by Lea Hart
“Why in the world is he calling?” She asked as she shoved the phone into her purse.
“Who?” Ryan asked with more force than necessary.
“An old family friend. Stuart is the son of one of Daddy’s longtime friends. We went to the same college, and I dragged him to a couple of dances when I couldn’t scrounge anyone else up. He came to Daddy’s funeral, and I was surprised as all get-out. He and his daddy kept trying to corner Colin and me at the reception, but someone was always pulling us away.”
“Are you going to call him back?”
“I’ll wait to listen to his message and then I’ll call him back in the car. We should get on the road.”
“So, did you ever kiss Stuart?”
As Ivy walked out to the truck, she laughed like he’d just told the funniest joke. “Stuart Reardon wasn’t the sort of boy I was interested in kissing.” She climbed into the passenger seat and when he got in, she flipped him the keys.
The tension in his neck slid away as he started the car. “Tell me where we’re going.”
“Get on the 290 and take it until it connects to the 1. The house sits on Lake Austin.”
“Did you have a chance to go into the house last week before someone took a shot?”
“No. I walked around the outside, and then I was on my way to the lake when I was hit. It makes me madder than a wet hen that I couldn’t figure out where the person was shooting from.”
“I’ll look around today and see if I can come up with any clues. It’s always good to double check, in case the police missed something.”
“That’s right. You were a sniper. How could I forget that?”
“Easy. You’ve never seen me at work. I’m just the charming guy you met in a bar in Florida.”
“Funny, I don’t think the charm happened until much later.” She took his hand and laughed.
***
They entered a neighborhood called the Estates at Westlake. Most of the homes sat behind gates, so it was difficult to tell how big any of them were. “How long has your daddy lived here?”
“I’m not sure. At least a year or two. It’s a lot different than his home in Fort Worth. Turn left up here.”
He watched her and felt a stab of anger. It was the same feeling he had whenever he thought about his mom. How could parents dismiss their own flesh and blood so easily? It was something he would never understand.
“Up there,” Ivy said, as she pointed toward an Austin police car. “That must be the detective I spoke with earlier.” She checked her phone. “His name is Josh Lineman. Here’s the code for the gate.” She held up her phone so he could read the series of numbers.
As he input the numbers, he shook his head. “The security company who installed this has a decent reputation,” he said as they pulled into the driveway.
“It’s a smart home,” Ivy added. “Whatever that means. The system is supposed to be top-notch.”
“It’s so good that it allowed an intruder to get on the grounds,” he responded.
Ivy looked through the window of car and shook her head. “I guess for a kid from Dripping Springs, Daddy did okay. This house is worth over seven million dollars.”
Ryan was about to say something, but Ivy’s phone beeped with a text. He wanted to tell Ivy that her daddy failed at the most important job there was. All his money gave him only a life with an exotic dancer. Some might consider that a success, but he sure didn’t. Not by a long shot.
Ivy read the text quickly. “Colin and Phoebe are eating at the market. They said they would bring us something for lunch.” She gathered her purse and jumped out of the car.
He met her at the car door and took her hand. “Honey, I was going to open your door for you.”
“You have such good manners. I love that about you.” Tapping her finger against her chin, she shrugged. “Come to think of it…I like when you don’t have any manners just as much.”
When she trailed her hand down his chest, he felt an echoing shudder in his heart. The detective called out a hello and she turned and waved. As she walked away, Ryan realized she’d flipped a switch in him and he no idea how to turn the thing off.
Ivy called him over. He joined her and the detective as he gave them details about the break-in. Apparently, someone had disabled the security system and shut down the cameras located around the property. “Did they try to enter the house?” Ryan asked.
“We don’t think they had a chance. The security company informed us that if the system goes offline for more than ten minutes, it resets, and a backup generator turns it back on with a loud siren going off. We believe the intruder came up from the lake and entered the property through the back. The fire was set among a grove of trees that sits closest to the lake.”
