Cruel Grace: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 5)

by Olivia Jaymes

  “Her sleeping with lots of other men didn’t bother you?” Eli pressed. “You never fought over it?”

  “I know where you’re going here and the answer is no. We never argued about the guys. If we argued, it’s because I didn’t think she was being careful enough. This world is different for females than males, and she’d go off with a total stranger. I’d get mad at her for not being safe. That’s what I think happened to her, you know? I think she met someone and he killed her. She didn’t have a shred of self-preservation at times. It was crazy. She’d trust just about anyone.”

  Charlie was nodding as if she too agreed.

  “Can I ask about Kendra’s parents? How did–“

  Eli didn’t even get his full question out before Cagney groaned and rolled his eyes.

  “Dude, those people are the worst. Just the absolute worst. Kendra avoided them as much as possible.”

  “She always said they were a close family,” Charlie replied.

  “Close to fighting and arguing,” Cagney shot back. “Bernard and Evelyn were miserable people who loved to make everyone in their orbit miserable, too. Do you know that they asked me not to attend the funeral? They said people might get the wrong idea. I don’t even know what they meant by that. What sort of wrong idea? That I loved my girlfriend? That’s an issue?”

  “What did you say to them?” Charlie asked.

  “I told them as politely as possible to go fuck themselves. I was definitely going to be there. So then they tried to tell me the wrong date and time, but both you and Dana told me the right time so I was there. I have no clue why they didn’t want me there, but they were really dug in about it.”

  Eli had a thought that perhaps the Taylors wanted to throw suspicion onto Cagney for Kendra’s murder. Not showing up to the services might be seen through that lens.

  “Cagney, according to the file you were in Miami at the time of the murder. I just want to confirm that.”

  Cagney’s gaze dropped to the floor, and he rubbed at his chin. “About that…That’s what I told the detective because I originally was in Miami for a job but it was cancelled at the last minute. The photographer got the flu. I was actually here in Chicago. I was seeing someone.”

  “Someone?” Eli echoed. “Do you mean a woman?”

  “Yes, Janey. She’s my wife now.”

  Not sure what to say, Eli gave Charlie a helpless look. Not one minute before, Cagney had been professing his love for Kendra. But he’d been in Chicago seeing another woman whom he had enough feelings for to marry a few years later. He decided to concentrate on the one fact that also jumped out at him.

  “So you were close enough to drive down and kill her if you wanted to?”

  Cagney shook his head. “I didn’t want to do that. I loved Kendra. I never would have hurt her. Not in a million years.”

  “Yet you were only hours away with another woman while saying that you loved Kendra.”

  “I don’t expect you to understand it. But yes, I loved Kendra. And I loved Janey. A person can love two different people at the same time for very different reasons.”

  “Did Kendra know about Janey?”

  There was a long pause before Cagney answered.

  “No.”

  Eli glanced at Charlie. He didn’t have any more questions. They’d learned a few things today, and one of those things was that Cagney was still a suspect.

  “Janey can vouch for my whereabouts,” Cagney said as if reading Eli’s mind. “She’ll tell you I was here for four days. Until I got the call about Kendra.”

  A wife alibiing their spouse wasn’t the strongest.

  “Can anyone else place you here in Chicago during that time? Anyone at all?”

  “Sure, of course. We went to a few parties, hung out with some friends. I can get you their names and numbers. They’ll tell you I was here.”

  “That would be great if you could do that. Thanks.”

  “Absolutely,” Cagney said, standing and moving behind the desk. “I can write them down for you. We’re still friends with most of them. I didn’t hurt Kendra. I loved her.”

  Eli wasn’t sure he truly understood that sort of love, but his opinion didn’t matter. The only thing that did was ruling Cagney out as a suspect. He needed to put his efforts where they made the most difference.

