Call Back: Magnolia Steel Mystery #3 (Magnolia Steele Mystery)

by Denise Grover Swank

  He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. His T-shirt clung to his chest and arm muscles, and his hem lifted enough to show a sliver of skin above his waistline, making my stomach flutter. Dammit. I needed to get control of myself. Thank God I looked away before he noticed.

  His grin fell. “You’re not supposed to be talking about what goes on during those meetings, Maggie.”

  “Why? What’s the big secret? I have a notebook full of minutes I took, which include such scintillating discussion points as the group’s plan to deliver meals to Ruby Frey for the rest of the week and who had the most beautiful tulip display. Oh!” I exclaimed, as though just remembering it. “And that Janine Cumberland was dismissed in the most humiliating way after offering me information that Ava encouraged me to get.”

  “Slow down there,” Colt said, then scrubbed his hand over his face. “What are you talking about?”

  “I should have known she was up to no good. She was all sweet and helpful.”

  “Janine Cumberland?”

  “No! Ava. Keep up.”

  “When the hell has Ava Milton ever been sweet and cordial?”

  “Exactly!” I exclaimed, pointing my finger at him. “That should have clued me in that she was up to no good.”

  “What does that have to do with her getting rid of Janine?”

  “I asked Ava for information about someone my father worked with, and she encouraged me to ask her guests about her.”

  “Stop and think about this,” he said, leaning over his legs and resting his elbows on his thighs. When I didn’t answer, Colt gave me a wry grin. “She’s a tricky one.”

  “Don’t look so smug about it. Why don’t you tell me how I got this apartment?”

  He sat up. “What?”

  “I found out that I’m the first tenant to live here. It’s quite a coincidence, considering that Ava’s taken an interest in feeding me information about my father.”

  “What the hell are you implying?” he asked, getting pissed. “You signed the lease and moved in. End of story.”

  “And what happened before that?” I asked. “More specifically, I want to hear about the conversation you and Ava had about offering me the apartment.”

  “I don’t know,” he said defensively. “That was so long ago.”

  “Bullshit. I moved in a week ago. Your idea or hers?”

  He didn’t answer—and from the set of his jaw, he didn’t plan to.

  “That’s okay,” I said as I got to my feet. “That’s answer enough. Are you my friend or not?”

  He grinned, but it looked forced. “Ava must have really unsettled you for you to ask me that.”

  “Answer the question.”

  He stood and his eyes narrowed. “I risked my life for you last night. If that doesn’t make us friends, I don’t know what does.”

  “One would think so, right?” I asked, taking a step toward him. “But you’re hiding things, and that alone is reason enough for me to call you into question.”

  “It’s not like you’re not hiding things from me either,” he shot back. “I suspect you’ve got more secrets than I do.”

  “Fine! You want to know all my secrets? I’ll tell you every single last one of them. But you have to share yours too.”

  His shoulders dropped in defeat. “Maggie. You know I can’t.”

  I stormed over to the door and reached for the doorknob. “Then get the fuck out.”

  Colt didn’t move. “Don’t be stupid. You need me.”

  He was right. I did, and that pissed me off even more.

  I slammed the door shut and fastened the deadbolt.

  “Oh, you locked us in. Maybe you’re interested in other kinds of secrets.” Colt grinned, but it didn’t look genuine. I was quite certain this was the same look he gave women to get them to leap into bed with him.

  “Stop it,” I said in disgust. “I know what you’re doing. It’s not going to work.”

  He pushed out a heavy sigh and flopped back down onto the sofa. “Let’s play a game.”

  “What kind of game?” I asked suspiciously.

  “It’s like strip poker.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “Calm your ass down,” he said as he reclined and stretched his arm along the back of the sofa. “I said like strip poker. Take a seat. You’re going to like it.”

  I groaned. “Spoken like a man.”

  “Come on. I’ll even start.”

