“Excuse me for a moment.” She waved her cell and walked out of earshot.
They all crowded in on each other, some crying, others just standing there, not really sure what to do. She punched in the school’s number. When the receptionist answered, Sarah explained what had happened.
“Do you want me to tell Mr. Adams?”
“Can you put me through to him?” Something might get lost in translation.
Mr. Adams picked up. “Sarah?”
She told him about Sam and Chrissie finding Mr. Dunwoody’s body behind the Mountain View Bar & Grill. “He used to be a math teacher at Pleasure High.” Mr. Dunwoody worked there before Mr. Adams had arrived.
“Dear Lord.” He cleared his throat. “Stay where you are. I’ll be right there.”
She hoped he had the sense to bring back up. Since this would take some time, she corralled the kids. “Anyone want ice cream?”
Red-rimmed eyes looked up at her, but it was Tony who answered. “Me.”
Tom Carnes, the deputy, came out from the alley and asked to speak with the Sam and Chrissie.
“I’ll be at Sally’s.”
He nodded. “I’ll need to take your statement, too, when we’re done.”
“Sure.”
She led the group to pick out their dessert. The girls had recovered somewhat, but the tone was dismal. She’d just seen Mr. Dunwoody on Saturday, and now he was dead. It was such a shame. While she was no coroner, it didn’t appear as though Mr. Dunwoody had been taking a stroll behind the bar. No. Someone had murdered him.
Pleasure never had murders. Now, in two months, they’d had two.
The kids were halfway through their dessert when the principal came with the school counselor in tow. Together they gathered the students.
“Both Chrissie and Sam are speaking with the sheriff,” she said. “They’re at the station.”
Sandra Carson, the counselor, looked their way. “I’ll see if I can help.”
“We’ll wait for you,” the principal said.
For the next half hour, everyone sat around, slowly eating his ice cream, while Sandra helped the sheriff with Sam and Chrissie. Dread filled her as more time passed. Even giving her statement would be hard.
Then as if a mirage suddenly appeared, Mason and Liam drove up. Her relief was palatable. She excused herself and met them at the steps to the sheriff’s office.
Liam embraced her lightly. “Justin called us. You found a dead body?”
It was hard to talk over the lump in her throat. “Two of my students found Mr. Dunwoody.”
“Dunwoody? Wasn’t he your—”
“My former teacher and mentor. Yes.” Now that they were here, she let herself give in to the grief.
“Come sit on the steps.”
Be strong. She couldn’t break down now. Not with the students nearby. The door behind them opened and the two students came out, followed by the counselor.
“Sarah?” Justin said. “May I speak with you?”
She looked over at the huddled students. “Let me tell Mr. Adams.”
When she told him she needed to give her account, he asked if Mason and Liam wouldn’t mind driving her back. He must have recognized them from the reunion. “We don’t need the kids near the scene for longer than necessary.”
“I agree. I’m sure Liam and Mason can bring me back.”
Principal Adams hustled the group into the bus. Instead of the usual laughter, the ten students loaded up in silence. As soon as the bus left, she trudged back to be interrogated.
“We’re coming inside with you,” Liam said.
She’d be telling them everything anyway, and nodded. Inside, Justin motioned the three of them into his office.
“Sam said you knew the victim?”
“Mr. Dunwoody.” She told him about the reunion and his upcoming book.
“Do you know the name of his coauthor?”
She should have asked. “No.”
Justin tapped his pencil. “Can you think of anyone who would want to harm him?”
“I hadn’t spoken with him in a few years. I’m not even sure if his wife is alive.”
They spoke a bit about the reunion and if she’d seen anyone act hostile toward the man. She hadn’t. The best she could do was give him a list of people who were speaking with him when she left.
Justin made a note. “If you think of anything else, let me know.”
When she stood, Mason steadied her. She’d have to go back to school to pick up the morning exams to grade, but before she did, she wanted a hot bath to help relax.
The men led her to their vehicle. Liam had driven his truck. Mason opened the door to the backseat. “Crawl in there, angel.”
She did and dropped her head against the backseat. “I can’t believe he’s dead. He was the sweetest man alive.”
Mason said nothing as he pulled her close and held her. Being pressed up against him was so comforting. She closed her eyes and tried to regroup. All she could visualize were the flies on Mr. Dunwoody’s face and his vacant eyes. She pressed her palms against her face and tried to suck in a deep breath. Mason rubbed her back and leaned his chin on the top of her head. The layer of protection warmed her from the inside.
When the truck slowed, she looked up. She was home already. That was fast. She should have been relieved she could step into her house and not be reminded of Mr. Dunwoody’s death, but she knew this horror would only add to her nightmares.
Mason helped her out. Once they were inside, she expected them to go back to the crime scene and possibly help.
Liam placed his hands on her shoulders, his face unusually serious. “We are not in anyway claiming there is a relationship between Mr. Dunwoody’s death and Harrison Kaplan, but Mason and I are going to ask if you’d be willing to stay with us until this mess is over.”
Sarah opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Chapter Four
Mason didn’t think convincing Sarah to move in with them would be easy, but he didn’t expect the incredibly stubborn set to her jaw.
