“What happened here?” the cop asked, indicating the stains.
Rocky forced out a laugh and pointed to the other men whose shirts matched his. “A silly food fight with ketchup and mustard.”
The cop eyed him suspiciously and then glanced at the other men. He pulled out a notebook and flipped the cover “Did any of you see anything.”
“No.”
“Not me.”
“Nothing.”
“Where were you between seven and ten tonight?” The cop addressed Rocky and he fought the urge to squirm.
“We left work at seven. Headed to the bar. Been there ever since,” Rocky said.
“None of you left at any point?”
Rocky shook his head, praying his coworkers had been too drunk to know when he arrived. They all shook their heads, too and he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
The cop took down their names, flipped his notebook shut and thanked them for their time before heading to the next group of people. One obstacle down, one to go. He needed to find Nurse Mandy. She could get him into Neil’s room if he made it out of surgery. One way or another, Neil Farmington wasn’t leaving this hospital alive.
#
Reed opened his eyes and glanced around the waiting room. He’d tried sending his crew home but a few stayed including Connie, waiting for news on Neil. The workers from the local company had left hours ago. Hillary refused to leave, for which he’d been grateful. He needed her by his side. She calmed him, gave him strength. Her support meant everything to him.
He’d felt like the world’s biggest ass when he’d made the proclamation that he wished he’d never stepped foot on the island. That wasn’t true. The opposite, in fact. Even if she had broken his heart, he was thankful he’d met her. She’d changed him.
When the doors opened and a doctor in green scrubs covered by a white lab coat stepped through, he knew the news wasn’t good before the man spoke.
“Farmington family?”
He stood and helped Connie and Hillary to their feet. “His family is on the way, but I’m his emergency contact,” Reed said.
The doctor nodded. “Follow me.” He led them to a private room and closed the door before turning to face them. He removed his glasses and wiped his eyes. “Mr. Farmington suffered extensive blood loss.” He settled the glasses back on. “The bullet penetrated through his abdomen, resulting in catastrophic injuries to several internal organs. I’m sorry, there was nothing we could do. We couldn’t save him.”
Reed’s back hit the chair, shock rendering him numb. He knew Neil’s death was a possibility but to have it confirmed was excruciating. Connie squeezed his hand tight enough to cut off his circulation if he could feel anything. Hillary’s arm was around his shoulders and she rubbed his back, offering her support. The doctor quietly left the room but he couldn’t force himself to move. The only sounds in the room were the ticking of a clock high on the wall and Connie’s quiet sobs.
They stayed that way for minutes, hours, he had no idea. Time was a foreign concept to him right now. Finally, Connie said, “We should wait until his family arrives before we tell the others.”
God, Neil had been with him from the beginning. From his very first day on the job. The moment they met, they’d clicked. He’d taken Reed under his wing and taught him so much about the business of renovating houses. Reed possessed the architectural degree, but Neil was the brains of the operation. Reed didn’t know how to go on without him.
Chapter Thirty
The next five days passed in a blur. The crew from TT’s Beach Builds continued working on the outside of the house, finishing the roof and most of the siding. The camera crew stayed to film the transition. Reed would dub in any commentary in post-production.
Neil’s body had been flown back to California for burial. The network chartered a jet to transport the crew home for the funeral. Reed invited her to go along but new energy-efficient windows were scheduled to arrive and she needed to make sure someone from the security company was available to transfer the wiring. Connie and one of her assistants had flown back for the funeral, leaving the other in charge of overseeing filming of the outside construction.
Hillary ran along the beach with Kota in the morning and evening, but it wasn’t the same without Reed. In such a short time, he’d become so important to her. And she’d turned him away. She knew from experience that life was short. She’d almost lost hers on the streets of Greece. Now with Neil’s death, it reinforced the point. Tomorrow wasn’t a guarantee for anyone. She needed to put her fears aside and go after what she wanted, and that was Reed. He’d been gone four days but it felt like four years. How would she manage when the job ended and they went their separate ways?
Her phone vibrated and she stopped to answer, hoping it was Reed. Kota sat and watched intently as a seagull toddled along the shore.
Her brother’s face appeared on the screen and she smiled. “Hey, Quinn.”
“How’s it going, Hill?”
“Not great.” She told him about the foreman’s murder.
“Any leads on who pulled the trigger?”
“None.”
“That’s too bad. How are you handling the job?”
“Surprisingly well.” Quinn knew how nervous she’d been about her ability to do the job the way she had before the accident. “Of course, I haven’t really been tested yet.”
“It sounds like you have if you charged in after an intruder and a burning building.”
That was true. “How’s it going there?”
“We signed the deal today.”
“Oh, Quinn, that’s wonderful. I’m so happy for you.” She’d get to see her brother every day.
“I’m happy for me, too. We’d celebrate with a beer if you were here.”
“Drink one for me.”
Quinn chuckled. “No problem. How’s Kota doing?”
“Wonderful. He’s happily watching sea birds run along the shore right now.”
