by Dani Pettrey
Brody caught sight of them. “You two again? What do I have to do?” He moved at a clipped pace toward them. “Toss you out of here?”
Jake squared his shoulders “I’d like to see you try.”
Brody stiffened, only a handful of inches remaining between the men.
Jake didn’t budge, didn’t flinch.
“We’ve got the warrant, Brody,” Kayden said, trying to diffuse the tension before the two men came to blows, not that she’d mind seeing Jake knock Brody on his behind, not after his relentless intimidation tactics.
Brody’s jaw tightened, and a curse slipped out. Anger flared crimson in his cheeks as everyone in the gym paused to look on.
“This could have all been avoided if you’d just cooperated,” she said, not intending to embarrass the man in front of his clientele.
“Or if you’d minded your own business.” He tossed the logbook across the desk.
Jake quickly scanned the contents, then handed the book to Kayden with his finger pointing at Conrad’s signature.
Conrad Humphries had signed in to the gym at three forty-five the day before his murder.
So he’d climbed first and then purchased his chalk, which narrowed the suspect pool significantly. Conrad hadn’t left his chalk in his cubby for someone to doctor with Dodecanol, because he hadn’t purchased the chalk yet.
“Are we done here?” Brody cocked his head.
Jake handed him the book. “For now.”
“That felt good,” Kayden said upon leaving Brody’s gym.
Man, she had a gorgeous smile—it lit her entire face.
The afternoon was warm, nearly seventy and sunny. Kayden wore the same outfit she had yesterday, because of their circumstances, but it looked just as good today as it had the day before.
She’d left her hair down, and Jake fought the urge to run his fingers through the auburn lengths—so shiny and smelling of apricots.
He’d balked at the fruity scent of the hotel shampoo, but on her it was intoxicating. He let the case ease from his mind momentarily and simply enjoyed walking beside her to Conrad’s office.
It felt good to finally get a solid piece of the puzzle locked in place. Their timeline was beginning to come together. Now they needed to speak with Conrad’s secretary to confirm when he left work that day and when he returned that night.
As they entered the plush office, a woman he assumed was Amber Smith, Conrad’s secretary, was sitting at the first desk. An open printer-paper box sat in the center of the large mahogany desk, and the woman tearfully slipped items inside.
“Miss Smith?” Jake said.
She looked up from her task and swiped at her eyes. “Yes?”
“Deputy Cavanagh, and this is Kayden McKenna. We’re here to ask you some questions about Conrad Humphries.”
Her hand stilled on a glass paperweight—a duck. “What kind of questions?”
“We’re trying to determine how Mr. Humphries spent his last day prior to the climb.”
“I see.” She placed the glass duck in the box and reached for the stapler. “Conrad came in to work at eight o’clock, as usual, but he left early, around three thirty, to go climbing.”
“And did he return to the office later that evening?”
“No.”
“I mean later that night. Around nine?”
“No.”
“You sound certain.”
“I’m positive.”
“How can you be positive?” Vivienne had claimed that Amber was always in the office when Conrad was working, but who could say he hadn’t gone in without calling her back in.
“He would have made me come in if he was going to be working here—it’s just his thing. But he didn’t have to, because I was here until ten that night.”
“Why so late?” Kayden asked.
She dropped the stapler in the box and reached for the tape dispenser. “Conrad’s business hasn’t been doing so well lately. He hit a slump. It’s happened before, and he always got through it, so I always stuck it out, but this time he had to fire Kim.”
“Who’s Kim?”
“Conrad’s bookkeeper.”
Jake looked at Kayden. Perhaps a woman scorned? “Why’d he fire Kim and keep you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I’ve been with Conrad longer, and I don’t think she would have been willing to pick up the assistant duties. I’m good with most of the bookkeeping tasks, but sometimes I had to work late to get things finished.” She set the tape dispenser in the box and glanced around the now empty desk with what appeared to be longing. She really liked her job or her boss.
“Was Kim upset?” Jake asked.
