“Then we better get back to business. Now where were we?” Colin leaned in, as she sat perched on the stool. His lips met hers, warm and moist. Just when she was relaxing into the kiss a sharp knock came at the front door.
“Expecting anyone?” he questioned, looking in the direction of the noise.
“No.” She slid off the stool and padded to the front door. Colin trailed closely behind her. Emily could see sandy blonde hair skimming the bottom of the little windows spread across the top of her front door.
“I think it’s Sully,” she whispered over her shoulder.
She opened the door and found the mayor standing on her porch, dressed in casual jeans and an un-tucked button-down shirt.
“Hello, Sully,” she greeted politely.
“If I could have a few minutes of your time, I really need to talk to you, Emily.” The dark shadows under his eyes were evidence he hadn’t been sleeping, and she detected a slight quiver in his voice.
“Certainly, come in.” Emily stood aside.
“Colin Andrews, Mr. Mayor.” Colin took a step forward and offered his hand, which Sully grabbed and shook firmly. “I had worked for the city of Paradise Valley for a while.”
“The police detective, right?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor,” Colin replied.
“Please, call me Sully.” He offered a weak smile.
Emily noticed a nervousness about Sully that she’d never seen before—shifting eyes, a jittery resonance to his voice, the dark circles. It wasn’t that they were ever close friends, but because he was Maggie’s brother, they were well acquainted.
“Would it be possible to speak to Emily alone?” Sully asked, eyeing Colin.
Emily glanced at Colin and quirked an eyebrow.
“Sure, I’ll just go check on the grill.” Colin made himself scarce.
“Let’s go in the living room and sit down.” Emily gestured toward the sofa. What could Sully want with her?
Sully took a seat at the end of the couch and Emily sank down on the chair perpendicular to it.
“Can I get you something to drink, Sully? I could get you a glass of wine or something.”
“No, thank you. You left me several messages, so I thought it best to come and talk to you in person. I don’t have much time, so let me get right to the point.” His voice was quiet, his gaze darting around. “I don’t want Colin overhearing this conversation. I know he’s not working as a cop right now, but he will be again. And if he knows I did something illegal, he’ll be duty-bound to arrest me.”
“Oh, Sully, what have you done?”
“Lucas came to me last week and offered to let me buy a couple of condos at his new resort, for a deeply-discounted price. He convinced me that if I bought them, with a quick turn around, I could make a lot of money. With Carolyn so sick,” his voice began to crack, “the doctor and hospital bills are piling up.” He worried his hands in his lap. His eyes moistened and he appeared as if he was fighting back tears. Sully took a deep breath.
Emily had questions, but she held her tongue and let him continue.
“He knew I was desperate enough to jump at the opportunity. I told him I didn’t have the money, that I’d have to pass, but he convinced me to borrow it from the city retirement fund.”
“Oh, Sully, no.”
“I thought I’d have time to sell the condos and get the money back in the account before anyone noticed it was missing. I knew it was wrong, but I…I…aw damn, I don’t know what I was thinking,” he exclaimed under his breath.
He went on to explain how he’d received the notice from the auditor and had asked Lucas for the money back at the engagement party.
The private pow-wow—I knew something was wrong.
Sully described how Lucas had told him no and that, in fact, the whole resort project was a scam.
“I don’t understand. Why would he come right out and tell you that?” Emily questioned. “I wouldn’t think he’d want anyone to know.”
“He said he was telling me so he could hold it over my head. He wanted me to use my influence to get others to invest in the project, knowing that if I didn’t, he would expose me. If I did what he asked, he said he’d return the hundred thousand dollars to me before the audit.”
“So, basically, he was blackmailing you.”
“That’s right. The night he died, I paid him a visit. I went to his office and begged for the money back. I threatened him with a gun, but it didn’t seem to make any difference. He said he wouldn’t give me the money back yet.”
“You pulled a gun on him?”
