by Mae Clair
“Why? It’s nothing to do with you.” Doreen Sue dabbed her eyes again, smearing black mascara down her cheek. The sight made Eve feel sorry for her. In the right light, she would look pretty, if a little hard, but now she looked a mess. Tawdry and cheap standing there in her stiletto heels, bright red lipstick feathering at the corners of her mouth.
“Girl ain’t never taken a cotton to me,” Doreen Sue said with another dismissive wave of her hand. “Thinks she’s better than me is what it boils down to.” She fished in her purse, mumbling all the while until she produced a cigarette. “Damn, I can’t find my lighter.” She glanced up hopefully. “You wouldn’t happen to have—”
“Sorry, I don’t smoke.”
“Just as well. Bad habit. Girl probably thinks I smoke around my grandson and gives him beer. Just ’cause she didn’t have a proper daddy growing up don’t mean I’ve got men traipsing through my bed.”
Eve felt her cheeks color. “Mrs. Lynch, I really need to go.”
“’Course you do. You tell that daughter of mine not to worry her head over Amos, ’cause he and I’ll do fine without her. She’s getting too big for her britches. Thinks because Rosalind put her in charge when she wasn’t around, that she’s some highfalutin executive now. Don’t let her fool you.” She waggled a finger in front of Eve’s face. “All she really knows is how to wait tables. You’ll see.” Continuing with a litany of how Katie was an ungrateful daughter for all she’d done, and how anyone could see what a good grandmamma she was, she strutted for the door, heels click-clacking against the floor.
Eve felt like she’d stepped into a time warp. She’d forgotten the history of many of the families in Point Pleasant. Growing up, it hadn’t simply been gossip about Wendy Lynch running off, or how Katie would turn out to be like her sister. The women had gossiped about Mrs. Lynch, too, discussing how “trashy” she was. Of course, that hadn’t stopped them from visiting her salon or offering artificial smiles to her face. Maybe the woman was rough around the edges, but she’d always been nice to Eve, telling her how pretty her hair looked, even if it was one of her stylists who’d cut it.
Eve waited until the door swung shut behind Doreen Sue before heading for the office. She expected to find Katie immersed in work but discovered her pacing instead, hands on her hips as if trying to work off steam.
“I’m sorry,” she blurted the moment Eve walked into the room. “That shouldn’t have taken place in the lobby. It won’t happen again.”
Eve set her purse on the desk. “Your mom seemed pretty upset. Is it unlike her boyfriend to stay out all night?”
“A man like Amos? He does what he wants.” Katie huffed out a breath and folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t know why she can’t see him for what he is. He’s just like every other scumbag Mom let into her life, including my dad.” She shook her head, tucking a strand of blond hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry. You don’t need to hear this.”
“If it involves you and affects your work performance, then it involves me. Especially when I have a proposal to make.” She was surprised to hear Katie talk so candidly about her mother and father. Looking back on it, she couldn’t remember a father ever being in Katie’s life.
The girls in school used to say horrible things about Katie. How she let boys feel her up, and how she liked to steal her mother’s whiskey and drink it under the bleachers at the football field. Eve had bought into the gossip at the time, even though the Katie she observed in the classroom was nothing like the image painted by the popular girls at school. She’d been part of that clique. With a name like Parrish, she’d been a shoo-in for popularity. Given her friends said those dreadful things about Katie with such authority, they had to be true, right?
Katie looked at her evenly. “Proposal?”
Eve motioned her to a chair across from the desk. Rather than take the seat behind it, she slid into the chair beside Katie, setting the tone for a casual conversation. “First, I’d like to say I’m grateful for all you did for my aunt. And I don’t just mean at the hotel. I should have been the one at her bedside, comforting her when she was dying, but I didn’t even know she passed away until after the funeral. Apparently, she left instructions with Mr. Barnett that I wasn’t to be notified until after she was buried.”
“She asked for you a couple of times.”