“Of course, but she understood.”
“What kind of terms would you say they parted under? Good, bad, neutral?”
“Neutral. Like I said, she was upset, but what was Conrad to do?”
“When did he let her go?”
“Last month. So I’ve been staying late a couple nights a week to cover the load, and the night before Conrad’s death happened to be one of them. I wanted to get caught up before the weekend.”
“And you’re positive Conrad never came by?”
“Positive.” She shifted. “Why do you think he did?”
“His wife told us he left the house at nine for an hour, supposedly for the office.”
“Oh.” Amber bit her bottom lip.
Jake took a stab. “You think he was visiting Patty Tate?”
She swallowed. “You know about her?”
Jake nodded, intrigued by Amber’s condescending tone when mentioning Patty. A little jealousy brewing there, perhaps?
“Then, yes, with Patty would be my guess, but wherever Conrad was, it wasn’t here.”
“Well, thank you for your assistance, Amber. Have a good afternoon.”
“So his business wasn’t doing well,” Kayden said as they stepped out of the chilly office and back into the sunshine.
“Perhaps Vivienne found out and decided to cash in on his life-insurance policy.”
“How do you know Conrad had a life-insurance policy?”
Jake slid his sunglasses on. “Men in Conrad Humphries’ position always have a life-insurance policy. I’ll put a call in to Landon and have him look into it.”
“Sounds good. And Kim?”
“We’ll have to see if she really left under decent terms.”
Kayden nodded and they made the short walk back to Brody’s gym to retrieve their rental car for the ride over to Vivienne’s.
Kayden hitched at the sight of the white envelope stashed under the wiper blades. She looked at Jake. “A nasty note from Brody?”
He grabbed it, pulled out the note, and his jaw tightened.
He crumpled it, threw it down, and headed straight for Brody’s door.
Kayden retrieved the paper and smoothed it out.
I see the way you look at her. Oh, the pain you’ll feel when I inflict it on her.
Brody was a lunatic. She shoved the note in her pocket, knowing Landon would want it for evidence, and followed Jake back inside.
He had Brody by the throat, and Jason Gellar was leaping across the desk to try to intervene.
“You lay so much as a finger on her and I’ll see you behind bars.” Jake clutched harder.
Jason grabbed his shoulder, and Jake released one hand from Brody, keeping the other firmly grasped on his neck. Taking Jason’s arm, he executed a move that had Jason on his knees with his arm pinned behind his back and his hand poised to break if Jake pulled.
“Cavanagh.” Deputy Franklin, the man Sheriff Marshall had put on Brody, rushed forward. “What are you doing?”
“He threatened Kayden again.”
“I . . . did . . . not . . .” Brody wheezed out.
“When?” Franklin asked, confused. “I’ve had eyes on him all day.”
Kayden pulled the note from her pocket. “He left this on our car.”
Brody sputtered.
“Jake.�
�� She tilted her head at Brody, who was turning a deep shade of red.
With a firm glare, Jake released his hold.
Brody clasped his throat, coughing. “Are you . . . insane?”
“When do you think he left it on your car?” Franklin asked as Jake released his hold on Jason.
Jason slowly rose from the floor, staring at Jake with a mixture of anger and admiration.
“It had to be while we were at Conrad’s office.”
Franklin glanced at his watch. “You’ve been gone less than an hour, and I’ve had Brody in my sights the whole time. He didn’t leave the gym once or hand a note off to anybody. He’s not your guy.”
“I told you,” Brody grunted.
A shiver snaked up Kayden’s spine, just as it had with the spray-painted message. Brody trying to intimidate them was one thing, but if someone else was leaving the messages . . . were they serious threats? Was the killer really after her and Jake? Trying to silence them before they were caught? She looked at Jake. How much danger were they in?
Jake knocked on Vivienne’s door, adrenaline still burning through his veins. Whoever sent that message wasn’t bluffing. He felt it in his gut. They had to catch the killer before he or she got to them.
