat there, presumably waiting for us to move. The headlights were blinding. "Just a minute," I called, hoping the construction worker would take that as an invitation to stop giving us permanent retina fry. He didn't.
I shaded my eyes and turned back to Faith. "If you didn't kill your father, why are you running?"
The Cat inched forward, headed down the hill, and I glanced at it, a little uncomfortable with the nearness of it. Aodhagan moved slightly, putting his hand on my arm and silently urging me to make my way to the right so we weren't quite as close to the heavy machinery.
"Am I running?" she asked, legitimately seeming confused by the whole concept.
Suddenly, the reality of it sank in through my thick skull. Faith was in no condition, with or without whatever drugs she currently had on board, to mastermind an escape plot. And we were currently in a very precarious position. Because it suddenly occurred to me who was in condition to mastermind an escape plot. It seemed to become obvious to Aodhagan around the same time, or maybe he'd figured it out before me.
"Can you turn off the lights, Daisy?" he requested pleasantly.
I wasn't inclined to be quite so polite. Because a Cat wasn't just for moving dirt. It could be a dangerous weapon if the person driving it was inclined to make it one.
"I don't think I will," I heard her return, equally as politely.
"What was the point of killing Carl if you were just going to leav
e?" I asked her, staring above the two spots of lights, even though I couldn't actually see her.
"I didn't mean to kill Carl. That was just a happy accident. I just wanted to show him how it felt to get stabbed in the back. Then maybe he could relate to the rest of us. Bummer about your car. He liked it, and his sitting in it was the first opportunity I had to corner him about stealing my plans again and leaving Faith high and dry just one more time. He just couldn't be allowed to hurt her anymore. However, I'm sorry to say that I do mean to kill the two of you. I hope you understand."
"I kinda don't," I pointed out dryly.
"Why did you try before? I mean, I get now—we're in your way. But why the fire?" Aodhagan asked. Like the last time we'd been confronted by a killer, Aodhagan sounded oddly conversational, like the topic at hand was not at all violent.
"I knew after the call about him stealing my plans that you guys were going to figure it out. So I did what I thought would keep you guys otherwise engaged until I could get Faith and myself out of town today. I thought for sure that the fire would either give you enough smoke inhalation to need a hospital or just scare you away. I wish it had worked. I wouldn't have to kill you now. It's a shame. You both seem like very nice people."
I had an absurd urge to laugh and had to tamp it down violently. Daisy was possibly the only person who had ever called me a nice person, and she planned to murder me. Wasn't that just the way the world worked?
The scene in front of her seemed to work its way into Faith's brain. "What are you doing, Daisy?"
I had thought the pair of them had planned the killing together and Faith was lying about her involvement, but I was starting to get a different idea entirely.
"Don't worry, baby. I've got it under control."
Faith's nose wrinkled. "I'm not sure what's going on," she told me, looking right at me. That much was obvious.
"I think Daisy drugged you," I told her gently. "To get you to go with her."
"Shut up," Daisy shouted from atop the Cat. "Faith needs to be saved. She can't do it herself. Killing Carl wasn't enough. The rest of them will continue to drag her down. I'm saving her from them and from herself. She needs me." I heard Daisy's voice crack on the last words.
"I do?" Faith wasn't calling her on it. She didn't seem sure one way or another.
"Yes, you do. Go get into the car. I'll join you there in just a minute, okay? I just need to take care of one more thing."
The one more thing was killing us, and currently the only thing keeping her from running us over was the presence of Faith. We were pinned between three large mounds of dirt, a massive dumpster, and a seven-foot-tall chain link fence. It was possible we could find a way out in the dark before she could run us over, but it wasn't likely. She had us blinded and effectively pinned. Faith was in her way, but that was the only thing.
Again, Faith seemed too confused to act. "But if I do that…" Her voice tapered off. The drugs were clearly hitting her even harder now. "Why?"
"So we can get ready to go," Daisy explained impatiently.
"No, I mean why did you kill my dad?" Her eyes filled up with those tears that had disappeared a few minutes before. "He'll never love me now."
"He would never have loved you either way," Daisy screamed.
Tears streaked down her cheeks. "Don't yell at me."
This was a mess. I snuck a look at Aodhagan, who was darting his eyes all around us. There was no way to see anything but Faith, and only her because she was in the same patch of light as we were. We just couldn't see where anything was, what with the starless night and the blinding headlights.
"I'm sorry, baby," Daisy called. "I'm sorry. Just go get in the car, okay? I'll be right there."
"But…I'm mad at you."
"We can discuss it later," Daisy shouted back impatiently.
I wasn't about to die listening to people bicker. I just wasn't sure how to stop it. I saw Aodhagan gesturing slightly with his hand. He was indicating a direction. It was probably a way we could get out of the destructive path of the Cat, and I just couldn't see it. I was willing entirely to believe him. Even if he was seeing it wrong, it was better than just standing here, waiting to be smashed. Aodhagan flashed three fingers and then two. He was counting down. I was in it. A possibly bad idea was better than no ideas at all.