  Right now, the Taylors were still at the top of his list.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After dinner, Charlie and Eli walked a few blocks to a restaurant for dinner. Charlie didn’t really think that Cagney had killed Kendra. Not truly. But she had to admit that he had opportunity since he’d been in Chicago instead of Miami. She didn’t, however, think he had any motive despite his relationship with his now-wife. She was certain that if Kendra had known, she wouldn’t have been concerned about it.

  Eli had chosen a steak house and Charlie’s stomach had gurgled in anticipation at the first whiff of the delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen. She’d been tempted to order the biggest steak on the menu but the lure of saving room for dessert had her ordering a more reasonably-sized filet. Eli chose the ribeye and they both ordered the twice-baked potatoes and asparagus. They didn’t talk much until they were both almost done with their meals, their stomachs satiated.

  “You haven’t said much about our meeting with your friend,” Eli said.

  “That’s true.”

  She wasn’t sure what else to say. She’d been wondering what Eli was thinking about her friends and their lifestyle. He hadn’t shown any distaste when they’d been talking to Cagney, but she had a gut feeling that the two men didn’t exactly see eye to eye on relationships.

  “He seems like a nice guy. He’s certainly successful.”

  He was determined that they were going to talk about this. Fine.

  “I’m not going to apologize for how Cagney or Kendra lived their life.”

  Eli’s brow quirked up, a smile playing on his lips. “I wasn’t aware that I asked you to.”

  “I assume you don’t approve of how they lived their life.”

  He held up his hands and shook his head. “Whoa, honey. I never said that I don’t approve. It’s not any of my business how they lived their lives. I’m not the arbiter of what is and isn’t true love or anything else like that. Your friend seems sincere that he loved Kendra and at this point I don’t have any reason to disbelieve him. Now if his alibi doesn’t check out, that’s a different story.”

  “He loved Kendra.”

  Even to her own ears, her words sounded lame.

  “I’m not saying that he didn’t,” Eli said, his tone gentle. “I believe him. Just because I don’t want to do what Cagney did, doesn’t mean that I want to judge it. I’ve been in this job a long time, and frankly, what Cagney and Kendra were getting up to is pretty damn tame. I didn’t have virgin ears before we met with him, and my mind wasn’t sullied by his story. It’s fine. Just because I don’t live my life the same way, I’m not going to knock his right to do whatever he pleases. Hell, as long as everybody is adult and consenting, it’s all good. Different strokes and all.”

  She couldn’t help herself from asking.

  “You wouldn’t be like Cagney? Dating multiple women?”

  Chuckling, Eli shook his head. “It sounds exhausting. I don’t have the energy for that. When I’m with a woman, I’m all in. I don’t play the field or divide my attention. It’s just not who I am.”

  That sounded rather nice. Charlie had to admit she wouldn’t mind all of Eli’s attention focused on…her. It was a heady thought.

  They ordered a dessert to share. A deliciously decadent chocolate cake with a fluffy white chocolate mousse filling, fudge frosting, and a raspberry sauce on the side. There were only a few bites left when Charlie placed her fork down and patted her full stomach.

  “I’m done, but that was amazing.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, his own fork hovering above the plate. “I’m happy to let you have the rest.”

  “No way.
I’m stuffed like a turkey. It was so good I didn’t want to stop eating it, but I have to declare defeat. I can’t eat another bite. It’s all yours. Enjoy.”

  He dug into the remaining cake. “Your loss.”

  “I don’t want you to have to roll me back to the hotel.”

  “We can walk back, if you like. It’s a nice night.”

  That sounded like an excellent idea. It wasn’t far, at least not to Charlie. She’d lived in New York City for years and walked pretty much everywhere. Eli picked up the check despite her protests, and they headed down the street toward the hotel.

  The sun was sinking behind the buildings and the sky was striped with pink, orange, and yellow. The temperature was just right for a walk, not too hot and not too cold. It wasn’t the weather that made her shiver when he once again took her hand to cross the street.

  I am such a goner for this man. What is it about him?

  Charlie didn’t have a clue how to answer that question. She only knew that she’d felt something between them the moment he’d helped her up from the hallway that day the lights went out. Nothing had been the same since, and honestly, she wasn’t mad about it. She should be running in the other direction, just as she had with all the other men in her life.

