Stipulations and Complications

by Becki Willis

  “So you’ve mentioned,” he replied, his smile wicked and warm.

  Bethani saw the look simmering between her mother and the police chief. Sitting so close beside her mom, she could practically feel the sizzle. Her stomach did a funny little flip-flop, just seeing the gleam in Mr. de’s dark eyes. If a man ever looked at her with such open desire… Wait. Desire? That meant… Oh, no. This would never do. Not on her watch.

  Bethani sat up straighter. Tipping her chin up a notch, she disguised the calculated statement behind the pretense of playful banter. “You forgot to mention he’s not nearly as sexy as Nick Vilardi. Mom, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you have a crush on your carpenter.”

  In spite of herself, Madison blushed. There was no denying that she found the man attractive. And yes, there was a certain chemistry between them. She still recalled the embarrassing way she had literally jumped, the first time their hands met. His touch had been electrifying. There was something magnetic about the television host, and, like most women, she was drawn to his dark charm and rugged good looks. If not for the auburn-haired police chief watching her now, waiting to hear her answer, Madison might be interested in pursuing that attraction.

  If, Madison acknowledged. Her eyes wandered over the police chief, their hazel depths warming with a sudden rush of tenderness. This was one stipulation she had no objection to. Why would she settle for attraction, if she had a chance at true love with the man of her dreams?

  “No, Beth,” she answered honestly. Her gaze was still trained on Brash. “I can assure you, I do not have a crush on Nick Vilardi.”

  Brash’s facial expression did not change, but she saw the pleasure that lit his dark eyes.

  Some of that light dimmed as Bethani babbled on. “Oh, we know you’ll never love another man the way you loved Daddy. I remember the way y’all would go away for your romantic weekends, and the way you came home, all starry eyed and dreamy. You had those silly pet names for each other. Do you remember that, Blake? The way they always made goo-goo eyes at each other when they thought we weren’t looking?”

  In the middle of slurping down a bowl of cereal, her brother looked a bit confused by the question. His attention was focused on oat and honey nuggets, not his sister’s romantic babble.

  Girls were so mushy. The same way his cereal would be, if he didn’t hurry and eat it. Blake mumbled a vague agreement as he turned the bowl upright and drank the last of his cereal in a few big gulps.

  “Blake!” his mother admonished. “Where are your manners?”

  “What’d I do?” he asked defensively. “I answered her.”

  “I’m talking about your table manners. Use a spoon. For that matter, use a table.”

  “But it’s off limits, right, Mr. de?” The teen looked to the chief for confirmation.

  “As a matter of fact, yes, it is. I’ll bring a team in first thing in the morning — actually, in a few hours — to take prints. You’ll need to avoid that area as much as possible until we’re done.”

  “That might be hard for our walking garbage disposal,” Bethani said, eying her brother with derision. “Blake will want to eat at least once or twice more before breakfast.”

  “What? I’m a growing boy. I need my nourishment.”

  “You also need your sleep,” Madison interjected. She mussed both their blond heads. “The intruder is long gone. We’re perfectly safe now. You kids need to go back to bed.”

  “I’ll wait for you, Mom,” Bethani volunteered.

  “That’s sweet, babe, but you need to get some sleep. Don’t you have an algebra test in the morning?”

  “Not if you write me an excuse…” the teen said, batting hopeful eyes at her mother.

  “Not a chance, sister. Now scoot. Off to bed, both of you.” She gave them each a kiss and watched them shuffle toward the hall. “Love you bunches!” she called. She glanced at her grandmother, dozing in the armchair. “Granny, why don’t you go, too? There’s nothing else we can do tonight. Brash has everything under control.”

  “What is this world coming to?” Granny Bert grumbled, getting slowly to her feet. Tonight, she looked every bit her eighty years, and then some. “I’ve lived in this house for over fifty years. Half the time I leave my door unlocked. Never lock my car. This is the first time anyone has dared to break in. This world is headed to hell in a handbasket. You mark my words, one of these days…” She continued her mumbled rant as she ambled down the hall and disappeared into her bedroom.