“He knew I wasn’t going to kill him, because if I did I’d never get the money back. He warned me that if I breathed a word of this to anyone he would ruin me, and he would ruin Maggie.”
“Oh, Maggie…poor Maggie. She was going to marry that shyster.”
“No,” Sully said, shaking his head, “that was never part of the plan.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“He was never going to marry her. He said he was going to disappear with all the money before the wedding, that Maggie was just a front, a beard, a way to involve me to help him suck in more investors.”
“Maybe knowing what a slime-ball he was will help her get over him,” Emily hoped.
“He was more than a slime-ball, he was a—” Sully’s face flushed red with anger and the whites of his eyes seemed to grow as his eyes widened. Pulling in a deep breath and releasing a low guttural sound, he appeared to get control of his anger. His rage deflated and he flattened his voice. “Well, we’ll leave it at that.”
“You do realize Josh overheard you that night.”
“No, I didn’t know that. He never said anything.”
“Colin and I interviewed him this morning and I could tell he was hiding something. He didn’t want to tell me, but when I pressed him hard, he told us he’d gone to the office that night to have it out with Lucas, but you were already there. He overheard part of your conversation and knew you’d pulled a gun on him.”
“I didn’t know.” Sully hung his head as he propped his forearms on his knees. I’m so ashamed, Emily.”
“I don’t understand why you’d steal the city funds and invest in this scheme. That isn’t the Sully Sullivan I know.”
“When you’re desperate for money, you do things you never thought you’d do. It changes you. Between the crappy economy and Carolyn’s illness, everything I had has been wiped out. I didn’t look at it as stealing—Lucas had me convinced I was only borrowing the money.” Sully sat up and ran a hand over his face. “I can see now he was never going to give me the money back. He was just hanging a carrot out to get me to do what he wanted.”
“But it was stealing—grand theft is what you’ll be charged with.”
“I know.” Sully’s voice sounded weak and shaky. “I don’t know what to do.”
“As much as I’d like to help you, Sully, my main concern is Maggie. She needs me to find out who killed Lucas and I hope to God it wasn’t Josh.”
“Me, too,” he agreed.
“I hate to say this, but you had motive and opportunity, too. You’re on my short list.”
“Emily, you can’t think I would do this.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Like I said, if I killed him I’d never get the money back.”
“In a fit of rage, knowing he was never going to let you have it, I could see you killing him.”
“He wasn’t shot to death, was he?”
“No, someone hit him hard in the head with something, shattered his skull. That someone could have been you.”
“I’m not a murderer!” Sully’s sunken eyes bulged with anger. “I could never kill someone.”
“Anyone could kill under the right circumstances,” she shot back.
“So now you think I’m a murderer and a thief?” He jumped to his feet at the accusation.
She rose to face him. “Like you said, Sully, a desperate man will do things he never thought he would do. Those
were your words.”
“You’ve got to believe me, Emily,” he begged, grabbing her by the arm. “I did not kill Lucas. When I ran out of the office, someone else was there. I heard a noise—that’s why I left. From the sound of things, that someone was Josh. I bolted out of there and went home to Carolyn. She’ll verify it.”
She yanked her arm loose from his hold and glared at him.
“Everything okay in here?” Colin asked, his hands planted protectively on his hips, filling out the doorway.
“Fine. The mayor was just leaving.” Emily’s hand motioned toward the door.
Sully stepped close to Emily and whispered in her ear. “You’ll keep the other thing just between us, won’t you?”
“For now,” she replied softly.
“Sorry to bother you,” Sully muttered to Colin as he breezed past him and out the door.
“What was that all about?” Colin approached Emily.
“I guess the Mayor didn’t like me accusing him of killing Lucas.” She slipped her arms around Colin’s torso and he returned the gesture. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she agreed with Sully—if Colin knew what Sully had done, he’d have to do something about it. For Maggie’s sake, she’d keep her brother’s secret for as long as she could.