“So why start a fire?” Ivy asked.
“If someone starts a fire in this area at the end of summer with all of these trees and dry brush, they mean to burn everything down. It was good luck that the fire department was finishing up a call close to here. They arrived quickly, and the fire didn’t make it past the path that separates the house from trail that leads to the dock,” the detective said.
Ryan took Ivy’s hand. “Show me where you were standing when the bullet hit your arm.”
“Grazed my arm,” Ivy corrected him. “Follow me and I’ll show you both.”
Ryan followed her up to a guest house that they’d passed when they drove in. Ivy stood at the highest point on the property and turned toward the lake. Ryan studied her for a moment and then walked past her right shoulder in a line that paralleled the gate. He looked over the top of it and noticed a grove of trees across the street. There was a home under construction, and someone would’ve had a clear shot from the second story. The thought of Ivy being out here and vulnerable made him furious. No one knew better than him what a bullet could do to a human body, and the idea of anything happening to her made him sick.
“What do you see, Ryan?” Ivy called out.
Pulling himself out of his dark thoughts, he turned and walked back to Ivy and the detective. “My guess is that the shooter hid in the house across the street. Either they were a lousy shot or they just meant to warn you. It had to be someone from your daddy’s funeral.”
Detective Lineman checked his tablet. “That’s the same thing the uniformed guys said in their report. I don’t have anything about a recovered bullet.”
“If there was one, it would probably be in the koi pond over there.” Ryan pointed to one across the way. Only possible place.”
“I call a team out and have them drag the pond. It doesn’t say anything about them searching it in the report.”
“Probably worth it. It will tell us what kind of gun was used.”
Ivy took his hand. “I guess it’s a good thing that my boyfriend is a retired sniper.”
“I’m a retired SEAL, honey. Being a sniper was just one of my jobs on the Teams.”
Detective Lineman let out a chuckle. “I guess Ivy’s in good hands, then.”
Ivy turned to the detective and smiled widely. “Very good hands.”
Ryan watched the detective cover a laugh with an exaggerated cough. “Let’s walk down to the boat dock and we can see where the fire happened,” Ryan said.
“Follow me,” the detective said as he made his way around the main house.
Ryan took Ivy’s hand as they walked along the path. “How are you doing, honey?”
“Fine.”
Ryan hated that word. Whenever a woman said it, it meant the opposite. He figured she was going to plaster that happy smile on her face until they were alone. Then and only then would she tell him how she was really feeling. She was a woman who believed in putting on a brave face.. He just needed to let her know that she didn’t need to be strong in front of him. Shiny, perfect, and brave wasn’t what he was interested in. Nothing had to be earned with him. He would take her in all of her imperfection. In fact, that’s what he preferred.
“If this place wasn’t s
uch a death trap, I might actually think it was pretty. Look at that infinity pool,” Ivy said, as they walked past it.
Ryan looked around at the modern structures and shrugged. “Modern isn’t really my taste. I like the old farmhouse I grew up in, and you and your mama’s houses. These super modern houses make me think that robots live in them and not people. Who wants to live in a house with sharp corners?”
“Well, I guess that’s one argument that we won’t have to have. I agree with everything you just said.”
“Here it is,” the detective said and pointed to a burned-out grove of trees near the lake.
“Good thing the fire trucks were close. There’s almost two acres of burnt trees,” Ivy said, as she looked over the charred ground. “It’s too bad that Daddy’s money is still making people crazy.” A loud whistle broke the silence, and Ivy turned around and whistled back. “Colin’s here.” Stepping back to the path, she started walking up the hill without commenting further.
Ryan followed, with the detective taking up the rear. “Appreciate all your help,” Ryan called over his shoulder.
“No problem. I have a feeling that whatever’s happened is only the beginning.”
