by Kelly Lane
I remembered Dex’s book about purchasing private islands. “I think they did. Or at least Dex did.”
“It doesn’t look like things went according to plan for him, now, does it? The FBI is on it now. Ye did good work, Eva.”
“Thank you. I knew they were up to something . . . I just couldn’t figure it out. Thank you.”
Ian took my chin in his hand, tipping my face up to his.
“Just know that I care very deeply for ye, Eva. Like yer one of my own. And I’ll always have yer back. And don’t feel bad about uncovering the painting of Fiona. I should’ve told ye about her months ago. Actually, I’m enjoying looking at her now. So I thank ye for pushing my buttons, if ye know what I mean.”
“No, I . . .”
Enveloped in a seductive swirl of earthy scents, Ian bent down and kissed me softly on the lips.
Then, without a word, he walked away.
I could barely take another breath.
CHAPTER 61
Lathered in coconut-scented sunscreen, I was lounging in my two-piece teal bathing suit on what seemed like the most luxurious, cushioned chaise in the world. Meanwhile, sheltered from the fierce summer sun, Dolly rested under the shade of a giant urn potted with an olive tree and cascading petunias. Snoring, she was taking a break from a ginormous T-bone that lay between her paws.
Precious handed me an obscenely huge virgin strawberry daiquiri sporting a straw and a giant skewer of tropical fruit before setting down her own obscenely huge tropical drink—most likely spiked with alcohol—on a little glass-topped patio table. Then, with a big, satisfied sigh, Precious plopped herself into the chaise next to me.
“This is grand, Precious. Thanks for the invite.”
“Sure thing, Sunshine,” said Precious. “I figured you could use a break. Besides, you and me, we never get to just hang out together. And Mister Collier says the pool here at Greatwoods doesn’t get used hardly enough. Plus, we needed to make up, after yesterday and all.”
I smiled.
“I’m happy to enjoy the Greatwoods hospitality, Precious. This is the first day of nothing I’ve had in years. I couldn’t ask to spend it in a more peaceful, welcoming place.”
“Well, you sure can use a spot of peace and quiet. After all, it’s been a parade of drama and dead guys for you all summer long.” She took a long sip of strawberry daiquiri from her straw. “I can’t believe you almost got eaten by a gator last night! A gal can only take so much. Good thing Sheriff Sexy Pants got there in time to save you. You got some lucky stars, girl. Everyone in town is talkin’ about it.”
I sighed. “That’s me. The talk of the town,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Precious glanced at the little Cartier watch on her wrist.
“And I’m real sorry I barked at you yesterday,” she added. “I get real protective of Mister Collier. You understand?”
“Sure. I shouldn’t have been such a busybody. And after seeing the portrait in his library, I can appreciate how his seeing me standing next to it would be a shock.”
“Honey, except for your pink hair and the freckles, you’re a dead ringer for that portrait of Missus Collier.”
“It’s not pink.”
“Okay, Sunshine . . . strawberry-blonde.” Precious chuckled.
I nodded. “He must’ve loved her very much. Do you think he’s somehow reliving his life with her through me?”
“I dunno, Sunshine. Could be.”
“He said he wasn’t.”
“Then, I guess he isn’t. He oughta know.”
“Right.”
“If it makes ya feel any better, I know Mister Collier cares about you . . . a lot. In fact, I ain’t never seen him take to someone like he does to you. Never.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
I decided to change the subject.
“That’s a fancy-pants watch there, Miss Precious.”
“Goes with the shoes.”
I laughed. Precious had coordinated her tiger-striped, one-shoulder maillot swimsuit with a pair of peep-toe, tiger-striped, gold-glitter slingback Louboutins. Added to that, she wore a giant pair of gold hoop earrings along with a bejeweled, enameled leopard print and yellow gold Cartier sports watch. Not only did Precious have the run of the Greatwoods estate, I thought, but it was clear that Ian Collier paid her handsomely.
