Burning Seduction

by Vella Day

  “What’s your take?” Trent asked looking around for signs of a struggle.

  “Given the smashed window in back and the mess left in the office, it looks like a robbery gone bad.”

  Trent’s heart pounded fast, praying Harmon hadn’t had anything to do with this. He checked the victim’s hands, but didn’t see any defensive wounds. “Doesn’t look like he put up a struggle.”

  “No. And nothing’s been disturbed in this room.”

  Something didn’t make sense. “What was taken?”

  “Mrs. Goddard hasn’t composed herself enough to tell us, but the file cabinet in Bill Goddard’s office is mostly empty and papers are strewn all over the place.”

  Trent couldn’t imagine coming home and finding a spouse murdered in bed. “Was the point of entry a window or a door?”

  “Back door. The pane was smashed in with a rock. And no, there were no prints on the handle.”

  “Breaking glass is loud. Mr. Goddard must have been a sound sleeper. We should have the medical examiner run a tox screen to see if someone drugged him. Who’s canvasing the neighbors to see if they saw anything?”

  “Devon Navarro.”

  Devon did good work, but at the moment Trent wasn’t all that enthusiastic about working with the guy. However, if the playboy was on the case, he couldn’t be bugging Charlotte. “You take the wife’s statement yet?” he asked in a low voice.

  Mrs. Goddard was sitting with a woman who could be her sister. They both had the same color hair and were about the same age, take or give five years.

  “I haven’t taken her full statement. I was leaving that pleasure to you.” Cade cocked his brow.

  “Thanks.” This was the worst part of his job—speaking with the relatives of the deceased. Wanting to put this past him, Trent pulled out his pad and walked over to her. “Mrs. Goddard? I’m detective Trent Lawson. May I ask you a few questions?”

  She nodded to the other woman. “Deb, can you get me some water?”

  “Sure.”

  While Lawson was a fairly common name, he was surprised she didn’t ask if he might be related to Harmon. Then again, she might not have been involved in her husband’s business.

  Mrs. Goddard inhaled and sat up straighter. “I’m not sure what I can tell you. I found Bill like this.”

  “Start with where you were from say, yesterday to right now, assuming you feel up to going over what happened.”

  “Like I told the other fellow, I went to Deb’s last night for dinner. She’s been having a hard time with the baby, so I said I would help, I spent the night there since Bill wasn’t supposed to arrive home from a business meeting until late last night.”

  Trent made a note in his pad. “And then?”

  “The baby started fussing, so I stayed until four. I returned home an hour ago and found Bill in bed. Dead.” She broke down again, and Trent had to wait until she composed herself.

  Deb returned with the water, and with shaking hands, Mrs. Goddard sipped the drink.

  “Do you know of anyone who would want to harm your husband?”

  She looked up and grimaced. “Detective, probably every client who lost money at Bill’s firm would be out to get him.”

  “Do you have a list of his clients?” She acted as if the cops knew what her husband did for a living.

  “I’m not involved much in what he does, but his partner, Frank Hamilton, might know.”

  Trent didn’t need to write down that name, but he’d be sure to visit the partner. “When you get a chance, I’d appreciate you looking around to see what was taken besides some office stuff.”

  “I will.”

  The poor woman had been through enough. He turned to her sister. “Is there any way she can stay with you for a few days? This needs to remain a crime scene for a short while.”

  “Of course.” She wrapped an arm around the grieving woman’s shoulders.

  For the next hour, the crime scene unit investigators did their thing while he and Cade planned their next move.

  “I’ll have to question Harmon, you know.” Cade said.

  Trent had been dreading that from the moment he found out who’d been murdered. “I understand. To my knowledge he was at my house asleep.”

  “Could your brother have slipped out without you being aware?”

  “Anything’s possible though he doesn’t have a car, and I keep the only set of keys to my Jeep with me on the nightstand.”

