by Jill Sanders
Chapter Twenty-One
If you can’t handle her fire, let someone else enjoy the flames.
Raven began to feel light-headed until Darby squeezed her hand. Then she gulped in a deep breath of air and waited for Sean to answer her question.
“At this point, I can’t confirm anything. I’m just covering my bases,” he said smoothly.
“Do you think it was an employee at the resort?” Carrie asked.
“I’m not saying that.” Sean glanced towards Carrie. “I’m also checking into Miss Braun’s personal life.” Sean flipped a few more pages in his notebook before looking up at her. “Do you happen to know if Miss Braun was seeing anyone? Personally?”
Raven shook her head. She felt bad that she hadn’t gotten to know Rachelle a little better. The woman had been almost twenty years older than her. The age gap, along with the fact that she had been the woman’s boss, had forced Raven to keep their relationship from growing too personal.
Still, she could have asked the woman a few personal questions.
“Hey.” Cade squeezed her hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She nodded and swallowed the guilt that was building in her gut. Guilt so much like she had felt all those years ago after the fire.
“How about we break for some breakfast?” Cade’s mother stepped into the room and set a plate of eggs down on the table. “Sean, why don’t you come grab some plates for everyone.”
“Fiona, I’m working,” Sean started, but upon Cade’s mother’s look, he sighed and stood up, shutting his notebook.
“Mom has Uncle Sean wrapped around her little finger,” Cade whispered.
“Dah doy.” Darby giggled. “They’ve been dating for years.”
“Dating?” Cade almost yelped the word.
“Oh, snap.” Darby gasped as her eyes moved to the kitchen. “Was it a secret?”
“Dating?” Cade said again as his eyes moved to where his uncle was helping his mother get a stack of plates down from the cupboard. “Dating.”
“Are you okay?” Raven asked, squeezing his hand.
“Yeah, I guess…” He shook his head. “I guess part of me knew, but it’s just…”
“Here we are now.” Fiona walked in and set a stack of dishes on the table while Sean set down a large a bowl of hash browns and a plate of toast.
During breakfast, Raven could see that Cade was watching his mother and his uncle like a hawk.
Each time his uncle’s hand brushed his mother’s, Cade got a strange look on his face. Raven wanted to soothe him, to assure him that everything was okay.
While the six of them ate, Sean continued to ask them questions. None as difficult as before, but questions about who else was in the bar that night.
Between the four of them that had been there the night before, they were able to compile a list of almost everyone there.
Raven was more relaxed with the idea that the culprit was a guest who had been in the resort last night rather than one of her employees. Still, she agreed to Sean interviewing each of the employees that had been working last night.
Which meant she needed to return to the resort. She’d known she had to go back—after all, the place was her life now—but part of her had hoped that she could remain there, with Cade and Blue.
Once the dishes were cleared away, Darcy and Carrie got rides home from Sean. Darcy was excited and claimed she’d always wanted to ride in a cop car but groaned when Sean informed her that he was in his personal car that morning.
Cade asked why he hadn’t driven his patrol car. Instead of answering, Sean had glanced over at Fiona and shrugged.
“I haven’t been to the office yet,” Sean had answered.
The moment his uncle left, Cade turned on his mother.
“Is there something between you and Uncle Sean?” he asked his mother.
Raven held in a smile when Fiona’s coffee mug almost slipped from her fingers.
“What?” she asked, looking a little shocked.
“You heard me,” Cade said slowly.
“Cade,” Raven started, but she stopped when Cade gave her a look.
“Are you and Sean seeing one another?” he asked again.
“Cade.” Fiona sighed. “We decided to keep what’s between us quiet. For many reasons.”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Cade said, then surprised Raven and Fiona by smiling. “You know I love you both.” He sighed. “But damn it, you’ve made me lose a bet.”
“A… bet?” his mother asked.
“Yeah, I bet Andre a few years back that it would take Uncle Sean fifteen years after Reggie’s death to finally ask you out. He bet me it would take less than ten.” He smiled. “I guess I lost a hundred bucks.”
“You…” His mother smiled. “You aren’t mad?”
Cade stood up and walked over to his mother, then wrapped his arms around her. “How can I be mad when I see how happy you’ve become?” He kissed the top of her head. “Besides, everyone knew it was only a matter of time. The two of you have been crazy for one another for years. God knows Sean worships the ground you walk on.”
“It’s been two years,” Fiona said softly. “Two years since we first…”
Cade held up his hand. “I don’t want to know anything more about it. Other than he makes you happy.”
“He does.” Fiona smiled. “He does.”
“Good, then it’s settled.” Cade straightened. “Now, Raven has a proposition for you.” Cade glanced down at her. “I’m going to go let Blue out.” He turned and left with Blue tagging behind him.
Raven took a deep breath as Fiona turned to her. “A proposition?”
Taking a sip of her now cold coffee, she worked up the nerve. She liked Cade’s mother, she always had. Even when she’d been dating Reggie. Now, however, there was a lot more at stake. Especially since she was starting to have real feelings for Cade. Feelings she’d never experienced with Reggie or anyone else.
