Then it all stopped.
As abruptly as it had started, it ceased. Just silence except for the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears. That alone was loud enough she was shocked they couldn’t hear her in the lobby several floors down.
Frozen in place, Charlie waited for it to start up again, her ears straining for any sort of sound from the other side of the door. Nothing. Not a thing. Eventually, she blew out a breath and backed away, landing on one of the beds when her knees gave way.
I’m losing it. This investigation is making me paranoid.
What was that old saying?
It’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you.
Had the investigation placed Eli and herself in danger? It was beginning to look like it.
Chapter Sixteen
It had been one damn long day, and Eli had just about had it. He’d been bamboozled. There hadn’t been any vandalism on the rental. None at all. The desk clerk hadn’t been the one that called the room either to tell him about it. Someone had wanted Eli away from the hotel room. He didn’t know what the reason was for that, but he was sure that the person’s intentions weren’t good. Once he’d realized what had happened, he’d hightailed it back to the room as quickly as possible.
What he’d found hadn’t made him any happier. Charlie had told him that while he was gone someone had tried to get into the room. Or at least had wanted her to think that they were trying to get in.
“They may have been trying to scare you,” Eli said, grabbing two water bottles from the small fridge in the room. “Frankly, if someone truly wanted in, that flimsy lock wouldn’t have kept them out. The deadbolt is another story, though.”
But the deadbolt had been off because the keycard didn’t open it, and she’d been expecting him back. Not an intruder.
“Then they succeeded because they freaked me out.”
“You did the right thing. You locked the deadbolt and the bar, too. They would have had a much tougher time getting through both of those. They couldn’t have done it without making a ruckus, and I doubt they wanted to do that.”
“Do you think they knew I was in here? Do you think they thought the room was empty?”
“I don’t know,” Eli confessed. “I do know that the call about the car being vandalized was designed to get at least one of us out of the room. Maybe both.”
“They couldn’t know which one of us would go down,” she reasoned. “It could have been either of us.”
“The car is in my name, although I doubt they would have known that. I also wouldn’t have sent a female out at night to a dark parking garage. But my gut is telling me that they just wanted to scare you a little. Which they did. But that doesn’t mean that we’re going to run and stop investigating. I know you don’t want to hear this, but this is kind of good news. We’re getting somewhere. We’re making people nervous. That means we’re onto something.”
Eli only wished he knew what. It wasn’t lost on him that they’d had their visitor right after speaking with Cagney. He’d known what hotel they were staying in because he’d asked and Charlie had told him. Eli hadn’t thought anything of it…at the time. Cagney hadn’t been at the top of the suspects list. Now? It was mighty suspicious.
Charlie rolled her eyes. “I guess I’ll have to take your word for it. It’s good to know that we’re on to something, that is exciting. I just wish that I had been a little more courageous tonight.”
Chuckling, Eli shook his head. “You did just the right thing. What do you think you should have done? Thrown open the door and put some of your best action hero moves on them? No, it was best that you stayed put on this side of the door.”
“I took a self-defense course in college,” Charlie sniffed. “I’m not defenseless.”
“That’s great. I’m glad to hear it. Those classes can save your life, but make no mistake, you don’t use those moves unless you’re in a position where you don’t have any choice. You did have a choice and you made the right one.”
“How did they even know what room we were in? Did the desk clerk tell them?”
Eli had asked the same question.
“According to the front desk they never disclose a room number. But they do have courtesy phones in the lobby and all you have to do is tell them the last name of the person registered. They’ll put the call through to the right room. Honestly, my guess is that they knew because they’re watching us.”
Charlie shuddered, a look of distaste on her face. “Ick. I don’t think I like the idea of that.”
“I don’t much either but I’ll be watching for it now.”
Eli’s phone chimed and he checked the screen. “That was a text from the desk clerk. They’ve pulled the video from the camera out in the hallway. Let’s go down and take a look at it.”
They’d caught a break with the hotel having a surveillance camera on every floor. Eli wasn’t sure what they were going to be able to see or the quality of the picture, but with any luck it could be a huge move forward in the investigation.
If they could identify who had tried to get into their room.
He and Charlie hurried down to the lobby and the manager led them into his office.
“I’m going to put the video on the computer screen,” he said. “Are you sure I shouldn’t call the police?”
“Not yet,” Eli said. There was still the remote possibility it was simply a confused or drunken guest at the wrong room. “Let’s see the tape first.”
The manager cued it up and stepped back so that Eli and Charlie could move closer to the screen. The quality of the video wasn’t too bad, but the camera was located at the end of the hall, and their room was near the middle. Eli watched as he exited their hotel room and entered the elevator. Nothing happened for a few minutes and then a figure stepped into the hallway from the stairwell. The person appeared to be average height and weight, wearing a dark windbreaker with a hood pulled up and over their head.
The fucker knows he’s on camera. He’s not going to show his face.
