Hometown Detective (Cold Case Detectives Book 6)

by Jennifer Morey

  “She has a way of making you feel like you don’t measure up. But for some reason, she liked me and we became friends.”

  Deidra and Melody were close, too. “So, even though she’s materialistic, she’s a nice person?”

  “She’d be the first to admit she’s materialistic. What I like about her is she’s so family-oriented. She adores Glenn. And when Deidra died, she was here all the time taking care of him.”

  “He was upset over her death?”

  “Yes. He still talks about her sometimes. He was devastated when he lost her. Sometimes I think he still loves her and can never love another woman more.”

  Wow, that was news. Kendra glanced back into the house for Roman. He stood talking to Cal.

  “His mother would do anything for him, but the one thing she couldn’t do was bring his wife back to life.”

  That didn’t sound like the reaction of a man who’d murdered his wife. Had he duped Vikki into believing that?

  “I told Glenn that Kaelyn called me before she died.”

  Kendra went utterly still.

  “He was stunned at first...more like confused. He asked why and I told him she wanted to warn me about him. He sort of laughed and said, Me?”

  “Like he found that ridiculous?”

  “Yeah. But I told him Kaelyn must have had something to warn me about and asked him if he knew what that might be.”

  Kendra waited with anxious excitement.

  “He said no, and he had no idea why Kaelyn felt she had to warn me about him. He said she must have been jealous or somehow sensed or found out that he was going to break it off with her and devote himself to his marriage. He said that’s what he wanted with Deidra, and the reason he went to Kaelyn was because he felt lost and needed to find himself. Being shown the wrongness of having an affair made him realize marriage was important to him and he loved me.”

  And she’d fallen for that sappy story? Maybe Kendra was too distrusting, but if a man ever told her he slept with another woman to find himself she’d laugh, and then tell him to go get lost again.

  “So, you really think you have nothing to fear from Glenn?”

  “Not anymore. We’ve been married long enough for us to know each other very well. I can tell when he’s telling me the truth and when he’s being sincere. He didn’t kill Deidra. He had nothing to do with Kaelyn’s death. And he certainly wouldn’t hurt me.” She paused and seemed to mull something over, fret over it. “He did say after you presented him with Kaelyn’s murder he thought maybe his dad had something to do with it, and if so maybe Deidra, too. You know, because of the whole scandal with the mayor. I asked Melody about that at our last lunch and she was standoffish. She doesn’t like talking about it.”

  “Hudson has done more than grease the law for the mayor’s son,” Kendra said. “He takes bribes on a regular basis.”

  “That’s what Glenn thinks, too. But he spoke with his father and said he believed him when he denied he could murder anyone. I’m not so sure. Glenn was angry when I said I thought if anyone would want to kill, it would be his father. He’s very protective of his dad.”

  Roman appeared in the patio doorway holding a receipt he showed to Vikki. “Do you recognize this?”

  Vikki took the receipt. “Oh, that’s the general store near our beach house.”

  “You have a beach house?”

  “We share it with Glenn’s parents. The cabin is the same. It’s shared. I’ll give you the address if you need it.”

  “We’d like to search that, as well, so if you could let us in, that would be helpful.”

  “Sure. I’ll give you a key. If Glenn isn’t happy about that, then he can go with you.”

  He sure could. Vikki was being awfully accommodating while her husband resisted at every turn. Did he have something to feel guilty about?

  * * *

  Glenn wasn’t happy to learn they intended to search the beach house. He’d snapped at Vikki for giving them a key. Cal had to get another search warrant, but that only took an hour. Then Roman had a DAI plane fly him and Kendra to North Carolina. Now approaching nighttime, a team of police swarmed the beach house property.

  It didn’t take long before one of the officers found a body in the freezer. Someone had dug a fresh fire pit in the backyard, as well. Even though Kendra was no detective, she didn’t need it spelled out for her that someone had planned to burn Deidra’s body as soon as they felt safe.

  “Someone had weekend plans,” Roman said.

  Luckily, they’d arrived before someone could destroy crucial evidence. They stood on the back patio to give everyone plenty of room to search the house. Local authorities had joined them and helped get the warrant.

  Cal appeared in the dining area and came through the open sliding door. “We’re wrapped up here. They’ll make arrangements with local authorities to have the body transported back to Chesterville. Once I have the coroner’s report, I’ll give you a call.”

  “Thanks.” Roman glanced around, and then turned to Kendra. “It’s getting late. Do you want to fly back tonight or stay somewhere here?”

  She listened to waves wash ashore, lights from the house fading at the sandy edge of the beach. No point in making the pilot lose sleep.

  “Might as well find a place here.”

  “There’s an inn not far from here,” one of the local policemen said as he approached from the side of the yard. A few officers searched outside, as well, and took samples from the fire pit.

  “It’s on the beach,” the officer added. “White Pelican Inn.”

  “I could use a good night’s sleep,” Kendra said, thinking, and a long walk on the beach.