In fact, I’d seen a watch similar to hers once before. A woman at a Boston fund-raiser had worn one and bragged to everyone who’d listen that her husband had paid more than one hundred thousand dollars for it. I glanced over at Precious as she napped like a contented cat in the chaise next to me. There was still an awful lot about this woman that I didn’t know.
Likewise, about her complicated boss, Ian Collier. He was sexy. Smart. Sharp-witted. And secretive as all get-out. And, even though he’d shared the story about Fiona with me, I was sure that he still had a ton of secrets.
The closer I get to Ian, the more I realize how little I know him.
A mockingbird chattered from an ancient live oak near the far side of the mansion. I took another sip of my tropical drink. I’ll figure it all out, I thought. About Ian and Precious. I just need a little time. I popped a pineapple wedge into my mouth. One day, I’ll know all there is to know about each of them.
I’d take it on as a personal challenge, I decided.
Next to me, Precious sighed on her lounge chair. Just a short distance past our feet, a warm breeze made little ripples in the bright blue pool water. I slid the Jackie O sunglasses over my eyes and watched sunshine dance over the water, like little twinkly lights. Around the patio, water from the rushing fountains caught the breeze, and spritzes of cooling mist fell from overhead, as carved marble cherubs danced and watched over us. Beyond the terrace, blue jays, robins, and mockingbirds chattered in the trees around the freshly manicured lawn. I stabbed my straw into my daiquiri and took a long, icy sip.
“If I’d died and gone to heaven, it couldn’t be much better than this,” I said.
“Yeah. Me, too, Sunshine. We should do this more often.”
A bumblebee buzzed past my nose.
Precious checked her watch again.
“Listen, Sunshine, I gotta head inside and help Mister Collier for a while,” she said, sitting up. “You just hang here and relax. We got all afternoon. I’ll be back in an hour or so with some snacks. Meantime, why don’t you take a dip in the pool.”
“Okay, thanks. I might. Really, I can’t think of anyplace I’d rather be. This is heaven.”
“And it only gets better,” laughed Precious.
“What?”
She seemed not to hear me as she clomped across the patio toward an opening between the Greatwoods mansion’s tall French doors. She slipped between creamy, sheer drapes as they poofed and pillowed in the warm summer breeze.
I put my drink on the tiny glass-topped table next to me and settled into the cushy chaise, letting the warm sun wash over my skin. I closed my eyes and listened to water fountains gushing, to birds and frogs chirping, and to soft breezes moving the leaves in the great trees in the manicured yard. I took a deep, relaxing breath.
After a few minutes, I was almost asleep . . .
A shadow fell over me. Cold, wet hands pressed into my shoulders. I yelped and jumped up. The Jackie O’s landed on the patio with a clatter.
“Hey!”
Dressed in pressed, perfectly fitted white twill slacks, a body-conscious black tee, and pricey leather moccasins, Buck stood behind the chaise lounge, watching me from behind his dark aviator glasses. He had that smart-ass grin of his. His hands were wet.
“Buck! What are you doing?”
“Sorry, I must’ve gotten my hands wet in the fountain.” He held up his hands and grinned even wider. His flawless teeth looked bright white against his tanned skin. “Just playing with you, Babydoll. S
orry I startled you.”
I couldn’t help but notice how Buck’s slacks draped beautifully as he bent down and picked up my sunglasses. Carefully, he set them on the little glass table between us.
I said, “I’d say that was exactly what you meant to do.”
“Play with you? Or startle you?”
“Both! Why are you here, Buck?”
With the pool behind me, I stood facing him, shading my eyes from the glaring sun with a hand on my forehead. In his fitted shirt, brawny Buck’s muscled form was impossible not to appreciate, even in the blinding glare of the sun. He looked slick . . . and he was full of his usual over-the-top confidence.
“I thought you’d want to know that we finally caught up with Pottie Moss and Skeets last night.”
