In the name of sanity and friendship, Lena figured chocolate was the best thing she could offer since Roz didn’t want to talk about it.
Her phone rang as she pushed into the smaller family kitchen Roz and Carter used. She wasn’t going to use the Inn’s kitchen—the day staff would already be working on lunch and dinner. Lena didn’t want to get in the way. Pulling her phone out, she said, “Hey, gorgeous. Yes, I’m behaving for the sitter.”
“Have you talked to Carter?” Ezra demanded, his voice flat and hard.
“What? No—”
“Good. Don’t mention his name, don’t be anywhere that he might be able to be alone with you. You have Puck, right?”
An icy shiver raced down her spine. “Ezra—”
“Don’t ask any questions,” he said, softening his voice. “I don’t want anybody hearing you ask them—not Roz, not Carter, not anybody. Trust me, okay? I need you to trust me and just do what I ask … no questions. Please?”
As terror settled like a cold, slimy ball in the pit of her stomach, Lena whispered, “Okay.”
“I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon,” he said. Then the call disconnected.
Swallowing, she lowered her hand. Puck leaned against her leg and whined. She reached down and rested a hand on his head.
Carter …
“I don’t know if I want to get married here,” Hope said, climbing out of the car and staring at the Inn. Then she sighed. She didn’t want to mess with handling the details all by herself, either.
Yeah, she had a few months, she knew. They weren’t in any big rush, but she needed to at least figure out what she wanted, right? Because Remy didn’t care. He wanted whatever would make her happy. Hope just didn’t know what would make her happy.
Hitching her bag up onto her shoulder, she headed into the Inn. It wouldn’t be too, too busy, she didn’t think. Not if she got here before lunchtime, and not in the middle of a workweek. Plus, this was a good way to keep her mind off everything else.
Which was actually why she was here. She needed to keep her mind off everything else.
Inside the Inn, just behind the hostess desk, she saw a woman who looked vaguely familiar. Hope hid her wince as the woman beamed at her. “Well, hello, Hope … I bet you’re here to talk wedding plans …”
“Ah … if Roz has a few minutes …” She gave the woman’s discreet gold name tag a quick glance. “Tammy.”
“Normally we do prefer appointments, but you’re a friend of Roz’s.” Then she winked. “And family to me. I’m Remy’s third cousin—one of many.”
“Many, many,” Hope said before she could stop herself. This time, she didn’t hide her wince. “I’m sorry. I’m still trying to adjust to tripping over soon-to-be relatives every time I turn around.”
“It’s okay. I still don’t know who all I’m related to and I’ve lived here all my life.” Tammy smiled. With a wave of her hand, she gestured down the hall. “Go down there and go through the door marked private. There’s a hallway and you want the first doorway on the right. That’s Roz’s office. She should be in there or in the kitchen.”
Hope smiled her thanks and headed down the hall. As she did, she pulled out her phone. She was supposed to be over at Law’s, working there, but she suspected Nia would be there and she wasn’t up to feeling the vibes between those two, plus she’d promised Remy she wouldn’t be anywhere alone for the next few days.
This commitment and compromise stuff was a headache. Tapping out a message to him to let him know where she was, she sent it off before slipping through the marked doorway.
Roz’s office was empty.
Hope started to head back—the kitchen was on the other side of the house, but she heard a familiar voice, one that sounded a lot like Lena’s. Rather weird, because Lena shouldn’t be working today. Curious, she headed down the hallway.
She passed by a set of glass doors that opened out onto a private patio, one she hadn’t seen before. Glancing outside, she saw Roz. Carter was with her, his head bent close to hers, nodding.
Roz leaned against him, her shoulders trembling, shaking.
Embarrassed, Hope looked away and headed down the hallway, following what had sounded like Lena’s voice.
She came to a kitchen—a smaller, trendier version of the kitchen where Lena did all of her cooking. But Lena wasn’t hard at work on anything. She was standing with her hips against an island, her eyes shaded by the lenses of her glasses and head downcast.
“Hey.”
