by Lyz Kelley
“The firewood was used? That’s odd. That would be weeks’ worth of burning.”
Well at least someone around here has a brain.
“I thought so too. I checked the locks. All expertly picked. There were efforts made to cover some of the tracks. The lack of animal droppings in the area told me there were humans present. If my dad identified all these issues, why didn’t the sheriff’s department?”
“Well, Ernie was sorta dim in high school, but I get a feeling that’s not what you’re talking about. My guess is you think someone’s covering up evidence.”
“You’d be right.”
Mara tightened her fingers around his arm, just as Gus barked three times and started to whine. “It looks like our boy has found something. I just hope it’s not a pile of bear poop.”
“Or worse…a skunk.”
“Or a skunk.”
The way she eased his burden made him want to brace Mara against a tree and kiss her until all his obligations and anger over his brother’s senseless death disappeared. But guilt made him check that urge. He shouldn’t be going there. He was leaving. The last person he wanted to hurt was the beautiful and brave woman beside him. She’d had enough challenges in her life and he wouldn’t complicate matters.
Halfway up the hill, he spotted Gus sitting and waiting. Joey scanned the area and approached slowly.
“Karly said you were good, but I had my doubts.”
“Did he find something?”
He picked up a stick and lifted an empty shell casing Gus had his eye on. “Yes, he did. No cigarettes, but there’s a marijuana roach and some footprints.”
“Good boy, Gus.” Intelligent eyes stared back at him. “I should get the shell casings and marijuana roach to the lab…” His gut twisted. And have the evidence disappear? I think not. “On second thought, I’d better hold onto this stuff for awhile.” Pulling gloves and plastic bags from his pocket from an occupational habit, he collected the evidence.
Gus’s ears perked and he focused at the tree line on the ridge. The feeling of being watched sent chills up Joey’s arms. He stood. “Mara, you look like you’re getting cold.”
“I’m all right.”
He shoved the evidence bag inside his coat pocket. “Just the same, I believe we found what we were looking for, let’s get back to the car and get warm.”
Escorting Mara down the hill, he moved a bit quicker, a disquieting feeling pushing him to move faster. When he reached the road, his phone buzzed and he groaned. Not my boss. The local number provided relief.
“Gaccione.”
“Hey, it’s Tony. Hope you don’t mind. I got your number from Pia. Is Mara with you?”
“Yeah, she’s here.”
“Would you let her know I have a flower delivery for Lizzy Cranston, but Gina will be at the store, so she doesn’t have to rush back. Or she can take the day off, if she wants.”
“I’ll let her know. Wait, isn’t Cranston the old biddy that used to drive by the High School and give us all the finger?”
“The same. Karly said you and Mara are going over the evidence.”
Joey cringed. He’d have to be more careful with his actions, especially where Mara was concerned. He ignored the comment. “I’m not sure flowers will improve that woman’s temperament. Maybe a ton and a half of chocolate. Then again, cocoa might just make her more bitter.” Joey laughed at his own pun, then a spark of an idea grew as Mara attached the leash to Gus’s collar and called to Buddy. They continued walking side by side down the mountain road.
“Hey, Tony, you must get around town a lot.”
“By getting around, I hope you mean in the flower-delivery-route sort of way.”
Interesting. “Yes. I’m talking store delivery routes. Has anyone from the sheriff’s office asked you if you’ve seen anything out of place lately? Out of state license plates? Out-of-towners at Mad Jack’s? That sort of thing?”
“No, nothing, unless…”
Tony’s “unless” had a mighty big anchor tied to the end. “What are you thinking?” Joey asked, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Gina did say something strange last night at dinner. The girls at the salon were bitching about the lack of supplies at the grocery store—you know those things gals need every month. And this morning at the café, Harold was complaining he couldn’t keep enough on the shelf. Supposedly, some guy came in and bought an armful. I don’t know any guy in this town who’d be caught dead buying that stuff, much less an armful. Now condoms, that might be a different story. Then Gina told me her prenatal vitamins were on back order. There can’t be enough pregnant women in this town to force a prenatal vitamin outage.”
A sex trafficking profile flipped through his head. He doubted Elkridge had anything to do with trafficking routes. Or did it? The FBI dealt with sex crimes.
FB as in FBI? Was that what Sam was trying to tell him? To call the FBI?
Uneasiness made him swallow the bitter taste circling in his mouth, giving him heartburn. “I’d appreciate if you kept me informed of any oddities around town.”
“Okay. Maybe TMI, and probably not what you were looking for.”
“Any information is good. You never know what missing piece of information will blow open a case.”
“So are you going to stick around awhile?”
“Only a few more days. Why?”
“No reason.”
Yet, a guy hardly ever asked a question without a reason, and he assumed the woman walking quietly beside him was the explanation.
“Tony, you have nothing to worry about. Promise.”
“I told Mara you were a good man.” Tony’s tone softened. “I should have kept my big mouth shut in high school. I thought you just wanted to give her a bounce. Us football players can be a little slow.”
“You said it. I didn’t. For the record, you were wrong.”