“You’re probably right,” Ryan answered. Bill Bellows’s money was going to make all of the crazies come out of the woodwork. No doubt about it.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Thursday Afternoon
Ivy waved goodbye to the detective and then introduced herself to Phoebe Dellano, super genius.
Lucky informed her that Phoebe had just graduated from MIT with a double master’s in computer science and mathematics. She was twenty-one years old, and her brother was a smitten kitten. Ivy noticed that he was looking at her the same way he looked at a new bat or one of his beloved gloves.
Phoebe seemed completely unaware of her brother’s attraction. Which would do her brother some good. Colin Bellows had been blessed with good looks, intelligence, and athletic ability. Girls had been throwing themselves at him since he was fourteen. It was about time he did the throwing.
“Phoebe, come with me,” Ivy said. “Let’s take a look at this modern manse and see if we can find any clues to why someone is trying to burn the place down.”
“It’s because your father has a ton of money and made a lot of people mad on the road to achieving his fortune. I’ve dug up everything there is to know about Bill Bellows in the last twenty-four hours, and a lot of it isn’t pretty.”
Ivy looked at the gorgeous redhead with sparking blue eyes and smiled. “Honey, Daddy wasn’t a nice guy. Don’t worry about tiptoeing around Colin and me, because we know that fact better than most. It might interest you to know that the Bellows’ family tree has its fair share of lunatics and criminals. Take our Grandmother Bellows, for example…”
Colin joined them and shook his head at Ivy. “Maybe Phoebe doesn’t need to hear the whole sordid history in the first thirty minutes of knowing us.”
“Fine. I’ll save my stories until later.” They walked through the front doors and stood there looking around. “This is a smart house. What the hell is that?” Ivy asked.
“A house that always makes sure that you have ice cream and beer,” Colin responded.
“My smart house would make sure that I always had a pitcher of margaritas and some pie,” Ivy responded. Her eyes floated over the room, and she looked at the bookshelf on the far wall. Sitting in the middle of it was a picture of Colin and her on her twelfth birthday. They were sitting together, holding hands as they ate cake. Growing up, Ivy always insisted that her brother be invited to her birthday parties. It never occurred to her at the time that it might be difficult for her mama to have him around. Colin was always welcome in Bea’s home, and she never let anyone think otherwise.
As Ivy walked up to the bookcase, she picked up the picture and noticed that he held her hand just as tightly as she was holding his. No matter what he said, he needed her just as much as she needed him. It was true when they were kids, and it was more true now. “Look, Colin.” She held up the picture and showed him.
When he joined her and looked at it, he laughed. “You always made me come sit next to you when it was time for cake.”
“I thought that’s what siblings did—shared cake and troubles.”
“Looks like Daddy left a pile of them,” Colin said.
They both turned around saw that Ryan and Phoebe had left them alone. “How much do you like her?” Ivy whispered.
“More than is healthy,” Colin responded. “How can she be so pretty and smart?”
“People have probably asked the same thing about you, Colin.” She patted his arm and walked toward the kitchen. “It’s about time you met your match.”
“She’s not my match. She’s so out of my league, it’s not funny. MIT, Ivy.”
“You have a lot to offer. Want me to talk up your good points?”
Groaning, he shook his head. “God, no.”
Ryan and Phoebe walked around the corner, and he mimed that she’d better keep her mouth shut. Nodding in agreement, she crossed her fingers behind her back. Sometimes Cupid needed a little help, and she meant to provide some. After all, her baby brother needed someone to love more than anyone she knew. Maybe Phoebe was the one for him. “Hi, guys,” Ivy called out brightly.
Ryan looked between the siblings. “Everything okay?”
Colin nodded. “Sure.”
“I grabbed the sandwiches from the car,” Phoebe said, as she held up the bag. “I’ll look for some plates.”
Colin spun around and stared at his sister. “I swear on my mama’s grave, I will harm you if you try to help me with Phoebe.”
Ivy walked behind Ryan and laughed. “You’ll have to get through him to get to me.”