He led her over to the sofa. “Sarah. Listen to me. While we have no proof, don’t you think it’s a little odd that as soon as you cozy up to Mr. Dunwoody he’s dead a few days later?”
She drew in her bottom lip. What worried him more was that her hand was shaking hard.
He glanced up at Liam. “Want to make her some coffee?”
“May I have a glass of wine instead?” Her voice almost cracked.
“Sure, angel.”
He liked that she blew out a breath and then took in a big lungful of air. “If what you said is true, then the person who did this would have to have gone to the reunion.”
She might be right. Since he wasn’t from Pleasure, everyone in the gym looked unfamiliar to him. He’d studied as many of Harrison Kaplan’s associates as he could find, but none that he knew of had shown up to the high school. “It’s possible.”
She stilled. “My purse. The key. Could that person have taken it?”
He was damned no matter what he said. “I take it no one turned in your house key?”
She shook her head. Liam returned with her glass of wine then sat on the other side of her.
The missing key and the math teacher’s death did give validity to her conclusion.
“Here’s how I see it, honey,” Liam said. “You might not be in danger. If that’s the case, great. On the other hand, if someone is after you, and we do nothing, we’ll never forgive ourselves.”
She looked up and blinked as if the words were hard to comprehend. She sipped the wine and her hand seemed to steady.
“I don’t have to start school for another three weeks. What if I’m real careful and mostly stay inside?”
Liam ran a knuckle down her cheek. When she didn’t react, Mason worried about her even more. She didn’t seem to be processing much right now. “While we appreciate your willingness to stay safe, you saw how easily I could get in here. At our house, no one ca
n break in. It’s very secure.”
Her brows furrowed. “Is your life that unsafe that you need all that precaution?”
She knew what they did. Clearly, she wasn’t thinking straight.
Liam slid an errant hair behind her ear. “No, honey. We just like to be safe in case.”
Mason was glad Liam didn’t bring up the time when Kaplan and his buddy broke into Riley and Gavin’s house—a house that was also secure.
Her gaze shot to the door. “I don’t want to be a bother.”
Mason scooted closer. “We’ll worry less if you’re with us. It’s not like it’s forever.” The word “forever” lodged in his heart. Ever since Riley and Gavin assigned them to watch Sarah, she’d found a place in his heart. She was innocent, enthusiastic, and kind. “We’ll figure out if anyone plans to do you harm. If he exists, we’ll put him away. Then you can come back here.”
She set her glass down and faced him. “Just because I dropped my key somewhere and someone I know is murdered, you really think Kaplan is out to get me?”
The accusation in her tone hurt. There were a lot of reasons why he wanted her nearby. “What if you sleepwalk again? Someone could be outside next time.” Scaring her probably wasn’t smart, but she needed to understand what was at stake. He wouldn’t tell her that more rumors had surfaced.
She sniffled. “You won’t keep me locked up will you?”
Poor Sarah. “No. Never. We may ask you where you’re going, but that’s all.” One of them would be escorting her if they felt her destination was unsafe.
“Okay. I would feel better if you don’t have to waste precious time checking up on me.”
Mason tried not to show his relief. “You want help packing?”
A small smile lifted her lips. “I think I can handle that chore myself.”
She stood, and he watched her move down the hallway, her shoulders slightly slumped. His heart went out to her.
Liam blew out a breath. “Hurdle number one accomplished.”
Mason leaned his head back. “When she needs to go to school, maybe one of us could drop her off and pick her up. Her theory that the key thief is affiliated with Pleasure High has some merit.”
“I agree.”
That wouldn’t be enough. “I don’t want her afraid all the time, and transporting her everywhere is going to make it worse for her.”
Liam nodded to her phone. “Let’s enable the GPS locator on her cell. That way we’ll know where she is at all times.” He picked it up from the table.
“Great.”
As soon as they both put in the information into the app on their phones, Mason relaxed.
Liam returned to the sofa and stretched his arm along the back of the sofa. “How about we take her someplace? Show her a good time.”
He liked that idea. “Maybe she won’t look at us and think ‘bodyguard’ all the time. I know she believes she should pay us, but I’d never take her money. I hate that she even feels guilty that we come to her rescue.”
“I know.”
Now he had to figure out how to make sure she didn’t feel like a prisoner yet enjoyed being with them. He’d spent a week with her and admired her strength and will. It killed him to see her veneer crack.
Liam stood again. “I’ll take care of the stuff in the fridge. We don’t want her food to spoil.”
“Good thinking.”
Less than ten minutes later, footsteps sounded on the hallway and Mason jumped up. When he reached her, he held out his hand for the suitcase. “Let me help you with that.”
Sarah’s spine stiffened. “I can carry them.”
Perhaps she needed the control. “Okay.” He didn’t want to come across as too domineering and frighten her.
When they entered the living room, Liam was placing one trash bag by the door.
“What’s in there?” she asked.
“Your food. Don’t want it to go bad. That would be some mess to clean up when you returned.”
Her eyes widened. He thought he detected an appreciative nod. “Oh.”
When they stepped outside, Liam carried the food while Mason scanned the neighborhood. It wasn’t that he expected anyone to be skulking around, but he couldn’t be too careful.