Eve knew her face had paled, for Katie rushed ahead as if trying to soften the blow. “She was delirious. Sometimes she talked like you were there in the room. It was important to her that you continue the Parrish family legacy.”
She’d suspected as much. “The hotel?”
Katie flushed. “I’m not saying that to keep my job, Eve. Rosie was more important to me than a paycheck.”
“Perhaps a substitute mother?” she ventured softly.
Katie lowered her eyes, fiddling with a jade ring on her right hand. Brilliant green and oblong in shape, it was housed in an antique silver setting, surrounded by diamond chips. Expensive, old, and familiar.
“She listened when I had problems with my mom or Lyle,” Katie answered her question.
“Is that Sam’s father?”
“Biologically.” She lifted her head, a flare of sudden anger in her eyes. “That’s all the bastard is. When I told him I was pregnant, he said it wasn’t his kid and told me to get rid of it.”
Eve was horrified. “He doesn’t help with Sam?”
“I wouldn’t take a penny from that creep.” Katie lifted her chin defiantly. “I don’t want a man in Sam’s life who’d deny his own son, even if it means I sometimes struggle. My dad took off when I was two, and my mom has been through a string of men ever since, each worse than the last. I want a better upbringing for Sam, and that includes keeping Lyle out of his life. Fortunately, he left town over a year ago and hasn’t been back.” She gave a soft laugh and shook her head. “It’s probably stupid of me to tell you all of this. Who wants an employee with baggage?”
“Actually, I do.” Eve smiled. Leaning forward, she put her hand over Katie’s where it rested on her knee. “I know we weren’t friends in the past, and we probably have a lot to learn about each other now, but my Aunt Rosie trusted you and that’s good enough for me. I was hoping we could set aside past opinions and start fresh. I need an ally if I’m going to keep this hotel in the family.”
Katie looked startled. “You’re not going to sell?”
“I’m not sure.” Saying it aloud was harder than she thought. Eve stood and paced to the rear window overlooking the Ohio River. The towering bulk of Point Pleasant’s flood walls obscured most of the view, but a small expanse of water glimmered in the gap between opposing concrete barriers. Adam Barnett would call in the next day or two about his potential buyer. She’d set that ball in motion, but another part of her was starting to feel like she’d come home—back to the river town that held so many childhood memories. The tug on her heart may have been nothing more than nostalgia, but sometimes it felt like a true desire to continue her family’s legacy.
“I need to take some time and not make a hasty decision. From what I’ve seen of the books, the hotel is solvent, but barely.”
Katie nodded grimly. “It helps that Point Pleasant is located midway between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. We’ve done pretty well with overnight guests who are passing through.”
Eve didn’t think the hotel would ever be the draw it was in the days when Point Pleasant was a booming river town but believed it had enough history and appeal to offer an alternative from the chain motels that had popped up across the river in Gallipolis. “If the Parrish Hotel is going to thrive, we need to play up its history and charm. Market it as a step back in time, not only in décor, but in service, too. Old fashioned service and a family-owned operation.”
“You sound like you’re keeping it.”
It was what Aunt Rosie wanted. Apparently, Maggie did, too, if she was to believe her dream. “For now. I can’t walk away from my family’s legacy wi
thout taking the time to understand it first. I’m still going to explore my options, but even when I head back to Harrisburg, it can be business as usual for the hotel. Which brings me to the proposal I mentioned.”
Katie sat straighter. She appeared poised for the worst, something that couldn’t be further from the truth. “I’m listening.”
Eve slid into her aunt’s desk chair, assuming her position as owner. “I need to learn about the hotel. Not just looking at books and expense reports, but the ins and outs of every detail. I want you to teach me. I’d also like you to officially accept the position of manager.” It was what Aunt Rosie would want, what she’d likely been grooming Katie for all along.
Katie blinked. “Manager?”
“With an increase in pay, of course. When I return to Harrisburg, I’ll be relying on you to handle all responsibility in my absence.”
