Brianna’s skin crawled as she realized the advertising meeting was a ploy for Charlene to see Riley again. She glanced at her to see how she’d handled the refusal. She knew Charlene wouldn’t drop it that easily.
Charlene stared back at her with an expression Brianna had never seen before. She looks like she wants to kill me.
Charlene smiled, but her eyes remained narrowed. “If we can’t stop off, then give me his number. I’ll call and invite him to dinner—”
“No!”
“Whoa. Chill out. What’s up with you today? I thought you and Riley were friends.”
“We are, but it doesn’t mean I want to spend every day with him.”
“Just because you don’t, doesn’t mean I don’t. I haven’t had a date for months. I find him interesting.”
I bet you do. “What makes you think he’s interested in you?” Brianna’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
“He isn’t . . . yet, but I’m working on it. Dinner the other night was a good start. He was flirting with me every time you left the room. You wouldn’t be upset if Riley and I got together, would you?”
Brianna put a damper on her temper. “Why are you asking me? That’s between you and Riley.”
“I don’t know. You tell me. You seem pretty upset whenever I mention his name.”
“I am not upset. It’s just . . . you’re not going to be here that long. Riley is my friend. I don’t want him to get hurt because you’re horny.”
“I don’t intend to hurt him . . . well, maybe a little. Sometimes I like it rough.”
Brianna winced but didn’t respond.
“Well, if you don’t want me to call, I guess . . . .” Charlene folded her arms across her chest and looked out the window without further comment.
Brianna was determined not to placate her today and cranked up the radio. That’ll put an end to any further discussion of Riley.
The two of them didn’t speak again until they arrived at the ad agency, where Charlene took control once again. Brianna was too tired to fight her.
For the next hour, Charlene and the ad executive, an attractive, professionally dressed man, poured over the ad slicks and designs for the first round of advertising. He stopped after perusing the last copy, a huge grin on his face. He told them he thought their ideas were wonderful and proposed a mixed-media combination of newspaper, radio ads, billboards, and TV commercials as their best option to canvas the most people in the shortest amount of time.
They agreed. Brianna lounged back in her chair and allowed Charlene to negotiate the best price. She ended up finagling a fabulous deal. Brianna didn’t think she could have done any better.
With the contract signed, he told them proofs would be available to review by the end of next week. Once they approved the copy, the campaign would begin.
After they left the agency, Brianna suggested they stop for lunch. She took Charlene to one of her favorite restaurants. The hostess escorted them to a quiet table in the back. Charlene sat across from her and contemplated the menu with the same intensity she displayed when examining a legal document.
“The menu’s not that big, Char.”
“I’m looking for something that goes with champagne. We should order a bottle to celebrate.”
“It’s not even noon yet.”
“It’s five o’clock somewhere.” Charlene chuckled.
Though reluctant, Brianna acquiesced.
The waiter took their orders and returned with a bucket of ice, two glass flutes, and a chilled bottle of Dom Pérignon.
Charlene guzzled her first glass and poured herself a second. Even though Charlene kept up her usual chatter throughout the meal, Brianna sensed a difference in her attitude. Her body language screamed that a storm brewed beneath the party-girl pretense.
The waiter brought their meals, and they ate in silence. Brianna was happy to have a reprieve from conversing, especially about Riley. Her thoughts ran through several scenarios of what would happen if she told Charlene the truth. All of them had different outcomes and none of them good.
Charlene stumbled on the way out of the restaurant and Brianna caught her. “Are you okay?”
Charlene giggled. “I guess I’m a little tipsy.”
“No kidding. Maybe you shouldn’t have consumed almost an entire bottle of champagne by yourself.”
“Hey, you helped.”
Yeah, one glass.
After the valet brought the car around and helped Charlene into the passenger’s seat, Brianna drove back to the manor. Charlene slept until Brianna pulled into the driveway. With her arm around Charlene’s waist, Brianna helped her out of the car and up the veranda steps.
As they reached the front door, Brianna heard the telephone ringing inside. Between the stubborn lock and the weight of Charlene’s limp body, there was no way she could answer it in time.
“Char, I’m going upstairs to check the answering machine,” she said as she deposited Charlene on the closest chair. “Ben might have called while we were gone. I’ll make some tea when I come back down.”
“I’ll make it. I feel better after my little nap,” Charlene said, struggling to her feet and heading for the kitchen.
“I won’t be long.” Brianna could taste the desperate panic rising with each step she took. Lieutenant Holcomb was one of the callers. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what he had to say.
Why can’t he leave me alone? How many times do I have to tell him I don’t know who killed Mom and Dad? Why won’t he believe me?
Brianna headed to the bathroom, avoiding the inevitable, to give herself a moment to prepare for whatever Holcomb’s newest revelation might be.
She washed her hands, concentrating on the soap bubbles floating in the air. If I don’t check the messages, I can pretend I didn’t get them. I have more pressing problems than listening to another one of Holcomb’s theories. I need to talk to Charlene. I need to know if she followed me to the river and saw me and Riley kissing.
The answering machine’s blinking light greeted her return to the bedroom. I might as well see what he wants. She hit the Play button.