  * * *

  The innkeeper yawned as she waved good-night. The tall, thin woman ran the place by herself, her husband having passed a few years ago. She’d been generous to take them in after ten. Now with a passcode to get back inside, Kendra walked past the stairs where the innkeeper had instructed them to go, then first door on the right.

  “Kendra?”

  Roman had stopped at the stairs.

  She turned. “I’m going for a walk on the beach.”

  “Now?” He sounded incredulous.

  “Yes. I’ve never been to the beach before.”

  He walked to her. “Never?”

  “No. I’ve taken trips to Europe and Canada, but never anywhere there was a beach. A real beach, with white sand and no metropolitan areas.”

  “I’ll go with you.” His tone had softened and she wasn’t sure of his motive.

  “In case we were followed,” he added.

  Or was that a cover? They’d been so busy chasing Deidra’s body that they’d barely had a moment alone. Kendra had told herself that was for the best, but now she felt a need to just be with him.

  Ignoring the caution pricking her, she started for the door again. “Okay.”

  Outside, the smell of salt water hit her and sparked excitement. This wasn’t a vacation but for now, she could pretend.

  Away from the glow of house lights, moonlight reflected on choppy waves in the distance. Her feet sank into the sand. She stopped and removed one sandal then the other, dangling them from her fingers.

  Beside her, Roman walked in his loafers until sand must have gotten inside. She smiled as he stopped and did the same as her.

  Then they walked together, looking out at the water, listening to the ebb and flow of the tide. No one else was on the beach even though the shore was lined with houses. If she lived here, she’d never get tired of the beach.

  “If you like the ocean so much, why not move closer?” Roman asked.

  He’d noticed that much about her?

  “I’ve never been to the beach. I didn’t know I loved it so much.” Photos. Books about them, yes, but to live on the beach? She imagined opening a Christmas sho
p in a small community like this one. The population was only about fifteen hundred, but it was surrounded by other cities and towns.

  “Chesterville isn’t that far from here.”

  True. She could drive here whenever she wanted. With Kaelyn dying, she hadn’t even thought about doing anything like that. “It’s been ages since I went on a vacation.”

  “Not since you lost Kaelyn?”

  She shook her head.

  “We might have to change that when we catch her killer.”

  She studied his profile and saw a relaxed brow and slight upward curve to his mouth. What did he mean? Did he even know what he’d just said? He talked as though they’d still be together after the investigation closed.

  She did like how he sounded so certain, though. She doubted Roman had any uncertainties once he made up his mind. Well, save for one. He was getting over that, though. At least, she sensed he was. Even so, he needed to feel he was in a real relationship, and Kendra didn’t think she could give him that, not for a long, long time. For her to trust a man, to really trust him and open her heart to him, she needed time, probably more than he could give. It might be years before she could truly let down her guard with a man, to trust that he was all she thought he was with no surprises lurking in the future.

  Just then, he stopped her with his hand on her arm, pointing up to the sky. She looked in time to see a shooting star fade into space.

  “Make a wish,” he said.

  “You, Mr. Must Have It Real, believe in that sort of thing?”

  “You ruined your chance for a wish,” he said, facing her and pulling her to face him. “But that’s okay. I made a wish for both of us.”

  What was he doing? Had he lost his mind? What happened to thinking she lived in a cushy bubble of nonreality?

  “You aren’t supposed to tell, are you?” She tried to make light of this moment but the onset of passion kept building.

  “No.” He slid his hand to her lower back and released her hand to hold her closer.

  The warm, romantic feelings he stirred kept her from withdrawing. That and wonder over what he’d wished for. Roman didn’t strike her as the sentimental type. Something about them as a couple had compelled him, something she didn’t think he would have done had he had time to think it over.

  Lulled, she tipped her head back and met his kiss. Endless and soft, the joining went on for several seconds, until she slid her hands up his chest and pressed for more. He answered with more heat, stoking the mystical fire they generated. With the ocean waves rolling and gliding back of the sandy shore, with the moonlight and stars and distant, faint lights from widely spaced houses, she gave over to pure sensation.

  At last, he parted from her and she looked up into eyes that mirrored what she felt, a deep, driving need.

  Without saying anything, he took her hand and walked with her back up the beach toward the inn.

  Kendra quietly opened the patio door and entered, Roman closing it and locking them in. With the kiss still going through her mind and body, she didn’t question the rightness of climbing the stairs to their room. Besides, this didn’t have to last. She didn’t have to commit to anything. They didn’t know each other that well yet.

  In the room, she went to the window. The inn was far enough back and on a high enough hill that she could see the beach from here. She watched the waves crest white and smooth and then climb up onto the beach. The tall grass in the foreground danced in a shadowy sway. The view helped rekindle what had begun on the beach.

  Hearing no sound behind her, she turned. Roman stood near the bed, watching and waiting. He wouldn’t make a move until she gave him a sign.

  She’d been bold with boyfriends before, but was never this into it. Slowly, she lifted the hem of her sundress over her head and walked toward him. The dress required no bra, so after she kicked off her sandals, all she wore was her underwear.

  That should be enough of a sign for him.