“I—” Katie seemed at a loss for words. “I’m flattered.”
“You’ll accept?”
She nodded, looking a little stunned. “Thank you. Your trust means a lot.”
“It’s my aunt’s trust.”
“How can you be so sure of her faith in me?”
Eve nodded to the jade ring Katie absently twisted around her finger. “I remember that ring. My Aunt Rosie bought it on a trip she took to New York and never took it off. She loved that ring.”
“Oh!” Katie flushed as if consumed by guilt and swiftly tugged the ring from her finger. Standing, she extended it to Eve. “Here. You should have it.”
“No. Aunt Rosie obviously wanted you to.”
“But it’s wrong. You’re her niece.”
“I have plenty of things to remember her by. She gave it to you for a reason.”
Katie bit her lip. “Eve, she was lonely.”
“And you were her friend. Perhaps the daughter she never had.” She saw it now. She and her mother had left her aunt alone. Perhaps Eve had only been twelve when her mother took her away, but as an adult she could have returned often. Instead, she’d allowed her mother’s bias against the town keep her away. Aunt Rosie might have chosen not to marry, but that didn’t mean she didn’t long for companionship.
Katie’s eyes glittered with tears. “She gave me the ring a few months before she died. I didn’t understand why at the time, but now I realize she must have known she was dying. I didn’t want to take it.”
“But Aunt Rosie was stubborn.” Eve smiled softly. “I’m glad you have something to remember her by.”
“It belongs in your family.” Katie tried to offer it again.
Eve shook her head. “You were family to her far more than I was these last several years. Besides, in her own way, I think she left it as a message for me.”
Katie looked puzzled.
“So I would know I could trust you.” Eve drew a breath, decision made. She was staying, at least temporarily. “And now that we have that established, I’d like to learn more about the hotel.”
* * * *
Eve was manning the front desk later that afternoon when Sarah Sherman strolled into the lobby, released an ear-splitting squeal, and extended her arms for a hug.
“Sarah?” Eve could barely believe her eyes. “Is it really you?”
“In the flesh.”
Eve darted from behind the counter and gave her friend a tight hug. “You look fantastic!” It wasn’t a lie. Sarah’s coppery hair and dark-chocolate eyes accentuated the becoming touch of rose on her cheeks. “I can’t believe it’s really you.” She’d been meaning to look up Sarah ever since she’d returned to town.
“Ryan told me you were back. I’m on lunch break and took a chance you might be here.” Sarah held her at arms-length for a few seconds, soaking in her features, then hugged her again. “Why has it taken so long?” She blinked owlishly as if realizing what she’d said. “Oh, I’m sorry, Eve. I shouldn’t have said that. I know how upset you must be about Rosie. I didn’t mean—”
“I know you didn’t.” Eve smiled. It felt good to see her friend again. Even with so many years between them, the bond she’d once shared with Sarah remained strong. “What are you doing here?”
As she asked the question, Katie walked down the steps from the upper level. Eve recalled her saying something about checking on the progress of maintenance work in the ballroom. There was still a lot of prep to do for the birthday party the hotel had on the books for the end of the month. Spying Sarah and Eve together, Katie nodded hello. “Hi, Sarah.”
“Katie.” Sarah was ready to dismiss her, her attention absorbed by Eve when her face abruptly drained of color. “Oh!” Shock bled through the exclamation. “You haven’t heard, have you?” Her attention was solely on Katie now.
“Heard what?” Katie walked closer, joining them in the center of the lobby.
“About Amos Carter. Wasn’t he living with your mom?”
Katie exchanged a glance with Eve, no doubt remembering the conversation they’d had earlier with Doreen Sue. “What about him?”
“I’m so sorry. I was at the courthouse when Ryan came in. He said he and Caden found a body out in the TNT, badly beaten. He was pretty sure it was Amos. News is already spreading through town.”