  But she wasn’t, and she didn’t want to.

  “I like this.”

  Did I just blurt that out? Yep, I did. I am such an idiot.

  “Walking?” Eli asked. “You’re right. I think we made a good choice not to grab a taxi. It’s a beautiful night.”

  Do it. Just do it. Be honest. Take a chance.

  Taking chances wasn’t something that Charlie had done recently. Not really. She had when she was younger. Going to New York, becoming a model. That had been a big chance. And then later when she’d quit to go back to school, she’d surprised a bunch of people with that decision, too. But since then? She hadn’t.

  No, it’s been since Kendra.

  Had she stopped taking chances when her best friend died? Until now, she hadn’t seen it but she had to admit that the timing looked to be more than a coincidence. She couldn’t help but wonder what Kendra would think about how Charlie had been living her life. Would she urge her to take more chances? Be more spontaneous?

  Live life to the fullest?

  “I was talking about holding your hand. I like it.”

  There. She’d said it out loud.

  The world hadn’t ended, an apocalypse hadn’t started. Nothing bad had happened. Yet.

  Eli smiled and held up their linked hands. There was a warmth in his eyes that she couldn’t miss.

  I don’t think anything bad is going to happen.

  “I like holding your hand, too.”

  “I swear that I didn’t book one room on purpose.”

  For some reason it was really important that he believe her.

  “I know, but I wouldn’t have minded. Is it okay if I say that I like you, Charlie? I’m not one to play games or pretend. I just really like you, and I’d like to spend a whole lot more time with you. I’ve liked you since that first night when the power went out.”

  The words were exactly what she’d wanted to hear. But…

  “I like you, too.” She paused, not sure she should say it out loud. In the end, she couldn’t not say it. “But it feels like I…shouldn’t.”

  They’d stopped on the sidewalk, but their hands were still entwined.

  “You shouldn’t?”

  “I don’t even know how to explain without it sounding stupid,” she said with a shake of her head. “It just feels like I shouldn’t be happy when Kendra didn’t get a chance to be happy. She’s never going to get engaged or married. Have children. She doesn’t have a future.”

  To her surprise, Eli didn’t deride her statement, simply nodding as if he understood. Maybe he actually did.

  “I used to feel that way about Debra,” he replied quietly, his expression turning somber. “It felt wrong to be happy or have a good day when she was never going to get to do that again. It felt like I was betraying her, even though she made me promise to be happy. She made me promise not to be alone, but it still felt wrong. But after awhile, I realized that me not being happy or alone wasn’t going to help Debra in any way. In fact, it was sort of a slap in the face. I had a chance to live, and I was throwing it all away. She fought hard to live, Charlie. Really hard. She didn’t win her battle, and here I was wasting day after day as if they were infinite. They aren’t. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from Debra, and my job, is that life is short. Nothing is guaranteed. Not next year, not next week, and not tomorrow. This time is all we have, and the best thing that I can do to honor Debra is not to waste what I’ve been given. I won’t get this time back. It’s gone forever. So I can say to you today that I’d like to spend some of that time I’ve been given with you.”

  Her throat was clogged with emotion, tears burning the backs of her eyes. She wanted to say something…anything…but she didn’t know what. There weren’t words that could express how she felt at this moment. She only had actions.

  Reaching up and placing her hand behind Eli’s neck, she tugged him down for a kiss. A sweet, soft and slow one. She wanted to put everything she was feeling into that kiss. All the words she wanted to say but couldn’t.

  When they broke apart they were both breathing heavily, their shoulders rising and falling rapidly. She stared into Eli’s eyes for what seemed an eternity, getting lost until the blaring of a car horn reminded her that they were standing on a street corner in front of the world. Or a part of it, anyway.

  They’d walk back to the hotel, hand in hand, just as they had only moments before. But Charlie knew that this time it was different.

  Everything had changed. And she couldn’t be happier about it.