  Cade shifted his weight. Suggesting someone’s relative might be guilty of such a heinous crime was never easy. “Then let’s hope Harmon can give us some insight regarding this guy.”

  Trent shrugged. “It’s doubtful as he’s been out of the loop for so long.”

  By nine, the coroner had come and gone and the crime scene unit was packing up. Cade stretched. “Let’s head out. Heaven only knows we have a ton of stuff to do tomorrow.”

  “Amen.”

  They both headed out. About the only positive thing to come out of the evening was that Trent hadn’t been focused on Charlotte as much.

  Once he returned home, he sat in the drive for a moment trying to sort out how he wanted to break the news to his brother. Hell, Trent didn’t know if his brother would cheer or be pissed. In theory, Bill Goddard held the key to proving Harmon’s innocence.

  When he entered the house, Harmon was watching television, and he immediately clicked it off. “You okay?” he asked. “You look beat.”

  “Let me shower and grab a coffee. We need to talk.”

  “About?”

  Trent held up a hand. “I need a minute.”

  He was thankful when Harmon didn’t push it. The shower wasn’t long enough, but he didn’t want to delay the painful questions any longer. When he came out still rubbing his hair with his towel, Harmon had fixed a pot of coffee.

  “Thought you could use some.” Harmon nodded to the cup on the coffee table.

  “Thanks.”

  “What do you need to talk about?” His hand raced to his chest. “Oh, shit. It wasn’t Dad was it?”

  It took Trent a minute to figure out what he was asking. “No, Dad’s still alive.”

  “Thank God. For a moment I thought that was why you ran out of the restaurant.”

  He hadn’t meant to scare Harmon. “I ran out because a crime had been committed and I was needed. Someone murdered Bill Goddard.”

  Trent studied his brother’s facial expression, but he gave nothing away. Their father had trained them well.

  “Can’t say I’m sad.”

  Trent nodded. “Thought you might feel that way, and as much as this pains me to ask, where were you last night around midnight?” Yes, Cade would be the one asking that question officially, but he wanted to study Harmon’s reaction. The coroner had put the time of death between midnight and two a.m.

  In a flash, his brother’s expression changed from fairly placid to livid. “What? You think I killed him?”

  Trent’s blood pressure soared. “I didn’t say that. You had a reason to want him dead. I asked his wife the same question. Doesn’t mean I think she did it.”

  “I was here. With you. In my bed. Asleep.” He ground out each word.

  “Okay. I believe you.” He did.

  Harmon drew his cup to his lips, drank some of the coffee, and then set it down. “Well, fuck. Now, I might never prove I was framed.”

  Chapter Five

  Charlotte was arranging her samples on one of the tables near the back of her store, when a knock sounded on the front door. Since she wasn’t open for business, she was surprised to see a well-dressed woman peering in.

  Charlotte stopped what she was doing and hurried to greet her. “I’m not open for business until next Monday.”

  The woman’s shoulders slumped. “Oh.” She looked around Charlotte and into the store. “I have a job I need done quickly and was hoping you could help.”

  Her pulse raced. Just because all of the samples weren’t in yet didn’t mean she could
n’t find out what this woman wanted. “Sure. Come in. Excuse the mess.”

  The rather wealthy looking lady glanced around and smiled. “It looks wonderful to me.”

  The tension in Charlotte’s shoulders released. “Come over to my work station and tell me what you’re interested in having done.”

  The lady held out her hand. “I’m Elaine Goddard, by the way.”

  “Charlotte Hart.”

  For the next hour, Charlotte listened to the woman’s needs. Turned out, their tastes were quite similar—a contemporary flare with some antiques blended in. The woman had drawn the room she wanted redone in great detail, and even showed Charlotte pictures of the space.

  “It will take me a few days to draw up some plans and gather all of the samples. Then we can go over my designs and you can pick which one suits you.”

  Mrs. Goddard smiled then withdrew a check from her purse. “That sounds wonderful. Will a thousand dollars be enough for a retainer?”