“Are they certain it was Amos?” Katie covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head. “My God, I couldn’t stand the man, but I wouldn’t wish him dead.”
“Ryan sounded certain. I think they found ID on him.”
“My Mom’s going to fall apart when she hears this.”
“She probably already has if she’s at the salon,” Eve inserted. “You better go check on her.”
“I can’t leave.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got things covered. Your mom is going to need you. You saw how she was this morning.”
“You’re right.” Katie shot her an appreciative glance. “Thanks, Eve. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
After she left, Eve sat with Sarah on one of the couches in the lobby. Sunlight streamed through the windows, brightening the area, but she felt chilled, thinking of Katie and her mom. Amos must have treated Doreen Sue horribly. Sadly, that often didn’t matter to a woman dependent on a man. “Doreen Sue was in here this morning, worried because Amos hadn’t gone home last night,” Eve explained to Sarah. “She was afraid something might have happened to him, but Katie thought he was sleeping off a binge somewhere. Her mom’s going to be devastated.”
Sarah shrugged apologetically. “He really wasn’t the kind of guy you wanted hanging around, anyway. I’ve seen Doreen Sue cover a black eye with make-up plenty of times. Interesting that someone used their fists to put an end to his miserable life.”
Eve was shocked by her bitterness. “You sound angry.”
“He tried to grab me once in your café. I stopped by for a sandwich—it’s a close walk from the courthouse—and he must have already downed a couple of six packs. I can’t say I have fond memories of him.”
“Katie doesn’t like him either.” Didn’t, she amended.
“If you’re lining up people with a grudge against him, that would be half the women in town. But I don’t think any of them could have beaten him to death.”
Eve shuddered. “I think I need a lighter topic. Would you like to have lunch with me and spend some time catching up?”
Her friend smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”
* * * *
The man paced. He knew the little shit he’d beaten to death had called him Reaper behind his back. The idiot had let it slip once when they were downing beer. Fitting, considering he’d put an end to Amos’s pathetic life. Besides, he liked the name. It made him feel powerful, a sensation he needed now with everything teetering on a precipice, ready to tumble.
Why did Rosie have to go and grow a damn conscience on her deathbed? All those years she’d kept his secret without his knowledge. That was the real mind blower—to learn she’d known about his crime and had never said a word. Not even to him. She could ha
ve blackmailed him, made sure he rotted in a jail cell, or set him up to die in the electric chair. Instead, she’d held her silence, sending him a letter just before she died. Her secret, her confession—along with a photo that captured his crime in ugly black and white.
Do the right thing, she’d pleaded in the letter.
As if.
He’d been elated when she died, thinking the threat removed. With her out of the equation, he should have been in the clear. Except the negative to that incriminating photo was still out there.
Somewhere.
Too many people came and went from the hotel—employees, café patrons, guests—Rosie would never have kept it there. It had to be in the house. He was sure of it, even though Amos, incompetent jerk, had come up empty.
The problem was the girl, Eve. The longer she stayed, the greater the risk she’d stumble over it tucked in a drawer or hidden in a cupboard somewhere. And then what? He’d never be able to weasel free of the crime with photographic evidence staring him in the face. No, he had to send her packing. Whether that happened gently, or not so gently, would be up to her.
He was done using underlings for dirty work. As it stood, he had to figure out who Amos had talked to. He was sure the son-of-a-bitch would have spilled his guts and fessed up rather than taken a beating, but Amos had insisted he hadn’t told a soul.
Not possible.
Someone had found out. Someone was making phone calls to him. Weird shit with high-pitched noises, long silences, and strange shrieks. It had to be related. If Amos hadn’t blabbed to someone about the negative, then Rosie had lied in her letter. She must have told someone the truth before she died.
So why wasn’t he in jail?
He ground his teeth. He’d go crazy thinking about it. On the plus side, without the negative, there was no proof he’d committed a crime. All he had to do was find the damn thing and destroy it.
Which brought him back to Eve Parrish and how to get rid of her.