“Thank you. What will you do next?”
“I think I’ll head back over to Graves’ house in Great Falls. I was there earlier in the week and didn’t find anything, but I’ll go back over it again.”
He checked the gold watch on his wrist.
Edge couldn’t tell the difference between a Timex and a Rolex without checking the label, but from the shine on the band, even she could tell whatever brand the watch was would be expensive. Everything about this man shouted fine living, yet from the info she’d been able to find on him, Richard hadn’t been born into the status quo. Graves had real honest to God blue blood while this man’s only ran blue in his veins…Maybe even green.
“Well you’ve got time,” he said. “The servants will be gone by four today and won’t be back until next week. I’ve given them a few days off.”
“I see.” Kind of presumptuous giving people time off who didn’t work for you, but then again, this guy seemed to have just taken over Ethan Graves’ life. She’d bet her share from the case, Richard here, was the one ole Mrs. Graves had been banging on the side. Well, it wasn’t her business to care one way or another.
As soon as his unexpected guest left, Richard picked up his smart phone and hit a programmed number. “It’s me…I got a call earlier today from a bounty hunter…Of course, I met her…Yes, it was a her. She just left my office. She’s looking for Ethan…Yeah…She thinks he’s still in the area….That’s right, that he never left town…Knowing him yes, it’s possible…Of course, I was helpful. I gave her a list of his closest friends and hang outs and asked her to let me know if she finds him. He needs help and I’m prepared to give him all the help he deserves…Yeah, I’ll let you know.”
Richard hung up the phone and unlocked the bottom left hand drawer of the desk. He pulled it open and double checked the contents. What sat in the desk hadn’t been there when Ethan had this office, but it seemed to be Richard’s office now, and he fully intended to keep it. He took the gray metal gun out and caressed it. Yes, he intended to keep what should have been his by any means necessary.
Edge got to the house in Great Falls later than she’d planned.
The housekeeper reluctantly let her in but warned her she would have less than half an hour to go through the house.
First, Edge had a few questions for her. “Mrs. Chiver, I understand you and Mr. Ingle found Mrs. Graves’ body together.”
“Yes, that’s true.” The stout woman clasped her hands together. “It was awful. I still get nightmares.” She shook her head.
“Yes, I can imagine. Were you here the entire evening?” She already knew the answer from the police report but she wanted to hear what the woman had to say.
“No. Those were my regular two off days and I was just getting back.”
“So, you weren’t at home. What about Mr. Ingle, was he already here when you arrived?”
“No, his car turned into the driveway after mine. He pulled up to the garage behind my car and he got out, then helped me with my bag. We came in through the side entrance leading to the kitchen together.”
“I see. What made you both go to the room where you found Mrs. Graves?”
“Mr. Ingle said he heard a strange noise.”
“Did you hear anything?”
“No.”
“So, then what happened?”
“We walked out of the kitchen calling for Mr. and Mrs. Graves, but no one answered. But Mr. Ingle kept insisting he heard something. He continued heading toward the main sitting room. I hadn’t heard a sound, but I followed him anyway. The lights were off in there but down the hall, we could see the light on in the Florida room. That was Mrs. Graves’ favorite place and office. He called out as we got closer but no one responded. The door was open and he stepped into the room and I heard him gasp, ‘Oh my God’ and I rushed in behind him to find him bending over Mr. Graves lying on the floor…Mrs. Graves was…” Mrs. Chiver began to shake and cry.
“It’s okay. I’m sorry to bring back such memories.” She grabbed a paper towel from the rack, so the woman could wipe her face. She gave her a minute to calm down. “One last question, was Mr. Ingle expected for the evening?”
“I don’t know. But he often showed up.” She shrugged. “He was family and maybe a little too close to Mrs. Graves. But he came and went as he pleased.”
“What do you mean by a little too close?” She suspected she understood but wanted the housekeeper’s take.
“It was none of my business, but he’d be here more often when Mr. Graves wasn’t around and that’s all I’m saying.”
“Okay. Thank you.” The housekeeper had basically confirmed what she’d already sensed, Ingle was banging Graves’ wife, motive for murder right there.
After Mrs. Chivers went to finish her packing, Edge did a once over of the first floor, focusing on Graves’ home office and the room where his wife died, but could find no clues as to his whereabouts.
Standing in the study, Edge looked out on a view of a three-tiered garden. The pool she glimpsed earlier should be on the other side of the garden. She placed her hand on the patio doors intending to follow the path she’d spotted, hoping it would lead down to the gardens and the pool when the housekeeper came into the room.
“I’m sorry, Ma’am but my cab’s outside, so I’ve got to leave now. No one else is around, so you’ll have to go too. You can come back next week.”
“Okay. Would it be all right if I just checked out the grounds while there’s still a little light left? See if maybe the cops missed something?” She didn’t want to ask about a pool house. She’d seen the edge of what looked like a roof through the trees and she wanted to check the place out. If it was locked there was no way the housekeeper would let her in there and her guts told her time was important. She couldn’t wait until next week to check it out.