“Are you not interested anymore because she’s blind?”
He stopped and covered the phone’s mic. “Mara? It seems Buddy’s got a good nose on the car. Go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”
“Take your time. Buddy, forward.” She waved as Buddy and the trio made their way down the dirt road.
He turned to make sure his voice wouldn’t carry. “Keep talking and you’re aiming to get cracked in the mouth the next time I see you. You should know me a bit better than that. There is no way I can get out of going back to Seattle. I have obligations back home, and I’m not about to start something I can’t finish.”
“What’s in Seattle that’s not here?”
Nothing. But you need to mind your own business. “I’m part of a team. The force is like its own little community, and the guys in my unit have become like family. Plus, Seattle’s got more than two dozen restaurants, and theaters by the dozens.”
“Hey, Mad Jack’s put in pool tables, and bands play there now. You can come back and be part of this community.”
The Seattle neighborhood where he lived was within walking distance of nightlife and beaches—however nice, none of them stacked high enough to block out Mara. She still smelled like a mountain valley in springtime and made him dream of the future in a way he hadn’t considered possible.
“If you’re interested,” Tony interrupted his swirling speculation, “Mara’s singing at Mad Jack’s on Saturday. Maybe we can have that beer we talked about. And, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. You and Mara would have made a good match.”
What is this, apology day? “Life doesn’t always work out as planned, and sometimes there’s just no going back.” But there’s always the future. And, Joey was desperately trying to figure out how Mara and Elkridge fit into those plans.
“I respect that. Don’t forget about Saturday.”
He’d already decided to stop by. “Would you like me to have Mara give you a call?”
“No. We’re good. See you, Saturday.”
“I’ll be there.”
What-ifs buzzed around in his head. What if more was
going on in Elkridge than anybody knew? What if his family and Mara were truly in danger? What if….
All questions.
He needed to stop with the questions and get some answers.
Fifty feet from the car, he caught up with Mara. A warm comfort descended through his neck, into his chest and settled in his core. When he got within a few feet of the SUV, her easy expression allowed him to release the tension spring wound too tight. With her, he didn’t have to fight against the counterclockwise motion. He could just follow the circle of time and let life tick naturally onward and watch for opportunities, because he was starting to think Elkridge might be a future possibility.
“Hey,” she said with a pleasant, yet anxious, smile. “Was that your boss?”
“It was Tony. He said he had a delivery to make and that Gina was covering the store.”
“Is that all he said…I mean, he wasn’t mad, or anything?”
“He didn’t sound mad.” Only protective. “He said not to rush back, and take the day off if you want.”
Several emotions flashed across her face simultaneously to the point he had no idea what she might be feeling. He opened the back hatch of his SUV and gently loaded Gus into his kennel and secured Buddy. “Since you don’t have to work today, what about we take Gus back to the shelter, then I make you dinner? How does steak and potatoes sound?”
“What, no pasta?”
That smile of hers gets me every time.
He shouldn’t find her sexy, bundled to her chin in her navy blue coat, her eyes peeking out from behind her scarf, mittened hands dangling at her sides, and clearly mocking his mother’s cooking, but damn if he didn’t think she was sexy as hell anyway. The smile creasing the corners of her eyes made him want to pull her into his arms again for a nibble and savor. She’d been twisting him into knots since he was a teen. “No pasta. I can’t afford any more of my mother’s cooking. As it is, I’ll need to double my workout schedule.”
“Oh. Bummer. I guess that means no dessert, either. Jenna from over at the café brought me some Bramley apples. They feel like gnarly round balls, and are best for cooking. I was hoping to have baked apples for dessert.”
“I was thinking of something else sweet for dessert.”
She lifted her chin, and her whole face lit like a neon sign that said, proceed straight ahead, and he wasn’t about to slow down.
Not this time. And he angled in for a kiss.
Chapter Eleven
“I’m stuffed.” Joey’s tone held a satisfied warmth which resembled her mood.
Across the small table in the center of Sam’s small, yet uncluttered kitchen, Mara set her spoon down next to the bowl with remains of her half of the baked apple. The smell of butter and cinnamon and vanilla ice cream still tempted her to take another bite. Or maybe, she could convince Joey to take another spoonful so she could get a no-calorie taste.
The memory of his kiss made her lips tingle.
“Steak, asparagus, potatoes, and on top of all that, dessert. I don’t think I’ve eaten that much, ever. Where did you learn to cook?”
A snort of laughter filled the room. “Would you believe television? When I joined the force, I had to work the swing shift. Most of the time I got off work at three, sometimes four in the morning. I could never sleep when I got home, so I’d watch this cooking show. There isn’t much on T.V. at that time of day.”
“No, I don’t suppose there would be.”
“One chef liked to keep recipes simple. Three or four ingredients tops. He made it look easy, so I tried a few things. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Wolfgang Puck or anything.”