And he didn’t. Eli watched as the man went straight to their door, tugging and rattling the handle. After about ninety seconds, but what would have seemed much longer to Charlie in the midst of it, he stopped and jogged back down the hallway, disappearing into the stairwell. The manager stopped the video.
“Did you see what you expected to see?” he asked, his gaze darting back and forth between Eli and Charlie. “Should I call the cops now?”
“It was definitely not a confused or drunk guest,” Eli said. “He knew exactly what room he was going to.”
There hadn’t been any stumbling or fumbling around. He hadn’t used a key card, either.
“He didn’t look like he was really trying to get in,” Charlie replied, defeat in her tone. “I think he was just trying to scare me.”
That was Eli’s impression as well.
“You don’t need to call the police,” Eli told the manager. “We do appreciate you showing this to us. I don’t suppose I could get a copy of this? I know a guy who might be able to enhance it a bit. Maybe get a height and weight of our man.”
Or woman. Eli hadn’t ruled that out either.
“I can email it to you,” the manager offered. “I hope you can get something from it. I will say one thing, though. Whoever that is in the video either has a bit of money or knows someone with money.”
“Why do you say that?” Eli asked.
“The shoes. They have amazing taste in shoes. They were wearing a pair of Gucci loafers. You can see the double G gold logo. They run about six hundred a pair.”
Six hundred dollars for a pair of shoes. That was a bit too rich for Eli’s blood.
“Then I hope they last a lifetime. How do you know so much about shoes?”
“I worked in an upscale shoe store when I was in college. And they probably will last a lifetime.”
“I didn’t notice the shoes. Can you run the tape back again?”
The manager did as they asked and
this time Eli did see it, although he had to admit that he hadn’t been looking at the shoes. Jared would have caught it later when he was trying to enhance the video, but Eli was glad that they’d found that detail now.
It didn’t rule out Cagney. In fact, it only made him appear more likely. Eli hadn’t noticed the former model’s footwear but it wouldn’t be a stretch for him to own an expensive pair of shoes. Or several, for that matter.
They thanked the manager again and headed back up to their room. The man had sent Eli the video in an email so he quickly forwarded it to Jared with a brief explanation.
“He was wearing Ferragamos,” Charlie said when they closed the hotel room door behind them, flipping the deadbolt as well. “He wasn’t wearing Gucci.”
Eli didn’t pretend to not understand what she was talking about.
“I’m betting Will Cagney owns more than one pair of shoes, honey. And am I the only guy that doesn’t notice people’s shoes? Am I missing something?”
Shrugging, Charlie sat on the edge of the bed. “I like shoes. He had his ankle resting on his knee. I noticed his shoes. They were Ferragamo. An oxford style.”
“Next you’re going to tell me that Cagney wouldn’t have been caught dead in a windbreaker.”
“You think it’s Cagney.”
She didn’t sound happy about it. She didn’t want it to be him.
“I know he’s an old friend but I can’t rule him out yet. I’m going to follow up with the names that he gave me. I’m going to try and rule him out.”
“And if you do? Then what?”
“I haven’t ruled out Bernard and Evelyn yet.”
“I think that would be horrible. A parent killing their own child. You’re a former cop. Is that common?”
“No,” he replied honestly. “The most dangerous person in a woman’s life is her significant other. Husband. Boyfriend. The statistics are downright appalling. Just playing the odds, Cagney is our man. I need to dig a little deeper into his life.”
Had Cagney killed Kendra? It simply couldn’t be ruled out.
Two in the morning.
The glowing red numbers on the clock reminded Charlie that she’d barely slept at all. She and Eli had talked for a while after he’d had a phone call with one of his bosses. They’d eventually turned in about eleven-thirty and she’d dozed for about an hour but since then she’d been staring at the ceiling while replaying the events of the last few days through her head. Over and over.
I’m so confused.
She didn’t want it to be Cagney. She’d liked him all of those years ago. He’d been good with Kendra and they’d seemed happy. She’d never seen them argue with one another. Heck, she’d never even seen them get annoyed. They’d genuinely seemed happy and in love.
She didn’t really want it to be the Taylors, either. She didn’t want her best friend to have been murdered by her own parents. That was too horrible to imagine.
A stranger? It was slightly better. Perhaps Kendra had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. If only…
No, don’t do this to yourself. Don’t play the what-if game.
Charlie couldn’t change the past, no matter how much she wanted to.
“Are you alright?”
The question caught her off guard. She hadn’t realized that Eli was awake, too.
“I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?”
She didn’t think she’d spoken out loud but maybe her tossing and turning had kept him awake. Even though he was in a different bed only a few feet away. Before she’d fallen asleep, she’d been able to hear his soft, even breathing from her side of the room.
“I was awake. I woke up and haven’t been able to go back to sleep.”
“Me too.”
She didn’t know what else to say. Everything was all muddled and she didn’t know up from down at the moment.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Would you like to forget about it for awhile and maybe just watch some television?”