“You accused him? To his face?” Colin sounded stunned. “You’re getting pretty gutsy.”
“I didn’t actually accuse him straight out. I simply told him he was on my short list.”
Colin laughed. “Almost as bad.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She giggled. “Steaks ready yet? All this gutsiness has made me hungry.”
CHAPTER 18
“We should get going pretty soon.” Emily rolled her wrist to check her watch. “I’ll do the dishes later.”
Colin brought their plates from the table and set them in the sink. “It’ll only take a minute to rinse them off and stick them in the dishwasher.” Because of his military training, Colin always liked things squared away when he left them.
“I’m anxious to talk to Isabel. She was so mysterious on the phone.” Emily cleared the glasses and silverware off the table and set them on the counter next to the sink.
“Get your shoes on, and your purse, and we can go,” he said, sticking the glasses in the dishwasher and closing the door.
She put a hand gently around the back of his neck and drew his face down to hers, giving him a quick kiss. “Thanks for making dinner and cleaning up.”
“My pleasure.” He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her tight.
She made an exaggerated fanning motion with her hand. “Why, whatever will I do when you’re gone, Mr. Andrews?” Emily teased with a heavy Southern drawl, purposely sounding like a helpless female.
“Miss me like crazy?” he replied with a grin.
“Absolutely.” She threw her arms around his neck and planted a wet, passionate kiss on him.
“I thought you were in a hurry to leave.”
“I am.” She released him and stepped away. “Just wanted to make sure you were going to miss me like crazy, too.” She sauntered down the hall after her shoes, swaying her hips, assuming he was watching her go. She slanted a quick look behind her—she was right.
~*~
By the time Emily and Colin arrived at Maggie’s, the small gathering of friends had already eaten, and Camille and Isabel were cleaning up the kitchen. Emily could hear the girls chattering in the kitchen and noticed through the rear kitchen window that Jonathan and Alex had retreated to the back deck. The guys were sitting on canvas director chairs, when Colin stepped outside and joined them.
“Hey, Em, so glad to see you made it.” Isabel looked up from the suds-filled sink as Emily stepped into the small, cozy kitchen.
Maybe the 1920’s cottage lacked a dishwasher, but it definitely oozed with charm. A fair trade-off, Emily always thought.
“Yes, we were starting to wonder about you.” Camille was drying a platter with a well-worn, checkered dish towel.
Before she could respond, Maggie came rushing into the kitchen with her arms outstretched to Emily. She looked exhausted and frail in her sweatshirt and jeans, nothing like her usual vibrant self. Her face was bare of makeup and her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail.
“Emily!” Maggie cried out, squeezing her firmly.
Emily returned the hug. “How are you holding up?” Emily asked once Maggie released her grip.
“I slept most of the day, but I’m doin’ better now. Havin’ everyone here helps so much.” She smiled at Camille and Isabel, still doing the dishes.
“I’m assuming your brother came by to see you too,” Emily said.
“Yes, Sully was here this afternoon for a bit. He was so worried about me and Josh—and about the project with so many people in town puttin’ their money into it.”
“How’s Josh doing?” Camille asked, drying the last of the dishes.
“Alex saw him today.” Isabel wiped her hands on a towel. “He said Josh was nervous about being able to get out on bail tomorrow. I hope my husband can convince the judge he’s a low flight risk.”
“I don’t understand how they can think my son would kill Lucas.” Maggie had tears welling up in her eyes. “What possible motive would he have?”
Since walking into Lucas’s office the night before and finding Gloria seated beside his bloody and battered body, Maggie had been pretty much in the dark—literally—mostly sleeping and sedated.
Maggie was not aware of the facts that had unfolded during the day, and Emily wasn’t sure how much to share with her at this point. Taking a moment to consider her best move, Emily decided that if Maggie knew what a scumbag Lucas was, it would help her get over him faster.
