by Jill Sanders
Since she’d worked late, she wasn’t surprised to see that all the workers had gone for the day. They’d left behind them new floors, new ceiling tiles in the bar, and a freshly painted wall that she had plans to cover with local artwork that Cal had talked her into purchasing.
Everything was coming together nicely. Since they had been trying to finish the bar area first, the dining area was still cut off from the lobby by a wall of plastic sheeting. Since there weren’t any guests, shutting down the main dining area hadn’t been a big problem. Hotel employees enjoyed their meals in the makeshift dining area they’d set up in the front lobby area.
She doubted they’d been able to do anything in there but still wanted a look. The fountain had been drained in order to prepare it for a fresh coat of paint and some pipe updates.
Stepping through the plastic, she instantly noticed that nothing had changed in the area yet. The old flooring hadn’t even been ripped up yet.
She’d been assured by David that the bar would be finished in a few days. Once done, the dining area in the lobby would be shut down and eating would be limited to the bar area.
Just as long as they finished the two dining areas before the season started, she figured it wouldn’t disrupt guests too much.
Not that they had a lot of guests scheduled to come through their doors. Yet. She’d looked at the reservation log herself. But she had a few ideas about getting more guests once all the work was done. She knew that the season always brought a steady flow through the resort, but with her plans, she was determined to be just as busy in the off-season as well.
Standing facing the fountain, she glanced around and imagined how it would all look. How it would feel crowded with families, people enjoying themselves like they used to, back when her parents were in charge.
Her phone chimed, and she glanced down at it. She was walking by the elevators and had started reading the email from Ruth when she slipped on the wet floor. She reached out to catch herself before she fell completely and got a handful of the plastic as she went down hard.
She landed on her hip and winced as pain shot through her upper thigh and her hands, which she’d put out to stop her fall.
Taking a moment, she closed her eyes and tried to breathe through the pain. When she opened her eyes again, she glanced around for her cell phone, which she’d dropped.
It had slid across the floor back towards the fountain. From here, she could see that the screen was cracked and groaned at the thought of replacing it.
When she moved to stand up, she frowned down at her hands. They were covered in blood. Had she cut herself? She figured that she wouldn’t walk away without any scrapes, since she’d gone down hard, but there was so much blood covering her fingers that she instantly worried she’d sliced herself deeper.
Frantically, she searched herself and only found a few cuts that were barley bleeding.
Then she noticed her pants were wet and looked around behind her, where she’d slipped. A puddle of dark red liquid pooled just inside the plastic that led towards the elevators.
She carefully stood up, avoiding the blood, and stood directly in front of the sixth elevator and held her breath. The elevator, one of the only original elevators left in the main building, had been shut down recently for repairs and, since it led directly to the closed dining area, it had been sealed off until all the renovations were done.
She looked down at the tile just outside the elevator doors and frowned at more dark liquid pooling there as she reached for the button. It shouldn’t have worked. It should have had no power to it. Yet, she listened as the car moved closer to the main floor. When the doors slid open, she scrambled backwards and once again, landed on the floor in the sticky liquid as her scream echoed through the lobby.
Half an hour later, she sat in the bar area, a blanket wrapped around her and a cup of hot tea held between her hands.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Cemal asked again.
Raven nodded as she’d done a dozen or so times before. She didn’t trust her voice. She’d screamed and screamed until Cemal had rushed through the plastic to find her and the… Raven closed her eyes at the memory. Of seeing all the blood around a man’s shoulders where a head used to be.
She’d never seen a dead body before. Well, not like that. She’d been the one to find her grandmother that morning. But her gran had looked like she was sleeping. She’d looked so… peaceful.
Whoever it was in the elevator, there was no way he’d gone peacefully. Then again, being decapitated in such a manner had to have happened quickly.
“Miss Brooks?”
Raven glanced up through her tear-filled eyes and, for a moment, she believed it was Cade standing in front of her. Then she blinked and saw it was his uncle, Sheriff Sean Stone. If she’d been in a different mental state, she would have taken a moment to appreciate how sexy the man was. How much Cade look like him, would look like him in a few years.
“Yes,” she said, setting down the teacup.
“May I?” he asked, and Cemal jumped up to give the man her seat.
She was thankful that by the time Cemal had shown up beside her, the elevator doors had shut again, blocking the horrible view from the young girl.
“Please.” Raven motioned towards the chair.
“I’ll just…” Cemal motioned towards the front. “If you need me.” She touched Raven’s arm.
Raven had been allowed to go into the bathroom and clean up after the first officers had arrived and snapped a few pictures of her hands and arms with their cell phones.
“Think you can go over everything that happened with me?” Sean asked in a calm voice.
“I can try,” she said in a shaky voice.
By the time she was done telling Cade’s uncle what she’d gone through, she felt a little steadier. Her tea had been replaced by a shot of bourbon at Sean’s request, and she was sipping it and feeling slightly more relaxed.