“Yes, Precious told me. Apparently, the local gossipmongers are all over the story.”
Buck laughed. “I should’ve known. I would’ve told you myself last night when I came to pick up my truck . . . but I saw you were sleeping.”
“I was? You came into my cottage? I didn’t hear Dolly bark or anything . . .”
“Dolly didn’t bark. She never barks at me. Do you, Dolly?”
I turned to look at Dolly, gnawing on her big bone in the shade.
“Traitor,” I said.
Dolly wagged her tail.
“Anyway, I figured you needed your beauty rest. So I didn’t wake you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I know how cranky you get . . .”
I ignored the tease. “So, are Pottie Moss and Skeets going to jail?”
“They’re both being held, at least for now. I doubt Pottie Moss will get bail; however, I don’t know whether Skeets will actually remain locked up. For now, we’re looking into him as an accessory. And of course, he assaulted you in the boat.”
“What’s going to happen with Pottie Moss?”
“I’m afraid she’s put herself in some hot water, as they say. Detective Gibbit is still questioning her now, although she pretty much confirmed what we wanted to hear last night. It all matched what you’d told me, that she used a syringe to inject belladonna into an unopened Knox olive oil bottle then left it at the big house, ostensibly for Claudia Devereaux to ingest. When her plan went awry and Dex died instead, Pottie Moss thought she’d take another whack at killing Claudia during the planned picnic in the swamp. Only you and the twins were there to mix things up, and instead, you almost got the deadly dose.”
“Right.”
“I’m sorry, Babydoll.”
“At least you showed up . . .”
“You have Daphne to thank for that.”
“Never be late for Daphne or she’ll call the law on you.”
Buck laughed. “Gotta give the woman credit this time. She may have saved your life.”
I nodded.
“So, I’ve typed up your statement from last night. I’d like you to go over it with me one more time to make it official. Tomorrow is fine.”
“Okay. Sure. And what about the Bostoners and their land grab? What’s happening with all that?”
“Ahh, that mess is going to take a bit more time to unravel. So far, what we know involves your friends—”
“Not my friends!”
“Okay then. So far what we know is that the group from Perennial Paper set up a shadow company based in the Caribbean with a name that was similar to but not the same as Perennial’s so that legal paperwork from the two companies would be easily confused. Then the group went out and about, on Perennial Paper’s dime, conducting themselves as Perennial Paper executives, acquiring land as you described to me the other day. Only at the same time, they scammed an equal number of sellers into believing that the legal documents they signed, selling property to Periennial Paper—spelled with an extra “i”—were for Perennial Paper Company in Boston.”
“So, there were two paper companies.”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Well, we’re still sorting this out, but it appears that your old fiancé Dex, along with his other four cronies, used the real Perennial’s resources to purchase land adjacent to land that the real paper company would purchase. They then planned to transfer their land, purchased under the fake company name, to another one or two of their Caribbean companies under different names, only to quickly sell it to an offshore investor at a huge profit. They’d make a killing. It’s gonna take months, maybe years to sort it all out. Although, on the surface the plan looks like it would’ve been impossible to pull off. For some smart, educated people, it seems that in the end, they weren’t smart enough . . .”
“Just greedy.”
“Yes.”
“So I was right about all the bird-watching being a crock. They were all pretending to be looking at nature, when they were really scouting land in preparation to scam people in order to make a giant profit.”
“Yes. They used the bird-watching as a cover so they could check out land without drawing attention to themselves. And they came to Abundance because Dex Codman remembered this place, which used to be a relatively depressed region with cheap land and lumber, from his time all those years ago with you. According to the others, it was no accident they came here, Babydoll. The guy insisted this was the perfect place to pull off their scam, and he’d done the research to prove it. Of course, my personal opinion is that he still wanted you. I’m only sorry he died before I could get to him.”
“Oh, Buck. Please don’t say that.”
