Clues of the Heart: Baytown Boys Series

by Maryann Jordan

  Brushing a few dark tendrils of hair back from her face, he cupped her cheek, his thumb rubbing over the soft skin. “I noticed you the first time I ate in the pub. I saw you behind the bar, smiling at everyone but barking at your brothers to behave. I thought you were sexy as hell, with your dark hair, blue eyes, and curves that don’t quit.”

  She smiled but stayed quiet, wanting to hear his thoughts.

  “I was going to ask you out but held back…first because I was new in town and had to focus on getting my business going.”

  “And then you heard about Philip, right?” she whispered, her fingers feeling the pounding of his heart.

  “Yeah…I figured I had no chance. I tried to fight my feelings, but you stayed in my mind. As I set up the office, I imagined you being there with me, but gave up hope that it might happen.”

  Leaning over to place a soft kiss on her lips, he murmured, “I’ve fallen in love with you, Katelyn.”

  Her lips curved slowly before her smile blossomed, beaming on him, warming him completely. Nuzzling her nose alongside his, she whispered, “I’m in love with you, too.” Tracing his jaw with her finger, she said, “I never thought I’d find love again after having my heart broken. But you’ve found all the pieces and have put them back together. Now I know…you have my heart. All of it. Not just what’s left…or part of it. But all of it, Gareth. All of me.”

  His heart leaped at her words, understanding what she was confessing. Leaning down, he grabbed the covers, pulling them up over their still tangled bodies. Tucking her in closely, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead as they slept with the moonlight watching over them.

  The incessant knocking on the front door ceased just as Katelyn managed to pry her eyes open. The first thing she saw was the mouth-watering, defined muscles of Gareth’s chest. Lifting her head, she grinned down as his blue eyes opened and peered back at her.

  “Did you hear knocking?” his sleep-rough voice asked.

  “Yeah, but they’re gone.” Leaning up, she looked over his body at her clock and said, “Oh, my God, we slept late. It’s already nine o’clock.”

  “But it’s the weekend, baby, so we can stay in bed all day if we want.” He rolled so that she was underneath him. Just as his lips were about to mesh with hers, a call from downstairs halted him.

  “Katelyn?”

  “She’s probably in the shower. Where’s her coffee maker?”

  “Katelyn, are you—oh my! Eric, she’s got company and we’re interrupting!”

  Katelyn and Gareth’s hearts pounded as they stared at each other for a few seconds before being hurled into action.

  “Shit, my parents came over! I forgot what day it is…they always come over on Sundays after early mass!”

  Pulling on his boxers, Gareth looked around frantically for his jeans. “Oh, fuck, my pants are downstairs.”

  Katelyn realized her parents had already discovered the evidence of the stair-strip and began to giggle while blushing. Pulling on a sweatshirt and a pair of yoga pants, she fled down the stairs. At the bottom, she saw her dad’s flushed face and Gareth’s jeans held in her mom’s hands.

  “Uh…hi. I’ll…take those,” she said, snatching them out of her mom’s grip and whirling, running back up the stairs, snagging his shirt on the way. Throwing them at Gareth, she rushed over. Lifting on her toes, she kissed him soundly. “It’ll be fine,” she laughed. “Seriously.”

  He jerked his legs into the pants and pulled the shirt over his head, the whole time trying to figure out if her dad was going to deck him when he reached the bottom of the stairs. With a quick swipe of his hand over his hair, he followed her back downstairs.

  The entry foyer was blessedly empty and as they moved around the bottom of the stairs, he could see the living room was also unoccupied. Katelyn headed toward the kitchen and he followed, the sound of pans rattling meeting his ears. Entering, he found Eric sitting at the table in the dining room, a cup of coffee in front of him and the newspaper opened.

  Lifting his eyes over the top, Eric nodded at the couple entering the room. “Morning,” he greeted as Katelyn leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Guess we’ll need to start calling before we come to visit.”

  “Oh, Dad,” Katelyn laughed as she moved to her mom, who was busy scrambling eggs and frying bacon.

