by Nora Roberts
He found one marriage and divorce—both involving one Titus, Paul J., currently doing the second side of a dime in Folsom for assault with a deadly. A quick search on Titus showed Brody this was not the man’s first trip courtesy of the state.
“Weren’t what we’d call a sterling citizen, were you, Deena?”
Still, she’d been a looker in her way. He had an ID photo of her now, on screen, and could admit there was something compellingly sexy about her.
“The bad girl,” he said aloud. “Who knows it, and likes it that way. And lets you know you’ll like it, too.”
According to the data he found, she still had family in Oklahoma. A mother, a scant seventeen years older than Deena. There was always the possibility Deena had kept in touch, and that she’d told her mother what she hadn’t—apparently—told anyone else. The name of the man she was involved with.
So how to play it? An old friend of Deena’s trying to catch up? Chatty, friendly. A Wyoming cop trying to track down information on known associates? Tough, brisk.
Odds were he wasn’t going to find out a damn thing anyway.
He decided it was time to take a short break and let his head clear before he tried contacting Deena’s mother.
Before he could get up, his phone rang.
The familiar voice had him relaxing back again. The unusual but interesting request had him considering.
Ten minutes later, Brody was walking out of the house, then driving out of town.
He glanced at Angel Food as he passed. If this panned out, he hoped to have a resolution for Reece in a couple hours.
EVERYTHING STARTED NOW. And now there would be no going back—no regrets, no mistakes. It was risky, and the timing would have to be perfect. But it could be done. Had to be done.
The cabin was the right place for this first step. Quiet and secluded, with the cover of the woods, the marsh. No one would come there looking for them. Just as no one had ever come there looking for Deena.
When it was done, he’d have hours to make certain it was all done properly. He’d cover all the tracks, as always. And he’d put things right again. Back again. The way they should be.
“ALL RIGHT, LO, I want to know where we’re going.”
“That’s for me to know.”
Linda-gail folded her arms and tried a narrow stare, but he didn’t crack.
It wasn’t the way to Jackson Hole. She’d secretly hoped he was taking her to a fancy dinner somewhere especially nice. Where she could show off her new dress.
But he hadn’t gone that way. In fact—
“If you think for one minute I’m going to sit around some campfire in this dress, you’re crazier than I ever gave you credit for.”
“We’re not going camping. And that dress sure is a killer.” He shot her a quick, heated look. “I hope whatever you got on under it’s just as lethal.”
“You’re not going to see what’s under it, this keeps up.”
“Wanna bet?” He gave her a smug grin, made the next turn.
She saw where he was going now, and went to silent fume. “You might as well turn this truck around and take me right back home.”
“If you still feel that way in ten minutes, I will.”
He pulled up at the cabin with all the plans and preparations circling in his head. Nerves threatened, but he steeled himself against them.
He’d come too far to back down now.
Since Linda-gail didn’t budge, he got out, came around and opened her door. It was probably the way it should have been anyway, he decided, since she was wearing that sexy dress and he was duded up in his best suit.
“Just come on inside, honey, don’t be stubborn.” He eased and cajoled her as he might a fractious mare. “Otherwise, I’m just going to cart you in anyway.”
“Fine. I’m going to call Reece and ask her to come out and get me as soon as she can.”
“I don’t think you’re going to be calling anybody,” Lo muttered, and pulled her toward the cabin. “We weren’t supposed to get here this soon, but you were all fired up to leave. I wanted it to be heading toward dusk when we got here.”
“Well, it’s not.”
She stalked inside, fully intending to pull out her phone and call Reece. Then she was too stunned to do anything but stare.
FOR THE THIRD time in ten minutes, Reece checked her watch. Why didn’t Linda-gail call? Why hadn’t she been able to convince her not to go with Lo tonight?
Five more minutes, she vowed. And she was calling Linda-gail. No matter how crazy it sounded, Reece was going to demand to know her whereabouts. And she’d make sure Lo understood she knew.
“Looking at the time isn’t going to make it go any faster. You’re on till ten regardless.” Joanie ladled up stew from the pot. “And don’t even think about asking to leave early. I’m already a waitress short.”
“I’m not leaving early. It’s just Linda-gail said she’d call me, and she hasn’t.”
“I expect she’s too busy to think about calling you. She wheedled the night off, didn’t she? Saturday night, too. Her and my boy ganging up on me. Couple of lamebrains, that’s what. Everything’s sunshine, roses and moonbeams from where they’re standing. Well, in here, it’s burgers, stew and fried steak, so get that order up.”
“What? What did you say?”
“I said get that order up.”
“Sunshine and moonbeams. I remember. Oh, oh, God! I remember. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Arms akimbo, jaw up, Joanie planted her feet. “Girl, you’re not leaving that grill until I say.”
“Two minutes.”
“In two minutes that burger’s going to be burnt. Get that order up.”
“Goddamn it.” But Reece rushed to get the order up.
THERE WAS A TABLE in front of the fireplace in the cabin. On the table was a white cloth, on the cloth a blue vase filled with pink roses. There were candles and pretty dishes. Most astonishing, beside the table was a stand holding a silver bucket. In the bucket rested a bottle of champagne.