Quinn chuckled again. “Well, give the mutt a hug from me. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Her mood lightened after talking to her brother. She smiled, thinking of all the help he’d have taking care of his canines from the kids at the COBRA Securities compound, especially dog-lover Kai.
She dropped down on the ground beside Kota—a little sand never hurt anyone—and together they watched the tide ebb and flow.
“Is this a private party or can anyone join?”
Her head jerked around and she jumped to her feet. Kota was bumping against Reed’s legs begging for attention. Reed scratched his head with both hands. Kota was in doggie Heaven.
She drank in the sight of him. He was dressed in a pair of expensive suit pants and shoes, and a white oxford that had been altered to fit over his cast, minus a tie. “You’re back.”
“Hopped on a plane after the funeral. I missed…Kota.”
Hillary’s smile faltered. What had she expected him to say? That he missed her after she told him that she didn’t love him?
#
He’d missed Kota? Really? Reed mentally rolled his eyes at himself. What a dumbass thing to say. Sure, he had missed the dog, but the reason he’d left everyone behind, purchased an outrageously expensive one-way ticket on a commercial flight bound for the East Coast and came back early was all because of Hillary. She was in his blood. It’d only been four days and he was going crazy, needing to see her. It sounded like a cheesy movie line, but she completed him. It’d been hell saying goodbye to his friend, watching him lowered in the ground. He’d longed to have her by his side. So many times, he’d dialed her number, just wanting to hear her voice. But he’d stopped himself. Even now, he had to clench his hands into fists to keep from reaching for her. It was torture, being so close to her and not being able to touch. She was the most amazing woman he’d ever met.
And she didn’t love him.
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “So, how’s it going here?”
�
�Good. Quiet. Tony Tindale put his inside guys to work on the outside, so it’s getting done quickly.”
“Let’s go check it out.”
He was embarrassed to admit he hadn’t even spared the house a glance when he arrived. He’d gone straight to the cottage and when Hillary and Kota weren’t there, he’d headed to the beach to find them, not even taking the time to change out of the outfit he wore to the funeral. Now he was wishing he had as thousands of tiny granules of sand filled his shoes.
He catalogued the changes to the house as they approached. It was already looking better. The new roof helped, along with the two skylights they added to bring in more light to the master suite. The crew had dismantled the old, rotting deck and poured footers for the new one. The cement siding was almost finished and the new windows looked amazing.
He was both excited to get back to work and dreading it. Tomorrow would mark the first time he’d walked into a renovation site without Neil. Though it was a discussion he didn’t want to have, he and Connie had talked about what to do on the plane ride to California. He didn’t want to bring someone new into the project with it already underway. He needed to trust the person implicitly, and that person needed to trust his vision. It would be best to promote one of the crew to the job. Neil had an inner circle of three people he discussed projects and shared ideas with. He and Connie decided to offer the job to Sally Hertz in the interim. She was capable and dedicated and Reed already knew he got along well with her. If the job went smoothly, they would talk about offering her the job on a permanent basis.
When they’d called Sally over, she’d been dumfounded. She hadn’t expected the position but had been honored to accept, knowing Neil would approve. They’d gone over a few details and Reed felt confident that she would be able to capably step into Neil’s very large shoes.
That was something to think about tomorrow. Tonight, he wanted to spend the evening with Hillary, even if he could look but not touch. Four days had been much too long.
#
The crew showed up for work bright and early the next morning, sporting a black strip on their hardhats in memory of Neil. Reed had been touched. Someone had thought to have them made up with Neil’s name. Even the local team who didn’t know Neil well had donned them on their hats. He’d added the strip to his as well.
He’d gathered everyone around in a circle before work started and said a few words about Neil and how he’d want them to go on. He stressed the importance of working hard since they were now a week behind schedule and needed to make up time. He called for everyone to pile their hand on his. “On the count of three, break on, ‘For Neil’. One, two, three.”
“For Neil,” the group shouted in unison as they lifted their hands.
He fingered the wood grip that had been Neil’s favorite hammer, now resting in a hook in his tool belt. Neil’s wife insisted he have it and he’d been honored. He would remember his friend and mentor every time he used it.
The floors were a mess of mismatched rugs and planks of plywood. They were being ripped up and replaced. He wandered around watching as work was well underway. He nodded at Tim Harner and he swung his camera to Reed. “We’re ripping up the entire floor, which was covered in industrial carpets that weren’t even stapled down.” Reed lifted a corner to show the haphazard covering. “At one time, it appears there was a type of laminate floor attached to the plywood subfloor, but it’s been removed. Look at this.” He knelt and the camera panned to where he pointed. “Most of the subfloor is rotted from the humid ocean air.” He punched a hole in a dark spot. “We’re going to test for moisture and put down a new subfloor that meets code. We’ll take a look at the supporting boards to make sure they are holding up as well.”