The door opened and Vivienne’s housekeeper, Amelia, greeted them with a smile. “Detective Cavanagh.” She looked to Kayden. “Miss McKenna. Nice to see you again.”
“Thank you, Amelia. Is Mrs. Humphries in?”
“No. I’m afraid not. She and Mr. Anderson flew to Kodiak.”
“Really?” To get away from the sorrow? The investigation?
“Who’s at the door?” a young male asked.
“Deputy Cavanagh. He—” Amelia began.
“My mother’s not here.” Phillip Humphries, Conrad and Vivienne’s younger son, swung the door open wide. “And don’t you think you’ve put her through enough already?”
“I’m sorry if we’ve upset your mother or you,” Jake said, “but it’s my job to figure out who killed your dad.”
“Well, it wasn’t my mom. So leave us alone.” He slammed the door in Jake’s face.
Jake moved to knock again, but the door opened. Amelia snuck out and closed it quietly behind herself. “You must excuse Phillip. He’s taking Mr. Humphries’ death quite hard.”
It probably didn’t help that his mom had taken off to Kodiak with Conrad’s best friend. “Of course,” he said. “Do you know when Mrs. Humphries will be back?”
“Not until late tonight. If you want to speak with her, you’ll have to come back in the morning.”
Tomorrow was Cole and Bailey’s wedding, which meant they’d need to return the day after. He was thankful they’d have a day away from Imnek. The place was getting under his skin. He wanted Kayden safe and on home turf. “Thank you, Amelia.”
She nodded and stepped back inside the house.
“Seems odd for a grieving widow to take off with the deceased’s best friend for the day and just leave her kids at home right after they lost their dad,” Kayden said.
“In most cases I’d agree. . . .” Jake looked back at the house and caught sight of Phillip watching from the upstairs window. “Sadly, based on Vivienne and Stuart’s behavior thus far, I can’t say I’m surprised.”
“What do you think they’re doing on Kodiak?”
He arched a brow.
“So soon after Conrad’s death? Wow, no shame there.”
“I could be wrong. Maybe they wanted some time away from us in order to get their stories straight.”
“So . . . you think they killed Conrad?”
“I don’t know, but their taking off certainly doesn’t help their case.” He tried picturing Vivienne or Stuart leaving the threatening messages. Were either of them a cold-blooded killer, ready to kill again if need be?
After getting a replacement propeller for her plane, the trip back to Yancey passed quickly, and Kayden found herself reluctant to leave Jake’s presence. Though they’d both be attending the rehearsal and dinner following, it would be different. It wouldn’t be just the two of them, and while that should cause her relief, it left her wanting more.
They’d spent more one-on-one time together in the past few months, in the past few days, than they had in all the years they’d known each other. She enjoyed their time alone way too much and was already starting to rely on him, which was dangerous. She didn’t want to need anyone. Not again.
15
Reef sat with Anna on a blanket overlooking the ocean. The rehearsal had taken place at Grace Community Church, where his family attended, and soon the wedding party would be returning for the rehearsal dinner—rehearsal clam bake, to be precise. Darcy and a handful of family friends had hung back at Kayden and Piper’s, where the party was being held on the shore. Earlier they’d set up beach chairs in large circles around a series of fire pits. Picnic tables lined the grassy space between the shore and the house, and the scent of fresh seafood wafted on the ocean breeze.
Reef glanced over at Anna shivering in her yellow sundress. Alaska was a far cry from her California home. He slipped off his sweater and offered it to her.
She took in his white T-shirt and cargo shorts. “Are you sure you’ll be warm enough?”
“I’ll be fine. If not, the house is right there. I can always grab a sweatshirt.”
He helped her slip on the navy cable-knit sweater, the sleeves drooping a good three inches past her hands. She was so delicate.
“I’m anxious to meet Kayden and Jake. He sounds interesting.”
So far she’d met the rest of his siblings, their significant others, and a handful of townsfolk—all very curious to see what kind of lady the wild McKenna boy had brought home.