“How about I follow in your car, angel?”
The relief was clear. “That would be wonderful.”
She fished out her key and handed it to him. He put her suitcases in the bed of the truck along with her extra food, and then placed the trash in the large garbage can on the side of her house. As soon as he made sure she was secure, he hopped in her car and prayed they weren’t making a mistake by allowing her the ability to go where she wanted. To keep her a prisoner would, however, have more consequences.
* * * *
Sarah couldn’t believe this was happening all over again. Not that it was the same as before, but the hint of a possible attack had her stomach rolling. Hopefully, if she stayed with Mason and Liam, Kaplan’s men wouldn’t find her. That thought helped calm her.
Liam looked over at her. “Before all this mess occurred, what had you planned for the rest of your summer?”
“I hadn’t given it much thought.” She wove her fingers together. Even this simple question taxed her mind. “I do have to finish up with grading my summer school exams, but other than meeting my girlfriends for happy hour once a week, I have nothing planned.”
“What do you like to do? Hike, horseback ride, shoot a gun, mud wrestle, what?”
She laughed at the last suggestion, and it felt damned good. “Except for the mud wrestling, all of the above sound good to me.”
“What about taking a nice ride on a motorcycle?”
While Montana was mostly empty roads, she wasn’t sure she could sit for that long. Her butt would fall asleep. “I’ve never been, so I’m not sure.” Liam grinned and her stomach flipped.
“Then we’ll have to do it.”
Yikes. With her luck, she’d lean the wrong way and tip him over.
Liam glanced at her, and when he crossed SR126, she wondered how far away they lived. “You ever been to the American Computer Museum in Bozeman?” he asked.
Was he kidding? “No. Have you?”
“No, but I figure since you’re a math teacher, you’d like it.”
He was being too nice. “You don’t have to entertain me.”
“What if Mase and I want to?”
Her heart pounded. What did that mean? Okay, she wasn’t naïve. Men didn’t keep asking a woman out if they weren’t interested. “That’s very kind of you, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of a mess. I walk in my sleep, I lose my keys, and a killer might be after me.”
“So?”
That made her smile. For the time being, she’d humor him. “Then yes. I’d like to go out on a motorcycle, climb a mountain, and even go to a museum, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if catastrophe befalls you.”
Liam’s smile lit up his face. “Great. Tomorrow, we’ll go to Pack & Save, pick up some food, and go on a picnic. How does that sound?”
Wonderful. “Do you think on the way to town we could stop at school so I can pick up my exams?”
“Absolutely.”
She didn’t want to go back to the school without an escort and having Liam by her side would be nice. Less than five minutes later, he turned into a subdivision called Hampton Way. The houses were modest but well landscaped. He pulled into a drive.
“Welcome to your new home.”
Mason drove up next to them. Liam pressed the garage door opener and Mason drove her car inside.
“My car’s old. You can keep it outside.”
“We want you and your possessions to be safe.”
They were too sweet. She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake by coming here, but her blood pressure had already lowered just being out of her house. “This is nice.”
Liam shrugged. “It’s not fancy, but it’s larger inside than one would expect. The person who owned it before us did a
lot of renovations. It was built in the fifties, but I think you’ll like some of the modern touches.”
Mason jumped out of her car, exited the garage, and stepped to the passenger-side door. After her helped her out, he handed her the keys. “Be careful with these.”
“Funny.” She would make certain to zip up her purse and would be sure not to leave it unattended.
When she stepped into their house, she immediately felt at home. None of the furniture matched, but what they had was light and bright. Big pillows graced every chair and sofa, but it was beanbag chairs that she liked the best. It made her feel like a kid again. The log-burning fireplace came in second.
Mason smiled. “Let me show you to the guest room.”
The hallway walls were lined with photos—mostly family types of pictures. Given they hadn’t lived in Pleasure for long, she was surprised they’d have time to decorate. Riley and Gavin hadn’t, or so Brooke claimed. When she had more time, she’d ask them to give her a picture tour.
Mason pushed open the door. “It’s not very feminine. Sorry. ” He set her suitcases next to the door.
The brown plaid bedspread, pine chest of drawers, and what looked like a multi-colored, handmade rug graced the floor. “It’s perfect.”
“There’s an attached bath. It’s actually one of the nicer ones. The previous owners upgraded it.”
“I love it.” Her house wasn’t as nice.
“Go ahead and settle in. When you’re ready, Liam and I will be in the living room.”
Before she could respond, Mason stepped back into the hallway. She walked around the room, checking out the sparse belongings. There was a cut-glass lamp on the bedside table that sat on a lace doily. Really? What guy bought lace? Perhaps his mother or grandmother stayed here and she’d purchased it for him.
The room definitely lacked an identity, but she wasn’t going to be picky. She walked to the window that overlooked the backyard. The yard was less than sixty feet deep but it backed up against a lot of trees. She tried to estimate how easy it would be for someone to sneak up to the house. Unless they were willing to use a machete to get through the dense undergrowth, they wouldn’t succeed. Good.
Unexpected Pleasures [Pleasure, Montana 11] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 4