by Jill Sanders
“We’re not sure yet. The coroner will have to do an autopsy. Raven and her friends seem really shaken up though.”
He thought about how the three women had headed towards the elevators happy, laughing, and extremely drunk. Then he thought of Raven finding another dead body in her resort.
He knew she’d take it hard, especially since she’d grown close to Rachelle, but also because the entire town was still talking about the first murder. If it turned out that Rachelle hadn’t died of natural causes, this could be seriously detrimental to the grand reopening that Raven had planned.
“I’m a few minutes out,” he told Sean before hanging up.
When he stepped inside the lobby doors, he noticed Raven, Darby, and Carrie all huddled together under a large blanket.
Blue got to Raven before he did, and he watched from a few steps away as she bent down and wrapped her arms around his dog’s neck.
“Hey,” he said, running his eyes over the friends’ faces. “You guys okay?”
“No,” Darby sniffled.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be okay again,” Carrie said. “That’s the first dead body I’ve ever seen.”
“I was with my dad when we found my mom.” Darby closed her eyes. “That was hard but this…” Then Darby gasped. “Oh, I just remembered you found your accountant.” Her voice lowered. “Without a head.” She laid a hand on Raven’s shoulder. “Sorry,” Darby sighed, “still a little drunk.”
Raven’s face was buried in Blue’s fur, but he heard her sniffle.
“Hey.” He knelt beside his dog. Raven mumbled something incoherent. “What was that?” he asked softly.
Raven lifted her face, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying.
“I’d just given her a raise,” she said as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Oh, honey.” He pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry.”
Just then his uncle walked over to them.
“We’re taking Miss Braun out the side doors,” he informed them. “We won’t know anything further for a few days, but the coroner believes Rachelle’s death wasn’t due to natural causes.”
Raven covered her mouth and closed her eyes.
Two murders under one roof. Cade was desperate at this point to get Raven out from under that roof. But she was stubborn, and he figured he would have to maneuver her so she thought it was her idea. So, he was shocked at her next words.
“Can I stay at your place?” she asked, her eyes searching his.
It took him a moment since he was still trying to figure out how to get her to agree to the move. When her words registered, he nodded quickly.
“Can we stay there tonight too? I don’t think any of us want to be left alone,” Darby asked, running her hands through Blue’s soft fur. “And I don’t want to wake my dad up. He took the morning shift for me.”
“Sure.” He touched Darby’s shoulder.
“I’ll need to meet with you in the morning and ask you all a few questions,” Sean said.
“You know where they’ll be,” Cade said, pulling Raven up to her feet. “Do you need anything?” he asked her.
She glanced towards the elevators. “No.”
“Our bags are in your room,” Darby said.
“I can have one of my men bring them down?” Sean suggested.
“Thank you.” Carrie stood up. “They’re just inside the door.” She turned to Raven, who reached into her small purse and handed Sean her room key.
“Do you want anything?” Sean asked.
Raven’s eyes moved to his. He remembered the last time she’d spent the night at his place. They’d slept in the nude, holding one another all night long. However, knowing that her friends would be there, most likely in the guest room just down the hallway, he nudged her slightly.
“I can go up…” Raven started.
“No,” he broke in. “Whatever she needs, I’m sure I have something she can wear for tonight.”
“Thanks,” Raven agreed.
“Come on. Let’s go home.” He wrapped his arms around her just as Blue happily barked at one of his favorite words.
They rode in his truck in silence, the only sound other than the engine was Blue snoring as he lay across Darby’s lap.
“We should talk about it,” Carrie said suddenly.
“I don’t think I can,” Darby replied.
“I know I had a few glasses of wine earlier, but I’m totally sober now,” Raven said with a slight sigh.
“I could totally go for some chocolate,” Darby said as they approached the general store.
“I can run inside and get you ladies something,” he offered, even though it was past one in the morning.
“Cookies,” Carrie suggested.
“Brownies,” Darby added in.
“With double fudge ice cream,” Raven suggested.
He pulled over and parked, then turned around. “Anything else while I’m in there?”
“Wine,” Carrie said with a slight sigh. “If I had a little buzz again, maybe I could get a few moments of sleep tonight.”
“Any preference?” he asked.
He took their orders and tried to quickly grab everything they’d requested. By the time he walked out of the store with a bag of sweets and three bottles of wine, the ladies were talking. He hated interrupting their conversation, since he knew it was probably the best therapy for them.
As he figured, they stopped talking the moment he got settled in the truck.
He was surprised when they continued talking when he pulled out of the parking lot. Raven was telling her friends how much Rachelle had meant to her and the business.
“I doubt I’ll be able to find anyone else like her,” she said with a sniffle. “We were beginning to really be close friends.”
“I’m so sorry,” Carrie said as he pulled into his driveway.
“I’m so thankful you guys were here with me this time,” Raven said, touching her friend’s hand.
The friends climbed out of the truck, and they all held onto one another for a moment.
“I’ve been wondering what this place looked like on the inside,” Darby said as they stepped inside.
