He took a breath. “I’m going to have to, but first I’m going to make sure my lawyers set the conditions to protect Michelle. Rodgers is going to have to agree to keep my identity quiet before I tell her anything. This killer can’t find out where Michelle is. And Michelle can’t find out that I’m alive, or she’ll come find me.”
“That’s such a bad thing?” Holly asked. It was clear that he missed his sister. In spite of her frequent desire to kill her brothers, she’d miss them if they disappeared from her life.
His green eyes hardened. “If whoever killed Cullen ran Jodi and Kelly off the road to get at me, imagine what they’d do to my sister. Remember, the mob sent a goon to smack her around as a warning to me.”
“We both agree that it’s not the mob this time, but I see your point.” She considered all the angles. “The thing is, Brad is ruthless and we’re going to need all the information we can find to fight him. I was just thinking that maybe your sister might know something, remember something or someone who could be behind this. And we could protect her—”
“Hell, no. No.” He leaned back, away from her. “I trusted you enough to tell you who I am and about Michelle. You have to swear you won’t contact her or—”
“All right. Chill, dude. I was just thinking out loud. This isn’t just a murder anymore. You are being targeted and I’m going to find out who is doing this. This bogus lawsuit is part of it.” Bradley was not going to jump into this thing and make it all about him. He would fling mud-coated accusations until no one knew the truth anymore. She hated that, hated that he didn’t care about justice.
“Chill?” He took a breath, expanding his impressive chest to visibly get control. “She’s my sister, not some faceless clue in your investigation. It’s that lawyer, isn’t it? He’s the reason for the huge chip on your shoulder. And the reason you’re suddenly willing to risk my sister to solve this case.”
She’d let him too close and he didn’t like what he saw. Tough shit. Sitting naked in the bed, she didn’t try to cover herself. He’d seen her, he’d simply have to deal with it. “That’s who I am, Brockman. A hard-ass PI. And that’s what makes me worth every penny you’re paying me. I will find the killer and I will stop him from hurting anyone else. Isn’t that what you want?”
He kept his jaw rigid as he said, “Keep my sister out of it.”
She nodded and refused to let herself look away. “You’re the boss. I’ll take Jodi and Kelly home and then to the police station. After that, I’m going to track down the women and try to talk to them. I might be able to get one of them to slip up and tell me what was on Cullen’s laptop that was worth stealing and/or killing for. And I’m going to try to find a connection between the players—Cullen, Helene, Maggie, Nora, or Bridget, and your past.” She felt a little better, on a little firmer ground. She had a plan and work to do. After taking a breath, she added, “You need to have your lawyers call Rodgers now and set up a meeting. I’m going to take a shower. Move.”
He shifted on the bed, his jaw relaxing. “Holly—”
She didn’t want to talk. “Don’t. Sex is a bonus, the rest is business. Don’t make it a relationship. Now get out of my way.”
Chapter 10
Several hours later, Holly sized up one of the book club members, Maggie Partlow, through the front window of Maggie’s business. She wore a tailored suit and two cell phones on her expensive belt. Her black hair was no-muss short, her makeup efficient, and her eyes were constantly on the move.
She matched the research Holly had done on her and the other three book club members this morning—after getting Joe to meet her at the police station. She’d made arrangements for him to take the girls to her condo when they were done and for him to keep an eye on them. Rodgers had confirmed that Wes’s lawyers had made an appointment for late morning to meet with her.
Holly had been working nonstop, running backgrounds and looking for a connection between Wes when he’d been Nick Mandeville in L.A., the four book club women, and maybe the trainer who went to prison then was murdered, Bart Gaines.
Maggie was an upscale wedding planner. Her office looked like a high-end travel agency, with a reception desk buried in lush carpet, fancy chairs around an antique table where Maggie sat with two women and a mound of photo albums, some kind of blueprint or sketch, and a laptop computer.
So far, they were so absorbed in what they were doing, they hadn’t seen her looking through the window.
Time to shake some trees and see what fell out. Holly walked in.
Maggie looked up, her professional expression melting into a frown. “Excuse me,” she said to the women at the table and stalked toward Holly. “You’ll have to leave. My lawyer said—”
Holly cut her off. She hadn’t been served with anything legal yet, so she was free to conduct an innocent investigation. “Your lawyer is a camera-loving weasel. Feel free to tell him I said so.”
Maggie’s dark eyes narrowed. “Leave, or I will call the police.”
Nice. “Go ahead, call them. Then we can all get together and talk about what’s on Cullen Vail’s laptop computer.”
Maggie’s mouth tightened and a beat of time passed. “Get out.”
Holly looked over at the two women sitting at the table. Mother and daughter, probably all giddy about the daughter’s wedding. They looked familiar.
It hit her.
She turned back to Maggie. “You’re planning the Evans wedding?” They were a prominent Goleta family. Country club to the bone. “Do they know about your sordid little affair with the murdered man?”
Color flooded Maggie’s face. “Are you threatening me?”
Holly smiled coldly. “That was a question. Here’s another one: what were you doing on Tuesday night after the book club meeting?”