  Brash turned to Maddy as the grumbles faded away down the hall. “I’ll get someone out here around nine to dust for prints. As long as no one disturbs anything, there’s no reason to do any more tonight. Why don’t you go back to bed, too, Maddy?”

  “As if I could sleep.” She rolled her eyes, but they stuck somewhere on a threatening tear.

  His voice turned gentle. “You were right about what you told the kids. The intruder is long gone. He won’t come back tonight. Especially since he got what he came for.”

  Scrubbing her face with her hands, Madison bit back a moan. “Why is this happening, Brash? I don’t understand what it is this person wants.”

  “Obviously they think there is some sort of incriminating evidence in those journals.”

  “But what?”

  Brash hesitated for a moment before taking the seat next to her. “Still haven’t learned anything reading them?”

  “Just what I’ve already told you. Miss Juliet was a kindhearted woman, but a complete snob. She had a ridiculous feud with her only sister. And she made an unlikely friend in the carpenter who built her house. He may or may not have been illiterate, because she was always reading books aloud to him. They particularly loved mysteries, especially the ones with hidden passages and tunnels and secret rooms. From what I can tell, all the hidden spaces at the Big House were built on a whim, as a tribute to her love of who-done-its.”

  “Sounds a bit over the top.”

  “From what I gather, Clarence may have had feelings for Miss Juliet, but I don’t think they were reciprocated. I don’t think she even realized how he felt about her. In her eyes, they were simply friends.”

  “How far along are you in the journals?”

  “Not nearly far enough. She’s met Darwin and fallen madly in love with him, but they haven’t married yet. Granny has been leafing through some of the later volumes. In fact, there was one tidbit in the book that was stolen tonight. There may have been more to discover, but I guess now we’ll never know.”

  “What did you find?”

  “A couple of years before Miss Juliet died, Hugh Redmond and his children came a-begging. When she refused to offer them money, he threatened to sue her. He claimed half of the estate belonged to Love’s children. Granny thinks it could be him, or at least his children, that are trying to scare me out of the house, so that they can claim it for their own.”

  Brash pursed his lips, contemplating the matter. “Actually might make a little sense,” he admitted.

  “What was with the names, Brash? You called them out so quickly. You already had them in your little notebook, didn’t you? And Barry Redmond was one of them.”

  “Let’s just say that some are potential persons of interest, some were purely for comparison measures.”

  “How so?”

  “You know I can’t discuss the case with you, Maddy.”

  “But it’s my case!”

  He hesitated a moment before caving to the pressure of her expressive hazel eyes. “I’m not making any accusations, any assignment of guilt. But some of those names are people with connections to the list you have been compiling. These men had family in the area around the time we think the death may have occurred. So, in theory, those people may have something to lose if the identity of the skeleton is discovered.”

  Madison was impressed. “Very smart, Chief deCordova.”

  He flashed a grin. “I have my moments.”

  Her eyes followed the curve of his smile, tracing his lip
s with distracted attention. “You most certainly do,” she murmured.

  He all but groaned. “I’m on duty, Maddy. And you should go back to bed.”

  She huffed out her frustration. “Okay, okay. I’ll go to bed. I just can’t promise to sleep.”

  “I’ll drive by every so often, if it makes you feel any safer. But I can assure you, the intruder won’t be back tonight.”

  He stood to leave and put out a hand to help her up. “Remember, avoid the dining room if possible. Don’t touch a thing on the table or around the window. If we’re lucky, he wasn’t wearing gloves.”

  “Thanks for coming so quickly.”

  “First of all, it was my job. Second of all, you know you can always call me. I’ll come, on or off duty.” His eyes warmed with a smile. “Professionally or personally. Doesn’t matter. I’m at your beck and call, sweetheart.”

  “Thank you.”

  He was about to gather her into his arms when Bethani’s voice floated out from the hallway, sounding small and scared. “Mom? I thought I heard something outside.”