  With eyes burning hotter, Roman lifted his shirt off, muscles rippling, and kicked off his own shoes. By the time she reached him, he had unfastened his pants.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “If I wasn’t I wouldn’t be doing it.”

  “Yeah, but...” He pushed down his pants and stepped out of them.

  She touched his stomach and chest. “We’re both adults. We don’t have to expect anything from each other just because we enjoy each other.”

  His mouth turned up in a one-sided grin. “You might want more than you think after this.”

  She chose not to listen to him anymore. But she did want to know one thing. “Do you want more than this?” She curved her arm around his shoulder and pressed her bare breasts to him.

  He sank his hands into her hair and pulled her head back more. “It might not be enough. I might need to do this a few more times.”

  That heated her up even more. He hadn’t said he required a commitment, which relaxed her guard. She let go all the way, taking his mouth for a soul-deep kiss and forgetting all else but the magic they created.

  Chapter 17

  Raelyn hadn’t gone through her mother’s things since she went to the house to pick out the things she wanted to take with her. Late at night, she couldn’t sleep for thinking about her. She couldn’t explain why, but she had to be among her mother’s things right now. Be with her in any way she could.

  Her dad had been a total ass the whole time she’d packed her mother’s personal belongings, trying to direct her and tell her what she could and couldn’t take. Raelyn had taken everything. All her mother’s clothes, all her jewelry and her computer. She still couldn’t bear to try on any of her clothes or jewelry. The clothes smelled like her and the jewelry would just make her sad. But ever since Kendra had weaved her way into her life, she’d been worried someday she’d forget what her mother looked like. She could forget memories that were special when they’d actually been made. Traits. Her mother’s personality.

  When it was just the two of them and her mom felt safe, she was funny and bright and cheery. She was sarcastic but not in a mean way. Raelyn would laugh and see how her mother enjoyed that, making her laugh. That was the girl her aunt once knew, the twin she’d grown up with until they’d been separated. Her mother wasn’t the cowering, terrified woman Dad turned her into. The silent woman. The one who had to agree with every stupid thing her dad ever said, especially when he was drinking. How she must have felt suffocated, being forced to be an idiot’s version of what a wife should be—always in his putrid shadow.

  Raelyn hated her father. Always would. About the only memory she had of him was how easy it was to set him off. Even the most insignificant things—dinner, a movie or just correcting him when he was clearly wrong about some trivial fact—would turn him into a monster. And once he was in his rage, nothing could be said or done to stop him. He’d have his rant and his physical violence and everyone would have to just live through it—or pray to.

  Hated him. Hated him with every molecule in her body and mind.

  She’d let him know, too. She’d sent him a letter when she found out he’d been sent to prison. She told him he was where he belonged and she was a happier person knowing he’d never be able to see her again. And if he ever was released from prison, then she’d be armed. And if he ever dared come near her again, she’d kill him on sight.

  Now, she hoped she’d never have to do that, but damn if she wouldn’t, especially now that her mother’s death had not been suicide. Her father had stolen years of happiness from her mother.

  No way would she let her father ruin this moment. No more thoughts of him. Only her mother. She missed her mother so much.

  Raelyn sat down with the laptop, her mother’s laptop, and opened her pictures folder. Her mother had loved to take pictures, mostly of Raelyn, but also of nature. Their low-income backyard had turned into artful mas
terpieces when her mother would isolate a flower or part of a fence. A picture of the entire yard would reveal the truth, but her mother had an eye for all things beautiful. Aunt Kendra was wrong if she thought she was the only artistic one.

  Raelyn went through photo after photo, seeing herself grow up in the eyes of her mother, one picture at a time until she reached the last one taken. It had been her the summer before her senior year in high school. She’d died shortly thereafter. Raelyn ran her finger down the laptop screen when she came to a photo of the two of them. Her mother had taken a selfie of them.

  When she saw more pictures were in this file, she clicked to view them. She hadn’t known these were here.

  “That’s odd.” Raelyn angled her head, trying to figure out why her mother would take a picture of a rock. It looked like it was in a flower bed, and nothing this fancy was at their house.

  She clicked to see the next. This time the rock had been rolled away to expose the wormy ground. The next photo was a hole and the top of a can could be seen.

  “Where is this?” And what is this?

  The next photo was of the back of a nice, big house, one she didn’t recognize. The last photo was of the front of the same house, and something eerie and cryptic was captioned beneath.

  It’s still there.

  Chapter 18

  Roman woke to a ringing phone. His cell phone. He blinked open his eyes. Lying flat on his back with one arm folded above his head, he grew aware of someone next to him—the warm, even breaths, the tickle of hair. The night came rushing back. Kendra lay on her stomach with one leg bent, a slender thigh sticking out from tangled covers. He enjoyed the view until his phone rang for the fourth time.

  Reluctantly, he turned from the sight and memory, and reached for his phone.

  “Cooper.”

  Kendra stirred, a soft moan distracting him and making him wish the morning hadn’t been interrupted.

  “Roman. Cal. You and Kendra need to get to the Chesterville Hospital as soon as possible. Vikki was taken here late last night. I’m making sure the doctors check her for poison.”