  “Just so we’re clear, I’m not stripping, and I don’t want to see your bare chest.” That was a blatant lie, and I hated myself for it.

  “More’s the pity. I’m not starting until you sit down.”

  I sighed as I settled back into the chair I’d vacated a few minutes ago. “I’m sitting, but make this quick. I have to get to work at Alvin’s.”

  His grin faded. “Ava was the one who told me to offer you the apartment.”

  My stomach fell to my feet. I’d suspected, but it felt different to hear it confirmed. “How long ago?”

  “A week after you came back. When she realized you were staying.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know, and that’s the God’s honest truth, Maggie.”

  “And you just went along with it?”

  “Ava has ulterior motives for almost everything she does, but in your case I figured it was just to get a dig at your mother. Harmless enough, and it would help you out by giving you a place to stay. Now I’m not so sure.” He sat back. “Okay, it’s my turn to ask you a question.”

  “I didn’t know this was a question game. Maybe I would have asked you something different.”

  He shrugged. “You asked me a few minutes ago, and I answered.”

  Was I up to playing this game? I could tell him as much or as little as I wanted, and he had answered my earlier question.

  But how much should I say? My gut told me to trust Colt, but it had steered me wrong before, and besides, I knew he had his own agenda.

  Colt’s gazed pinned on me. “What have you learned about your father since you’ve been back?”

  “Daddy wasn’t the perfect man I thought he was,” I said, resting my forearm on the arm of the chair. I kept my gaze on the Southern Living magazine on the coffee table. “I think he might have scammed a bunch of people with some kind of land project in north Nashville. It went belly-up, and a lot of people lost their money.”

  Colt was quiet and I lifted my gaze to his face. Our eyes locked. I tried to read him and failed.

  “It had to hurt like hell to find that out,” he said. “He fell quite a ways off his pedestal.”

  “You’re making fun of me.”

  “No, but I know you idolized the man. I’m surprised you believe it.”

  “Why wouldn’t I believe it?” I asked, shifting in my chair. I was starting to get pissed. “I’m looking for the truth, no matter how difficult it is to hear.”

  He pushed out a heavy sigh. “No, your goal was to clear his name. It’s not turning out the way you wanted, but you’re still looking anyway.” His eyes locked on mine. “You’re a better person than I am.”

  His statement shocked me, not only because he’d acknowledged my pain, but also because he seemed so genuine. So serious. There was no sign of his usual protective coating of humor and charm.

  “He was involved with a lot of people . . . most of whom are now dead or have disappeared. The ones we knew about—Walter Frey, Geraldo Lopez, Christopher Merritt, and Steve Morrissey—but also some we didn’t, like Max Goodwin and Neil Fulton. And I finally tracked down the final name on that list Walter Frey had intended to give me. Rowena Rogers.”

  Colt’s face didn’t change. “Never heard of her. Who is she?”

  “She was married to a financial planner with another firm.”

  “He wasn’t named?”

  “Her husband was killed in an accident fourteen years ago.”

  His eyes widened. “Interesting timing.”

  “I know, right? She
was part of a scandal around the time Christopher Merritt disappeared. People thought they were having an affair. She disappeared after that, although not like the others. She changed her name to Nicole Baker and keeps to herself.”

  “And you’re certain she’s still alive?” he asked.

  “That’s what Janine said. But I know for a fact that she was alive and well, and here in Franklin last week.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “How?”

  “I saw her. Twice.” I told him about her connection with Walter Frey, then paused and said, “She told me it was my fault he was killed. That I’d stirred everything up again by asking about my father.”

  “That’s a crock of bullshit,” Colt scoffed. “Did you force Walter Frey to be part of that land deal? Did you force him to be in cahoots with your dad and that dentist?”

  “No, but I forced him to meet me at the bar.”

  “So? He was up to shady shit long before you left town.”

  “I could have gone to the police.”

  “And you did. You called Bennett.”

  And look where that got me. “But that wasn’t really like going to the police.”