The woman hesitated. “…I suppose so. Go out these patio doors and take the steps, that will put you to the right of the Florida room where Mrs. Graves was found. I’ll lock this door behind you. When I leave, I’ll set the alarm, so you won’t be able to get back into the house. After you’re done, just walk back around to the front and that should be fine.”
“Great, thanks.” Just in case the woman watched, Edge did as she said she would and walked around to the Florida room, checking around the windows and the immediate grounds for anything out of the ordinary. As she expected, she found nothing.
The sound of a car door shutting had her pausing, but then the car driving off had her moving again. To be safe, she walked around to the side of the house until she got a view of the driveway and saw a cab pulling away from the house. Alone now, she turned around and made her way back to the pool area.
The one story house sat a few yards away from the pool. Close enough for people to use it for changing but far enough away and angled in a manner, giving anyone staying there a little privacy. She headed for the front entrance, rang the doorbell and waited. Nothing stirred behind the door. She pulled the handle on the sliding glass door; it was locked and covered, so she couldn’t see within.
Undaunted, Edge walked around the perimeter first, trying to see any evidence if it was occupied. The curtains were drawn back in one of the rooms. It looked like a small sitting area. There were a couple of comfortable looking empty chairs, two small tables and a bookcase along the side of the wall. The place looked dark and appeared to be unoccupied. All of a sudden, light flooded the perimeter around the house as well as the pool area, making her spin around, reaching for the Glock holstered at her back.
She laughed at herself, probably some sort of automatic timer. Not that she needed the light and there wasn’t much more to see, so she walked around the corner, heading back to her car. Her instincts said she had to get into the pool house. But how? Odds were high, it had an alarm system.
Edge got in her car and drove off, about halfway through the development instinct again, made her stop her car and pull over on a side street. The pool house would make
a great place for Graves to hide out in, especially if he knew the hired help would be gone for a few days. Getting out of the car, she locked it and headed back toward his neighborhood on foot, but no cars passed her. It’d gotten darker, but she preferred to do this in the dark and as was her way, she wore black clothing, making it easier for her to blend into the night and hide quickly. She jogged back to the driveway, but came to a stop, then walked past it.
The house sat off by itself at the end of a pipe stem. Instead of heading directly for it, she entered the wooded area separating the Graves property from its closest neighbor. Making her way to the back of the house, she headed for the tight cluster of trees she spotted earlier. She kept moving until she found a spot where she could observe both the pool house as well as the back area of the Graves’ house without been seen. Although she had superior eyesight, the exterior lighting made it easier for her to see anyone approaching the house or movement within the pool house.
Clouds overhead hid the stars and a cool breeze brushed against her cheeks, but the cat in her kept her warm enough. The dry hard ground under a tree made a good place to sit down. With her back up against the tree trunk, Edge steeled herself to watch and wait.
Chapter Four
This was a risk. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d taken one and this one he had to take. He had no choice. He needed to get into the pool house with only a short window of time to do it in, before Richard thought of it too—if he hadn’t already.
Ethan waited until dark before approaching the house, through the woods from the back. The garden lights around the pool area were lit; he would have to trust his heightened senses telling him the place lay empty. Otherwise, if anyone glanced out a back window on the south side, they might be able to see him. He had to go through the front door of the pool house, if he broke in through a side window the alarm would go off. The last thing he wanted to happen. Hopefully, no one thought to change the pool house key code.
His dark clothing enabled him to blend into the night, as he quickly made his way over the short fence and headed straight for the entrance to the pool house. Using his code, he unlocked the door and the alarm system. Not until the he shut the door behind him, did he breathe a sigh of relief. He reset the alarm, but changed the codes for both the alarm and the door. Just in case Richard—the shit—knew it and tried to get in to search the place too. Anything to make life a little harder for his dear stepbrother.
First things first, he headed for the master bedroom. That’s where Sharon had the new floor safe installed and the last place he could think of where she could have hidden her journal. He refused to think Richard might have already found it.
Even in the darkened interior, he didn’t need to turn on any lights, he saw quite well in the dark. He found the fake flooring in the bedroom, pried it up and unlocked the safe. A sound, too low for normal senses to hear but not for his, and not part of the night had him jerking his head in the direction of the front door.
He couldn’t see the door from the bedroom, but he had to hurry if someone was walking around the pool area. Sticking his hand into the chamber, he felt the outline of a slender book. Without looking, he grabbed it and shut the safe, replacing the flooring. A different sound came to him closer this time, like someone tried to get into the pool house through the front door. He stood up and made his way back to the front room, glad now he had the forethought to change the door code, so no one else could come in behind him.
Staying in the shadows of the room, he moved over to the blinds and peered around the edge to look outside. Not at all surprised to see Richard on the other side. The light beside him perfectly illuminated the pissed expression on the other man’s face, because he couldn’t open the door.