“Take a look around,” he suggested, shifting the bags of groceries. “I’ll put this stuff in the kitchen.”
“I’ll show them around. We can put their bags up in the guest room,” Raven offered.
He guessed that the friends needed a few moments alone. He could hear them talking quietly as they moved about his house. Blue was on their heels as if it were a game.
After putting the ice cream in the freezer, he pulled out a few glasses for the wine and then took out a beer for himself. He’d only had one earlier and figured if he was going to play host for the remainder of the evening, he might as well have a drink.
When the three friends came back downstairs, he’d started a fire. Even though it was dead summer, the night had turned chilly. He had set out a bowl of crackers, some cheese, and some grapes he had as well as the junk food they’d requested. He figured they’d want some more healthy food, since for the past few hours, they’d only been drinking.
“I don’t think I could fall asleep for days. Every time I blink, I see Rachelle,” Darby said, sitting on the sofa and grabbing a handful of chips.
“For some reason, I’m starving,” Carrie added, grabbing some grapes.
“It’s called survivor’s syndrome,” Darby added with a shrug. “After losing Mom in the fire, Dad and I went to counseling. You’d think by now I’d be able to handle death,” she added through a mouthful of food.
“I doubt seeing death ever gets easy. Even for those who deal with it every day,” Raven said softly. She had chosen the chair closest to the fireplace and reached around to pull the throw blanket over herself.
“Does anyone need anything else? I have an early morning and am going he head up,” he said.
“No. Thanks for letting us crash here,” Darby said.
“Thanks,” Ca
rrie added, reaching for some more grapes.
“Help yourself to whatever.” He motioned towards the kitchen as his eyes landed on Raven. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said with a weak smile. “Thank you.”
Nodding, he glanced down at his dog, who was curled up next to Darby. “You can keep him,” he said with a smile. “Advanced warning. He farts at night.”
The three friends smiled, then chuckled after Blue let out a loud fart while remaining dead asleep.
He thought it would take him a while to fall asleep, but the moment his head hit the pillows, he was out.
It had been years since he’d had the dream, so when it started, it was as if it was the first time.
It was ten years ago. The charred ground was still smoking and there were still small flames crackling through some of the larger downed trees.
He was running, his eyes scanning the black ground, looking for Reggie. He had to be there somewhere. His burned-out car had been found parked just off the road less than half a mile from there.
Cade knew that the once-beautiful hillside had been a popular hiking spot, one that his little brother had always loved.
If his car was nearby, that meant Reggie was somewhere close.
He continued to call out his brother’s name until his voice grew hoarse. He coughed from all the smoke that had settled over the blackened land.
Instead of the true memory of him returning home empty-handed that day, in his dream, he came to a small clearing. There, kneeling over his brother’s charred remains, sat Raven. Her red hair floated wildly in the wind. Her crystal blue eyes pierced his as she laughed over Reggie’s body.
He woke with a start, swiping his hands over his face, and instantly realized he wasn’t alone in the bed.
“Are you okay?” Raven asked, shifting to sit up.
“Yeah.” He held her down and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into the red hair he’d just dreamed about, knowing that what he’d dreamed hadn’t been real. “Bad dream.”
She sighed and laid her head against his shoulder.
“Did your friends get settled?” he asked.
“They fell asleep about an hour ago. I thought it would be okay to sneak in here,” she said against his bare chest.
He felt his body instantly react to her closeness. He ran his hand over her bare shoulder.
“Yeah,” he said, nudging her chin up until he could lay his lips over hers. “I’d understand if you don’t want—”
She stopped him by laying her lips over his.
“Cade, I need you,” she said softly.
It was all the encouragement he needed. He slid her tank top over her head, exposing her perfect breasts. Rolling slightly, he pinned her under him and bent his head down to lap at her milky skin.
Her fingers dug into his hair, holding, nudging him on while he explored, tasted, and enjoyed running his mouth and his hands over her.
In the darkness, with horrors echoing in both of their minds, they found one another. Clung together. The slow pace was needed by both of them at this time.
This wasn’t fast-paced, crazed, survivor’s syndrome sex. This was something beyond anything he’d ever experienced. Something deeper than he wanted to explore at the current moment. Instead, he focused on how wonderful her naked body felt against his. How perfect he fit inside her, around her. How her legs wrapped around his hips, holding him close to her heat.
“Cade, I can’t,” she said, biting her bottom lip.
He knew she was trying to keep quiet, since her friends were just down the hallway.
Leaning in, he placed his mouth over hers and swallowed her soft cries as he continued to pound into her until he felt her convulse around him. With his own release, he buried his face into her soft hair and moaned her name.
“That was the absolute best distraction from a bad dream that I’ve ever had,” he said once he’d shifted slightly so he wasn’t pinning her to the mattress with his weight.
She giggled softly as she ran her fingertips over his lower back.
“I needed this. I needed my friends earlier, but then I needed you,” she said with a slight sigh.
“Distractions.” He glanced over at her.
She was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it without Rachelle. She’s been carrying so much weight around the resort.”