  “Because Bennett hid your involvement?”

  I nodded. “Because of Owen.”

  “Probably.”

  “No,” I said. “For certain. Brady told me last night.”

  He looked suspicious. “Why would he tell you that?” He leaned forward. “What did you tell him?”

  “Nothing about last night. It was just . . .” How would Colt take this? “When I got to Brady’s apartment, Owen was at the front door, handing off an envelope to Brady.” I hadn’t intended to tell him this much, but as soon as the words started tumbling out of my mouth, I knew I wanted him to know.

  “What was in the envelope?”

  I wrapped my arms around myself and shook my head in a jerky motion. “Nothing to do with Daddy.”

  “How can you be sure?” he demanded.

  “Because I saw it,” I said, trying not to cry. “I saw the photos and the reports. Emily was murdered by a serial killer.”

  “What?” He sat back in his seat, his eyes wide in shock. “That’s not what the news reports are saying.”

  “Yet it’s true.”

  “Why haven’t they made this public?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, but that wasn’t entirely true. Brady seemed to be the only one who had connected the dots, and he hadn’t told anyone else on the police force. Despite his insistence that he was protecting me from the shady characters on the force, I couldn’t help asking myself that same question: Why?

  Chapter 20

  “Why did he target Emily?” Colt asked, obviously still in shock.

  I’d told him there was a serial killer, and while I wasn’t ready to confess everything, I needed to tell him something. I held on to myself tighter. “Because of me.”

  “You? Why?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe because she was my attorney, and I’m a bit ‘notorious.’” I used air quotes to emphasize my point.

  “That seems like a stretch.”

  “Nevertheless, Brady confirmed there’s a link.”

  That got his attention. “What link?”

  “He was vague about the details,” I lied, surprised that I really did want to tell him. Who would have thought that once I uncorked my decade-old secret by spilling the beans to my mother, I’d end up wanting to word-vomit my story to everyone. But that wasn’t entirely true. I wanted to tell Colt because, despite his admission that he had an ulterior motive for working with me, I knew deep in my soul that he was my friend.

  “That’s bullshit, Magnolia!” he said. “You have a right to know!”

  I didn’t answer.

  He pushed out a frustrated sigh. “Does he think you’ll be a target next?”

  “He doesn’t know.”

  He sat up, looking agitated. “Then what the hell are you doing working at Ava’s Bible study? Why aren’t you under police protection?”

  I gave him a tiny grin. “Can you imagine if Ava tangled with a serial killer? The serial killer wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  “I’m serious, Magnolia.”

  “And so am I. Honestly, I think her death stare would be enough to do him in.”

  He grinned in spite of himself, but it quickly fell away. “I planned to go to Chattanooga tomorrow morning, but now I think I should stick around.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You have to look for the gold.”

  “The gold’s not much good if you’re dead.”

  “Why, Colt Austin,” I teased, “if you’re not careful, I might start to think you actually have feelings for me.”

  He didn’t smile, but he didn’t look away either. And that scared the crap out of me.

  I broke eye contact first. “I need to get to Alvin’s. I’m going to be late.”

  “We didn’t get your car.”

  I shook my head as I stood. “I’ll get it later.”

  “I’d help you after you get off,” he said, remaining on the sofa, “but I have something else going on tonight.”

  “Something that has to do with the gold?”

  “No.”

  I waited a beat before saying, “You’re not going to tell me what it is?”

  “It doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

  And we were back to this. “Fine. Whatever. I have to start a load of laundry before I go, so feel free to leave whenever you like.” I headed into the bedroom and sorted the dirty laundry on my bed into piles. But when I grabbed a pair of jeans, my breath caught in my throat. I’d forgotten to text Brady. If he insisted on keeping our appointment, I’d need to bring something to wear for our hike into the woods. I didn’t have anything better to bring than dirty jeans and a T-shirt, but there didn’t seem much point in wearing clean clothes for a hike. The rain last night was bound to make it a muddy mess.