“And I can’t blame the dead bastard.”
Buck stepped around the table and gave me an unabashed once-over. I felt myself blush.
“I don’t mind saying that you’re lookin’ good, Babydoll.”
Raising his sunglasses, he rested them atop his head. Then he smiled. His eyes had that mischievous sparkle that I knew only too well. I took a step backward.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Buck. If I’d known, I would’ve chosen another outfit.”
“This one suits me just fine.”
Buck stepped closer to me.
“I’m sure it does.” I stretched my hand out, pressing it against Buck’s chest to stop him from coming any closer. When he finally stopped and stood still, I dropped my hand. “Does Debi know you’re here?”
I gave Buck a sideways glance as I turned to grab a tube of sunscreen off the small table next to the chaise. He tipped his head and gave me a silly, lustful little smile as I bent over, reaching for the sunscreen.
“Stop that,” I scolded. I unscrewed the top from the tube of sunscreen and left it on the table.
“I’m just enjoying Mother Nature’s beautiful bounty,” he said.
“Hmm. Right.” I rolled my eyes. “By the way, I’m still sure that Debi has a GPS device on your vehicle.”
“Actually, you’re right about that,” he said matter-of-factly. “And I wouldn’t have thought to look for it, if you hadn’t teased me about it. So I owe you one.”
“You’re kidding, right? Debi actually put a device on your vehicle? Your vehicle? The sheriff’s vehicle?”
“All my vehicles.”
“All your vehicles? How many do you have? I mean, isn’t that . . . illegal?”
“Yes, it’s illegal. However, now that I know Debi thinks that she knows where I am at all times, it actually makes my job easier. Thinking she’s outsmarted me with the GPS devices, it’ll be easy for me to move the vehicles around to where I want her to believe I am at any given moment. Plus, I can always access other vehicles . . .”
“But I still don’t get why you’re pretending to be Debi’s fiancé. You are pretending, right?”
“It’s complicated. And I’m really not at liberty to say. However, since I know you, and I know that you won’t let this go, and you have the potential to blow this operation for me, I’
ll tell you this much.”
“Operation? I’m all ears.”
“Debi’s brother, Dickey, is about as slippery as they come. He’s been selling farm- and timberland to offshore investors for nearly a decade now.”
“That’s hardly illegal . . .”
“You’re right about that. However, we have some evidence that he’s also been involved with some extremely shady overseas operations that include money laundering, drugs, and trafficking.”
“What? That’s awful!”
Buck put his hand up. “I can’t say any more. Just know that we’re on it. So, back to answering your question—”
“My question?”
“Yes. You asked me a question. Don’t you remember?”
I shrugged.
Buck continued. “To answer your question about whether or not Debi knows I’m here at Greatwoods this afternoon, yes, Debi knows that I’m over at my friend Ian’s house. Later, I imagine that she’ll even have the computer printout from her GPS device to prove it. And she’ll share that information, no doubt, with her nosy brother. And he’ll share that information with his criminal connections, and they’ll all be relieved to know that the sheriff of backwater Abundance County is blind to their activities because he’s just a playboy who likes to mooch off his rich ne’er-do-well friend at Greatwoods.”
“The ne’er-do-well friend about whom they can discover nothing. At least on the Internet.”
“I see you’ve been busy. Leave it alone, Eva. Don’t dig anymore, about Ian, please.”
I ignored Buck’s warning about Ian.
“And just what, exactly, are you doing at ne’er-do-well friend Ian Collier’s house right now?”
“My friend Ian, the rich eccentric who likes his privacy, and I are playing chess and smoking cigars.”
“Eeeew. I hate cigars.”
“So does Debi.” Buck grinned. “I’ve learned that cigars make a very effective repellent.”
“Please, too much information.”
“If you say so.”
“Still, you’re really out here on the terrace with me, instead of inside, repelling the world, with Ian. Aren’t you being kind of rude to your host?”