“I’m calling the police.” She pulled one of her cell phones off her belt.
Holly walked over toward the two Evans women. “Hi, I’m Holly. I’m thinking about hiring Maggie, but you know, I heard—”
A hand clamped around her arm
Holly smiled. “Be right back.” She turned and followed Maggie across the room.
“This is harassment!” Maggie hissed.
Holly pressed her. “Where were you after book club?”
She answered tightly, with a fake smile that looked carved in wax. “Helene, Nora, and I went to dinner at the Elephant Bar. Then we went to Nora’s house and watched The Notebook. We left well after midnight. Now get out.” She was starting to shake with anger.
Convenient how that story matched Nora’s. “First tell me what was on Cullen’s laptop.”
“I don’t know.”
Holly pushed harder. “You’re lying. Just like you lied about my stalking and harassing you. I’ve never even talked to you before today. I saw you at the book club, but I didn’t say a word to you. For the record, you might want to know that I keep excellent records and will be able to easily prove that in court. Now what was on that laptop?”
“I’m not talking to you. I’m calling my lawyer.” Maggie yanked her cell phone off her belt again.
Holly figured she’d pushed as hard as she could. “People always run for their lawyers when they have something to hide. Wonder what that is?” She turned and left.
After getting into her car, Holly made a few notes in her notebook, then started the car and pulled out. She was just a few minutes away from Nora’s bakery.
Her background check had turned up some interesting information on Nora. Finding the location, Holly parked her car, got out, and headed up to the bakery. She walked in to the warm scents of vanilla, butter, cinnamon, sugar, and chocolate. The first thing she saw was a little girl eating a huge cookie. She couldn’t look away. The child took a big bite, saw Holly and waved with a big crumb-grin.
Holly forced herself to breathe and turn away. She studied the bakery cases and shoved the little girl out of her thoughts. One case was filled with decorated cookies and desserts, and another had cakes.
Huh? Confused, Holly turned around, and to her surprise she saw Wes come in the door. He wore a pair of gray slacks and a blue polo shirt. She hadn’t talked to him since they’d all left the hotel this morning.
What was he doing here?
Wes met her gaze, then looked at Nora. “I’ve got three missed calls from you on my cell phone. I thought maybe you needed to talk to me.”
Well, that was interesting, Holly thought. She wondered how it had gone for Wes at the police station. Obviously Rodgers hadn’t arrested him, not that Holly had thought she would. Had Wes told Rodgers the truth about his identity?
Nora looked around again. “No. I don’t think…I have three cakes to get done. Big party tomorrow. The Evans’s engagement party.”
Wes walked up to the counter, standing next to Holly. “Nora, let me help you. You were calling me for something.”
She stared at the door. “I wanted to tell you that Ryan’s, uh, falling behind at school so I’m taking him out of baseball.”
Yeah, right. Holly didn’t buy that for a second. “Cut the bullshit, Nora.”
Wes whipped his head around. “Holly—”
This was her job, not his. “You’re lying through your teeth. You didn’t sign on with a scum-sucker like Bradley Knoll to destroy Wes, and then call Wes to politely let him know you’re taking your son off his baseball team.” Putting her arms on the Formica top of the counter, she leaned in. “Stop lying. Tell us what you know. Like what was on Cullen’s laptop computer. Did he figure out who you were? Was he blackmailing you?”
Nora’s Sally Field girl-next-door look blanched. “No!”
She pushed harder. “Then what was on that computer?”
Nora shook her head. “Nothing. I just dated him a couple times, that’s all.”
That whole beaten kitten look was really grating on Holly’s nerves. “Tell me, Nora, did you know Wes back when you lived in Los Angeles?”
Shock froze her face. She glanced at Wes then back at Holly. “How do you…?”
Oh for crying out loud, she was a private investigator. Hadn’t anyone heard of background checks? It wasn’t like Nora had really covered her trail. “Know that your husband is in prison for embezzling? Know that you changed yours and Ryan’s last name from Fargo to Jacobson, your maiden name? It’s my job. And if I can find out, maybe Cullen found out…”
“No.” Nora shook her head. “No, I’m sure he didn’t. He called me The Invisible Woman, but he never—” She cut herself off then looked at Wes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you…” Her words trailed off when the door behind them opened. Her face went from tight regret to surprise, then to a mask of nothing.
Holly and Wes both turned, bumping shoulders as they faced the door. She said, “This ought to stir things up.”
Bradley Knoll and Helene Essex walked in. Helene went around the bakery cases, put her arm around Nora, and ushered her into the back of the bakery, like she was saving her from seriously unpleasant customers or something. Brad the Cad zeroed in his superior gaze on Holly. Then he puffed up his chest, rooster-strutted up to her, and looked down his nose. “Maggie called me and told me you went to her place of business and made threats. I can get your PI license pulled for that. You never learn.”
Standing next to Wes in the bakery, she looked up at the man she had once thought she loved enough to put her own dreams on hold for. He still had the baby blue eyes and handsome features. He still smelled good.
But he made her stomach turn.