Lena jumped, startled. “What the …” She listed to the side and slammed a hand against the island to get her balance.
Puck growled, responding to Lena, liquid eyes focused on Hope’s face, lip curled to show those very impressive teeth.
“Hey, it’s just me—Hope.” Her heart banged against her ribs.
Puck barked at her.
Nervously, Hope backed away a step.
“Down, Puck,” Lena snapped, righting herself. “Fuck. Damn it, Hope. I’m sorry. I’m just a little freaked out right now and anytime I’m afraid, he does this.” She licked her lips and then said, “Ah … are you alone right now?”
Automatically, Hope glanced around. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Don’t ask.” She laughed sourly and then sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Did Roz send you back here?”
“No. I was looking for her—thinking about asking her to help coordinate the wedding even if we don’t get married here. But I heard you.” She shrugged nervously, smoothing a hand down her jeans as she wandered into the kitchen. “I thought maybe you were in here talking to her, but I saw her outside on my way back here.”
“I was talking to Puck,” Lena said. She bent over, scratching the dog’s head. “Did you say you saw Roz?”
“Yeah. Outside talking to her husband.”
Lena’s hand faltered. Then her fingers curled convulsively in the dog’s silky fur. “Carter. You saw her talking to Carter,” she said quietly.
“Yeah.” Okay, something about Lena’s tone had a cold chill running down Hope’s spine.
Behind her, she heard a door shut … and voices.
Slowly, Lena straightened. “Hope,” she said, keeping her voice low, all but soundless. “Come on. Now.”
A very large part of her was dying to know what in the hell was going on.
But Hope understood fear. She understood the survival instinct. Without saying a word, she headed for Lena as the voices behind them drew closer. They slipped out of the kitchen, with Lena easing the door shut so it didn’t swing and betray their presence.
Seconds later, they heard Roz calling out, “Lena, you in there?”
Lena turned her face to Hope, one finger lifted and pressed against her lips.
They moved down the hallway, Hope wincing as she moved along next to Lena, her steps sounding unbelievably loud, at least to her own ears. After a few seconds, Lena said in a quiet voice, “We’re going to the other kitchen. The day staff is in there. Just don’t say anything—don’t ask. Ezra’s on his way.”
Ezra—
Hope slid a hand into her pocket and tugged out her phone.
Up ahead, a door opened.
Puck stopped in his tracks, growling low in his throat.
Even before he moved out from behind the door, Hope knew who it was.
Carter Jennings stood there. Behind the lenses of his glasses, she couldn’t see his eyes. That bothered her, a lot.
She could see his smile, though.
And the smile really freaked her out.
“Hello, ladies.”
“Carter.” Lena sounded calm and cool.
Hope wondered if Carter could tell that Lena was shaking—oh so slightly. Edging in a little closer, Hope stared at the other man.
Where was Roz?
Where was Ezra?
And what in the hell was going on?
Puck growled again, low and rough, deep in his chest. Lena gripped his leash tighter. “Easy, boy,”
she murmured. “Easy.
“He’s antsy today,” Lena said. “I guess a lot of us are.”
“Yeah.” He continued to stand there, just watching them.
Hope swallowed. There was something about that stare that just unnerved the hell out of her.
Lena—how did she manage it—gave him an easy smile. “Speaking of antsy, I was dragging Hope along to the big kitchen. I promised your wife some chocolate chip cookies, but I want coffee and my blend is in there. I’ll probably spike it with some Kahlua, too, and your wife doesn’t touch the stuff.”
A faint smile curled Carter’s lips. “No. No, she doesn’t.” He stepped aside, using his body to block a side door leading down a hall. “I’ll come by and grab some cookies later, ladies.”
“You do that. If you wait too long, you know Roz will eat them all.” Lena murmured to Puck, and Hope, still glued to her side, followed her along. As she did, she kept her head down. From the corner of her eye, she tried to glance past him.
Was that Roz …?
She heard Carter sigh.
Lena stiffened, walking faster.
“You know, don’t you, Lena?” he asked.