“Don’t think me…”—she shook her head— “dark. But I really relied on Rachelle around the resort. Honestly, she was the only employee I could really rely on. Cade reminded me that you used to work under my parents.”
“I did.” Fiona smiled. “When they passed and your uncle and aunt took over, I stepped down.” Her eyes grew sad. “After losing Reggie, I…” She shook her head. “I spent a few years living under my mother’s roof, since I lost my own home in the fire. It took me a few years to get back on my own feet. By then, your uncle had run the resort… well, you know the rest.” She stopped talking.
“I understand.” She smiled. “If you’re amenable, I’d like to ask you to fill Rachelle’s position. It could be temporary or…”
Fiona laid her hand over her own. “Raven, I’d be happy to help you out. To be honest, I’ve been bored lately and looking for something new to fill my time.”
“Seriously?” Raven asked then felt guilty when Fiona nodded. “I know it’s not the best circumstances. The resort is still in need of leadership. Some of the employees are still struggling with me being in charge.”
“Honey, at this point, it can only help to have someone like me around,” Fiona said.
“How so?” Raven asked.
“Everyone in town knows that I don’t listen to gossip. After all these years of hearing rumors about Sean and I.” She leaned closer. “Make no mistake, I was true to my husband until the day he died. Cade is his father’s son, who happens to strike a remarkable resemblance to his uncle.”
Raven smiled. “I look like my grandmother. I saw pictures of her when she was young.” She remembered seeing the black and white image of her grandmother and freaking out at how much she looked like her. “I used to believe I was adopted.” She chuckled.
Fiona smiled. “Remember, I was close friends with your parents. I held Rosemary’s baby shower for you.”
“Then it’s settled.” Raven smiled. “We won’t pay any attention to rumors.”
“Agreed.” Fiona held out h
er hand and Raven shook it. “So, when do you want me to start?”
“Today, if possible,” Raven said after a moment. “Sean has requested interviews with employees, and I’m going to need to do damage control. One murder was bad enough, but two.” She closed her eyes.
“We’ll get through this,” Fiona said in a soothing tone.
Just hearing those words from someone who Raven understood had her back made her feel instantly better.
Since Cade had to head into work, Raven rode with Fiona back to the resort. After a quick dash upstairs to change into some of her own clothes—avoiding the elevator and using the stairs—she met with Fiona in her office to go over all of Rachelle’s duties.
Raven was happily surprised to see how quickly Fiona picked everything up.
“It’s as if I never left,” Fiona said a few hours later. “Except for the new computer systems.” She rolled her eyes.
“You’ll pick up on it soon enough,” Raven promised her.
“I’ve asked Cemal to request all employees gather for a meeting at noon in the bar area. I plan on explaining Rachelle’s death and letting them know you’ll be filling in for her,” Raven said, glancing down at her watch. It was less than an hour until noon. “If you want, I’ll show you to your office and you can get settled until then?”
“Thank you.” Fiona stood up and then surprised Raven by pulling her into a hug. “I meant to do this earlier. I’m really sorry for your loss. After this morning, after understanding how you felt about Rachelle, I’m terribly sorry about your loss.”
“Thank you.” Raven’s eyes stung as she held onto Cade’s mother.
After showing Fiona to Rachelle’s small office just down the hallway from her own, Raven headed downstairs to the kitchens. She wanted, no needed, another cup of coffee.
She hadn’t planned on overhearing the latest gossip as she stood in the hallway.
The double doors to the kitchen area were always closed but today, they stood wide open. She was about to close them when she heard her name. Normally, she would have turned around and left, since she hated listening to gossip about herself. She knew what others had been saying over the years. But something made her stop and listen this time.
“It was Raven,” a woman was saying. “I heard that she was close to firing Rachelle because she was jealous that employees listened to Rachelle instead of her. After all, we all know that she’s the one who started the fire all those years ago.”
“Those are just rumors,” a man said in reply.
“Rumors with some truth. The cause of the fire was never really found out. Besides, she’s probably the one who killed that accountant in the elevator. I’d heard that he was blackmailing her.”
“Blackmailing?” the male voice asked. “What for?”
“She’d been sleeping around. From what I hear, she was keeping the company of some important person in town and the accountant had proof,” the woman said. “I mean, she’s been back here for less than three months and is already in Cade Stone’s bed.”
Hearing Cade’s name shook her out of the stupor.
Without really thinking it over, she stepped into the kitchen. Seeing the male dishwasher leaning against the counter with the maid practically in his lap, Raven felt her temper surface.
“Out.” She pointed to the door. The couple immediately jumped apart upon being discovered. “Out,” she said again.
When the female started to leave, Raven stopped her.
“No, I don’t think I’ve made myself clear. You’re fired.” She turned her eyes to the young boy who had worked in the kitchen for less than a few weeks. “You too.” She motioned. “Both of you. Collect your things and your last check on your way out.”
The pair looked dumbstruck for a moment, then the girl grabbed the boy’s hand and pulled him out of the kitchen.