  Charlotte worked hard to keep her mouth from dropping open. Holy shit. Now she could buy a few pieces of furniture she’d been eying for her apartment. “Yes, thank you.”

  Elaine stood. “I’ll be expecting you in a few days.” And then she was gone.

  Charlotte couldn’t believe she already had her first client and had yet to open. Excited beyond belief, she studied the dimensions of the room Elaine had given her and then began a preliminary sketch of the new design, ideas flooding her brain.

  After several hours of bending over the drawing table, her body ached, but she was pleased with the concepts she’d come up with. Wanting a break, she decided fresh air was just what she needed. That, and she wanted to share her good news with Sharon. Charlotte debated calling Patty, her boss up in Kalispell, but she thought it best to wait until she had the “before” and “after” pictures to show her.

  Five minutes later, she was parked in front of her dad’s private investigation office and stepped inside. Sharon jerked her head up. “Oh, hello. You startled me. I wasn’t expecting anyone with your dad out of town.”

  “Sorry. I should have called.”

  “No. I’m happy for the company.”

  Charlotte looked around. He sure could use a makeover in here. “Am I interrupting?”

  Sharon swiveled her computer screen to face her, showing a solitaire game. “Nope.”

  Charlotte laughed. “I’m glad. I wanted to share some good news.”

  Sharon stood and dragged over one of the seats from across the room. “Do tell.”

  “I haven’t even opened and I have my first client!”

  Sharon clapped. “Your mom and dad are going to be very proud.”

  “I hope so.”

  “You want some coffee?” Sharon asked. “You look like you could use some.”

  Charlotte dragged a hand through her tangled hair. She hadn’t even taken the time to check if she was presentable. “Sure. By any chance do you know of any young men who might be willing to help move out some furniture from my client’s home?”

  “I bet I could find a few people for you. Need anything else?”

  “I’ll need a contractor and a good carpenter, even though Dad suggested I ask Alex Hendrix, a friend of his. He owns a construction firm and might be willing to help, but I want a backup in place in case he’s too busy.”

  Sharon made notes on a pad in front of her computer. “Give me a day or two to see who I can find. I bet there are plenty of University boys willing to earn a few extra bucks.”

  “Great.”

  While Sharon fixed the drinks at the table against the wall, she looked back over her shoulder. “Has Trent contacted you?”

  Just hearing his name made her pulse jack up. “Funny you should ask. We ran into each other at the shooting range a few days after Dad’s party.”

  Sharon brought over two cups of delicious smelling coffee. “How did that go?”

  “He gave me some pointers.”

  “Ooh. Did he wrap his arms around you?” Sharon leaved forward.

  “A little.” Charlotte could still feel the delicious pressure, and if she closed her eyes, she could smell his spicy scent. Trent was all man. “Because it was close to supper, he suggested we go to Italiano’s. His brother works there and Trent needed to give him a lift home.” Charlotte wondered if Sharon knew about Harmon.

  “How’s his brother doing?”

  “Good. Did Trent mention him?”

  “In passing. So are you going to see him again? Trent I mean, not the brother.”

  Her shoulders sagged. “I don’t know what to do. At the end of dinner he was called away on a case, and I haven’t heard from him since. It’s been a couple days. What you think I should do?”

  Sharon planted a hand on her chest. “Moi?”

  “You, too, are out on the prowl.” It didn’t matter she was about her mom’s age. “I saw the way you were eyeing Dan Hartwick. What’s up with that?”

  Sharon wagged her finger. “Let’s not change the subject. Dan and I are a work in progress. I’m interested in him, but I can’t say he feels the same way about me.” She blew out a breath. “Actually, he probably considers me a thorn in his side.”

  “I doubt that. From what I’ve seen of the man, he is a bit uptight.” Darn. Here she thought Sharon had at the answers. “You must have some ideas what I should do. You’ve been married.”

  She leaned back in her seat and wrapped her hands behind her head. “My motto has been if you want something, you have to go after it.”