Gotta love a man that cooks. “You’re better than most.” Not that I’ve had any experience. “Let me clean up since you did most of the work.” Mara stood faster than she should have and grabbed the edge of the table, the mostly empty glass of red wine doing funny things to her sense of balance. The buzz of alcohol made her feel relaxed—possibly too relaxed.
The harsh scrape of a chair across the hardwood floor meant the brewing of an argument.
“I figured we could clean up together,” Joey suggested. “Why don’t I stack the dishes on the left? Dishwashing liquid is next to the faucet. You wash. I’ll dry and put away. Sound good?”
No arguments. I so want to kiss this man. Together? No push or pull. Working with Joey made her think of a greeting card—she: the pretty, colored card; he: the protective envelope—complementing each other perfectly. The all-too-domestic image created a problem—a huge problem.
He was leaving. If only she could get him to see that Elkridge needed his expertise. Needed him.
“Sounds good.” She focused on determining which double-bowl sink had the locking drain, then poured the liquid soap in her hand to get the right amount and to give the water time enough to heat. She reached for the first plate as the smell of the lemon and the feel of bubbles tickled her senses.
“I’m dropping the silverware in the water to soak.”
The heat from Joey standing next to her rattled her nerves. How could the ordinary sound of metal clinking against metal, stir up more than just an ordinary affection for the man?
He fit too easily.
Was that the problem?
Since their heart-pumping kiss that afternoon, her body had been stuck in overdrive. Every nerve ending had flickered and come online, sending pulsating messages from node to node, reminding her that her sex drive had backed out of the storage shed and was ready to be driven. Hard.
The blame for her heightened sexual appetite was definitely hers. She’d pushed him, knowing he would respond. The moment the words, that sucks slipped out, she was a total goner.
Holy crap, the man could kiss.
He hadn’t lingered in any one place, but instead covered the entire landscape of her skin, stimulating every centimeter, making her want to drive closer to the edge of a dangerous cliff just to experience the exhilaration of feeling sexy. Now, hours later, she still felt sexy, an odd experience after having felt simply blind for so long.
With a long exhale, she released the dish into his waiting hands.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
Nothing I want to tell you. His deliberate and methodical movements provided comfort. The habitual, almost predictable way in which he lived also gave her an odd sense of security.
“I’m visualizing all the collective evidence you relayed in my head.” The little white lie slipped from her lips and she grimaced as the sound of his dish drying paused.
“Think of anything new?” His tone sounded so hopeful, the guilt expanded.
“No, still processing.”
“Ah.” The dejection in his tone made her heartsick. If only she could help…
The heat from the open potbelly stove and the snap of tinder sparks from a fresh log added to the hot coals captured her attention. Lifting the last plate, she dunked the dish into the foamy water, letting the warmth ease her churning thoughts. He moved next to her, his scent even more devastating than his kisses. She could breathe in his essence every day and never become tired of him. The smell automatically conjured the image of the boy, even though today she’d discovered the man.
His frame had grown, strengthened and expanded to support the more masculine concerns of the adult. His broad shoulders and arms had surrounded her body and made her feel splendid things, yet provided a safe place for her to lean into. His working hands had helped, supported and never pushed. The glorious way his body expressed his wishes thrilled her. She grieved for the wasted years…and wondered what might have been.
His breath on her neck sent a frisson of heat through her. “Maybe we should save grinding through more details for another day. Sometimes new concepts can form when least expected.”
“Another day? That may be a problem.” The dejection from the previous minutes deepened.
“Have you booked your flight?” She chose to concentrate on washing the silverware rather than the regret squeezing her ch
est.
“Camilla offered to book my flight, but I haven’t received a confirmation text yet. I need to get back soon.” She could just kick herself for asking a question she didn’t want answered. The knowing was the same as when a delicate rosebud popped off its stem, only much worse.
To avoid the inevitable, she forced herself to think of something besides how good his body felt standing next to hers. “I can’t stop thinking about Sam’s death and the series of bad things happening in Elkridge.” Visions of the landscape and corresponding scene details swirled in her mind. “I need to do something. I want Elkridge to return to the safe, cozy town I remember. I’ve already received two wedding order cancelations. This town can’t afford to scare more tourists away.”
“Solving all of Elkridge’s problems is going to be a challenge all by yourself. Are you worried about Elkridge or your business?”
“Both. Since you won’t be here, I’ve got to at least try something.”
Joey’s silence made her evaluate the reason for her frustration. “I’m sorry. I’m not being fair. It’s just that I wanted…I want…”
Joey took the forks and knives from her hands and turned her slowly around. “What is it that you want, Mara?”
“This town needs your skills, but I understand why you can’t stay. I do. I just hoped things were different.”
A calloused thumb brushed over her cheek. “If it helps any, I don’t want to go, but I have people depending on me back home. The families of those women are counting on me to help bring a killer to justice. My offer is still good—come to Seattle. I’ll make sure you are safe.”
“That’s just it. Seattle is such a big city, I might get lost. Everything would be so different. You’d be worried about me, when you should be focused on your case. I couldn’t do that to you.” And I can’t depend on anyone. Not in that way. Being too dependent on my parents enforced that lesson.