“Know what, Carter?” She didn’t wait for an answer, shoving through the door, one hand coming out to grab on to Hope’s, all but dragging her through. She didn’t let go, either. They passed the kitchen and still Lena kept moving, long, confident strides of her legs. “Door, Puck,” she said.
“Lena, what in the hell is going on?” Hope demanded, shooting a look back over her shoulder, half-expecting to see Carter appear in the doorway.
“I don’t know.” Her voice was no longer so cool, and not at all controlled. It shook, but it wasn’t just fear in Lena’s voice. There was fury there. Tightly reined in, but fury, nonetheless. “But something’s up. I heard it in his voice. Puck’s pissed. And Ezra …”
She snapped her mouth shut. “Come on. You drove, right? We’ll get in your car and go wait at the end of the drive.”
* * *
Carter stood in the front door, watching the two women climb into Hope’s car. They acted like the devil was behind them, he mused. Especially Lena. Although there was a marked amount of caution in Hope’s eyes. A smart girl, his pretty little mouse. She saw him standing there, but pretended otherwise, her eyes bouncing away without making contact.
Nothing to see here, nothing to see … he thought.
As the car backed away, he retreated into the house, his mind whirling.
They knew.
Just what they knew, he wasn’t sure. But they knew something.
He didn’t need to waste any time wondering how, either.
The bracelet. Nia Hollister. Damn that bitch. How had she connected it? How had she connected Katia, some tramp in Chicago, to her cousin’s death? Rage had him shaking and he made himself pause, take a breath. He needed to think.
He had plans in place for this. He’d always had plans. He just needed to think everything through … once he put things in motion, there would be no going back.
Clearing his mind, he pushed through the staff door, heading down the hall to the private door. They separated the private parts of the house from the public areas they shared with guests. Just inside, Roz lay on the floor. Her face was slack and he sighed as he crouched down next to her. He touched her cheek and listened as she moaned softly. She’d wake up soon.
“ ’Til death do us part,” he said gently. Slipping his arms under her, he rose.
There was a lot of work to be done now. Two thorns he needed to remove before he finished things. Then he’d take care of things with Roz.
He’d give her something, make sure she’d stay quiet while he took care of business. He didn’t want her to worry, didn’t want her scared. Kissing her brow, he slipped out of the house as quietly as he’d come. He had everything he needed stashed in his shop. He would have had to go back for that stuff anyway. Certain things needed to be destroyed.
As did certain people …
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
SEEING THE LITTLE GREEN SEDAN SITTING AT THE END of the Inn’s drive had Law’s eyes narrowing. “What in the hell is Hope doing here?” he muttered.
Ahead of him, Ezra slammed on his brakes. Law did the same thing, putting his car into park. He didn’t bother asking Nia to wait—it would have been a waste of breath.
She was out the door as fast as he was and moving on long legs to catch up with him as he came up to stand by Hope’s car. Ezra was already bent over, peering inside, something oddly relaxed about his posture.
A familiar canine head popped up from the back seat, dark, liquid eyes peering at Law. “Hey, Puck.” He bent over and saw Lena sitting in the front passenger seat. Well, that would explain why Ezra wasn’t already back in the car, tearing his way to the Inn. “Lena. Fancy meeting you here.”
“Hi, Law.” She had her head back against the seat, her shoulders tense and rigid. “Any time somebody wants to fill me and Hope in, we’d be just fine with that.”
Ezra scowled. “Yeah, that would be nice, darlin’. But I’m afraid I’ve got to figure out how to get a warrant. I want you to go back home with Law and Nia. And stay there.”
Law narrowed his eyes as he straightened, glaring at Ezra.
Ezra stared back. “What do you want me to do? Take you two with me? Just how hard do you want to make it for me to arrest him, huh? Think, Reilly.” Then he shifted his gaze to Nia. “You came to me for a reason, Nia. I’m hoping it’s because you trust me to do my job. Now get the hell out of here and let me do it.”
A heavy, tense silence fell.
