by Jill Sanders
She’d even sat in on a few of Fiona’s meetings to make sure that her staff were in line. Okay, so she was curious herself about the event and what Fiona was planning for her big day.
The official ceremony would be held in the courtyard with the mountains as a natural backdrop. By then, the fall colors would have flooded the trees, turning the green hills into an explosion of color. Those shades would also be brought into the dining hall with flowers and decorations, transforming it into a glorious new world. She couldn’t wait to see how it all looked.
She’d had David and his team start work on the new ballroom she’d devised. In the base of the west building there had been a number of large storage rooms on the main floor. She’d gotten the idea to turn them into one large ballroom after having a discussion with Darby about hosting prom at the resort. They had decided that the dining hall would be cool, but what they really needed was a ballroom so that guests could still enjoy dinner without having to deal with a bunch of teenagers.
The ballroom would be great for indoor weddings or parties, so she’d had David add the demolition of the storage areas to his first phase.
Less than an hour before she planned on clocking out and heading home—and doing a little mental dance at the thought that home equaled Cade and Blue—Cemal knocked on her office door.
“Come in.” She waved the woman in.
“I hate to bother you so close to quitting time,” Cemal said, glancing down at her watch.
“It’s okay.” She closed her screen down. “What can I help you with?”
“It’s about a new rumor.” Cemal sat down when Raven motioned to the chair.
Raven sighed. “What is it this time?”
She was thankful that she’d made a friend in Cemal at the start. The girl kept her ears open and often came back to Raven with any stories she’d heard.
“This one is a little different.” Cemal leaned forward. “This one is about you directly. I overheard a few of the waitstaff talking about you as if they’d known you in school. Before you left. Before the fire.”
“We have a few on staff who I went to school with. Let them talk.” She relaxed slightly. “It is a small town, and the potential employee pool is pretty shallow.” She smiled and turned back to her computer.
“Yes, well, these rumors involve you sleeping with Mr. Ramsey and…”—Cemal took a deep breath— “your uncle.”
“What?” Raven laughed. “Seriously?”
Cemal nodded as she wrung her hands together.
“Who…” Raven started then held up her hands. “Never mind. We agreed that you’d relay the rumors to me, not snitch on who you’d heard them from.”
She knew the girl didn’t feel comfortable tattling on her fellow co-workers.
Raven leaned back in her office chair and had a thought. Pulling out her cell phone, she sent a text to Cade, asking him to meet her there for dinner.
The dining hall was officially open to the public. Most times it was filled with locals and employees. Still, she was happily surprised at how many people showed up each day for meals. She credited Tim and the new kitchen staff for most of the excitement. But she knew that a lot of locals were dying to see what she’d done with the place or just needed a different choice other than the diner. Something a little fancier. More upscale.
Previously, if they’d wanted to experience that, they would have had to drive all the way into Redding.
Besides, it was where two people in town had been murdered. Some people in town found that totally fascinating.
Cade replied to her text almost immediately, saying that he’d see her there at six. That gave her two more hours to come up with an official plan.
When she couldn’t think of a way to stop the gossip about her, she figured a way to add fuel to the fire instead. Maybe stir things up with some obvious lies?
She even made lists of some of the best ones. Still, she didn’t know how any of them could stop the current rumors flying around the resort. Giving up, she tossed the list into the trash and started pacing her office.
“Problems?” Fiona asked, knocking on her door.
“How do you stop a rumor?” she asked, falling into her chair.
Fiona frowned. “Rumors usually die by themselves once the truth is revealed.”
“What if there isn’t any way to reveal the truth?” she asked, feeling slightly defeated. “When there’s a lack of proof or those involved are dead?”
“This is in regard to the new rumor about you?” Fiona asked.
“I know it shouldn’t bother me at this point, but it just…” She shook her head.
“Irks you?” Fiona finished for her.
“Yes,” she said with a slight chuckle at Fiona’s choice of words. “In high school, it used to drive me crazy. Then, after the fire…” She shrugged. “Years of counseling and my grandmother taught me to put aside those things that I couldn’t control.”
“So why is this rumor any different?” Fiona asked.
Raven thought about it before answering. “Because, at some point, it needs to stop. I can’t let my aunt and uncle win.”
“You think this new rumor was started by them?” Fiona asked.
“Obviously.” Raven leaned back in her chair.
“What would your uncle have to gain from spreading such disgusting lies? And including himself in them?” Fiona asked.
In the past hour and half, she had thought of a million ways to stop the rumors, but not once had she wondered why they’d been started in the first place.
“I can see by your silence that you haven’t thought that one through yet,” Fiona said with a slight nod. “Okay, so let’s start figuring out why he’d start the rumor.”
By the time Cade walked in, she and Fiona had a list of possibilities, revenge being at the very top.
“This is a surprise.” Cade walked over and kissed the top of his mother’s head. “I would have thought that you’d already be home.”
“Sean and I have decided to join the two of you for dinner,” his mother said cheerfully.