Ryan looped his arm around her and brought her in front of him. “Honey, don’t help your brother. A grown man has to do it for himself, and if he can’t, then he doesn’t deserve the woman in the first place. Butt out of his love life.”
Phoebe walked back in, so Ivy couldn’t respond to either one of them. Twisting out of Ryan’s hold, she flounced away. “Come sit with me, Phoebe, and let’s go over the information you’ve got so far.”
Colin walked over to Ryan and slapped him on the back. “Thanks for the support. Ivy always feels like she has to help me, and she forgets that I’m a grown-ass man.”
“It’s her way,” Ryan responded. “I have a feeling that she’s not too happy with me, so I’ll have some making up to do later on.”
Colin covered his ears and shook his head. “Keep that to yourself.”
Ryan hit him in the arm and then walked over to join the ladies. “Honey, did you save a sandwich for me?”
Ivy slid a bag toward Ryan and kept her attention on Phoebe. “Are you serious?” she asked.
“Unfortunately…as a heart attack. Someone at Bellows Energy is guilty of salami slicing.”
Sitting back, Ivy crossed her arms. “How much?”
“Five million dollars. It’s taken six months to get it.”
Colin sat next to Phoebe and leaned on his elbows. “Why are we talking about lunch meat?”
Ivy looked at her brother patiently. “Salami slicing refers to anything cut into small actions or fractions. For example, with electronic transfers, salami slicing is the action of taking tiny fractions of every transaction, which builds into a large sum. If you stole a fraction of a penny on a transaction, it could go unnoticed, and if you were to steal this small amount from thousands of transactions, it could quickly add up. Someone has been doing that at the company.”
Phoebe checked her computer. “The total amount of oil produced every day was modified by a small amount.”
Ryan finished his sandwich and wiped his mouth. “It was originally called salami tactics or piecemeal strategy, and it was used when referring to political tactics. The idea was that you could succeed by keeping your true motives hidden while maintaining a posture of cooperativeness.”
“I kn
ow a lot of people who do that every day,” Ivy responded. “Wendy Ann is one who leaps to the front of my mind.”
“I think someone is applying a salami attack on the wells. The company has had a series of small attacks or disruptions, and the result is an overall slowdown in production,” Ryan added. “Now that you’ve brought it up, I can see that the sabotage was meant to either halt production or cover up the modifications in the daily reports of oil produced.”
“Why?” Colin asked flatly.
“That’s what I’m here to find out,” Phoebe answered. “I’m pulling bank records for everyone employed by the company, and I’ve written a program to check for anomalies. I should have some answers by tomorrow. That will be the first step in finding the perpetrators. I also pulled all of your father’s communication records for the last two years, and I’m running a program to identify patterns.”
“So we sit tight and wait to see what the information reveals,” Ivy said.
“If it were me, that’s what I would do,” Phoebe said quietly.
“Okay,” Ryan said and stood up. “Should we head back to Dripping Springs? I’m supposed to take Ivy dancing tonight.”
“I have a guest house you can stay in, and I think it would be a lot more comfortable than a hotel,” Ivy said to Phoebe. “My house is small, but it’s comfy, and I promise to feed you and help you in whatever way I can.”
“That’s very nice of you. I would love to come to your house,” Phoebe said.
“I’ll stay in the guest room in case you need help with…anything,” Colin added.
Rolling her eyes, Ivy stood and gathered their sandwich wrappings. “Let’s close up the house and head out. Too bad it’s a magnet for attack. If it was at all safe, I’d say you could stay here, Phoebe. But God knows what’s going to happen next. I guess if Ryan’s friends come to town, we’ll have them bunk here. I think a bunch of SEALs are about the only people who could defend themselves.”
Ryan took the bag of trash from her hands and kissed her head. “Good thing you have one on your side.”
Leaning away from him, she smirked. “I don’t think you were on my side twenty minutes ago.”