Old Flames Never Die (Valentine Mystery)

by Harte, Jenna

  “That's a little arrogant,” Liv charged.

  “Am I wrong?”

  This time she sighed. “No. I guess not. We were good together once.”

  “I'm sure you'll meet someone else who will take care of you.”

  “You don't think I can take care of myself?” She sounded miffed.

  “Sure you can. You just don't want to.”

  “I didn't know you could be so cruel.”

  “Liv—”

  “No. Maybe I am shallow, but I thought that we had something more than that.”

  “That's the problem, Liv. I thought so too. But I was wrong.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “I wish I could be the type of woman you want.”

  “I want you to be happy, Liv. I wish you the best in the future, but I can't be a part of it.”

  “Yeah, you too.” Jack could tell she didn't mean it.

  He hung up the phone, relieved to have that conversation out of the way.

  ~~~~

  Tess woke feeling very relaxed. She smiled as she replayed the events of the day. Things with Jack were good again. The practical, careful part of her brain asked for how long. But Tess pushed that away. She wanted it to work. She knew he wanted it to work. That's what she'd focus on.

  She turned over, reached out her arm, but found nothing. Sitting up, she saw a robe with a note attached lying at the foot of the bed.

  Don't bother getting dressed.

  She smiled as she slipped the robe on. She opened the door to the bedroom and saw Jack showing the room service server to the table.

  “That was quick,” Jack told him. “My sister said there was great service here. She comes here all the time. In fact, maybe you know her. Liv Danforth.”

  “Yes, sir,” the young man said as he put a tray on the table. “Mrs. Danforth and her husband visit nearly every month.”

  “Her husband?” Jack asked. His surprised tone echoed Tess’ thoughts.

  “Yes, sir.” The young man put a vase with a single red rose in the middle of the table. Tess wondered if that was a special order from Jack.

  “Huh. I always got the impression she came here alone to pamper herself.”

  “Her husband usually arrives later in the evening.”

  “It goes to show what I know,” Jack said. “Here I thought she was getting tired of the old man.”

  “Old man? Mr. Danforth isn't that old.”

  Tess saw the wheels turn in Jack’s mind as he pondered his next move. She considered stepping out into the living area to help, though she wasn’t sure what she’d say either.

  Jack went to her briefcase and pulled out some papers. “This is him, right? The guy you see with my sister?”

  The boy nodded. “Yes. He's not that old.”

  Jack laughed. “That's just what she calls him. You know how it is, calling your spouse old man or old woman.”

  “Oh, yeah.” The boy finished setting the table. “Is there anything else you need, Mr. Valentine?”

  “No,” Jack said handing him a few bills. “You've been very helpful. Thank you.”

  When the door shut behind the room service boy, Tess stepped into the living area. Jack turned. When he noticed her, he held up the picture.

  “Kevin Danforth,” Tess said.

  He nodded. “I'm a little shocked. Not that a stepmom would have an affair, but Liv and Kevin? I never saw it.”

  “He's certainly a better actor that I would have given him credit for,” Tess agreed. “I'm curious if he knew about the baby?”

  “He did seem a little out of sorts when Daniel mentioned a baby,” Jack said.

  “She's very clever.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, she must have not known about Charles' vasectomy, so she needed another ...donor. But she didn't pick anyone, she picked Kevin-“

  “Who is a Danforth,” Jack finished for her.

  “Exactly. Even if her plan was found out, her child would still be entitled to Danforth money.” Tess let out a sigh. “But all this doesn't really matter. Clearly she was here and she now has an alibi in Kevin. Funny, he wouldn't use Liv as an alibi. I doubt he's ever been to the Poconos.”

  “Liv can be persuasive when she wants to be. She’d know it would look worse if it was known they were having an affair.”

  “I wonder if he had enough time to drive to Jefferson Tavern and then to New York the day Charles was murdered.”

  “It's a lot of driving, but certainly possible.”

  Tess shook her head. “It seems like too much work for someone like him.”

  “He is lazy, isn't he?” Jack stepped to her, slipping his arms around her. “But I was hoping we were off the clock now.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I thought we'd start with breakfast, and then move to dessert.”

  “Sounds wonderful. I'm starving…for both.”

  Jack grinned.

  “Let me just let Daniel know this info about Kevin. Maybe there’s something he’ll want to do with it on his end.”

  Jack nodded. “Maybe Kevin is still in Jefferson Tavern.”

  Tess made the call and then joined Jack for breakfast.

  “Will you tell me about your accident?” Jack asked.

  “Sure, what do you want to know?”

  “How'd it happen? You're a good driver and the road between Bucks County and Jefferson Tavern is a straight shot.”

  “I had help.” Tess explained the black truck and the gun. She hated seeing the worry and shock in his eyes.

  “Jesus, I'm sorry, Tess.”

  “Sorry. Why? It wasn't you.”

  “No.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “But the other night. All I could think about was me and what I wanted. I didn't realize—”

  “Stop, Jack. Don't feel guilty about that. We've been over all that and moved beyond it.”

  He nodded, but she could see the guilt remaining in his eyes. “Someone tried to kill you.”

  “Yes.”

  “And there are no leads?”

  “No. Daniel and I talked to everyone with a black truck at the Danforth farm and Wilson, but everything happened so fast and I didn't see anything. It could have been anyone.”

  “But you think it's related to Danforth's murder?”

  “I can't think of anyone else who'd want me dead.”

  Jack shivered, got up and pulled her from her chair. “I don't think I'd survive if something happened to you.”

  “Hopefully you won't have to find out.”

  He nodded. His eyes were so intense. Filled with love, worry and guilt.

  She smiled up at him. “So, when's dessert?”

  Jack would have paid any amount of money to not be sitting in a plane hurling down a runway that was going to end any second.

  “Try deep breathing,” Tess said sitting across from him.

  He shot her a look.

  She smiled. “Once we're airborne, I can help you get over this phobia.”

  “Staying on the ground is the best way to help me.”

  The plane lifted off, leaving Jack's stomach on the runway. He cursed and closed his eyes. Within minutes, the plane leveled off. He heard a click and opened his eyes enough to see Tess heading to the back of the plane.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I want to see what's back here.”

  “It’s a bedroom.”

  He saw a familiar gleam in her eye before she turned and disappeared in the room. He waited for her to return, but when she didn't he unclipped his belt and followed her back.

  “I was wondering how long it would take you.” She was lying on the bed like a seductress. Too bad fear was bad on the libido.

  “You're not thinking of…”

  “Yes. I am. It could help you take your mind of things.”

  “I won't be able to perform and then I'll have to add impotent to my list of flying problems.”

  “Hmm. Do you think the pilot would help me?”<
br />
  He let out an annoyed growl as he lay on the bed next to her.

  “How about a massage? No pressure. Just to soothe the fear?”

  The problem, Jack thought as Tess' hands found their way under his shirt, was that his body didn't realize how scared his mind was. He was a man, after all. When a woman was kissing and caressing, things happened regardless of what the brain is thinking.

  “That's not really soothing,” he murmured. She shifted, pressing her body against his. He knew she was able to feel that her ministrations were more arousing than calming.

  “Just close your eyes,” she whispered. Because her actions were taking his mind off of falling two miles out of the sky, he complied. Soon he felt her fingers tug on the button of his pants. He wanted to tell her to stop. Well, no he didn't. But he also didn't want to embarrass himself either. The minute the plane hit turbulence, he knew he'd shrivel. A man didn't get over that very easily.

  But he didn't stop her. She kissed his lips, his jaw, his neck. “This isn't so bad, is it?” Her lips worked their way down over his chest.

  “Tess, I'm not sure—” Her lips trailed down over his abdomen and lower. Then all fear, all thought was gone.