  “Gareth, dear,” Corrine called out. “Can you pop the toast in the toaster?”

  Just then the back door opened and Aiden and Brogan walked in. Stiffening, Gareth eyed the two men as they greeted their mom and Katelyn first before nodding toward Gareth. Aiden poured a cup of coffee before he sat down with their dad, taking a section of the newspaper. Brogan stared at Gareth for a long moment, his eyes dropping to Gareth’s bare feet. Lifting his eyebrow as he lifted his head, he continued to stare before a slight grin slipped across his face. Turning, he also poured a cup of coffee before sitting at the table.

  Feeling surreal, Gareth shook his head as he watched Katelyn’s family make themselves at home for breakfast, acting as though his presence was not only expected, but wanted.

  Catching Katelyn’s smile, he winked as he turned to make the toast.

  Chapter Twenty

  The drive back over the seventeen-mile bridge was beginning to become commonplace as Katelyn looked over the water and Gareth fiddled with the radio.

  “I used to only go to Virginia Beach a couple of times a year,” she confessed, “and now, it feels like we go all the time.”

  Nodding, he agreed, “Some cases take me over here a lot but, other times, weeks will go by without me having to leave the Eastern Shore.”

  “So, what’s the game plan today?”

  “We need to get back into Berry and Associates Accounting and do some serious digging. We need to know about Carrie’s relationship with Walter, why he was paying for her education, did he spend money on anyone else, all of that.”

  “We’ve got this,” she replied, smiling as her fingers trailed over the hair at the back of his head.

  “Speaking of going over the bridge, when does your class start?” he asked.

  “Next month. I’ll be in Virginia Beach every weekday for two weeks, so I won’t be able to be in the office on those days.” She sighed as she added, “Or the pub!”

  “I haven’t even asked how you’re doing with both jobs,” he confessed. “I honestly thought that you’d just handle the office work…things were so much slower before you came on board!”

  “Hey! Are you accusing me of bringing in the business…and not in a good way?” she joked.

  “No accusation, but if the work is coming in, that’s a good thing.”

  “Aiden and Brogan have done fine with me not there as much. The pub runs smoothly and I still have plenty of time to do the books and keep up with the bar’s local gossip.”

  A few more miles passed in silence before he added, “When you are gone those two weeks, it’ll seem strange. The office will be so lonely.”

  She looked over at his somber expression and laughed as her fingers continued to trail along his neck. “Well, if the days are lonely, we’ll just have to make sure the nights are more exciting!”

  Entering the accounting firm once more, their eyes settled on Carrie at the reception desk. She stood as they walked toward her and gushed, “Oh, it’s nice to see you. Do you have any word on poor Walter’s death?”

  “It’s a police matter now,” Gareth replied smoothly, his warm smile in place, “but we are assisting. We’d like to talk to you for a few minutes before we go see the others, if that’s all right.”

  Mentally rolling her eyes, Katelyn watched as Carrie preened under Gareth’s charm.

  “Of course. Anything I can do to help,” the young woman insisted, motioning to two chairs in the reception area.

  Once settled, Gareth cut to the chase. “Ms. Reynolds, we have found that Mr. Berry was paying you money for your college education. Is that correct?”

  “Yes,” she replied, her eyes jumping between
the two. “Is that a problem? Will the money stop now?”

  “That’s not for us to say,” Gareth continued, “but you did not mention this when we interviewed you before. Nor did you mention it to the police.”

  Eyes wide, Carrie said, “But lots of businesses help employees with college expenses. I…well, I didn’t mention it because,” she shrugged slightly, “it didn’t seem important.” Scrunching her nose, she said, “I do hope it doesn’t stop now that he’s gone.”

  “May I ask who accompanied you to the funeral?” Katelyn asked.

  Her face brightening, Carrie answered, “Oh, that was my mom and dad.”

  “Did they know Mr. Berry?”

  With a slight shoulder shrug, she replied “I think my mom might have met him once when she came to see where I worked, but Walter never met my dad. They came to the funeral because they knew how upset I’d be.”