Forcing a smile, she said, “No, you can’t. Jesus, you are still a blathering, pompous windbag. And it’s so damned disappointing after I spent all those thousands of dollars putting your ass through law school.” She hadn’t planned on that little speech, but what the hell.
Brad pulled his full mouth into a grimace. “And you are still a low-class tart.”
Wes shifted next to her but Holly cut him off before he said anything. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Heard it all before. Do you have something to say that has an actual point?”
Helene walked out of the back by herself, leaving Nora in the back. “Maggie told us how you threatened to bad mouth her to her clients. That is harassment.”
Brad picked up his cue. “You will both cease and desist immediately. Maggie Partlow, Nora Jacobson, Helene Essex, and Bridget O’Hara are my clients and all of them claim you have been harassing them.”
Holly laughed. “I’ve never even met this Bridget O’Hara, how can I possibly be harassing her?”
Brad’s entire body tightened. “Just stay away from my clients.” He looked over at Wes. “Both of you. Leave now. You don’t have business with this bakery.”
Wes said, “I’ve used this bakery many times, Knoll. If you have legal business with us, you’ll go through my lawyers, do I make myself clear?”
Brad said, “I will absolutely contact your lawyers. We are filing our civil suit against you, your store, and your questionable private investigator on Monday morning. In the meantime you are not to go near my clients.”
Wes turned to Holly. “You’re right, he is a blathering, pompous windbag.”
She cracked up. “Always was. Thinks he’s fooling the world into believing he’s a prep school graduate. Somehow he got the idea that talking out of his ass passed for high class.”
Wes grinned.
Brad glared at her. “I’ve waited a long time to see you get what you deserve, Holly.”
She turned to Brad. “I got that the day you walked. I probably forgot to send you the thank you card.”
He wasn’t going to let that go. “Thank God you aren’t the mother of my child.”
It took all her cop training to take that hit without flinching. Although her mouth was dry, she said, “See there, two things I have to thank you for.”
Helene stepped up. “Touching. Now why don’t you two leave before I call the cops.”
Holly tore her gaze from Brad’s furious face. Looking at Helene, she said, “Hiding behind lawyers and cops just makes me want to dig harder to find your secrets. And since you have a big, gaping two-year hole in your address history, I think I’ll start there.” She shoved forward, forcing both Brad and Helene to move or she’d knock them over. She stormed out the door and headed for her car, taking deep breaths to get her anger under control.
Wes caught her arm before she reached her car. “Are you all right?”
She ignored that question and tugged her arm from his hold. “Nora seems scared and I need to figure out how to use that. I have no idea what Bridget is to this little group of liars. I’m going to figure out how to cross her path.”
Wes said, “I know how to do it.”
“Really?” She looked at him and felt the ping of her hormones and something else—something softer and deeper that she didn’t like. Wes kept working his way into her head. She needed to keep her mind on business, not Wes. “Well, if you know, book boy, spill it.”
His square jaw firmed with determination. “I’ll tell you once you catch me up on everything. I want to know about the background checks you’ve done on the book club members. I want to know about Jodi and Kelly.” He moved closer, bringing his face two inches from hers. “And most of all, I want to know what you ever saw in Bradley Knoll.”
His green eyes burned like gemstones. She realized he was angry and…what? Surprised? Appalled? “Two out of three is all you’re going to get, book boy. If you want to work, then meet me at my office.” She turned and hustled to her car.
Away from his questions.
Wes watched Holly moving around the kitchenette in her small office and wondered when he had lost his mind. Holly was an ex-cop, from a
family of cops, and blindly ambitious. He was trusting her with the safety of the one person he loved the most, his sister.
He’d seen the way Brad pushed her buttons. And Holly had let it spill that she’d paid for much of Brad’s law school before they broke up. Wes knew much of the chip on her shoulder was due to Brad Knoll.
And he knew in his gut that she had something to prove to him.
But here he was, believing she would keep her promise not to reveal his identity or contact his sister.
It wasn’t just sex clouding his mind, it was Holly herself. So determined to make it on her own and so willing to stand up to any challenge. She was so alive, vibrant, and sexy. Ever since the day Holly Hillbay had walked into his bookstore, Wes Brockman’s world had become a less lonely place.
And a hell of a lot more complicated.
Holly handed him a cold soda. “What’s your plan to get close to Bridget?”
That was his PI—all work. He was going to have to do something about that. Perched on the arm of the sofa in her office, he watched her ass in her jeans as she went to her desk just a few feet away. “Let’s start from the top. What’s your background on the four women?”
Holly opened her can of Pepsi. “Short version: Bridget grew up in Goleta and has a yoga/Pilates studio. Maggie opened her wedding planning business six years ago and is very ambitious. Nora has the past in Los Angeles. Her husband was convicted of embezzling from an accounting firm. She changed her last name to her maiden name and moved to Goleta two years ago. She quickly worked her way up to buy out the bakery. And Helene, now that’s an odd one.” She sipped her soda.
“You mentioned a two-year gap in her address history.”
The Sex On Beach Book Club Page 13