  That was what Charlotte thought she’d been doing. “I believe Trent likes me, but—”

  “Oh, he likes you all right. When you were talking to those other cute cops, I could almost see the smoke coming off the top of his head.”

  Excitement sizzled in her veins. She thought she’d caught him stiffening when Devon had his arm around her. “Even if he does, it seems as if work is more important to him than dating.”

  Sharon smiled. “He sounds like Vic.”

  “Dad’s with Mom now. What did she do to change his mind?”

  Sharon lowered her arms. “Your dad never stopped loving your mother, so when she came back into his life, he knew he had to change.”

  So much for learning the secret of love.

  Before she had a chance to pick Sharon’s brain again, the office door swung open, and who should walk in, but Trent Lawson himself. She couldn’t have been more surprised, and from the way he was staring at her, he hadn’t expected her either.

  “Charlotte, Sharon.”

  Sharon grinned. “What can I do for you, Trent?”

  “I wanted to see when Vic was coming back to town. I need his services.”

  “He and Ellie are supposed to return a week from today, but you never know with those lovebirds.” She winked at Charlotte. “Do you need me to schedule you an appointment?”

  “That would be great. Thank you.”

  He faced Charlotte. “Been back to the range?”

  “I wish. I’ve been too busy trying to open my store.”

  He smiled. “Let me know when you want another lesson.”

  Her heart flipped. She should say she’d be willing to go now, but if he turned her down because he had to work, she’d be embarrassed. Trent turned toward the front door, and Charlotte felt her chance of seeing him again slip out of her fingers.

  “Hey, Trent,” Sharon called.

  Trent spun around. “Yes?”

  “Charlotte stopped by because she has some really good news.”

  As much as she appreciated Sharon trying to put the two of them together, she could land Trent on her own terms. How though, she didn’t know. She was about to say her news was no big deal, but then stopped because his whole demeanor had changed.

  His brows rose and a small smile came to his lips. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

  If Charlotte told him the details right away, he would congratulate her and be on his way. She needed to be smarter than that. “How about after y
our shift ends, you stop by my house for a drink and I’ll tell you?” Her palms were actually sweating just asking him. Being this brave was not her style, but she was at a loss as to what else to do.

  Trent held her gaze for a moment. “I can do that. I’ll text you when I’m done, since I’m not sure when I’ll be finished wrapping up the case for the night.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Trent flashed her a quick grin and Charlotte’s pulse soared. As soon as the door closed behind him, she let out a small yippee.

  “I’m proud of you,” Sharon said.

  Reality slowly filtered in. “Do you think he agreed just to be polite?”

  Sharon’s brows pinched. “Why would he do that?”

  “I don’t think I’m really what he’s looking for.”

  “Oh, really? What kind of women do you think wants?”

  “Trent is so fit and I’m, well, not.” She smoothed her palms down her pants.

  “Charlotte Hart! You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a beautiful young woman and Trent would be lucky to have you.”

  That was sweet of her to say. Sharon was overweight, too, so it would be rude to talk about being too curvy. “You’re right, and since Trent will be stopping by, I need to go and get ready. Wish me luck.” She pushed back her chair and gathered her things.

  “Stop by anytime.”

  “I will, and thank you.”

  Chapter Six

  When Trent had walked into Vic’s office and spotted Charlotte looking rather sleepy-eyed, something inside of him snapped. He’d worked hard not to think about her these last few days but all of his efforts had fallen apart when he neared her. Something about the woman turned him inside out. It had started when he’d protected her at the cabin, and she’d been so brave. Nothing seemed to faze her—that was until he dropped her off at his cousin’s, and she’d finally broken down. To be honest, he’d been glad to know she was human after all.

  Trent still wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to stop over at her house after work, since from the way Charlotte had looked at him, she wanted to pick up where she left off at her Dad’s birthday party—kissing him. Hell, he wanted that, too, but there were a ton of reasons why he couldn’t—or rather shouldn’t.