“Miss Rossi, this is Lieutenant Holcomb from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department.”
Like he needed to announce who he was. The irritating rasp in his voice was a dead give-away.
“I need to speak with you immediately. New information has been uncovered in your parents’ case. Please call me as soon as you get this message. It’s imperative we speak.”
His second message was a repeat of the previous one. The third call, the one she missed moments ago, came from the same number, but there was no message.
Why is he so desperate to talk to me?
Blood pounded in her ears.
What now? Calm down. It’s nothing. But instinct told her differently.
Her hands shook as she picked up the receiver and paced around the room, waiting for the clerk to connect her to the lieutenant’s desk.
“Lieutenant, this is Brianna Rossi,” she said when he answered the phone. “You’ve called me several times in the last couple days. I apologize for not calling sooner. I’ve been busy.”
As usual, he bypassed polite conversation and jumped right in. “I tried calling your cell phone, but it goes straight to voicemail.”
I haven’t charged it lately. The battery must be dead.
“We’ve had a break in your parents’ case. We found the person who rented the skiff that was seen near your parents’ yacht the night they were murdered.”
“You have?”
“Yes.” Holcomb sucked in his breath. “The disguise and fake ID made it difficult to locate the individual, and renting the skiff for the next day was clever, but the clerk admitted to breaking store policy and allowing the customer to have the keys overnight. We confiscated the boat rental’s surveillance video and caught the suspect on camera. What we didn’t have was a motive.”
Her panic grew and her pacing became more frantic. “And now
you do?”
“The woman had an unusual tattoo on her wrist.”
Brianna fingered the tattoo splayed across hers.
“I remembered seeing that tattoo during the initial investigation, but I needed proof that this tattoo wasn’t a common one and could only belong to one person. Deputy Gray was instrumental in tracking down the designer in San Francisco. He kept records on all his customers.”
“Lieutenant, please get to the point.”
“The tattoo is a replica of the Gregory family crest. Your business partner is Charlene Gregory, right?”
“Yes, but I’m sure there are other Gregorys living in the area. How can you be so sure it’s her?” She’d seen the tattoo many times, but she wanted to hold on to the false hope that her best friend couldn’t have been involved in her parents’ death. What possible reason could she have to want them dead? Her parents always treated Charlene like a member of the family.
“We had enough to obtain a search warrant for Ms. Gregory’s condo. We found a pair of shoes with soot particles that matched those from the boat, along with an empty syringe with traces of the same drug that was found in the wine bottle recovered from the accident. She’d visited a doctor in San Francisco. When we interrogated him, he admitted to writing Ms. Gregory a prescription for liquid Restoril, the drug that killed your parents. We also found a red wig that matched the picture on the driver’s license and from the surveillance video.”
Brianna clutched the phone tighter. How could this be happening? It had to be a mistake. “What possible motive could she have?”
“Did you know your father had an affair with Ms. Gregory?”
“That’s a lie. My father would never—”
“We dug into Ms. Gregory’s financials. She received a wire to her bank for a half million dollars. It came from one of your father’s corporate accounts a month before the explosion. The same corporate account purchased her townhouse. You didn’t know?”
Still in shock, she managed a feeble, “No. It couldn’t be anyone else?”
“We’re positive, and we’ve issued an APB for her arrest. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to locate her. Do you have any idea where she’d be?”
It had to be a mistake. As Holcomb continued to reveal the evidence he’d uncovered, piece by agonizing piece, a slight rustling at the door had Brianna’s heart racing. She spun around and her breath caught in her throat when she spied Charlene standing in the doorway, a sinister smirk lifting the corners of her mouth.
“Is that the lieutenant?” she whispered, cracking her knuckles.
Brianna nodded, fighting the panic welling up inside. Her eyes found the tattoo on Charlene’s wrist. She’d seen the Gregory family crest many times. Now it took on a whole new meaning.
Charlene continued to listen in on her conversation. Brianna’s mind raced as she tried to think of a way out of this situation. Does she know there’s an arrest warrant out for her? Is that why she came to Fairmont, to hide from the law?
Holcomb rambled on. “If she contacts you, call me right away. She could be dangerous. I’ll give you my personal cell phone number in case I’m out of the office.”
She wrote down the number he spouted off, struggling to find an inconspicuous way to let him know that Charlene was in Fairmont and staying with her. Unable to think of a clever response that would make sense, she said, “That won’t be necessary, lieutenant. It’s already taken place.” She crossed her fingers that he understood the hidden meaning in her message.
“W-what’s already taken place?”
Dammit! He doesn’t get it. I’ll try one more time. “If you’re ever in Fairmont, stop by the spa and see what’s here.”
“Huh? Sure. Like I said, Ms. Gregory could be dangerous, so be on the lookout until she’s in custody.”
“I will. Thanks for calling.”
Brianna clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. How could she calm down when a killer stood right behind her? She had to act normal until she could find a way to get out of here and to the authorities.
Forcing a smile she didn’t feel, she faced her friend, now dreaded enemy.
Chapter 35
Tension hung heavy in the air. Charlene took her time to saunter across the room. The strange smirk remained on her face. She took the phone from Brianna’s trembling hand and lodged it on its base.