Now that sounded like a plan she could get behind.
“Yes. Will anything be on in the middle of the night?”
“I think we can find something. Close your eyes. I don’t want to blind you by turning on the light.”
Obediently, she closed her eyes. She heard the click of the lamp and she cautiously opened them again. He’d only turned on the small lamp above his bed so the light wasn’t shining directly at her. He reached for the remote and clicked through the channels while she stacked a few pillows on top of each other to lounge on.
“Oh, that’s one of my favorites. How about that one?”
Smiling, Eli placed the remote on the small table in between the beds. “I should have known you were a Harry Potter fan.”
“The third one is my favorite but I like this one, too. I like all of them. I’ve read the books several times. What about you?”
“I’ve read them all and seen them all. So you made a good choice. You get no argument here. I only wish…”
“What? What do you wish?”
“That I could play quidditch. Just once.”
Giggling, she pulled the covers to her chin. It was chilly in the room but it was her own fault. Eli had allowed her to set the thermostat at whatever temperature she wanted. She slept best when it was cool.
“You could…come over here and watch. If you wanted to.”
Did she want to? Yes, she did. Since their kiss earlier, and all that had happened afterward, she wanted to be as close to him as she could. It wasn’t just a sexual thing, although she was certainly attracted to him in that way. He seemed so strong and solid, like a rock in a storm. She needed something to cling to while the wind howled.
She climbed out of her own bed and crossed the space between them, slipping between the sheets. Eli wrapped his arm around her while she pillowed her head on his chest. His heart beat steadily under her cheek, lulling her into a calm she hadn’t felt in a long time. It all felt so easy and right. She’d expected it to be a bit awkward, but it hadn’t been at all. It was as if they’d been sharing a bed and watching television together for years. It was comfortable and warm.
And a little arousing, too.
The heat from his body had penetrated her thin cotton pajamas, and her nostrils were filled with his heady scent - a bit of citrus and spice. It really wasn’t fair that he smelled this good along with being far too handsome.
Their attraction wasn’t in question. Eli didn’t go around kissing women randomly. He was into her, and she was into him. Right now, he was being a gentleman, but she wasn’t so sure that’s what she needed.
I need him.
She wasn’t a virgin, and neither was he. They both knew what having sex would mean. It would take their relationship a giant step forward in the space of one night. It wasn’t something that she took lightly, and she had a feeling that he didn’t either. But she still wanted him.
Her palm was lightly resting on his arm, and she began to stroke his skin ever so lightly with her fingernails, up and down, then around in a circle before starting all over again. She was beginning to think he wasn’t paying any attention but then his own fingers started fiddling with the hair at the nape of her neck, tickling the flesh there and sending streaks of heat to places farther south.
Her fingers wandered over his warm chest, sliding down to his flat abdomen and then back up to his shoulder, eliciting a sigh from Eli. He was enjoying himself, and so was she. She did it a few more times, loving the feel of his firm muscles under her fingertips.
“Honey, what are you up to?”
Charlie had never been the type to play games in a relationship. That hadn’t always gone well for her. Some guys thought she was too aggressive or that her straightforward manner was simply a ploy of some kind. They didn’t trust it, which made no sense to her, but she couldn’t seem to argue them out of their stance. She’d just ended things and moved on with her life.
“I�
�m trying to seduce you,” she replied bluntly. “Am I doing it wrong?”
She could feel his chuckle deep in his chest. “Hell, no. And so you know for the future, I don’t take much persuading. You can just grab my arm and say let’s go.”
She placed her hand on his bicep. “Eli, let’s go.”
Before she could take her next breath Eli had her flat on her back, hovering above her wearing what could only be described as a wicked grin. The kind that said he had plans for her. Big plans.
I’m all in.
Eli dropped baby kisses on her cheek, traveling down her neck, his warm breath caressing her skin. It sent a frisson of electricity straight to her toes, and they curled in sweet anticipation. It was going to be good with this man. There was no doubt in her mind. He barely had to touch her and she went up in flames.
There were whispers, sighs, and a few groans of pleasure. The temperature in the room had risen sharply and their clothes seemed to melt away, strewn carelessly on the floor. Their nude bodies were pressed together as they touched and explored each other, rolling around on the crisp white hotel sheets.
With every beat of her heart Charlie could feel the blood flowing through her veins, like white hot lava down a stream. His lips were doing wonderful but evil, devilish things, and she dug her nails into his shoulders as his tongue sent her flying not once but twice. When she came down from her star-spangled trip through the clouds, she tugged him closer.
“Now. I can’t wait anymore.”
He didn’t pretend to not know what she meant. Moving between her thighs, he pressed into her slowly but surely, sending more sparks of pleasure zigzagging through her limbs. She was already climbing toward another climax as they found their rhythm, building up speed until they were both hot, sweaty, and panting.
Cruel Grace: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 5) Page 15