If Raven had been in her right mind, she would have thought to ask her where she’d heard the rumors. Instead, she leaned against the counter and took several deep breaths until she felt her heart return to its normal beat.
By then, she was too upset to even think about coffee and turned around and headed back upstairs. Besides, it was less than ten minutes before her scheduled meeting with all the employees.
For the next few minutes, she ran over what she wanted to say to everyone. Two minutes before noon, Fiona knocked on her door.
“Ready?” Fiona asked. She waved her inside the office.
“Help.” She motioned to her notes. “What in the hell am I going to say?”
Fiona ran her eyes over Raven’s notes and then sat down. “This is a good start.”
“It sucks.” She rolled her eyes. “I come off sounding weak and shallow. Honestly, before Rachelle’s even buried, I hired her replacement.”
“Because business has to go on. You’re just looking out for your investment and also thinking about your employees. It wouldn’t do to let them worry. It’s key to let them know you have their backs and that they have security in leadership. Don’t let your doubts weigh you down. You’ve got this.”
“I do,” she said after a moment, feeling a little steadier.
“Ready to do this?” Fiona stood up and handed her the notepad.
“Yes.” She took the notepad and set it down.
“Don’t you need that?” Fiona asked.
“No. I’ve got this.” She felt her entire body start to shake.
It was just like debate class in high school. Every single time she stood in front of two or more people and had to talk, she freaked. Her knees shook, her voice shook, her heart raced, and her palms grew sweaty. Like they were currently doing.
Wiping her hands on her slacks, she took a deep breath and followed Fiona out of her office and down the hallway into the bar area, where every single one of her employees was waiting on her.
She was thankful to see Sean and officer Karin Taper waiting in the lobby area.
“I thought you’d need backup,” Sean said as he glanced towards Fiona, who nodded and mouthed, “Thanks.”
When the four of them stepped into the bar area, the low chatter stopped, and the entire place grew quiet.
“Thank you,” she said, hating the mellow tone of her voice. Her entire body was vibrating with nerves and yet her voice sounded soothing and was laced with security, betraying her emotions. “As many of you may have already heard, Rachelle Braun passed away late last night.” Several employees gasped while a few others started crying softly. “Rachelle is going to be missed, and I know this is hard on all of us. I’ve scheduled a grief counselor to be available for anyone who needs it.” She glanced around the room and noticed more dry eyes than wet ones.
She knew that Rachelle was liked by most, but Raven understood that most employees hated their bosses, no matter what. Especially in the hospitality world.
Just then Sean shifted and got her attention.
“Sheriff Stone has requested to meet with each of you at some point this week,” she said, causing several people to groan. Holding up her hands she continued, “I know that all of us want to get to the bottom of what happened with one of our own.” The groans stopped. “I’ll expect everyone to carve out some time to meet with the sheriff.”
“Thank you in advance for your cooperation,” Sean said, stepping forward.
“Was Rachelle murdered?” someone shouted.
Sean glanced at her, and she motioned for him to take over.
“At this point, we’re looking into every possibility. Until we find out, I’m just doing my job,” Sean said smoothly.
He stepped back and everyone turned to her again. “Many of you know Fiona Stone.” She glanced over at Cade’s mother. “Fiona used to work with my parents before Rachelle was hired and has agreed to come back to lend us a hand during this challenging time.” She stepped back. “Fiona, would you like to say something?”
Cade’s mother stepped forward. “Thank you. I know it’s been a tough time, but I hope that I can ease any of your
concerns about the work and what is expected of you around here.” Fiona was a pro. As Raven listened to her talk and ease the employee’s minds, she wondered what it would take for her to be that confident.
When Fiona stopped talking, Raven stepped forward again.
“Is it true you fired Max and Kim today?” someone asked.
Raven didn’t see who it was that asked, but when several employees chimed in with other questions, she felt her face flush.
“Does that mean more of us are going to be fired?”
“Why did they get fired?”
While other questions were thrown at her, she felt her pulse spike. Thankfully, Fiona stepped forward and laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Any employment questions can be directed at me. If you’d like to know why Max and Kim were let go, I’d be happy to meet with you. For now, the answer to the other questions is no. At this point, I don’t plan on letting anyone else go. Just as long as you show up to work on time, maintain a professional attitude, and stick to your jobs.” Fiona smiled warmly. “Now, I’m sure Miss Brooks is ready to turn us all loose and let us get back to work.”
“Yes.” Raven stepped forward. “Thank you all for making time this morning. You are released to head back to work.” She turned to leave but stopped when Sean motioned her over.
“Do you have a moment?” the sheriff asked her.
“Sure, we can head back to my office.” She led him down the hallway.
Sitting behind her desk, she started to feel a little more like herself. That fell apart with Sean’s next words.
“We just heard back from the coroner’s office. It appears that Rachelle Braun was poisoned.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
When a heart is on fire, sparks always fly out of the mouth. ~ Traditional Proverb
There was a lot that Cade liked about his hometown. And then there was a lot he didn’t like. Today, he’d found out just how vicious some people in town could be. It had been less than a week since word had officially gotten out that Rachelle had been murdered.