Cardwell Christmas Crime Scene

by B. J Daniels

She slowly put down the plate she’d been holding, straightened the napkin and silverware and then finally looked up at him. “There is a lot I can’t tell you. Charlie and I...we’ve become involved in some...covert work. Our latest...assignment didn’t go so well. I got out. Charlie...” Her voice broke. “We made a pact years ago that if we ever got separated, we would meet here.” Her eyes glistened. “Because you were always our one harbor even in college.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that right away?” he asked quietly as he considered what she’d told him.

  “Because I didn’t come here to involve you in anything. You and your friend aren’t in any danger. Charlie’s and my work is done far from here. No one knows I’m here except Charlie. I made sure that I wasn’t followed.”

  He had a million questions, which he suspected she wasn’t going to answer anyway, but the creak of the stairs told him that their conversation was over. At least for now.

  He’d never been a trusting man—thanks to his father. He hated the way his mind worked. He questioned what most people told him. Leah was at the top of the list right now.

  The knock at the door made them both jump. Beau had taken off his shoulder holster and hung it by the door. He stepped to it now and motioned for Leah to go into the den. DJ had stopped on the stairs. One look at him and she’d frozen in midstep.

  Another knock, this one harder. Beau strode to the door and pulled his weapon. Stepping to the side, he opened the door, the weapon ready.

  He felt a moment of shock when he looked at the rugged, clearly exhausted man standing there. “Charlie?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Andrei heard the car engine as someone left the ranch. He frowned as he waited for the sound of the vehicle crossing the bridge and didn’t hear it. He listened. A chill moved up his spine. He had been watching the house from his hiding spot. But now he stopped at the edge of the barn and sniffed the air.

  The vehicle had definitely not crossed the bridge. Nor had it turned back. He would have heard it. That meant that it had stopped. The winter night was so quiet he could hear the ice crack on the edge of the river. He heard the soft click of a car door being closed and readied himself.

  The driver had seen him. That rattled him enough. But the driver was also trying to sneak up on him. That meant the person would be armed with some kind of weapon.

  All Andrei had was a rifle. But he didn’t want to shoot and call attention to himself. So he would wait until the man reached the corner of the barn and then he would jump him. He was ready.

  He pressed his back against the side of the barn at the corner and waited. This would complicate things, he thought, on a job that was already complicated as it was. But since his accident, he’d been frustrated. Maybe this was exactly what he needed to let out some of that anxiety.

  It had always been more satisfying to kill someone with his bare hands than shoot them from a distance. Given that his leg still hurt like hell, he probably should have walked away. But it was too late now. A twig under the snow snapped close by. No time to make a run for it even if he could have run. This could end only one way. One of them was about to die.

  The man came around the corner of the barn. The large knife blade in his hand caught the winter light.

  * * *

  “I’M AFRAID WE won’t be joining you for dinner,” Charlie said after he and Beau had hugged like the old friends they were. His gaze met his wife’s. She stood a few feet away, tears in her eyes and relief etched on her face. She hadn’t moved since Beau had opened the door, as if to give the two men some time.

  “We need to get going, but it is great seeing you,” Charlie said.

  “That’s it?” Beau demanded as Leah scurried down the hall to the guest room, returning moments later with her overnight bag. She stepped to her husband’s side and pressed her face into his neck for a moment, his arm coming around her. The hug was hard and filled with emotion. Clearly this was the package she’d been waiting for.

  Charlie had always been good-looking. Now, even though he appeared a little haggard, his smile was infectious. “It is so good to see you. One of these days, we’ll be back permanently. I hope we can get together then, have a couple of beers and talk. But right now...”

  Beau shook his head. He’d been angry at Leah for not telling him what was really going on. But he couldn’t be angry with Charlie, his old friend. “Just be careful.” He shook Charlie’s hand and watched as the two disappeared down the road. Beau saw car lights flash on and heard the sound of an engine, and then they were gone as if they’d never been there.

  He turned to look at DJ.

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  He gave her a quick nod. “I hope you’re hungry. We have a lot of casserole to eat.”

  She moved toward the kitchen. “I’d better take the casserole out of the oven, then.”

  “Maybe we could just sit in front of the fire and have a drink while it cools down a little. I could use one.” He moved into the living room and stepped to the bar.

  “Wine for me,” she said when he offered her a bourbon like the one he’d poured for himself. “You don’t have to say anything.”

  He ran a hand over his face and let out a bitter laugh as they sat in front of the fire. “I didn’t trust her. Leah was one of my best friends years ago, and when she showed up...” He met DJ’s gaze. “I hate how suspicious I am of people. I question everything.”

  * * *

  DJ WAS SILENT for a moment before she said, “Your father was a con man, right?” He nodded, making her smile. “And you expect us to be trusting?” She laughed at that. “We grew up with no stability, no security, no feeling that everything was going to be all right. How did you expect us to turn out?”

  “You might be the only person who understands. But you seem to have it all together.”

  “I do?” She laughed again. “It’s just an act.” The wood popped and sparked in the fireplace. Golden warm light flickered over them. She took a drink of her wine and felt heat rush through her.