  ~~~~

  “How was the flight?” Daniel asked as Jack and Tess entered his office.

  The couple glanced at each other. “The ride up was rough, but the flight back was—”

  “Smooth,” Tess finished for Jack, casting him a warning look. He winked at her.

  Daniel's brows rose. “Good.”

  Tess handed Daniel her notes. “All we really have is that Kevin visited Liv each time she went to New York from February to May.”

  “It's something,” Daniel said, as Tess and Jack sat across from his desk.

  “It shows she was lying,” Jack said.

  “But it clears her of murder, at least directly,” Tess added.

  Daniel nodded. “I talked to Kevin this morning after you called. He admitted to the affair, but he was genuinely surprised by the baby.”

  “A guy like him probably doesn't want kids,” Jack said. “Wouldn't want to spoil his fun.”

  “Or his inheritance,” Tess added. “What about his whereabouts before he arrived in New York? He could have driven to Jefferson Tavern first.”

  “He said he was visiting another 'friend' in New Jersey.”

  “He's a busy guy,” Jack said.

  “She verified that he was there,” Daniel finished.

  “Could she be lying to cover for him?”

  “Sure. I want to look into it a little more. But we've still got Wilson, who at this point is the best suspect. I'm heading out to see him when we're done here. Want to tag along?” he asked Tess.

  She shook her head. “I want to see the scene.”

  “At the Danforth's?” Daniel asked.

  “Yes. I've seen the photos, but I want to walk it. I keep feeling like I'm missing something, but can't figure it out.”

  “I can let you go, but Jack can't—”

  “That's alright. I need to check in with Brad and then I thought I'd visit the Senator.”

  “Sure you want to do that?” Daniel asked. “Sounds like you're close to breaking free of the clan.”

  Jack laughed. “I didn't handle it right and I feel I owe him an explanation.”

  “Good luck with that,” Daniel said.

  “Can you give me a ride back to the hotel to get my car…or actually, it's Daniel's car. Can I still use it?” Tess asked.