“Another wonderful surprise.” Cade walked over to place a kiss on Raven’s lips. “Ready for some food? I’m starving.”
“Yes.” She took one more look at the list she and Fiona had made and then shut down her computer. She stood and wrapped her arms around Cade. “How is your ankle?”
“What’s wrong with your ankle?” his mother broke in.
“Nothing now,” Cade responded. “I sprained it a few days back.” He shrugged and stood back as both women stepped out of the office.
Raven took the arm Cade offered, and his mother took his other arm, and they made their way to the dining hall. Sean was just walking in the front doors when they stepped into the lobby area.
“I like what you’ve done to the place,” Sean said after he placed a kiss on Fiona’s cheek.
Raven noticed that Cade only stiffened and then winced slightly upon seeing his mother’s and uncle’s physical affection.
“This is fun,” Sean said as they stood just outside the dining hall. “We should do this more often.”
“Yes,” Cade said at the same time as Raven.
The moment the four of them stepped into the new and improved dining hall, Raven pulled Cade to a stop just so she could admire the view.
Here it was, Thursday night, and the dining hall was half full. The bar area was standing room only.
“Can you imagine what it’s going to be like after we open the doors for real?” Raven said, trying not to sound so excited.
The truth was, if things continued to go this well, she’d be able to complete the next list of repairs and upgrades around the place, including adding a gift shop, a larger swimming pool with slides for summer guests, and even one more ski lift or two.
“I can see that you’re plotting world domination again,” Cade whispered in her ear. “Or at least what other updates you can do around the place once you have the cash.”
She smile
d and turned into him. It was strange and nice to know that he could pick up on her moods so well. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a quick kiss.
“I’ll stop plotting, as you put it.” She took his hand as they were seated at a table near the wall of glass overlooking the mountains.
She knew that she got the executive treatment, since she was the boss, but still, from any seat in the dining area the view was pretty much the same—a stunning wall of absolute mountainside beauty, no matter the season or the weather.
Currently, the sun was setting, lighting up the hillside with bright shades of orange and red, making it appear as if the entire hillside was on fire. It would have taken Raven’s breath away if she were alone and not having her first official dinner with her boyfriend’s parents.
“How are the wedding plans coming along?” she asked Fiona after they’d ordered their food and their drinks had been delivered.
While Cade and Sean broke into a conversation about work, Fiona filled her in. She couldn’t remember being this comfortable around his family before. Actually, if memory served her right, when she and Reggie had been dating, she’d had dinner at Fiona’s house, the one that had burned down. She’d been so silly back then. So naive. So… utterly young. So nervous.
When Cade’s hand found hers under the table, she smiled and felt a wave of warmth flood her. It had been so different with Reggie.
As she laughed and enjoyed dinner, her thoughts kept returning to the rumors spreading around. Revenge couldn’t be the only reason her uncle had it out for her.
Sure, she’d taken away everything he had. His home, his job, his life, and his reputation, but he’d gotten away with millions. How much money did one man really need? Where had it all gone?
It wasn’t as if they’d been hobnobbing around town. Actually, the word was that they were staying at a friend’s place in Redding now. Completely broke.
Liza was sticking it out in the room upstairs. She’d even gotten a part-time job at one of the boutiques in town to help pay for the room.
Liam Montford had shown up on Raven’s radar a month after she’d fired her uncle. The man had actually put the resort down on his resume as a reference at a casino in Vegas that he was trying to get the manager’s position at.
Morgan Roche was lying low. The woman had pretty much disappeared shortly after she’d been brought in for questioning about Rachelle’s murder.
“You’re quiet,” Cade said with a squeeze of her hand.
“Just thinking about Morgan Roche. I haven’t seen her around town for a while,” she answered.
“She’s in Paris,” Sean broke in.
“You let her leave town?” Cade almost barked the question out.
“She was cleared of all three murders,” Sean replied.
“What about the case against her about the money?” Raven asked.
“She’s got a very good lawyer.” Sean sighed. “He claims that since she has dual citizenship, she is required to go back to France every six months. They worked something out with the judge.”
“Didn’t she just return from Paris?” Fiona asked.
Sean nodded. “Yeah, like I said, she had a really good lawyer. Apparently, her family has a lot of money.”
“Enough money that my three million looks like change?” Raven asked.
“Her father is not only an ambassador, but one of the wealthiest men in the country due to his business dealings,” Sean answered.
“Then why the hell—” Cade stopped when his mother gave him a look. “Excuse me. Why the heck does she live in Cannon Falls and own a business and work as a CPA?”
“Daddy issues,” Sean suggested dryly with a shrug.
“I hear my aunt and uncle are in Redding again?” Raven asked.
“Yeah.” Sean nodded. “I’m having the local PD keep an eye on them. I’d be happy if they never returned to Cannon Falls.”
“You and a lot of people,” Fiona said softly. “Sorry.” She winced and looked at her.
“Don’t be. I’m one of those people,” she admitted.