  Katelyn eyed Carrie, noting the professional dress and manner belying her young age, but after having seen her mother so classily dressed at the funeral, it made sense.

  Carrie took them back to Beth’s office next and Katelyn felt the chill rolling off Beth. As soon as Carrie left the room to go back to the front, Beth turned her smile to Katelyn and Gareth.

  “We’d like to check on a few financial facts and you are certainly the one to ask,” Gareth said, and once more, Katelyn observed as Beth sat up straighter at Gareth’s attentiveness. “To begin with, can you tell me about the different accounts this firm uses for its purchases and employees?” If Beth were surprised at his question, he noted that she did not hesitate in her answering.

  “There is a major checking account that receives all of the paid invoices and is the account from which I make purchases, pay employees, things like that. The firm also has a few investment accounts that I make deposits to, based on what Walt…” sighing heavily, she continued, “Walter or William would tell me to do.”

  “And Sandra?”

  “Oh, no, the two senior accountants made those decisions…not a junior accountant,” she replied, with a sniff. “I, of course, handled the transactions, overseen by either Walter or William.”

  “And what about miscellaneous payments to employees?” Gareth pushed.

  Knitting her brow, Beth said, “I…I don’t understand.”

  “Well, like the business account that Walter used to pay for Carrie’s college education—”

  “I assure you that no matter what she may have led you to believe, Walter did not pay for her college!” Pinching her lips, she continued, “I have no idea why she insists on trying to appear as though she and Walter were closer than what is appropriate!”

  Katelyn, confused, kept quiet, allowing Gareth to continue leading the discussion.

  “We have found that he was paying for her college expenses,” Gareth replied, watching as purple fury crossed Beth’s face. “And it was a firm account—”

  “That snake!” she bit out, her lips no longer pinched but in a full-blown snarl. “I asked him a year ago about helping me take some accounting classes and he said there was no company policy that allowed that type of expenditure and yet he pays for that…that…aughhh!”

  Thick silence blanketed the trio but before either Gareth or Katelyn could break it, Beth jumped up and said, “Let’s go to William’s office,” and she moved toward the door.

  Katelyn and Gareth hustled to follow the irate woman down the carpeted hall. He looked up, a smile of greeting on his face, which quickly fell as Beth immediately launched into a tirade.

  “I’ve just been informed that Walter paid for Carrie’s college classes, but when I asked him a year ago for some college tuition assistance, I was turned down! On top of that, he paid from an account of which I know nothing about! So, am I the bookkeeper or not? Am I trusted to do this job or not? And do I need to pursue legal representation about the different treatment of employees?”

  Her last question, ending on a shout, had William throwing his hands up to placate her. “Now, now, this is the first I’m hearing about any of this.” As Beth sat down heavily in one of the chairs, he continued, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I assure you, I will find out.” His ruddy cheeks puffed with exertion and he leaned back in his chair, the creaky leather sounding loudly in the room. Shaking his head, he looked over at Gareth, breathing, “My Lord. I hardly know what to say.”

  Turning to Beth, Gareth smiled in sympathy and said, “Would you allow us to talk alone with William? We appreciate your candor and honesty and will certainly have more questions, at a later time.”

  Standing while smoothing her skirt with her palms, she offered Gareth a tight smile. “Of course.” Looking back at William, she inclined her head politely before adding, “I will be expecting to discuss this later, when you’ve had a chance to figure out what has been going on in this office!” With that, she turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

  William turned his beleaguered face to Gareth and Katelyn, his mouth opening and closing several times. “I don’t know what to say…I had no idea Walter was acting surreptitiously.” His hound dog jowls shaking as he hung his head, he added, “Secret accounts, treating one employee differently from another...oh, lordy. Now I need to sort this mess out and make sure the integrity of the firm isn’t compromised.”

  Katelyn spoke softly, “So, from what you’re saying, you knew none of this?”