  Just like the night it had happened ten years ago.

  Panic buzzed at the edges of my awareness, threatening to bloom into a full-blown panic attack. After a half-minute of me picturing myself on a beach and the sun warming my skin—one of the relaxation methods I’d picked up over the past ten years—I calmed down enough to send Brady a text.

  Can we reschedule tonight? Belinda needs me.

  I picked up an armload of whites to put into the small washing machine tucked into the linen closet. I stopped as soon as I walked out of the bedroom, shocked to see Colt still on the sofa.

  “I thought you were leaving.”

  He snorted. “You said I was leaving. I never said any such thing. If you think I’m leaving you alone with a serial killer who might be targeting you, then you’ve got another think coming.”

  I gave him a look of disbelief.

  He stretched his arm along the back of the sofa. “I thought you were going to be late for work? Let me drop you off.”

  I watched him for a couple of seconds, trying to figure out if he was up to something, but he seemed to be on the up and up. “Okay . . .”

  After I started the load, I grabbed the jeans, T-shirt, and a pair of athletic shoes in case I couldn’t back out of my hike with Brady. As an afterthought, I grabbed a light jacket in case it cooled off. Unfortunately, I’d already gone through my limited stash of tote bags to take things to Brady’s. I’d have to store the loose clothes in the back room at the shop. Alvin would grill me all afternoon until I gave him a decent excuse.

  Turned out Colt beat Alvin to it. He eyed the stack of clothes in my arms as I grabbed my purse.

  “What?” I asked with a hint of attitude.

  “What plans do you have with Detective Hot Stuff that requires jeans and tennis shoes?”

  “Who says my plans are with him?”

  “So they’re not?”

  I shook my head. “You have your mysterious plans, and I have mine.”

  He followed me out the door and grabbed the keys out of my hand to lock it behind us. “Do you think it was a go
od idea to start a load of wash?” he asked as he followed me down the stairs. “It will start to stink before you get back to put it in the dryer.”

  “Imagine that,” I said sarcastically. “A man who’s a laundry expert.”

  “Have you ever seen me in dirty clothes?” he asked as he walked around to the passenger side of his truck and opened the door for me. “I know my way around a washer and dryer.”

  I narrowed my eyes and stared up at him. “Like you know your way around a truck?”

  “What?” he asked. “You’ve got your arms full, and I’m capable of being a gentleman.”

  He gave me a big toothy grin as he shut the door behind me. Seconds later, he slid behind the wheel.

  “Thanks for your help, Colt.”

  He shot me a tight smile. “I’m your laundry hotline should you need the help. When do you plan on coming back?”

  We both knew that wasn’t what I had meant. “Tonight.” I hadn’t been entirely sure until the word left my lips.

  His eyebrows rose. “Bennett’s staying with you tonight?”

  “No,” I said slowly. “I’m coming home alone.”

  He was quiet for a few seconds. “I was joking this morning about the lover’s spat, Mags.”

  “I know . . . It’s complicated.”

  “So is this a you’re not ready to live with him yet complicated, or a we’re taking a break?”

  I wasn’t ready to tell him I was ending things with Brady, worried he’d read too much into the timing with his kiss.

  “You’re not staying alone, are you?” he asked.

  I almost gave him an answer, or something approaching one, when I realized why he was pressing me. “I’ll be fine.”

  We rode in silence until he pulled into the parking lot behind Rebellious Rose a few minutes later. I started to open the door, but he stopped me.

  “Maggie, wait.”

  I let go of the handle and looked back at him. This was serious Colt again.

  “You need to be careful, and you need to be able to protect yourself. Have you replaced the gun that got stolen?”

  “No.”

  Leaning over me, he opened the glove box and pulled out a towel-wrapped object. He placed the mystery thing in my open palm, and its weight and shape immediately erased the mystery.