“Why don’t we all go into the living room? I’ll explain what I learned today,” Emily suggested.
“That would be great, Em. I feel like I don’t know what’s goin’ on,” Maggie replied.
Camille shot a questioning glance at Isabel, as if to ask if they should go, and Isabel nodded her agreement. Emily turned and led the way back to the quiet living room.
Emily took a seat next to Maggie on the floral-print sofa, rearranging the jumble of pillows behind them, while Camille and Isabel settled into the sage-green overstuffed chairs that flanked the stone fireplace, facing them.
“Listen Maggs, I know getting through this is probably the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do—you know it was for me, when Evan died—but there are some things I need to tell you.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” Maggie pulled her legs up cross-legged on the sofa, grabbing a tissue from the box on the white painted end table.
“It won’t be easy to hear, but you need to know the truth.” Emily searched for the right words while every eye in the room was fixed on her. “There’s no easy way to say this—”
“So spit it out, already,” Camille directed, shifting in her seat.
“Calm down, Camille.” Isabel reached out and put her hand on Camille’s forearm. “Let Emily find her own words.”
“Sorry, I’m just a bundle of nerves,” Camille apologized, running her fingers through her short fiery locks.
“Emily?” Maggie muttered, her eyes growing large with alarm.
“Okay, here it goes.” Emily sucked in a deep breath. “You wanted to know what possible motive your son could have, well, Josh caught Lucas fooling around with Fiona at the engagement party.”
“Fiona?” Maggie gasped. “No! That couldn’t be. He loved me. He was going to marry me. That doesn’t make any sense at all.” She pulled an accent pillow in front of her and wrapped her arms around it, clinging tightly.
“I’m so sorry, Maggie. Josh said he ordered Lucas to come clean with you about Fiona, to break off the engagement within twenty-four hours, or he would tell you himself.”
“I thought she was my friend.” The tears began to flow once more. “I introduced her to Lucas.”
Emily scooted closer to Maggie and put an arm around her, as M
aggie leaned into Emily and began to sob.
“I never liked that woman,” Isabel said, her eyes narrowing. “There always seemed to be something evil about her. Even at the presentation the other night, she seemed resentful that Lucas had proposed. Remember that, Em?”
“How come y’all never said anythin’ about that to me?” Maggie looked from Isabel to Emily, dabbing her eyes.
“She seemed a little jealous of the two of you at the welcome party, too,” Isabel added. “And didn’t you say, Em, you saw them together in the lounge at the Hilton Hotel a week or so ago?”
“Why am I the last to know?” Maggie bawled, throwing her hands in the air.
“If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t know either,” Camille said to Maggie while scowling at their other two friends.
“We’re not saying they had sex, Maggie,” Emily tried to explain.
“You think they were havin’ sex?” Maggie queried. “We weren’t havin’ sex, but do y’all think they were?”
“We don’t know what they were doing, Maggs.” Emily rubbed her hand over Maggie’s shoulder. “Josh is the one who said he saw them fooling around, those were his words.”
“Fooling around, huh?” Maggie murmured, patting the tissue under her eyes. “I still don’t understand why y’all didn’t say one word about it to me.”
“They were just observations we made, we didn’t know anything for sure. And we certainly didn’t know they were playing around,” Emily tried to justify.
“You could have at least told me,” Camille pouted.
Isabel twisted in her chair to face Camille. “We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want Maggie to know until we were sure. Let’s face it, Cam, you’re not the best at keeping secrets.”
Camille frowned at the characterization.
“We just thought Fiona was attracted to Lucas, maybe had a little crush on him,” Isabel said.
“He was handsome and charming.” Emily had to give him that much. “If we had known something for certain, we would have come to you with it,” she assured Maggie, patting her hand. “Let’s get back to Josh, hmm?”
“Okay,” Maggie mumbled.
Paradise Valley Mystery 02-The Heart of Lies Page 13