  With a rueful smile of resignation, Brash turned Maddy toward her daughter and gentle prodded her forward. “Take your daughter back to bed. I’ll lock the door behind me. And I’ll make a sweep around the perimeter of the house before I go.” He smiled indulgently at the teenager lurking in the hall. “Will that help you sleep, Bethani?”

  She nodded, her blue eyes large and luminous. “I-I think so. Thanks, Mr. de.”

  “My pleasure, ladies. Now off to bed with both of you. I’ll check around the house, then I’ll drive by every hour. There’s no reason to be afraid. I’ve got it under control.”

  Madison put her arm around Bethani’s shoulders and found her daughter was trembling. “Aw, honey, it’s okay. Nothing else is going to happen. We’re perfectly safe now.” Over the top of the teen’s blond head, she sent Brash a woeful look. She hated to see Bethani so frightened. “Thank you, Brash.”

  “No problem. Night, ladies.”

  He waited for them to shuffle down the hall before he locked and shut the door firmly behind him and stepped out into the night.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Somewhere between mornings at the police station, afternoons split in a half dozen directions, and evenings spent with her nose stuffed inside the journals, Madison managed to squeeze in the assorted responsibilities of a mother and business owner, as well as fulfill the promise made to Lisa Redmond.

  She traced Barry Redmond’s movements on more than one occasion, following him to several questionable destinations. He visited more than one bar, spent an hour and a half inside Angie Jones’ house late one night, and frequented the adult video store in a neighboring town, dressed in dark clothing and an air of secrecy. The only photos Madison could snap were of him coming and going, and he was always alone. As far as incriminating evidence, she was coming up empty-handed.

  When her phone binged with a message from Genny midday on Thursday, Madison’s luck changed.

  Hurry over here, and you’ll get an eyeful.

  Without hesitation, Maddy jumped in her car and hurried to New Beginnings, where she saw Barry Redmond and Angie Jones sitting in a cozy back corner. Although seated across from one another, they leaned inward to keep their conversation private. With few other patrons in the café at the odd hour, they were in little danger of being overheard.

  Genesis was behind the bakery counter, drying dishes with a cup towel. Madison noted none of the plates showed signs of being wet. She arched a brow as her friend encouraged, “Come show me those pictures you were telling me about.”

  Playing along, Madison soon understood. From where Genny stood, she had a perfect view of the corner table and the activity that took place beneath it.

  “Uhm, yeah, here, I’ll show you.” Madison fumbled with her cover for a moment before she fell into the spirit of the game. Taking out her phone, she opened the camera feature and made certain the flash was off.

  “Did you see this one? Oh, and look.” Pretending to show her friend pictures from her screen, she proceeded to snap off a dozen random shots of the brazen couple in the corner.

  Angie’s shoe was abandoned on the floor as her stockinged foot traveled up the length of Barry’s leg. His eyes went wide as her foot wandered inward and found its target. Even across the room, Madison could hear the slightly strangled sound he made as he shifted in his seat and allowed her better access.

  “Would you look at that?” Genny murmured, watching the scene unfold on the live screen. To anyone listening, it sounded as if she found the photos on Madison’s camera roll fascinating.

  “And look at this,” Madison said. Barry slipped off his own shoe and began to return the favor, running his own foot up Angie’s other leg.

  “Absolutely stunning. I have no words.”

  Dropping her voice, Madison cautioned, “Unless you want a repeat of the scene from Harry Meets Sally, you’d better break this thing up. And I hope the cameras aren’t recording this! This is definitely R-rated, heading very quickly toward X.”

  Genesis glanced up to the Home Again cameras, which were steadily recording the area just past the groping couple. “No, thank goodness. And I’m pretty sure we’re the only ones that can see what’s happening. The angle is all wrong for Reverend and Mrs. Brubaker, thank the dear Lord. Can’t you just imagine what would happen if they knew this was happening, not fifteen feet away from them? But you’re right, I need to stop this. Think you have enough pictures?”