“You know, my mother might be able to help you out. At least until you find someone else to take Rachelle’s place.”
“Your mother?” Raven leaned up and frowned down at him.
“She did work at the resort with your parents,” he reminded her.
Raven’s frown grew. “I’d forgotten.”
He smiled. “She was directly under your parents for years.”
“She’s hired,” Raven said and laid back down. “If she wants the job.”
“What do you say we invite her over here for breakfast? I guarantee Sean will be here at sunup anyway with donuts and coffee. I’ll text her in the morning. But for now…” He pulled her close again. “Sleep.”
“Yeah.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you. For everything.”
Just as Cade had expected, his uncle walked in with a box of donuts and coffee shortly after sunup. Cade had texted his mother the moment he’d woken up with his alarm.
He had a few meetings that morning but guessed that he was needed here more, so he called Tony and asked him to fill in for him until he could make it into work.
After hanging out with the man last night, Cade was pretty sure the guy was going to move up in the job quickly. Not only was he smart, but he was easily one of the hardest workers he’d ever trained.
By the time his mother walked into the house, all the ladies were showered and sitting at the kitchen table, nibbling on the donuts and sipping freshly made coffee.
Darby and Carrie had changed out of their dresses into casual clothes, while Raven sat at his kitchen table in a pair of his rolled-up sweats and a sweatshirt, her long red hair still wet from the shower he wished he could have shared with her.
“I’m so sorry about Rachelle,” his mother said, walking over and placing a hand on Raven’s shoulder.
“Thank you,” Raven replied softly.
“How are you three holding up?” his mother asked, sitting next to Sean and reaching for a donut.
“It helped staying here last night,” Darby said.
“I think we needed each other,” Carrie added.
“I know last night was tough on you three, but I’m still going to need to ask you some questions,” Sean broke in.
“Oh, Sean, do you have to right now?” his mother asked.
A look passed between his uncle and his mother, one he’d seen plenty of times before.
“If it was up to me,” Sean finally said with a shrug. “Rachelle’s family deserves answers.”
“Ask your questions,” Raven broke in.
Cade reached over and took her hand at the same time Darby took Raven’s other hand. Then Darby took Carrie’s hand, as well.
“Okay.” His mother nodded. “How about I make something better than sugar to eat?” she suggested as she stood up.
She disappeared into his kitchen, Blue on her heels, no doubt hoping that she’d drop something on the floor. Sean pulled out his notepad and flipped through it.
“I’ve pretty much narrowed the timeline down. The three of you left the bar at twelve-twenty, shortly after the bar closed. You said your goodbyes to Cade”—his uncle nodded towards him— “Tony and Andre, whom Cade drove home.” His uncle flipped the page. “I called Cade at five after one, which means he’d probably just made it in the door.”
“I still had my coat on,” Cade supplied.
His uncle nodded. “The three of you found Rachelle at twelve-twenty-two and called 9-1-1 at that time.”
“I called,” Darby said softly. “I was the first one to notice Rachelle.”
His uncle wrote something dow
n in the notepad.
Sean ran his eyes over the four of them. “Did any of you notice anyone else leave the bar while you were there?”
“Just the employees leaving shortly after midnight,” Raven answered.
“On shift last night was…” His uncle flipped a couple pages and listed off the seven employees for the bar area and the kitchen staff.
“I’d have to check my schedule, but it sounds about right.” Raven nodded.
“Do you know of any employees who had issues with Miss Braun?” Sean asked.
“No.” Raven shook her head. “Rachelle was well liked. She could be tough on employees who goofed off, but for the most part, everyone liked her. It was one of the reasons I’d just given her a raise and a promotion.”
Sean’s eyebrows rose. “How long ago was that?”
“Hours.” Raven shut her eyes. “Hours before she was…” She shook her head. “Earlier that morning.” She pulled out her phone and gave Sean the exact time. “During our Friday morning meeting, I had officially made her Resort Director.”
“Was this common knowledge?” Sean asked, not taking his eyes from the notepad.
“No. I mean, I’m not sure who Rachelle told, but it wasn’t something I spread around. Honestly, it was a spur of the moment kind of thing. Rachelle had been doing so well around here. She saved my butt a few times since I was being pulled in so many directions due to all the construction. I figured I’d better show her my appreciation before someone else snatched her away.”
“Was she looking for another job?” Sean asked.
“No, I don’t think so.” Raven shook her head.
“Miss Braun was hired by your aunt. Do you happen to know when?” Sean asked.
“I’d have to look at her employee record,” Raven answered.
“Do you know anything about the relationship between Miss Braun and your family?” Sean asked.
“I know that my aunt and uncle used Rachelle and didn’t fully appreciate her.”
“Have you given any other employees raises?” Sean asked.
“Some,” she said after she thought about it.
“Have you fired any?” Sean asked.
Raven’s eyes moved to his before she answered. “A few. You don’t think that someone…” Then she shifted and her eyes grew wide. “Is this your way of saying that Rachelle was murdered?”