I tensed my muscles, ready to run when he reached no fingers, but I never got the chance. All the flood lights around us sprang to life, blinding me so badly that my eyes watered. Now I couldn't see anything at all. But on the plus side, neither could Daisy.
Even without the benefit of vision, I recognized the voice over the site's loudspeakers. "Step out of the Cat, now."
It was Connie B. I giggled against my will. It was the first time I'd ever been happy about the presence of Connie B.
Connie and her coterie of state police had my undying gratitude because I was presently undying. I still didn't like her, but hey, I was grateful. They took both Faith and Daisy into custody, taking note of our proclamations that not only was Faith not guilty of anything, she presently had no idea what was going on. She probably wasn't even aware she'd been about to be a kidnapping victim. I was sure they'd sort it out. I was even sure that the Crowes would sort it out. It wasn't one of them who had killed their family member. They'd be sad, and then they'd do what they had to do, because the whole lot of them were mercenaries. And lucky for us they were, because we desperately needed that factory.
We. It was amazing how much I'd thrown my lot in with Birdwell in the last few months. And a lot of me didn't even mind it. A part of me was still screaming in fear. The staties dropped us off at Aodhagan's after we'd been thoroughly questioned.
I leaned forward to Connie as we pulled into Aodhagan's drive. "How did you know we were in trouble?" I asked.
She shook her head. "We didn't. We were just following you around." Connie smiled placidly.
"Of course you were," Aodhagan said dryly. "Well, thanks for not trusting us to give you all the information we knew."
She laughed slightly. "I'd do it the same way again."
Inside, we grabbed a couple of desperately needed beers and retreated to Aodhagan's den. He patted the spot next to him on the recliner, and I nearly peed myself with excitement. The chair. I loved it so much. It was big enough for both of us, and we stretched our legs out, kicking back.
He glanced down at me. "So, exactly how much are you reconsidering that stance on dating?"
I took a long draw on the bottle, willing my pulse to calm down. "Somewhere between the beginning of yesterday morning and the end."
He laughed. "That's very clear. Thanks so much. So somewhere between kissing booth and foreplay?"
I loved the sound of the word foreplay in his gruff voice. I knew he probably felt the shiver that tore through me, but he didn't comment on it. "Yes," I said primly. "For the moment."
"So, does a date fall into that somewhere?"
I bit my bottom lip. Somehow a date seemed like so much more of a commitment than the kissing. "I'm not sure."
He didn't press. "Okay, but I have to warn you, I'll only ask you ninety-nine more times before I just give up." It was a reference to the first time he'd asked me out, and it surprised a laugh out of me.
"Yeah, okay."
He nodded. "Okay."
We drank and breathed in tandem for a long time. Finally I said, "Aodhagan?"
"Mmm."
"Don't give up."
* * * * *
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* * * * *
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aimee Gilchrist lives in New Mexico with her husband and three children. She writes mysteries for both teens and adults. She calls her lifetime of jumping from one job to another 'experience' for her books and not an inability to settle down. Aimee loves myste
ries and a good, happy romance. She also loves to laugh. Sometimes she likes all of them together.
A fan of quirky movies and indie books, Aimee likes to be with her family, is socially inept, and fears strangers and small yippy dogs. She alternates between writing and being a mom and wife. She tries to do both at the same time, but her kids don't appreciate being served lunch and told, "This is the hot dog of your discontent." So mostly she writes when everyone else is in bed.
Aimee also writes YA and Inspirational Romantic Comedies under the name Amber Gilchrist.
* * * * *
BOOKS BY AIMEE GILCHRIST
Birdwell, Texas Mysteries:
Digging Up Bones
All My Exes Live in Texas
Aloha Lagoon Mysteries:
Mele Kalikimaka Murder
Other works:
The Tell-Tale Con
* * * * *
SNEAK PEEK
of
MELE KALIKIMAKA MURDER
an Aloha Lagoon Mystery
by
AIMEE GILCHRIST
CHAPTER ONE
Summer made up the bulk of my work for the entire year, but it also constituted the bulk of the money for any resort. For that, I was willing to work. However, right now, the second time this year that my current resort, Aloha Lagoon, had massive crowds, I wasn't so keen. Christmas at the Aloha Lagoon Resort was a big deal. Christmas for me was nothing but trouble, and I had the shirt to prove it. It said Bride. I'd crossed it out with a magic marker and put it through my paper shredder. I'd had to buy a new shredder.
"Charlotte, three of the lights are out on the big palm," my assistant, Mallory, said, hopping around like a bunny jacked up on speed.
All My Exes Live in Texas Page 20