Lisa answered. Julien explained who he was and asked if Charlotte was there.
“No, she isn’t. A detective called a few days ago and we told him the same thing. Wes called, also.”
“When is the last time you saw or spoke with her?” Julien asked.
“Oh, probably a little more than a week ago. She and Wes were having trouble. It’s not unlike her to get away and take some time to think.”
“She’s done that before?”
“Yes. Not in a while, but she has.”
Lisa did not sound worried about her daughter. Could it be that Charlotte’s friend had overreacted when she’d called in the missing person report? Julien’s gut told him no.
“And she does this to get away from Wes?” he asked.
“He can be challenging to live with. Wes is not the friendliest man alive. He has no sense of humor and he never shows affection.”
What about Charlotte? Julien wondered how much she contributed to the failing marriage.
“Why hasn’t she divorced him?” he asked.
“Well, I suspect that is only a matter of time. She did love him when they first got together and she’s never stopped being attracted to him. But they just haven’t been able to get along outside the bedroom. I’ve told her sex isn’t enough to make a happy marriage. I’ve encouraged her to end it.”
So, if Charlotte had gone somewhere to give herself some space, her dilemma was whether she could give up great sex or not.
Julien glanced at Skylar. He was pretty sure the two of them could have both.
“What does Wes want?” he asked Lisa.
“He claims to love her and doesn’t want a divorce. He’s talked her out of it every time she’s brought up the subject.”
That didn’t sound like a man who wanted his wife dead. Unless the last fight they’d had was when Charlotte told him she was filing for a divorce. Wes might be one of those men who refused to allow any other man to have his woman if he couldn’t.
“You said Wes contacted you?”
“Yes. He’s called three or four times looking for Charlotte.”
Was Wes convinced she had gone to her parents’ house? How far would the Campbells go to prevent him from contacting her? And if they were trying to prevent contact, why?
“Is Charlotte afraid of Wes?” he asked.
With the lengthy silence on the other end of the call, Julien knew Lisa contemplated her reply.
“At times, yes. They fought all the time.”
Julien didn’t miss how she’d said “fought” and not “fight,” as though she already knew Wes and Charlotte were a thing of the past.
“Why was she afraid of him? Did he hurt her?”
“No. He never hit her, but when they got into arguments, he yelled. That temper is what scared her.”
Julien needed to find out if Lisa was protecting her daughter by lying about her whereabouts.
“Based on what you’ve told me, I think there’s enough to open a possible homicide investigation, with Wes being the prime suspect,” he said.
“Oh. Murder...” She exhaled as though anxious. “You think Charlotte was murdered?”
“Mrs. Campbell, we’re looking for a missing person, but there’re reasons she is missing and one of those could be murder. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I’m wondering if you’re telling me everything—in particular, what you know about where your daughter is right now.”
“I—I don’t know.”
“Wes McKann will be investigated. There’s a detective assigned to Charlotte’s case. That costs more than money, Mrs. Campbell. It consumes time that could be spent on other investigations. So, if you know something, I suggest you tell me.”
“I’ll be sure and do that,” Lisa said.
Julien ended the call and met Skylar’s inquisitive gaze.
“You think Charlotte is there, don’t you?” Skylar said.
“I think it’s a distinct possibility.” He stretched his arm across the back of the sofa.
“It’s also possible that he killed her.”
“Maybe. It’s my job to look at every possibility.”
She angled her head toward him as she met his eyes. “And you wouldn’t work for an agency like DAI if you weren’t good at your job.”
He appreciated the compliment but didn’t acknowledge it. He did what he did for the defenseless. He knew Skylar was convinced Wes killed his wife, but Julien didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to try to bury her so close to River Rock Ranch’s property line. Whoever had done that must not have known the area very well, much less that Skylar or one of her workers checked the fence on a regular basis. It must have been someone who knew little or nothing about ranching, and certainly not someone who owned the property. Someone who had come upon a remote area and thought it would make a good gravesite.
Skylar leaned her head back against his arm. The contact, however innocent, made him aware of her, the slope of her nose, her long lashes and full lips. Even in her flannel shirt, he could make out the tempting shape of her breasts.
She moved her head just then, catching him, and he found himself in the perfect position to kiss her. More and more he felt himself giving in to the desire to see where this attraction would lead. He could throw caution out the window and let himself get involved with her. If it turned serious, they would have to find a way to work things out. And if they couldn’t, then they would have to say goodbye. While he didn’t like that possibility, he also couldn’t resist the moment.
He put his lips to hers and that same steamy passion came over him. With the catch of her breath, he knew she had the same reaction.
Julien decided not to hold back. He kissed her deeper.
She slid her hand up his chest, inflaming him even more. He moved forward, urging her back onto the sofa. She lifted her legs onto the cushions and he came down on top of her, tasting her as he kissed her with all the desire he felt, holding himself up on one elbow. She sank her fingers into his hair. He ran his hand down to her breasts, having longed to do so for a while now.