“There are a lot of new rumors going around town,” Sean said, causing Raven’s entire body to stiffen.
This time it was Fiona who reached across the table to take her hand. “They’re just rumors,” she said clearly to Sean.
“Right.” Sean nodded. “I never give any clout to anything I hear in the diner.” He smiled across the table at her.
“We made a list of reasons why Colin would start spreading this new one,” Raven admitted.
“You think it was your uncle who started it?” Sean asked.
“Who else?” Raven asked.
There was a moment of silence before Sean answered.
“The murderer,” he finally said.
A silence fell over the table, and Raven felt a shiver race up her spine.
“I’m going to find whoever is stalking this town,” Sean promised. “Whoever has everyone looking over their shoulders in fear.”
Just hearing the words made Raven’s heart leap. She wasn’t alone in her fears. As much as she wanted to succumb to them, she had to endure, to rise above and show the world that she was stronger than them.
“Rumors don’t matter,” she told the table and herself. “But if someone is starting them, couldn’t we use that to lead us back to the beginning?”
Sean’s eyebrows shot up. “Hunt a killer by finding the source of the rumors?”
She nodded slowly. “If you believe the person starting them is the killer.”
Sean surprised her by smiling. “Damn. Why the hell…” When Fiona gave him a look, he cleared his throat, much like Cade had done moments ago. “Why the heck didn’t I think of that?”
“I blame all the detective shows I watched as a child.”
After this, they ordered dessert and the conversation turned away from the murders and back towards the wedding.
As they were walking out and passing the bar area, Raven stopped for a moment to appreciate just how packed the place was.
“This has turned into quite the hot spot,” Fiona said.
“Yes, it has,” Raven agreed with a smile as Cade’s arms wrapped around her.
“So, have you two made it official? Are you living together?” Sean asked.
“Sean.” Fiona slapped him on the shoulder.
“What?” Sean acted hurt. “Everyone in town wants to know. I mean, if you’re the kind of person who listens to rumors…”
Raven smiled as Cade laughed.
“No, we haven’t made it official. Actually, I was going to ask Raven this weekend, on our trip to the beach”—he turned towards her and winked— “if she’d move in with me full time.”
“Of course, I will.” She hugged him and laughed when he spun her around in the air.
It was time. There was no more holding back the fire. The spark had started and now the fire was raging on. But as with before, this time there were no carefully laid plans. With each kill, they grew more relaxed, stronger, more desperate for the thrill.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sometimes you have to throw yourself into the fire to escape from the smoke. ~ Greek Proverbs
Cade counted the hours until he could clock off work on Friday. He hadn’t looked forward to a weekend this much in a long time.
Normally, Raven worked on Saturdays, but she’d planned to take the entire weekend off just so she could be with him.
He didn’t want to let her in on the secret, but he’d booked a room at a little B and B in Fairhaven starting tonight. He’d planned on springing the surprise on her when he stopped by the resort and picked her up. Since she still had clothes at the resort, he figured it wouldn’t take her long to get some clothes together for the two-night stay.
The B and B sat directly on the beach and allowed dogs, so they didn’t have to leave Blue behind.
He knew that Raven had been working hard since returning to Cannon Falls, and this would be her first full weeke
nd off since she’d come home.
He hadn’t had a weekend off in so long that he couldn’t remember when it had been. And he’d never taken a weekend with the woman he loved.
“Hey, boss.” Andre walked into his small office. He had less than an hour to go before he could clock out.
“Hey.” He motioned to the chair across from him. Maybe Andre could help fill the time. “What’s up?”
“I heard you were planning on asking Raven the big question this weekend?” Andre said with a smile as he wiggled his eyebrows.
“What?” Cade shook his head.
“Marriage.” Andre laughed. “I heard you got her a ring and all.”
Cade frowned as his heart leapt at the thought. “Who told you that?”
Andre shrugged. “I heard it around.”
Cade leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Who told you that?”
He didn’t know why it mattered. After all, it wasn’t the type of rumor that the murderer would spread around. Was it?
Not that he hadn’t thought about it. But after only dating four months now, he knew it was far too early. Besides, she was so preoccupied with the resort, he didn’t want to detour her from her goals. Not yet at any rate.
What if they’d been right all along? Whoever had murdered Joseph, Rachelle, and Kim had done so to get to Raven. What if the person was obsessed with her? Wouldn’t they know everything about her? Were they spreading the rumors to get inside her head?
Why this new one? Sure, she seemed excited to move in with him, but marriage? If the rumor caught her off guard, what would she do? Freak? Pull away from him? Dump him? Maybe the reaction would play right into the murderer’s hand.
“I overheard someone at the bar last night.” Andre answered with a shrug. “Does it matter?”
“It might.” He felt his entire body tense.
“Um, I’m not sure. I guess it was one of the bartenders. I’d had a few drinks and well.” He shrugged. “Sorry, most of the night is a blur.”
Without waiting for more information, Cade stood up and stormed towards the door.