Since she hadn’t had any dinner yet, she was now feeling tipsy as well. Her food had been delivered to her there in the bar, after word had gotten out about what had happened, but so far, she hadn’t opened the lid. If she did, she’d probably lose all the liquid in her stomach.
“My god. What the hell happened here?” They both turned to see Cade rush towards them. He didn’t stop until he’d pulled her up out of the seat and into his arms. “Are you okay?” Cade asked her softly.
“I am.” She closed her eyes and held onto him.
“You should have called me,” Cade said over her shoulder to his uncle.
“I sent you a text the moment I knew about it,” Sean answered.
He leaned back as his eyes scanning her face. “You’re pale.”
She nodded and swallowed.
“What happened here?” Cade asked Sean as he helped her sit down again.
Sean took Cade’s shoulders and stepped away from her. She heard him whisper into his nephew’s ear quickly, relaying what she’d gone through.
Cade’s eyes moved to her as he listened.
Then he was back beside her. “You’re done?” he asked Sean.
“For now,” Sean agreed. “I’ll be by in the morning with any other questions.” Then he turned to her. “If you think of anything else, write it down, and we can go over it in the morning.”
She nodded again in response. They watched his uncle disappear through the plastic sheet wall, heading towards the elevator.
Closing her eyes, she tried not to think about what was beyond the barrier.
“I’m taking you upstairs,” Cade said. “Is this yours?” He motioned to the covered food and the glass of bourbon.
She nodded. He lifted the lid of the food and then smelled the drink. “Sean’s idea?” he asked her. Again, she nodded.
She realized she’d used up all her energy talking to his uncle. She was completely drained.
What she wanted now more than anything was to get out of the soiled clothes, take a long hot shower, and go to sleep
.
Cade helped her stand and then took the tray and led her towards the bank of elevators across the lobby area that led them to the west building.
“I assume you haven’t had a chance to move rooms yet?” he asked her.
She shook her head and hit the button for the top floor.
“I did stress how dangerous it was having anyone stay in this building until it was updated, correct?” he asked once they were in the elevator.
She sighed and closed her eyes and the moment the doors shut, a full-on panic attack hit her at the thought of the body lying on the floor of an elevator just like this one.
“Hey.” Cade’s arms wrapped around her. “Breathe. I’m here,” he said into her hair as her eyes closed tighter. “Just breathe.” He nudged her chin up and started kissing her. His lips ran over her face softly, raining tender kisses over her cheeks, her eyes, down her chin and neck until she felt her breathing level.
When she heard the elevator door open, she pulled back and took a deep breath.
“Okay?” he asked.
She nodded once again and held the doors open while he retrieved the tray he’d set on the floor.
He followed her to her room and stood back while she unlocked the door.
She hadn’t really thought about how she looked until she passed the large mirror over the desk. Wincing at the mess she was, she motioned to the table.
“You can set that down there. I’m going to go…” She looked down at her blood-stained clothes. “I’m okay, if you want to…”
“I’ll stay,” he said firmly. “Go, clean up. I’ll order myself a sandwich as well.” He motioned to the tray. “Want anything else?”
She shook her head and turned to head into her room.
Shutting the door behind her, she stripped off the soiled clothes and, instead of putting them with her clothes to be cleaned, she tossed them in the trash can, knowing the pants were beyond help.
She stepped under the hot spray, leaned against the tile, and slid onto the shower seat. She buried her face in her hands and cried until she felt too tired to continue.
After scrubbing her entire body raw, she turned off the water, ran a comb through her hair, and pulled on her favorite pair of plaid pajamas.
When she stepped out of the bedroom, Cade was sitting at the table, looking down at his phone.
“Any updates?” she asked, sitting across from him.
His eyes ran over her, no doubt assessing her. She was too tired to care that he was seeing her raw; no makeup with her hair dripping wet.
“Yes, they’ve identified who… you found.” He leaned a little closer.
“Who was it?” she asked, bracing herself.
“Joseph Ramsey,” he said quickly.
“What?” She jerked up a little. “No.” She shook her head and searched his eyes for the truth. “How? I… just met with him earlier today.”
She’d been too shocked to recognize that the body had been wearing the same clothes Joseph had been wearing earlier.
“His car is still in the parking lot. His wallet was in his pocket.” Cade sighed. “Sean has more questions for you. I’ve convinced him to wait until the morning.”
She leaned back and closed her eyes. “He left my office. I… I thought he’d left the resort.” She remembered him hugging her and his last kind words to her and tears slipped down her cheeks. “Why was he using that elevator?”
“Hey.” Cade was there again, pulling her into his arms as she sat there and cried for her father’s old friend.
“His assistant, Ruth,” she said a few moments later, her voice laced with worry as her heart raced for fear of the woman’s well-being. “Ruth Downing. She was with him. She wasn’t harmed, was she?” she asked quickly.
Cade lifted her into his arms until she was sitting in his lap. He stroked her hair gently. “She’s safe,” he assured her. “Sean claims he’s already talked to her. They had driven here separately. She claims Joseph mentioned something about another meeting in town after leaving your office. They parted ways in the lobby shortly after your meeting.”