  “You think we will ever be like other people?” he asked.

  “Probably not. But maybe at some point we won’t have so much to fear.”

  “I remember the first time I saw you. Those big brown eyes of yours really got to me. I wanted to save you. I told myself that if I ever got the chance, I would do anything to help you.”

  She met his gaze and felt a start at what she saw in those blue eyes. Thinking of how it had felt to be in his arms, she yearned for him to hold her. It wouldn’t change anything. There was still someone out there who wanted to kill her, but for a while...

  Except she knew that just being held wasn’t enough. He made her feel things she’d never felt with another man. She would want his mouth on hers, his body—

  “We should probably eat some of that casserole,” she said, getting to her feet. She no longer wanted temporary relief from her life. Could no longer afford it. Tomorrow morning would be too hard on her. Too hard to let go of this cowboy and the connection between them that had started so many years ago.

  Beau seemed to stir himself as if his thoughts had taken the same path as her own. “Yes.”

  They ate in a tense silence, the fire crackling in the living room, the kitchen warm.

  “This is good,” she said, even though she hardly tasted the casserole. She was glad when the meal was over and wished that Beau hadn’t insisted on helping her with the dishes.

  “I think I’ll turn in,” she said as soon as they’d finished cleaning up the kitchen.

  He looked almost disappointed. “See you in the morning.”

  She watched him go to the bar and pour himself another bourbon. When she headed up the stairs, he was standing in front of the fireplace, looking into the flames.

  Her steps halted, but only
for a moment. She did understand him. They had a bond that went back all those years. She felt as if she’d always known him. Always...felt something for him.

  That thought sent her on up the stairs to her room. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. She felt lost, and she knew that Beau did, too.

  She lay in bed, remembering the older woman’s voice on the phone. Her grandmother. And hearing the woman crying so hard that she couldn’t talk. Was this really a woman who wanted her dead?

  * * *

  BEAU HAD JUST put the coffee on the next morning when he heard DJ coming down the stairs. The phone rang. He’d had a hell of a time getting to sleep knowing that DJ was only yards down the hall. He couldn’t help worrying about what the day would bring. A phone call this early in the morning couldn’t bode well.

  “Beau Tanner,” he said.

  “It’s Marshal Savage, Beau. I’ve got some news. A man by the name of Jimmy Ryan, a suspected small-time hit man, was found dead on the ranch this morning. Based on the evidence we found in his vehicle, we believe he was the shooter yesterday. He had a high-powered rifle and a photo of DJ with a target drawn on her face.”

  “You said he’s dead?”

  “His throat was cut. Earlier last evening, he’d gotten into an altercation with a local man here on the ranch. We suspect the disagreement ended on the road on the way out of the ranch. Jimmy Ryan was found some yards off the road by one of our barns.”

  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “So, it’s over?” he said and glanced at DJ.

  “It certainly appears that way.”

  “Do we know who hired him?”

  “Not yet. We’ll continue investigating. I’ll let you know if anything new turns up. Dana wanted to make sure that DJ knew. She has her heart set on her cousin staying until after Christmas, and since it is so close...”

  “I’ll tell DJ and do everything I can to keep her in Montana until after Christmas.” He ended the call and found himself grinning in relief. It seemed impossible. The hit man had gotten into an argument with someone and it ended in his death? He wouldn’t have believed it if it wasn’t for what the marshal had found in the man’s vehicle.

  “That was the marshal,” he said. “They think they have your hit man.”

  “They caught him?”

  Beau didn’t want to get into the details this early in the morning, so he merely nodded. “He’s dead, but they found evidence in his vehicle that makes it pretty apparent that he was the shooter. I don’t know any more than that.”

  “I heard you ask if they knew who’d hired him.”

  He shook his head. “I’m sure they’ll check his cell phone and bank account. But all that takes time. Hud did say that Dana would be heartbroken if you didn’t stay for Christmas. He begged me to get you to stay.” He held up his hand as he saw that she was about to argue. “Whatever you decide, I’m sure you don’t want to leave until we know more. So...while we’re waiting, I have an idea. Have you ever cut your own Christmas tree?”

  She looked surprised before she laughed. “I’ve never even had a real tree.”

  He waved his arms toward his undecorated living room with Christmas so close. “Never bothered with it myself. But this year, I feel like getting a tree. You up for it?”

  * * *

  DJ HAD A dozen questions, but she could see that they would have to wait. To her surprise, she was more than up for getting a Christmas tree. “After that amazing news, I’d love to go cut a tree.”

  “Great. Let’s get you some warm clothes, and then we are heading into the woods.”

  She loved his excitement and her own. Clearly they were both relieved. The man who’d shot at her was dead. It was over. She had planned on being gone by Christmas. She still thought that was best. But what would it hurt to help Beau get a Christmas tree?

  Dressed as if she was headed for the North Pole, DJ followed Beau through the snow and up into the pine trees thick behind his house. They stopped at one point to look back. She was surprised again at how quaint his place looked in its small valley surrounded by mountains.