He kissed her neck. She smelled like outdoors and horses. He never thought he would find that alluring, but with Skylar, it was. She intoxicated him.
She found her way inside his shirt and her hands ran over his chest.
He began to unbutton her shirt. He parted the sides and unclasped her bra. She had unbuttoned his shirt and now pushed it off his shoulders.
With her hands going to his back, he held her breast and put his mouth around her nipple. She tipped her head back, eyes closed, and breathed faster.
He kissed her other breast and then rose onto his knees, straddling her. He began to unbutton his jeans. She watched him with a dazed look. Then reason began to flow into her eyes.
She was going to stop him. He knew it. Just when every molecule in him wanted her.
“Skylar, we—”
“—have to stop.” She bent her knees, scooted back and then got to her feet. “This is crazy.”
That was one word to describe it.
He refastened his jeans, literally aching for her. He stood and went to her as she finished buttoning her shirt.
“Skylar, I’ve never been with a woman who turns me on as much as you do. I don’t even know why.”
“I don’t know...” She rubbed her arms and walked over to the window. “I’m afraid once we take it to the next level, it will only end badly.”
“Have you ever been with a man who makes you feel like you just did on that sofa?” he asked, walking up behind her.
Several seconds passed. “No. And that’s what scares me.”
“It scares me, too, but I’m willing to take a chance.” He could fall in love with her and face losing her, but that didn’t matter right now.
She turned to him. “I don’t know if I am. If
we start to have strong feelings for each other, we’ll be forced to make huge life-changing decisions, and I’m not prepared for that.”
He wasn’t, either, but...
“Not many people have the kind of chemistry we do,” he said. “You’re willing to pass that up?”
She met his eyes and he could see her inner turmoil. “Right now, yes.”
Maybe she had a valid point. Maybe she would save him a lot of misery by cooling things off. But what if he was already doomed? If he did fall in love with her, would he be in a lot of pain if he had to leave her? More pain than he had ever felt before? What if neither one of them could control this? Next time they might not be able to stop. What then?
Chapter 9
Skylar jolted awake to the sound of the security alarm going off. Last night, Julien did his usual final check of the day for suspicious activity outside her house and there was none. He had installed motion detectors, as well, and that was what had set off the alarm. She tossed the covers aside and grabbed her robe. Leaving her room, she saw a shirtless Julien racing down the stairs with his gun drawn.
She cautiously followed.
He checked the alarm next to the front door, glancing back as she approached.
“Something’s outside,” he said, silencing the alarm. “The garage motion detector was triggered.”
She went to the big front window and peeked out, seeing the motion detector had turned on a bright light.
“Stay here. I’m going to go check outside.”
She waited near the front window, not seeing any movement other than him walking stealthily toward the garage. He checked inside and reappeared, going around her truck, looking in the cab and underneath. He stopped at the bed of her truck, then hurried back into the house.
“Call 9-1-1.”
“What did you find?” she asked, following him to the kitchen where there was a landline.
“There’s a backpack in the bed of your truck that wasn’t there last night.”
A backpack. What on earth? She called 9-1-1, watching Julien navigate on his phone, probably reviewing the video recording that triggered the alarm.
She spoke with the dispatcher, who informed her someone would be there shortly. She disconnected as Julien went back up to his bedroom. A moment later, he reappeared, having added a shirt to his jeans. He carried something other than his gun. She couldn’t tell what it was. Some sort of handheld rectangular device.
He went back outside, scanning the area first, his gun ready. Back at the truck, he wiped something on the backpack and then inserted it into the device.
Then he returned to the house, a grave, flat line to his mouth and concern setting his brow low over his eyes.
“There’s an explosive in that bag,” he said, closing the door.
Someone had intended for her to get in her truck and the device would have exploded? Was the person watching her movements? Would they then detonate the bomb?
“I don’t think they planned on being interrupted by the alarm,” Julien said. He headed for the door again. “Stay here and lock this door until the police get here. I’m going to search the property again.”
He left and the sound of a siren grew louder. While Julien vanished, the sheriff’s vehicle appeared.
Skylar waited for him to reach the porch and then unlocked and opened the door. “There’s a bomb in a backpack in the bed of my truck.”
“Is everyone all right?”
“Yes. Julien went to search the property. He’ll be back in a few minutes.” She hoped. She worried he’d encounter the intruder and get himself hurt. Or killed. Just the mere possibility gave her a heavy feeling in her stomach.
Sheriff McKenzie used his phone to call in some bomb experts.
“We can talk inside,” she said, leading him into her house. She went about making a pot of coffee while he finished talking to his team.
“Tell me what happened,” the sheriff said.
“We were awakened by the sound of the security alarm. Julien went outside and found a backpack. He did a test that confirmed it was some sort of bomb.”