“They’re back,” Darcy said, moving up the hill to greet Gage.
Reef stood and helped Anna to her feet. He spotted Jake first, opening his truck door for Kayden. Reef raked a hand through his hair. He still couldn’t believe Jake’s past. It seemed the thing of movies, not real life. His heart went out to the man. All those years of having his character questioned and doubted by Kayden. He wondered how his sister viewed him now.
Kayden turned toward him, beautiful as ever—long dark hair, high cheekbones, and large almond-shaped eyes. Just like their mom. It was like peeking back into his childhood.
“Hey there,” she said as she approached.
“Hey.” He gave her a hug—quick, like she preferred.
“There’s someone I want you to meet.” He turned to Anna, introducing her.
“It’s nice to meet you, Anna,” Kayden said. “I hope you aren’t finding our family to be too overwhelming.” She glanced over her shoulder at Cole and Gage already goofing around with a Nerf rocket launcher.
“Everyone’s been wonderful,” she said.
Reef waved Jake down from his perch on the hill.
“How’s it going, Reef?”
“Much better than last time I was here.”
Jake smiled.
“I don’t know if I ever really thanked you for your part in clearing me.”
“Happy to help, small as that part was.”
He was being too modest, but that was Jake. Though he’d been traveling for most of the time Jake had been in Yancey, Reef recognized him as a man to be admired.
“I hear you and Kayden have an interesting case going.”
Jake looked back at Kayden. “That’s one way to put it.”
“We spent the better part of two days questioning Patty Tate, Natalie Adams, and Brody Patterson,” she said.
“Brody? I haven’t heard that name in years. How’s he doing?”
“He owns the climbing gym over on Imnek. Seems to be doing okay.”
Reef smiled. “Bet he enjoyed seeing you.”
“Actually . . .” Kayden shuffled her feet along the sand. “He wasn’t too happy with our questions. Took it out on my propeller.”
“He’s the one who did that?” Piper had mentioned what had happened, but not
who was responsible.
Kayden nodded.
“Can’t say I’m surprised.” The extreme-boarding community was the same as the climbing community. People looked out for their own, and talk stayed within the core. No outsiders. And Jake was an outsider, even if he’d taken up climbing. He wasn’t truly one of them, not yet.
“We’re heading back over day after tomorrow.”
“Doubt you’ll get people to open up.” When Reef’s friend and fellow extreme athlete Karli Davis had been murdered and he was a suspect, few spoke, and when they did, their words weren’t pretty.
Kayden glanced at Jake with a smile. “He has a way of getting what he needs from people.”
Reef stared. Had his sister just paid Jake a compliment? “Any suspects?” he asked, shaking off his shock.
“A few.” She shrugged.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to narrow it down after Booth finishes running the sample we brought back,” Jake said. “And after we spend another day on Imnek, of course.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re not going to get a good reception.”
“Based on our experience so far, I’d say you’re definitely right.”
Kayden woke to the ringing of her cell.
Blinking, she glanced at the clock. 5:11 a.m. This had to stop. If this was another one of Brody’s pranks . . .
She looked at her phone, not recognizing the number. “What?”
“I’m watching you.” The voice was muffled and robotic—computerized. “You’ll be so beautiful in death.”
“Who is this?”
“Your end.”
Click.
She tossed the phone on her nightstand, resisting the overwhelming urge to call Jake. Today was her brother’s wedding. She didn’t want to do anything to take away from Cole and Bailey’s joy. Didn’t want people focused on Brody’s prank rather than the festivities, but the tone of the pranks was growing darker.
She tried to settle back into bed. Jake had warned her to anticipate some blowback, but for the first time in a long time she was truly scared.
Unable to sleep, she pulled on her robe and headed downstairs. She brewed a cup of coffee and headed out onto the porch swing to enjoy the sunrise.
Yellow and orange in hue, the sun shone brilliantly as it crested over the horizon, bringing the breadth of their property into view.