And when Lo picked up a remote and pressed play, Wynonna Judd sang a ballad, very softly.
“What is all this?” a confused Linda-gail asked.
“It’s a Saturday night date.” Eager now to play his part, Lo slipped off the shawl she wore around her shoulders. Laying it aside, he hurried around the room lighting candles. “I thought it would be a little darker, but that’s okay.”
“That’s okay,” she repeated, dazed. “Lo, it’s just so pretty.”
The mounted head of a bighorn sheep didn’t detract. The lamp with a bear climbing a tree forming its pole only made it all sweeter somehow.
And though it was heading toward June and warm enough, Lo crouched in front of the fire to light kindling already laid.
“Does your ma know about this?”
“Sure. She doesn’t rent this one out much since…you know that guy shot himself here.” He stopped, winced. “That doesn’t put you off, does it?”
“What? No. No.”
“Good. Still, I had to ask her if we could use the place—and to fix up something I could just heat up for dinner. She wasn’t too happy about it; in fact, she’s a little pissed off at both of us. But I figure that’ll change when we tell her the reason why.”
“The reason why what?”
He rose from the hearth, turned and grinned at her. “Gonna get to that. Right now, what do you think about me opening that champagne?”
And my, didn’t he look handsome? she thought. All that pretty sun-streaked hair, that nice, lean body all done up in a gray suit. “I think that’d be just fine.”
She wandered over to the table, brushed her fingertips over the velvety petals of a rosebud. “You bought me pink rosebuds once before.”
“For your sixteenth birthday. Been some time between deliveries, I guess.”
“I guess. I guess we needed it. You set this all up?”
“Wasn’t that much. The trick was to do it on the QT.�
�� He gave her a wink as he started on the champagne. “I wanted it special, and if you try to do anything special around here and it gets out, everybody knows. Had to go clean into Jackson for those roses. Figured if I had Mac order them in, he’d just have to know why and be speculating with everybody who came into the mercantile on it. One person I know in the Fist can keep a secret, it’s Ma. So she’s the only one who knows we’re here. I nearly told her the rest, but…”
“The rest?”
When the cork popped, he let out a little whoop of delight. “Sounds good, doesn’t it? Fancy.”
“What rest?”
“She, ah…You got a few things back in the bedroom. In case you wanted to stay over.”
“You went into my house, into mythings ?”
“No. Ma did. Don’t get riled already. Here.” He handed her a glass. “It’s for just in case. Should we have a toast or something? How about to surprises, and lots of them?”
Her eyes were narrowed, but she tapped her glass to his. She wasn’t going to miss out on having a glass of champagne. “This is all beautiful, Lo, that’s the truth, and it’s sweet as can be. But we have issues to deal with, you and me, and I’m not going to be distracted by flowers and champagne.”
“Didn’t figure you would, but maybe we could relax, have some dinner, then—”
“Lo, I need to know why you lied to me. I gave you till tonight, and I’ll be honest first and say I really want to sit at that pretty table, drinking champagne and having you serve me dinner. I want to be here with you and think about how nice it is to have someone go to all this trouble for me. But I can’t. Not till I know.”
“I had this planned out different, but okay.” In truth, he didn’t think his nerves would stay in check all through dinner. “You have to come in the bedroom.”
“I’m not going in that bedroom with you.”
“I’m not going to try to get you naked. Christ’s sake, Linda-gail, give me some credit, will you? Just come on in for a minute.”
“This better be good,” she grumbled, and set the champagne down before she walked to the bedroom door with him.
There were more candles he’d yet to light, and more flowers on the dresser. A single rose lay on the pillow. She’d never in her life been on the receiving end of anything so romantic. The center of her heart yearned so that she had to harden its rim to keep it from spilling right out at his feet.
“It’s pretty and it’s romantic. And it won’t work, Lo.”
“That’s your special rose. You need to take your rose there. The one on the bed. Please,” he said when she didn’t move. “Do that one thing.”
On a windy sigh, she crossed over, snatched up the rose. “There, are you…” As she turned, the ribbon tied to the stem swung, and what was looped through it banged gently into her forearm. It shot sparks and light.
“Oh my God.”
“Now maybe you’ll be quiet for a minute.” Smug, he drew the ring off the ribbon. “I went out to buy this the evening I said I was working. I wanted to keep it to myself, that’s all. I go telling any of the boys I’m hunting up an engagement ring, they’re going to rib me about it until I have to punch somebody in the face. So I lied to you because I didn’t want you to know what I was up to. I wanted to give it to you, to ask you when it was special. Like this.”
Her heart was actually fluttering. This, she realized, was what they meant when they said it was like your heart grew wings. “You lied so you could go out and buy this?”
“That’s right.”
“And when I found out you lied, you wouldn’t tell me.”
“I didn’t want us yelling at each other when I gave it to you. Before, after, that’s fine, but not during.”
“You did this, all this, for me.”
“About time I got started. You like it? The ring?”