  “Keep it as long as you need it. If you have some stroke of genius at the Danforth place let me know. I’ll keep you posted on Wilson.”

  ~~~~

  Jack drove Tess to her new hotel. “I didn't realize you'd moved,” he said as he pulled up next to Daniel's car.

  Tess didn't want to go into the reasons why she'd moved. “I'll see you later?”

  “Count on it.” He leaned over, kissed Tess on the cheek. “Call me when you're done.”

  Tess nodded. There was still much to talk about with him. He'd never asked if she was still going to stay at the hotel. And although she was sure she wasn't, she hadn't mentioned it to him. But first she wanted to deal with the Danforth crime scene and hopefully find answers to that nagging feeling that something about the case had been missed.

  Tess walked around Charles Danforth's office imagining what had taken place when he was murdered. She had the information from the crime scene photos and witness interviews to piece the events together. Wilson said they were supposed to be fishing, but he'd had a falling out with Charles, so why were they fishing? But if Wilson had wanted Charles dead, wouldn't it have been easier to stage an accident, like a drowning?

  Boone, the estate caretaker, said he saw Charles in the office that morning. He'd gone in because the lights and air conditioning were on, when no one was supposed to be there. The first time he entered the office he said he found Charles sleeping. But was he dead at that time? Or really sleeping? The handyman indicated he turned down the air, dimmed the lights, then left. Later in the evening, he found Charles in the exact same position and at that point suspected something was wrong.

  Tess closed her eyes, trying to imagine what the handyman walked into the first time. She opened her notes and read Boone’s statement again. “It was colder than a well-digger's butt.” She looked at the thermostat. Why would the air conditioning be on in the first place? It was May, but it hadn't been that hot yet. The room felt cool to her now and the unit was off. If it was on, how cold would the room get? Was a well-digger’s butt cold enough to impact the rate of decomposition of a dead body? Was it cold enough that Liv could murder her husband Saturday morning and the time of death be thrown off because Boone turned off the air? For that to work, Liv would have had to have known the caretaker would adjust the air. Or he was in on it.

  Tess wracked her brain to remember a case she heard about involving air conditioning affecting the time of death in a murder. Was it a case she studied in school? Or maybe it was from one of the forensic shows she liked to watch on television.

  She pulled the sleeve of her sweater over her hand to turn the cool air on. The unit choked to life, blowing loudly. She turned the level to coldest and put her hand in front of the vents. The air was cool, though not cold. She decided to let it run for a bit to see if it would get colder.

  She turned her attention to the desk wondering if there were any other potential clues in the handyman's statement. The police had taken everything they thought would be important to the case. There were no papers or computers for her to check. Still, she opened drawers to see what might have been left behind. Except for a few pens and paperclips, there was nothing. She could feel the room beginning to cool down and thought it might be worth a call to Daniel to see if the medical examiner would have any idea if or how much an air-conditioned room could affect the time of death. She pulled her phone from her purse and flipped it open. Daniel’s voicemail answered the call. She left a brief message about air conditioning impacting the time of death and hung up.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Tess looked up to see Liv standing in the doorway, a gun in her hand.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Tess wouldn’t have called herself a gun expert, but she knew a little bit from her days as a defense lawyer in the public defender’s office. Her inexperienced eye told that Liv’s little semi-automatic could be the weapon that killed Charles.

  “Just looking around,” she answered Liv.

  She watched as Liv lowered the gun. “You're trespassing.”

  “I have permission from the police.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I'm working with them.”

  “Why do you care about my husband’s death?” Liv stepped into the room, the gun at her side, but not put away.

  “How did you know I was here?” Tess asked. “I thought you were at a hotel.”

  “I'm getting the house ready to sell. I saw your car when I pulled up, but I didn’
t recognize it. My husband was murdered here and I wondered if maybe the murderer had come back. I could have killed you.”

  “Did you call the police?” Isn’t that what any other sane woman would do if she thought there was a murderer on her property?

  “I’ll ask the questions. Why do you hate me?”

  “I don't hate you.”

  “Oh, come on. From the moment you saw me you hated me. You’re so insecure you can’t tell that there is no man more committed to a woman than Jack is to you. You'll lose him if you get jealous of every woman he talks to.”

  “You're not every woman. And I'm not naïve enough to think you wouldn't want him back, if you could.”

  “What makes you think I'd want to?”

  “We are talking about Jack Valentine, aren't we? A woman would have to be dead not to want him.”

  Liv's lips twitched. “You're right. If I thought I could succeed, I probably would have tried for one more taste. But it's clear he's a one-woman man now. You can't be so dumb as not to see that. So again, why are you after me?”

  “I don't buy your story,” Tess said taking another glance at Liv's gun. She wanted to believe Liv’s story about thinking Tess was an intruder, but couldn’t quite let herself.

  “I have an alibi.”

  Tess shivered and she realized that the room was getting significantly colder. She glanced at the air conditioner pushing cold air into the room. When she turned back, she caught Liv’s gaze. They stared at each other for a few moments, and then Liv raised the gun. “You really should have left well enough alone.”

  “I could start now,” Tess said with a new kind of chill running along her spine. “I'll leave. We'll pretend I wasn't here.”

  “Too late.”

  “Why? If you didn't do it, nothing I find here should worry you.”

  This time it was Liv that cast a worried glance at the air conditioning unit. “It will be better if you disappear.”

  “Is that why you tried to kill me the other day?”

  Liv’s eyes narrowed. “How’d you know it was me?”

  Tess hadn’t known, but she didn’t think it was wise to let Liv know that she’d been tricked to confessing. “You’re holding a gun on me now. You’re the only person who wants me dead. But why?”