“It’s all my fault,” she said, resting her head against his chest. She was too tired to go on. She couldn’t even open her eyes anymore.
“What is?” Cade asked, his voice vibrating against her ear, lulling her even further.
“His death,” she said. She felt her entire body floating. “The elevator. I... I thought that I shut it down.” She felt everything drift off as she fell into a deep slumber brought on by utter exhaustion.
That had gone down better than expected. A calm wave washed over them and there was pride and excitement at going undiscovered, which caused delight to surface. Joy which hadn’t been felt in years mixed with desire for more.
The thrill of seeing the blood had only lit more fires. An exhilarating feeling swelled at how close to getting caught they’d come.
Giddiness rippled while hiding only steps away from Raven as she’d discovered Joseph’s body in the elevator where it had been staged. It was almost too much to hold in the laughter as Raven slipped on the blood. The laughter had almost escaped and given them away.
Then hearing the bitch scream had inspired further. After all, the bitch had it coming, but not quite yet. There was more to do first.
Hopefully, now that Joseph was out of the way, the secret that had threatened to surface had died with him.
It wasn’t the first time killing and thanks to the slut’s return, it wouldn’t be the last. Uncaged. They were finally free, and nothing was ever going to imprison them again.
Chapter Twelve
It may be a fire today — tomorrow it will be ashes. ~ Arabian proverb
Cade laid Raven down on the bed and watched her sleep for a few moments.
Her damp red hair fanned out like flames on the crisp white sheets. Her skin against the snow-white sheets showcased just how much paler she was than they were. He could see a few light freckles just under her eyes and on the tip of her nose. He must not have discovered them before because they were hidden under the makeup she wore. Now, however, her face was free of any cosmetics, giving him the chance to really assess her.
He’d thought she was beautiful before, but now, as she lay raw and exposed in vulnerable slumber, he realized just how beautiful she really was.
When she’d mentioned it had been her fault that her CPA was dead, he’d tensed for just a moment, remembering all those years he’d believed she’d been responsible for his brother’s death. For so long, he’d believed the rumors and the lies that had spread around town.
Then his uncle’s words from the phone call he’d received while Raven had been showering played in his mind.
“Joseph Ramsey was murdered,” Sean had blurted out when he’d answered the call.
“He what?” Cade had almost yelled. Since Sean had only mentioned earlier that Raven had found a man’s decapitated body in an elevator, he’d assumed what everyone else had, that somehow it had been a freak elevator accident.
“He was murdered,” his uncle said. “Are you still with Raven?”
“Yes.” Cade’s eyes had moved to the bedroom door. He could hear the shower running in the other room as worry flooded his mind for her.
“I have a few more questions,” his uncle had started.
“Tomorrow,” he broke in. “Trust me, I doubt she’ll be able to keep her eyes open after she’s done showering.”
“Right.” Sean had sighed. “Until then, will you do me a favor and keep an eye on her?”
Cade thought about it. “Can you swing by my place and keep Blue with you for the night?”
“Sure thing. I’ll grab him once we’re done down here, then I’ll stop by first thing in the morning. What room is she staying in?”
“We’ll meet you in the lobby,” Cade said quickly.
“Nine?” Sean asked.
“See you then,” he had said as a knock sounded at the door when his food had arrived.
No
w, looking down at Raven, he wondered how she would take the news that someone had murdered a man in her resort. A man she’d had a meeting with earlier that day.
He left her sleeping and went back into the other room to eat his dinner, alone.
His mind played over a million questions. Why? Who? Did it have anything to do with Raven’s meeting with the man earlier? Had Joseph Ramsey found out for a fact that Colin Brooks had embezzled money from the resort?
Shit.
Fumbling, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed his uncle.
“Colin Brooks,” he said when Sean answered. He could hear Blue barking in the background.
“What?” Sean asked.
“You don’t think this has anything to do with Colin Brooks and Morgan Roche, do you? Joseph Ramsey was looking into the possibility of them embezzling money from the resort.”
Sean sighed. “I thought of that the moment I found out who it was. After our talk, it’s more than crossed my mind. I’m having my guys look into where both Colin and Morgan were today.”
Cade relaxed back. “Is Blue okay?” he asked after he heard his dog bark again.
Sean chuckled. “Yeah, he’s got a squirrel trapped in the tree. I was just about to get him and take him back to my place.”
“Thanks. You can bring him here in the morning. Raven claims she’s okay with him visiting the lobby and, to be honest, I think she’d like seeing him after today.”
“How is she?” Sean asked.
“She’s sleeping. Dropped off quickly.” He glanced towards the darkened bedroom. “Sean, if it wasn’t Colin or Morgan…”
“We’ll find out who it was,” Sean assured him. “Get some sleep. We’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thanks,” Cade said and hung up.
He removed his shoes and jacket. Then he grabbed an extra blanket, sat on the sofa, and turned the television on, making sure to mute the set. He watched the replays from a college football game.