  “More than enough.” Just to be certain, Madison hit another button and cruised through her photos. “Oh, yes, plenty.” Her lip curled in distaste and she had to repress the slight shudder running through her.

  Grabbing a water pitcher, Genesis came from around the counter, her face set with determination. She ignored the way Lavonne Brubaker pushed her water glass to the edge of the table expectantly. She was headed to the little love nest in the back corner.

  Flashing a dimpled smile at the couple, she asked innocently, “Need some cold water?”

  Barry Redmond jerked his head up and blinked in surprise, obviously having forgotten they were in a public place. Madison snapped off a final picture, but not before he sharply glanced her way. He may have even heard her gaffed snicker at Genesis’ remark.

  Quickly closing her camera app and engaging the lock feature on her phone, Madison pretended to be searching for a good signal.

  Rudely pushing Genesis aside, Barry abruptly stood from the table and strode Madison’s way. Without a word of warning, he snatched the phone from Madison’s hand and whipped the screen around for inspection.

  “Were you taking pictures of me?” he snarled.

  Madison remained perfectly cool. “What? Who are…? Barry Redmond. Is that you?”

  “Don’t act like you don’t know who I am, Madison Cessna,” he spat. “Everyone knows who I am, and certainly you.”

  She continued to play her part with great innocence. “But I haven’t seen you in years. Not since high school.”

  “Or since yesterday, when I saw you driving in front of my house,” he accused.

  “Oh? Where do you live?”

  “You know damn well where I live. Just like I know where you live.”

  Madison’s hazel eyes snapped with fire. “Is that some sort of threat?”

  “Take it how you like it. I went twenty years without seeing your snooty face. Let’s make it another twenty, shall we?”

  “Give me my phone back, and we might have a deal.”

  He slammed the cell phone down on the counter, hard enough to do potential damage to the phone and the surface it collided with. “Stay out of my face or you will regret it,” he threatened darkly.

  A third voice broke into the conversation, every bit as dark and menacing.

  “Apologize to both ladies, or you’ll regret it.”

  Barry Redmond glanced over his shoulder. “Stay out of this, kid.”

  “I’m no kid, old man,”
Cutter said with an authoritative air. “Apologize to Miss Maddy for so rudely slamming down her phone, and to Miss Genny for pushing her out of the way.”

  “Who the hell do you think you are?” Barry raged, whirling around to face the angry firefighter. One look at Cutter’s deadly scowl and some of his bluster died.

  “I’m the gentleman that demands you show these ladies some respect. Now apologize, before I throw you out.”

  “You can’t throw me out. This is her place, not yours.” With a defiant twist of his chin, he indicated Genesis as she approached. The front of her apron was wet where he had jostled her arm and caused her to spill water from the pitcher she carried.

  One step forward was all it took. Seeing the furious younger man move closer in, practically nose to nose with him now, Barry swallowed nervously and changed his tune. “This place is nothing but a dump anyway,” he mumbled. Behind Cutter, Angie Jones slithered out the door. Barry’s scowl darkened as he grudgingly muttered, “Sorry.”

  “Not good enough,” Cutter informed him curtly. Although Barry was ten years his senior, Cutter took the other man’s arm and turned him to face Madison, instructing him as if he were a child, “Say it like you mean it.”

  Seething with anger, Barry Redmond glared at Madison with malice in his eyes. “I am sorry, Your Highness. Please forgive me.”

  Letting the sarcasm slide, Cutter continued, “Now tell Genesis you are sorry.”

  “For what?” Barry demanded with indignation.

  “You pushed her out of the way and made her spill water all down her legs. And you are disrespecting her place of business.”

  “You weren’t even in here!”

  “I came through the door, just as you pushed her. Now apologize.” His voice brooked no argument.

  “I’m sorry,” he sneered. “You think just because you’re her best friend, you’re some sort of royalty. But you forget I grew up here, too. I remember your past and your little adventure right out of high school.”

  A gasp escaped Genny, along with all her color. As the blood drained from her face, she put a trembling hand to her mouth and held in the soft cry.