It took all the self-control Ethan could call upon not to open the door and beat the shit out of Richard. Get him to confess he’d been the one having an affair with Sharon and killed her. As satisfying as that seemed, Ethan knew it wouldn’t work. Without proof a confession from Richard, it would be meaningless. Even if they had been having an affair, it wouldn’t be quite enough to shine the light on Richard. Unless, Richard stalked the place for the same reason he did.
Ethan glanced down at the red velvet journal he held in his hand. This had to be what Richard came here for. Richard knew just as well as he did that Sharon kept a journal, and since the police didn’t have it…It was still somewhere on the grounds. Now, if Ethan were lucky, it would contain the proof he’d been seeking.
Richard kicked the door and headed back toward the house.
Ethan watched him open the patio doors closing them behind him, but Ethan stayed where he was. Richard remained in the house and might be able to see the pool area. But he couldn’t stay in the pool house long, too dangerous.
He moved into the sitting area toward the back of the place toward a large window facing away from the main house in that room. The curtains in there were pulled back, but he could see nothing but trees beyond the dark expanse of lawn. He would be in an open area a little but the land slanted downhill and if he kept low and in the shadows, he should be able to make it back into the woods. He’d hidden his motorcycle there, so it wouldn’t be spotted from the road.
In order to get out, he would have to turn off the alarm, so he went back to the front room and did so. Time kept getting away from him, the longer he stayed the greater the risk Richard would return and decide to just break in. He could be calling the security company right now. Since Ethan’s arrest, Richard now had access to lots of information.
Ethan opened the window and climbed out into the bushes flanking the area, then closed the window. Keeping his body hunched over, he stayed in the shadows and between the trees until he made his way back to his bike. As soon as he reached it, he stored the journal in his saddlebag hanging off the back, but survival instincts had him whipping his head around.
He wasn’t alone.
A woman stepped from behind a large tree. He didn’t recognize her scent and even with his night vision, he couldn’t see her features clearly but her silhouette showed her tall, willowy frame. It took him a moment more to realize she also held a dark shiny object in her hand and pointed it in his direction. Even though it sat in shadow, he recognized the shape.
A gun—she had a gun.
He held his hands palms up and at his sides. “Ah, sorry if I’m trespassing,” he said, thinking she might have been a neighbor. “I just had to take a quick bathroom run into the woods. I’m leaving.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.”
Her voice sounded soft, sexy, like the feel of silk on a woman’s skin. Not the kind of voice you’d expect to find coming from a woman holding a gun, but then again, he’d never expected a lot of the things happening to him lately. “Look, I don’t want any trouble.” He moved to climb onto the bike.
She moved closer to him, planting herself directly in the only clear path for the bike to get out onto the road. “Sorry, Ethan Graves, but you’re a wanted man and I’m here to take you back into custody.”
“What the hell?” he replied, not understanding entirely what she said—or not wanting to.
The clouds parted just as she stepped out of the shadows and he could see her features clearer now. A sliver of moonlight bathed her body. She had brown skin, like chocolate melted in warm milk, a heart shaped face and high cheekbones accenting a plump bow of a cherry mouth. With a feminine body built like a dancer. Broad shoulders, tiny waist and long legs. Her hair lay pulled back into a ponytail with the end resting across one shoulder, ending just above her breast.
In another life, he would have wanted her name and number, but that time no longer existed.
“Get off the bike and toss me the key.”
He blinked, understanding perfectly. “Like hell! You’re going to have to shoot me.”
“Don’t think I won’t.”
“Well, well, well. Ms. Edgewater, I see you’ve found my stepbrother.”
They had both been so wrappe
d up in each other, they didn’t notice they were no longer alone. What the hell had been happening to his instincts with people being able to sneak up on him lately? This would be the last person Ethan wanted to see right now, and Richard too held a gun, also pointed in his direction.
“Mr. Ingle, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Without taking her gaze off him or turning her head to look at Richard, she continued to speak, “I have everything under control.”
So, the woman knew Richard.
“I see that you do.” While Richard replied to the woman he’d referred to as Ms. Edgewater, his attention remained on Ethan. “Did you find it Ethan?” he asked.
“Find what?” Ethan hedged.
Richard smiled. “I think that you did.” Then, he shifted the aim of his gun in the direction of the woman.
Ethan’s lungs stopped expanding. She surprised him. She must not have been quite as focused on him as he’d thought while keeping one eye on Richard, because just as Richard discharged the gun, the woman pivoted. Though, she couldn’t dodge the bullet entirely and it spun her face first onto the ground.
Ethan rushed toward the woman who lay on her stomach between him and Richard, intending to reach out to touch her.
Then, Richard spoke, “Stop right there.”
He did. Shaking with rage. Ethan could feel the cat in him rising to the surface, but he wouldn’t be able to shift fast enough and a gunshot during a shift at this pointblank range, could do him a world of hurt. He forced himself to stay calm, but his cat clawed to get out.
“Back up,” Richard stated.
Ethan straightened up and took a step back.
“A little more please,” Richard ordered. “That’s right, stay right where you are.”
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