She hadn’t really looked at it. Theidea of it, of all of it, was so huge. But she looked now at the sparkle of the diamond in a gold band. As simple, she thought, as traditional as a plate of warm apple pie. And absolutely perfect.
“I like it. I love it, I do. But there’s a problem.”
“What? What now?”
She looked up, smiled. “You haven’t asked me yet. Not officially.”
“You’re going to have to marry me, Linda-gail, and save me from wasting my life on wild women. You do that,” he continued when she choked out a laugh, “I’ll work hard to make you happy.”
“I’ll do that.” She held out her hand for the ring, “and I’ll make you happy right back.”
The minute the ring was on her finger, she jumped into his arms. “This is the best Saturday night date in recorded history.”
When his mouth met hers, she thought she heard a car on the road outside. But she was too busy to care.
BACK IN TOWN, Reece flew down the street. She still wore her apron, and it flapped around her legs as she ran. People stopped strolling to stare at her or to scramble back before she could plow through them. She burst through the door of On the Trail.
“The necklace.”
Debbie turned from showing a couple of customers a selection of backpacks. “Reece.” Her gaze registered surprise, followed by faintly amused annoyance. “I’ll be right with you.”
“You have a necklace.”
“Excuse me,” Debbie said to the customers, “just one minute.”
With her business smile in place, Debbie crossed over, took Reece’s arm in a firm grip. “I’m busy here, Reece.”
“A symbol of the sun on a gold chain.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Debbie demanded in a whisper.
“I’m crazy, remember. Indulge me or I’ll probably make a scene. I saw you wearing that necklace.”
“And so what?”
“A sun,” Reece repeated. “It came from Delvechio’s in Jackson.”
“Very good, you win today’s trivia contest. Now go away.”
Instead, Reece turned into Debbie, all but nose to nose. “Who gave it to you?”
“Rick did, of course. Last Christmas. What iswrong with you?”
“You’re his sunlight,” Reece murmured. “I heard him say that. That’s the opposite of the dark side of the moon.”
Debbie backed up a step. “You really are crazy. I want you out.”
“Where is he? Where’s the sheriff?”
“Let go of my arm.”
“Where?”
“In Moose, he has a meeting tonight. But in about two seconds I’m calling the office and having Denny come down here and haul you out.”
“Call whoever you want. Where was he the night we had the break-in at Brody’s cabin?”
“What break-in?” Debbie said with a sneer. “Or do you mean the night you imagined, again, somebody was there?”
“Where was he, Debbie?”
“At home.”
“I don’t think so.”
“I’ve lost about all patience with you. I’m telling you he was home, right out in his workshop. And he’d have more time to relax out there if it wasn’t for people like you dragging him away on false alarms and stupidity. I had to go out there myself and get him when Hank called.”
“Oh? No phone in the workshop?”
“He had the music on, and the saw…” Debbie drew herself up. “I’ve had about enough of this nonsense. I have customers, and I want to finish my work and get home to my kids for popcorn and movie night. Some of us have normal lives.”
And some of us just believe we do, Reece thought. Sympathy welled up inside her. Debbie was going to have that belief shattered very soon. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”
“You will be,” Debbie replied as Reece turned for the door.
Reece pulled her cell phone out of her pocket as she hurried back toward the diner. Then cursed when Brody’s answering machine picked up on the fourth ring. “Damn it. Call me back, soon as you can. I’m going to try your cell.”
But that, too, switched to voice mail.
<
br /> Frustrated as she knew he could walk ten feet in any direction from his cabin and lose his service, she jammed the phone back in her pocket.
It was all right, she told herself. Rick was in Moose, and even if Debbie called him when she got home to complain about crazy Reece Gilmore, he couldn’t be back for a couple hours. Probably more.
It would give her time to sort it all out in her head. So when she dumped it all on Brody, it would be with organized thinking.
That was best. It was going to be difficult enough to tell him his friend was a killer.
BRODY SPOTTED Lo’s truck when he passed Joanie’s cabin. Had Reece seen it in Jackson when they were there? He hated the fact that his first thought was that he knew the location of one of the suspects. All he could hope was in the next hour, he’d know who Reece had seen by the river. And it would be over for her.
He wanted it over for her.
He thought about buying her some tulips. Probably something he should do. Maybe take her away for a couple days until the bulk of the dust settled. She’d have to give statements, answer questions. Be the center of attention, at least for a while.
Rough on her, but she’d get through it.
And once she had, they’d have to get started on some pretty serious business of their own. He was buying that damn cabin from Joanie, and building on that new office, that deck.
And Reece Gilmore was staying put. With him.
He could bribe her with a set of those fancy pots. The Sitram.
These stay in my kitchen, Slim, and so do you. The idea of it made him smile. She’d appreciate that. She’d get that.
He turned onto the quiet, secluded drive, winding among the pines, and parked in front of the cabin.
Rick came out on the porch, his face sober, his eyes grave. He walked down the steps as Brody got out of the car. “Thanks for coming, Brody. Let’s go on inside.”
30
ABOUT THE TIME Reece was trying Brody’s cell, he was walking into the kitchen at the Mardson cabin.
“Got coffee fresh,” Rick told him, and poured out a mug for Brody.