“Has anything else happened since the night the intruder tried to attack you?” he asked.
She shook her head, then remembered. “I fired my deputy ranch manager, but I doubt he would plant a bomb in my truck.” She poured two cups of coffee, then brought them to the kitchen island along with some creamer.
“Tell me about him. What’s his name?” He took out a notepad and pen from his jacket.
“Shawn Bellarmine. I fired him for mistreating my livestock. When I took over the ranch operations, he had to step down as manager and take the deputy position. He never really adjusted after that. I could always sense some animosity.”
“People seek revenge for lesser offenses,” the sheriff said. “I’ll follow up and ask him some questions.”
She remembered what Marko had told her and Julien about Shawn’s girlfriend. “One of my workers said Shawn had a girlfriend no one has seen in a while,” she said. “Her name is Felicia Montague. Julien is looking for her.”
He wrote the name down and then looked back at the security system panel. “Can I have a look at the recording?”
“Go ahead.”
She followed him. As they reached the door, it opened and Julien appeared. “He got away,” he said.
The sheriff played back the recording. She saw someone approach the truck in a hoodie and a mask. When the motion detector triggered the light and the alarm, the man dumped the bag and ran off, disappearing into darkness.
“The mask looks the same as the one the intruder wore,” she said. “He seems about the same height and build, too.”
“What about the man who shot at you?” the sheriff asked.
“Could be the same. That man was farther away, though. I can’t say for sure. I didn’t get a good look at him.” She had been too busy racing to get away from him.
“After the intruder attacked you, I had a team do a much more thorough search for shell casings. They did eventually find two,” the sheriff said.
Skylar was grateful that he had given the incident his full attention.
“I’ve opened an investigation to find out if whoever the man was had intended to bury a body and covered his tracks by burying a bag of trash instead,” the sheriff said. “My only hesitation is that he wouldn’t have had time to go get a bag of trash and bury it before I showed up with my deputies.”
“He may have had it with him as contingency,” Julien said.
“That’s possible.”
“Are you sure there was no body under the bag of trash?” Skylar asked.
“Yes. I saw for myself,” the sheriff said. “Only bare ground.”
The man had decided not to bury the body there, which meant he had disposed of it elsewhere. But where? she asked herself.
The sheriff turned to Julien. “I suggest we start working together on this. You share anything you find and I’ll share what I find. If we have a killer out there, I want him found.”
Julien nodded his head once. “I agree.”
Sheriff McKenzie went out to meet the bomb experts. Julien didn’t follow. Instead, he faced Skylar, putting his hands on her shoulders.
“I think we should go stay at my place until this is over.”
Leave the ranch? She couldn’t do that. There’d be no ranch manager.
“I’ve been thinking about this a lot,” Julien said. “And I found a qualified ranch manager. My resources at DAI found him.”
“What?” He had done all of that without telling her?
“I didn’t tell you until now because I wasn’t sure we would need to go to that extreme. But I do now. A bomb was in your truck.”
“Julien, I...” She put her hand to her head.
“It will only be temporary. You can spen
d a few days with the manager and then we’ll go. This attacker won’t know where you are. He won’t know where I live. And the security there is good.”
He had valid points. She was vulnerable here, even with security. Just working the ranch was dangerous, since she was out in the open most of the day. The killer could be lurking anywhere.
“All right. Bring in your manager.” She wasn’t sure what she had just signed up for, but she could not argue with his logic.
Without work to occupy her days, she and Julien would be spending a lot of one-on-one time together. Given their explosive chemistry, that might prove just as dangerous to her peace of mind.
* * *
A few days later, Julien let Skylar get settled in his guest room. He suspected she needed some space, time to adjust to her new living arrangement. While he had said it was temporary, he couldn’t deny the fantasy of it not being that. She had finished orienting the manager on her ranch and now they were focused on determining if there was any connection between the missing person investigations and the man who kept trying to kill her.
She appeared from her room and joined him in the living room, sitting on the opposite end of the sofa.
“I know a good deli. We could pick something up for lunch,” he told her. “Okay?”
“Sure.”
She sounded stiff and uncomfortable. But before he could say anything else, his cell rang. Seeing it was the sheriff, he answered, putting it on Speaker.
“I went to talk to Wes this morning. Just got back to the office,” Sheriff McKenzie said. “He claims he was working the ranch the morning Skylar saw a man digging. He also said he is fairly certain his wife has left him and is staying in hiding because she didn’t want him to try to follow her.”
“Do you believe him?” Julien asked.
“He could just be saying that,” Skylar said.
“Oh, hello, Skylar. I didn’t know you were on the call.”
“Sorry,” Julien answered. “I put you on speaker and figured she would want to hear what you had to say.”
“That’s fine. Wes admitted he and his wife have been having problems. She wanted to move closer to her parents, but Wes couldn’t accommodate her because of his ranch.”
Her P.I. Protector Page 10