  Charlie and Eli were getting settled in for the evening when the phone rang. They exchanged a glance, neither one of them expecting a call.

  “Maybe it’s the front desk,” Eli suggested, picking up the receiver. “They might have found us another room.”

  She didn’t have any better ideas so she continued unpacking while he answered the call.

  “Hello?”

  She couldn’t hear the other half of the conversation. Eli wasn’t saying much, simply listening, but clearly whatever he was hearing wasn’t good news. His countenance went from happy to angry by the time he hung up the phone.

  “That was the front desk. Apparently, someone has vandalized our rental car. I’m going to go down there. They’ve already called the police and they’re on their way. The front desk clerk said that there are cameras in the parking garage.”

  “Vandalized? Why would someone vandalize our car in a parking garage with cameras?” Charlie wondered out loud. “It doesn’t make any sense. Did they just choose us at random? Did they damage any other cars?”

  Eli slipped his shoes back on. “We’ve been ruffling some feathers with our investigation, Charlie. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone was trying to scare us off.”

  “Someone? You mean Cagney or Leesa? They’re the only ones here in Chicago.”

  “Last time I checked anyone can drive into Chicago,” Eli countered. “Someone could be trying to get us to suspect Cagney or Leesa. Anyway, I’m going downstairs to meet the police and see the video.”

  “Did you want me to come, too?”

  They were only staying one night so unpacking had literally taken about ninety seconds.

  “It’s fine. You stay here and relax. It’s been a long day.”

  It had been and she was tired. She was sure, however, that Eli was as well.

  “Okay but call me if you need me. I’ll come right down.”

  Eli grabbed a key card and stuffed it in his pocket. “Hopefully, I won’t be long.”

  The door clicked shut behind him as Charlie stowed her suitcase in the closet. Padding on her sock feet, she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. The bathroom would then be free for Eli when he came back
. Doubling back into the bedroom, she decided to change into sweatpants and a t-shirt before brushing her teeth. She was tugging an old cotton shirt over her head when she heard the door handle rattle. Eli was back already?

  Except the door handle didn’t click like it normally did when a keycard was slid into the lock. It jiggled, the rattling loud and jarring in the silence. Charlie froze, her brain trying to process what was happening.

  Someone is trying to get into the room.

  Maybe someone who had had too much to drink and was confused? A person who exited the elevator on the wrong floor perhaps and was turned around?

  They weren’t, however, trying to unlock the door with a keycard. When Charlie had placed her keycard in upside down when they first arrived at the hotel, it had made a distinctive sound. An inebriated person trying to shove a card into a thin slot would surely make some noise. No, this person wasn’t trying to get in by unlocking the door.

  And they weren’t giving up, shaking and rattling the door handle even harder and louder. Barely able to breathe, her heart pounding against her ribs, Charlie slowly reached out toward the bed where her phone was currently residing. She’d call Eli.

  Except…by the time he’d have made it back anything could have happened. She could be dead. The only thing between her and an intruder was a flimsy hotel door lock. She’d left the deadbolt unlocked since Eli was coming right back.

  Should I walk over there and lock the deadbolt? But then they’ll know someone is in the room.

  Is that good or bad? Do they think the room is empty or do they know I’m in here?

  She needed to lock the deadbolt. Right now. Otherwise, that lock was going to give in and then she’d be at the mercy of whomever wanted entrance. Even if it was a lousy, confused drunk that probably wasn’t going to go well. And if it was someone else? Someone more…nefarious?

  I don’t want any of that, either.

  Slowly, like molasses in winter, Charlie crept across the room to the door, holding her breath the entire time, terrified to make a noise. It was probably only five or six feet but it felt like she’d traveled a mile by the time her shaking hand reached out and slid the deadbolt firmly closed. For good measure, she also flipped the bar on the door that was there in lieu of a chain. She’d had one in New York City years ago, and it had kept out a pissed-off neighbor who was upset about Kendra doing aerobics at ten in the morning.