Brianna wasn’t the only one who had a secret. Charlene did too. Lies, so many lies. Memories flashed by in bits and pieces; things that hadn’t made sense at the time came back with vibrant clarity—like the time Charlene declined to go out of town for a weekend retreat with Brianna and her mother because she was too sick. When they returned, she found a glass in the kitchen sink, the lipstick on its rim the same crimson color Charlene wore. When she’d asked Charlene if she’d been to the house, she denied being there.
There was the flippant remark Charlene had made when she’d asked her how she could afford her upscale condo on her salary. Her reply was, “My sugar daddy bought it.”
Brianna had to curb the urge to vomit now that she knew her father was the sugar daddy. The image of Charlene and her father in bed together was seared on her brain. She felt like a Peeping Tom. She had so many questions that she couldn’t ask.
“I assume from the cryptic conversation that the old bulldog has made the connection between me and the woman on the skiff. You might as well admit it. It’s written all over your face.”
Brianna remained silent, frantically trying to find a way out of this mess. She knew her life was in danger. If Charlene killed her parents, she wouldn’t have any qualms about killing her.
“That’s too bad. I’d hoped I was in the clear. Every time he interrogated me, I dropped little hints that would point him in your direction. I assumed he thought you did it. Sorry, sweetie, but I threw you under the bus.”
“What makes you think he still doesn’t?”
“You could never lie to me. You have a horrible poker face. Tell me, what gave me away?”
Brianna’s back stiffened in defiance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I was here when the lieutenant left the first urgent message, remember? I guess you were so intent on getting to the river for your lovers’ tryst that you forgot.”
“So, it was you spying on us?” With what she’d learned from Holcomb, finding out Charlene was the voyeur in the forest seemed inconsequential.
“I watched you from this window.” Charlene propped herself against the frame, looking over her shoulder at the setting sun. “You didn’t go in the direction of town. You drove to the river. I found a trail and followed you, and, yes, I was pissed off. Do you know how long it took me to convince Ben to come back to California? He only decided to return after I sent him your picture. You two would never have gotten together if I hadn’t played matchmaker. And now you’re going to ruin everything, because you have the hots for an old lover.”
“We’re not lovers! We’re—”
“Could’ve fooled me. You kiss all your friends like that? Does Benjie know about your sleazy affair?”
“I’m not having an affair. Riley and I are . . .” How had the conversation turned to me and Riley? “Please tell me Holcomb’s wrong about you being involved in my parents’ murder.”
“Can’t.”
“What did they ever do to you?”
“We’ll get to that in due time,” Charlene said. “I asked you how Holcomb figured out it was me.”
Brianna stroked the tattoo on her left wrist. “Your tattoo. They saw it on the surveillance camera at the boat rental place.” Her eyes shot daggers at Charlene. “I guess you weren’t so clever after all.”
“Goddammit! What’s the use of a perfect disguise if I forget to cover up the one thing that would give me away? I guess I won’t be able to talk my way out of this. I’ll have to revert to plan B.”
Plan B? Brianna didn’t like the sound of that, and she inched toward the door.
“I guess you have the right to know why I did it. It might take some time. Have a seat and I’ll enlighten you.”
Brianna’s instincts told her to run—and fast. Charlene must have read her mind, because she reached into her pocket and pulled out a compact handgun.
“That’s not such a good idea, Bree. I’d hate to kill you now. You should at least know the truth first.”
Prodding Brianna with the tip of the gun, she steered her toward the bed. With a gentle shove, Brianna flopped back on the comforter, her eyes wide with fear. All traces of the friend she’d known were gone.
Charlene stood with her legs spread wide, one hand resting on her hip.
Brianna bristled with indignation. Who was this stranger staring at her with a maniacal grin? She wanted to beat the crap out her. She would have if Charlene didn’t have a gun.
Charlene waved her weapon in the air as she spoke. “I can see your mind spinning. I’ve always been able to read you. You’re so gullible. You’re wondering why,” she said, swinging her bleached-blonde curls behind her shoulders.
“You’re right; I don’t understand. My parents were always kind to you. Why would you want to hurt them?”
“Yes, they were good to me, but they had all that money, money that I always deserved to have. My plan was to seduce your father and—”
“Why would my father ever be interested in someone like you?”
“Well, look at me,” Charlene said, running a hand across her ample chest and down the front of her body. “I’m much younger than your mother, more beautiful, and my IQ is off the charts. I’d be an upgrade.”
“How dare you. You make me sick.” Brianna jumped up, itching to wrap her fingers around Charlene’s scrawny neck and choke the life out of her.
Charlene pushed her back onto the bed and moved the gun to within inches of Brianna’s head. “I’d hate to disfigure such a beautiful face. Besides, we haven’t finished our conversation. To continue my story, once your father fell in love with me, he’d leave your mother. We’d have a big, fancy wedding. I’d be your stepmama, and filthy rich.”
Brianna met Charlene’s stare without wavering. “My father would never cheat on my mother, especially with someone like you.”
Still, Forever, Promise Page 25