  “No, no. Well, I do remember, a year ago, Walter told me that Beth had asked if there were any business funds for helping her out with some college classes. We decided that wasn’t something we wanted to take on, at least not for a new employee. What if she took the money for tuition and then left the firm? So, we decided together to deny her request. Now…to find out that he was doing it for Carrie?” Sighing heavily, he said again, “Oh, lordy. What a mess.”

  With a slight nod from Gareth, Katelyn prompted, “And the money coming from an unknown business account?”

  At that reminder, William’s eyes focused as his lips became a grim line. “I have no idea what that is about…but I will find out.”

  Like air slipping out of a balloon, William slumped back into his chair. “I thought I knew him. I thought I could trust him.”

  Thanking William, Gareth and Katelyn stood and moved out into the hall. “Let’s find Sandra—”

  Just then Ed walked by, his eyes widening as he said, “Are you the investigators Carrie told me about?”

  “Yes. I’m Gareth Harrison and this is Katelyn MacFarlane. And you are?” Gareth asked. He recognized Ed from the funeral, but since they had not been formally introduced, he feigned ignorance.

  Sticking his hand out, Ed said, “Oh, sorry. I’m Ed Rogers. I’m an accounting intern here...well, at least for another couple of months, until the end of the semester.”

  “Can we talk to you for a few minutes?” Katelyn asked, her smile focused brightly on the eager young man.

  His eyes lighted as he raked his gaze over her beauty. “Sure…come to the workroom and we can talk.”

  As they followed him, Katelyn felt Gareth’s possessive hand on her back and stifled a grin at his growl. Sparing him a quick glance, she turned her attention back to Ed as they settled into chairs.

  Katelyn was beginning to feel overwhelmed, as they had bounced from person to person, but found the information they were pulling in to be fascinating. So much better to see everyone's faces as they are questioned. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ed jumped in first, eyes alight.

  “This place is becoming quite the talk of my classes. I go back and tell my professors what’s going on in this office. And I come in today and Beth is in her office fuming about something to do with Walter and now she’s not speaking to Carrie.” Looking eagerly at Katelyn, he said, “So what’s going on now?”

  “Were you aware that Mr. Berry was paying some of Carrie’s college tuition?”

  His forehead scrunched as Ed replied, “Is that really a big deal? Lots of businesses
help their employees.” He thought for a moment, then grinned. “Oh, is that what’s got Beth in such a snit?”

  Not answering him, Gareth asked, “What did you think of Mr. Berry? We didn’t have a chance to talk when we were here the week before last, so I’d be very interested in your opinion.”

  Chuckling, Ed said, “He was a good accountant, but I kind of thought he had a particular eye for the ladies, if you know what I mean.” Glancing at the open door, he quickly rectified, “I never saw anything inappropriate but, well, let’s face it, he’s got three gorgeous women working here and I got the feeling it wasn’t William who hired them.”

  “Besides their looks, what else is your opinion of the office employees?” Katelyn quipped, inwardly wincing as Gareth shot her a look.

  “Sandra’s got a very high opinion of herself, being so young and already considered for a partner—which she’ll undoubtedly get now that Walter’s out of the picture. I used to think that she had the hots for him, but I’ve seen she and William holed up in his office a lot lately.”

  Surprised at Ed’s easily presented rendition of the office, Katelyn smiled encouragingly, but it appeared Ed needed little prodding to keep talking.

  “And Beth…she’s strict on the money here and likes to think she runs the place. She flaunted that she and Walter were close friends. Of course, I’ve only been here for three months, but I could tell from day one that she hated Carrie.” Leaning back, he grinned. “Hell, how could anyone hate her? She alone is worth walking through the front door of this place! It’s not hard to see why Walter hired her!”

  “Did Mr. Berry seem infatuated with Carrie?”

  “Sure…who wouldn’t be?” Ed replied, his smile still firmly in place. “Have you looked at her?”

  Katelyn bristled, but Gareth’s hand on her knee under the table stilled her.

  “I suppose by infatuated, I mean anything inappropriate?” Katelyn probed.

  Ed thought for a moment and said, “Not really. Although, the first time he saw us going out together after work, I could have sworn he acted jealous.”