  “You live in paradise,” she said, captured by the moment.

  “It is, isn’t it?” He seemed to be studying his house as if he hadn’t thought of it that way before. “Sometimes I forget how far I’ve come.” He glanced over at her. “How about you?”

  She nodded. “We aren’t our parents.”

  He laughed. “Thank goodness.” His gaze lit on her.

  DJ saw the change in his expression the moment before he dropped the ax, reached out with his gloved hand and, cupping her neck, drew her to him. “I believe you owe me a kiss.”

  His lips were cold at first and so were hers. The kiss was short and sweet. Their breaths came out in puffs as he drew back.

  “You call that a kiss?” she taunted.

  His gaze locked with hers. His grin was slow, heat in his look. And then his arms were around her. This kiss was heat and light. It crackled like the fire had last night. She felt a warmth rush through her as he deepened the kiss. She melted against him, wrapped in his arms, the cold day sparkling around them.

  When he pulled back this time, his blue eyes shone in the snowy light in the pines. Desire burned like a blowtorch in those eyes. He sounded as breathless as she felt. “If we’re going to get a tree...” His voice broke with emotion.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “A tree.” She spotted one. It was hidden behind a much larger tree, its limbs misshapen in its attempt to fight for even a little sunlight in the shadow.

  “Dana has this tradition of giving a sad-looking tree the honor of being a Christmas tree.” She walked over to the small, nearly hidden tree. “I like this one. It’s...”

  He laughed. “Ugly?”

  “No, it’s beautiful because it’s had a hard life. It’s struggled to survive against all odds and would keep doing that without much hope. But it has a chance to be something special.” There were tears in her eyes. “It’s like us.”

  He shook his head as if in wonder as he looked at her, then at the tree.

  “Okay, you want this one? We’ll give the tree its moment to shine.”

  “Thank you.” She hugged herself as she watched him cut the misshapen pine tree out of the shadow it had been living under.

  He studied the tree for a moment before he sheathed his ax. “Come on, tree. Let’s take you home.”

  * * *

  BIANCA DIDN’T ASK until they were both on the plane and headed for Montana. “You knew about her? My sister? Since the beginning?”

  Ester nodded. “Your mother couldn’t keep anything from me.”

  “But you didn’t tell Grandmama?”

  The housekeeper sighed. “Your mother made me promise, and what good would it have done? I’d hoped that in time... Marietta sent your mother to Italy to stay with an aunt there while she quietly had the marriage annulled. The next time I saw your mother, she was married and pregnant with you.”

  Bianca shook her head. “How could she have just forgotten about the baby she left behind?”

  “She never forgot. When I made that rag doll for you, your mother insisted I make one for your...sister.”

  “That’s why you left my doll and a photograph in her apartment.”

  “I had a nephew of mine do it. I wanted to tell her everything, but I was afraid.”

  She turned to look at the older woman. “Afraid my grandmother would find out.”

  “Afraid it would hurt you. I’d done it on impulse when I realized your grandmother was trying to find DJ.”

  “DJ? Is that what she calls herself?”

  “It was a nickname her father gave her.”

  “So you saw her occasionally?”

  Ester sighed. “Only from afar. Her father insisted. I woul
d tell your mother how she looked, what she was wearing...” Tears filled her eyes. “It was heartbreaking.”

  “She was well cared for?”

  “Well enough, I guess. Her father wouldn’t take the money offered him by your grandmother’s lawyer at the time the marriage was annulled.”

  Bianca scoffed. “So maybe he isn’t as bad a man as Grandmama makes him out to be.”

  “Your grandmother had good reason given that he never amounted to anything and is now in prison. But he raised your sister alone and without any help from the family. I admire him for that, even though it was not an...ordinary childhood for DJ. I know he feared that the family would try to take her. I was the only one he let see her—even from a distance.”

  “I always wanted a sister,” Bianca said more to herself than to Ester.

  “I know. And I always felt sad when you said that growing up, knowing you had a sister. But it wasn’t my place to tell you.”

  “Until now. Why did you tell me now?” Bianca asked, turning in her seat to face Ester.

  Ester hesitated. Bianca could tell that the housekeeper didn’t want to say anything negative about her grandmother.

  “Because you were afraid of what my grandmother might do,” Bianca said, reading the answer on the woman’s face.

  “No, I was afraid of what Roger Douglas would do. I knew I couldn’t stop him, but you could.”

  “But did I stop him in time?” Bianca looked out the plane window. She had a sister. Her heart beat faster at the thought. How could her grandmother have kept something like this from her? Worse, her own mother?

  She’d seen how her grandmother had used money to control Carlotta. She had always told herself that she wouldn’t let Marietta do the same thing to her and yet she had taken all the gifts, the Ivy League education, the trips, all of it knowing that she’d better bring the right man home when the time came.

  “Do you think she’ll be all right by herself?” she asked Ester.

  The housekeeper smiled. “Your grandmother is much stronger than any of us give her credit for. But I called my sister while you were getting our tickets. She can handle Marietta.”