Then, to Law’s surprise, Nia reached up and rested a hand on his shoulder. “He’s right. We’ve done what we can. Besides, he can’t just send them off by themselves. He needs to be here … and he can’t be worrying about Lena and Hope. He needs somebody watching them. And hell, you’d be worrying about them, too.”
“Shit.” He covered her hand with his. “Why do you got to go and be all reasonable?”
She gave him a wan smile. “I’m taking a leap of faith.” Then she looked at Ezra. “I hope I don’t regret it.”
The sheriff scowled and then pointed toward Law’s car. “Go. Now. I’ve got too many calls to make, lawyers to fight with.”
“You didn’t tell him I saw it on Roz’s desk because I’d stolen it,” Nia said as they drove along behind Hope’s car.
“Yeah. Illegally obtained evidence wouldn’t help him get a warrant and he’ll need one. Hell, even without illegally obtained evidence, he’s got a fight on his hands.”
“It’s him,” Nia said quietly. “I know it. In my gut, I know it. Nothing fit—that’s why I had to come back, because nothing about what they said with Joely fit. This fits.”
“I know you think it does,” Law said, keeping his voice neutral and wondering if she had a gun stashed on her somewhere. Shit. It wouldn’t surprise him. She’d gotten one illegal, unregistered weapon—she could get another. It wasn’t that damn hard, if somebody knew how to look. Obviously, she knew how to look. “Nia, you need to let him do his job. Your cousin wouldn’t want you blowing the rest of your life for her—let him handle this.”
Nia smiled sadly. “You think I’m going to go after him with guns blazing?”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Are you?”
“I want to.” Her voice was husky and soft, shaking. “But I’m terrified right now. When I saw that bracelet, I was so damn sick, I could barely see. All I could think was I’d been sleeping that close to him, paying him money … and I was terrified. I keep seeing those pictures you took and I’m terrified. If I see him, could I even pull the damn trigger or would I turn into a wailing, screaming mess?”
He reached over and caught her hand, squeezed it. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed it and murmured, “Ezra’s a smart guy, and he’s a good cop. Let him do his job, okay?”
“I’m trying to do my job,” Ezra growled.
�
�You’re trying to prove you’re nuts.” Beulah Simmons gaped at him. “That’s what you’re doing. Why in the hell should I give you a warrant based on a bracelet that may or may not belong to a woman who was killed in Chicago months ago? What possible connection could Carter Jennings have to some cotton-candy-looking Barbie doll from Chicago?”
Ezra swore and wished there was some way he could have gone to Remy. But there wasn’t. Remy couldn’t be involved in this, no way, no how. But Beulah was a hard-ass of the highest order. Normally, that was a good thing. But she didn’t allow any wiggle room and she wasn’t too impressed with the one piece of evidence he had.
Hell, even he knew it wasn’t much.
Slamming the report down on her desk, he said, “Look at it, damn it. The bracelet matches the description to a T. If it wasn’t for the inscription, I wouldn’t think much of it, but it matches. The sapphire matches. And Carter Jennings was out of town that weekend. There was a big arts-and-crafts show in Chicago—he was down as one of the vendors—I checked their website. He attends every year.”
“So?” She shoved up from her desk, not even topping five foot five in whatever skyscraper heels she had on today, but what she lacked in height, she made up for in attitude. “A lot of people were in Chicago. It’s Chicago.”
“You’re not going to give me the damn warrant, are you?”
“Based on a bracelet? One a disturbed, distraught woman gave to you?”
“Nia Hollister is not a disturbed woman. Distraught, I’ll give you that, but she’s not disturbed.” Ezra grabbed the evidence bag and the report. Shit, shit, shit. “Fine. I’ll find more evidence—I’m getting a damned warrant, Beulah. I’ve had a weird feeling all along about the way the Carson case went down—it was too fucking easy. If something that screwed up looks too simple, then maybe there’s a reason for it.”
He stormed toward the door.
“Ezra. You need to calm down. You’ve got a good career here—”
If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense Page 25