He stood, watching as the mismatched carpets were rolled into bundles and then lugged out to the dumpsters. “Wood floors aren’t a great match for a home so close to the water, due to the humidity of the air. Plus, this close to the beach, sand gets tracked in and would damage the finish. We’re opting for porcelain tiles.” He held one up. “It looks like wood, but it’s durable, easy to maintain and will stand up to the elements. The manufacturer prints a high definition image directly onto the tile to give a natural look with grain variation and color. Once the tiles are down, it will look amazing. Each tile is cut like a wood plank to add an authentic look. Not to mention they are eco-friendly, made from as much recycled content as possible, something that’s important to me when I purchase materials.”
Reed watched as his crew slid bars under the rotted boards and pried them up. The house had been neglected for so long, some of the planks broke apart. He liked the physical labor, getting his hands dirty. He could still work with the cast on his arm, but Connie had a mini-stroke when he picked up a tool, so he resigned himself to letting the team do the job. When he wasn’t watching the workers, he was watching Hillary. She and her dog had set up a make-shift work space on the new kitchen island, away from the work flow. Her blond hair was pulled into a high ponytail and her plump bottom lip was caught between her teeth.
“Look at this, boss,” one of the men called out. He pulled back the carpet. “This plywood is newer.”
“Here, too.”
“And here.”
“Oh my God!”
“Sonofabitch!”
“No effing way!”
He spun around at the simultaneous outbursts from the crew. They were all scrambling to peer into the hole Sal Hobart opened. Tim scampered over, pointing the camera into the space.
“Steele, you better come look at this.”
He hurried over to see what the commotion was. He eased between the workers and stood on the edge of the hole. He looked down and cursed. Tucked between two floorboards was a human skeleton.
“Uh, boss? We’ve got a problem.”
He looked at Sally. “You mean besides a pile of bones?”
“Yeah, how about two.”
His jaw dropped. “What?”
“Make that three,” another man chimed in.
Chapter Thirty-One
After checking in with her office, Hillary spoke with Kellan Polizzi. The police had hit a dead end in Neil Farmington’s murder. No witnesses, no suspects. No leads from the bullet the doctors dug out of his stomach. They were at a loss to move forward with no evidence. She hated that Neil’s family might never get justice for his death.
She’d just ended the call and slid her phone in her pocket when a loud commotion had her glancing up. The work crew gathered around in a circle, looking at something on the floor. The camera was rolling and the men were recoiling with looks of revulsion. Connie burst through the front door, hurried over and screamed.
Hillary shot to her feet, withdrew her weapon, ordered Kota to stay and rushed to the spot. She nudged and shoved her way into the circle to peer at the hole in the floor. Inside was a human skeleton.
“Hey, look, the hand is missing.”
“Don’t touch that,” she snapped at Sal, who froze with his fingers almost touching the bones. “Everyone step back. This is now a crime scene.”
“You heard her,” Reed ordered the crew when no one moved. He urged them back with his hands. “Take a break and get something to drink.” When Tim kept pointing the camera at the bones, Reed tapped him on the back. “That’s enough.”
Tim nodded and lowered the camera from his shoulder. He headed over to the refreshment table and grabbed a soda.
Hillary moved to the next hole in the floor. Another skeleton. And a third.
“I can’t believe this.” Connie held a bottle of water to her forehead. “What do we do?” She glanced around the room. “Three dead bodies?”
“I have a feeling that if we rip up those other boards, we find two more,” Reed said, indicating the plywood that had yet to darken with age.
“I need to call Detective Polizzi and get a crime scene unit here.” She padded away and pulled out her phone. Once Kellan answered, she gave him the details and hung up when he indicated
he was on the way. She walked back to where Reed was looking down at one of the skeletons. He glanced up when she approached.
“This is a first. We’ve found old animal carcasses where they’ve crawled inside walls and died. But never human.”
She crouched down to study the bones. She wasn’t an expert, but based on height and the size and shape of the pelvis, she thought it was female. Sal was correct…the hand was missing. Reed squatted down beside her.
“This could be why someone didn’t want us in here. We’re disturbing his burial ground.”
“That’s a very good possibility. What do you know about the history of the house?”
“Not a lot. Josh Hannigan purchased it from the bank. The former owners fell into arrears.”
Frank Morrow, one of the local workers, held up a hand. “I know a little. Family by the name of Grimes. The old lady got cancer and died. Soon after, the husband had a massive stroke and then passed away, leaving the house to the son. He died, too.”
“I need to call my bosses. I’ll have them research the Grimes family, and any previous owners.’ She stood. “The police may want your crew to pry up the rest of the boards under their supervision.”
“Whatever they need,” Reed promised, then glanced around the room. “Three bodies. There could be more.”
#
Detective Kellan Polizzi arrived ten minutes later followed by a crime scene unit. The first thing they did was to order everyone outside except for Reed, Hillary and Connie, and strung up crime scene tape.
“We’ll work with the police however you need, but we’re on a tight schedule,” Connie told him. “We’re already a week behind. Can we work around the bodies?”
Kellan shot her an irritated look. “No, you can’t work around the bodies. This is a crime scene now. You’ve found three set of bones, but there could be more. We’ll have to bring in equipment and scan the entire floor.”
Tough as Nails (COBRA Securities Book 10) Page 19