Final Verdict

by Jessica R. Patch

  It clicked.

  “You do the honors.”

  “Is there anything you can’t do?” Aurora marveled at Beckett’s many abilities.

  “I don’t bake.” He winked and Aurora opened the box.

  She riffled inside. “Photos.”

  “Well, well, well. How ’bout that?” Beckett held the photo. Gus with his arm around Linda Wilcott, his sister-in-law, and it wasn’t a very sisterly photo. The next one was of him pecking her neck. “She sure didn’t mention this little nugget when we talked with her earlier today.”

  No, she did not. This was a game changer.

  “If these photos are hidden here, then is it possible Richie had this hanging over Gus’s head? In order to get his money back?” Beckett asked.

  “Maybe when Gus wouldn’t give him the money owed, Richie threatened to go to Darla—or he did go to Darla. This gives her motive.”

  “And opportunity. Of course she never believed it was Richie. She knew she’d killed Gus and by garnering your sympathy, she could keep you close,” Beckett added.

  “She’s still tight with Linda. She was on the phone with her that first day we visited. If she knew her sister had an affair with her husband, why keep contact with her but kill him?” Aurora frowned and flipped through the other photos.

  “Keeping up appearances. Maybe she killed him and so, not to get caught, never mentioned it to Linda. To get off scot-free.”

  Whoa. More pictures of Linda and Gus, but also pictures of Gus and other women. “Is that a poker table in the background? Could he have been having affairs and using secret poker games as a cover to meet them? Right across the street from his wife!”

  Beckett cocked his head. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but someone might have caught Richie taking photos of Gus in compromising situations and thought he had photos of them, too. Framing Richie would get him out of the picture, so to speak, and Gus, too. Two birds. One stone.”

  “We should rattle some cages and throw out there we have photos from the private games. Be bait.” Aurora laid the photos on the table.

  “I don’t like the idea of you putting yourself out there in that way.”

  “I’m already a target.”

  Beckett rubbed his chin. “Let’s talk with Linda without Darla around. Lick that calf over again.”

  “Agreed. I’m not satisfied with our little talk with her, either. Not after seeing these photos.”

  “If Linda knows we have evidence that proves she had an affair, it might jog her memory about the books being doctored like Richie always claimed. If we hold this over her head...”

  Aurora shook her index finger. “She might spill some hidden beans.”

  “And we’ll climb the beanstalk all the way to the killer.”

  * * *

  Beckett enjoyed watching Aurora eat the pizza. Enjoyed the whole night. The laughter. The discussion, though most of it concerned their circumstances. It was nice being in a home together. Having dinner. And she wore her hair down again. Probably to hide some of her abrasions. He wasn’t complaining. He loved it spilling down her back.

  “That was the best pizza ever.” Aurora wadded up her napkin. “And it was a breath of fresh air to get out of the inn for a while.”

  “I agree.” He chuckled and carried her plate to the dishwasher. “You want another glass of tea?”

  “No thanks.” She grabbed her phone. “I’m gonna call Linda Wilcott. Set up another meeting. And since I know you want to be there—”

  “Magnets.”

  “Yes, magnets. What day is good for you?”

  “Probably Wednesday, after the Valentine’s Day dance. Which reminds me, my mom has invited us to dinner tomorrow night. That work for you?”

  “If you fill me in on what I can and can’t say. I assume, since the explosion, she’s aware I’m not staying home but at the inn.” She gave him a pointed look.

  “I didn’t want her to worry.”

  “Good moms worry. It’s what they do. She’d worry if you were a librarian.” Aurora thumbed through the files she’d brought along and paused. “I can’t believe Darla might have killed Gus. And is involved in all that’s happening to me.”

  “She might not be.” He finished cleaning up the dishes and put the leftover pizza in the fridge.

  “I don’t see Darla setting a bomb. I see Renzetti’s goon doing that.”

  “What if Darla hired someone? A man attacked you. A man made the phone calls. She isn’t doing this alone. She could easily know what was going on down here with the case, thanks to news media and social media. She could have researched you. One Google search and everything she needed would be at her fingertips. I hate Google,” he teased.

  Aurora snorted.

  “At this point, everyone is a person of interest. Everyone has a motive. And opportunity.” He raked a hand through his hair. “As far as my mom. She knows what’s going on.”

  “And?”

  Beckett opened the cabinet, dug around and came to the table, sitting across from Aurora. “She’s glad we’re in one piece.” He handed her a Hershey’s miniature bar. “Dessert.”

  Aurora snatched it. “I think I might be the only person to have actually gained weight during a major crisis in their life.” She opened it up, inhaled the sweetness and broke it in half. “You wanna share it with me?”

  “Absolutely.” He’d share whatever he could. Yes, Mama was glad they were okay, but she’d gone on and on about how he could have died and that she thought he was past those life-threatening situations.

  These days a traffic stop could be life threatening. But she deserved peace and joy in her life. Beckett hadn’t even mentioned the offer in Atlanta again when Mama had brought up Wilder being in town. There was no point. Not after the way she’d fussed over him at the hospital yesterday.

  Aurora handed him a piece of the chocolate. “I kept the bigger half.”

  “I let you take it,” he countered with a hint of playfulness.

  The stink eye he was coming to love about her flashed, but she refrained from commenting. She held up her cell phone. “So, I’ll set it up for Wednesday.”

  “Make it somewhere other than Richfield. I don’t want Darla getting wind of it.”

  “I have a feeling when we tell Linda we’ve found some interesting photos of her and Gus, she won’t breathe a word to Darla about our meeting.” Aurora made the call and Linda agreed to meet with them at a café about twenty minutes from Richfield.

  A chill swept up Beckett’s spine and he sat at attention.

  “What is it?” Aurora asked.

  “I’m not sure.” He slowly stood and wandered toward the cabinets.

  That’s when he saw it.

  “Stay there.” He hustled from the kitchen into the living room, where he’d laid his coat. Grabbing his Glock, he hurried to his bedroom and out the door that led to a patio. He tiptoed to the edge of the house silently, listening.

  Someone was on his property.

  Watching.

  The crunching of dead grass tipped him off to the trespasser’s location. He moved with stealth toward the front yard.

  A shadowed figure, in black, hunched near Beckett’s car.

  He picked up speed and snapped a twig in the dark.

  The figure’s head popped up and he bolted.

  Beckett gave chase. Across his neighbor’s yard and down the street until whoever had been hiding disappeared into the woods.

  What had that person been doing? Watching? Planning another attack? Loosening Beckett’s lug nuts? Planting a bomb? He jogged back and checked the tires. Everything was in place.

  Inside, Aurora paced the kitchen. “Where did you go? What happened?”

  “We were being watched. I lost whoever it w
as about a mile down the road and into the woods.”

  Aurora balled her fists, her voice shaky. “We’re not safe anywhere, are we?”

  No. Unfortunately, they weren’t. Which meant he was going to need to take a few drastic measures. He bounded to his bag by the couch and took out a plastic box Wilder had purchased for him. Then he retrieved a black velvet box. “I was going to give you this on Valentine’s.” The dance was coming up and Beckett had to be there, which meant Aurora had to be with him. He hadn’t had a chance to even discuss it yet.

  “You bought me a Valentine’s Day gift?” Aurora stood gaping.

  His blood raced through his veins as he studied her surprised and confused expression. “Yes and no. This is all messed up. Not the way I wanted to do this. You know what? Just open it.”

  She stared at the long rectangular box. “When did you have time to shop for gifts?”

  “I have my ways.” He handed it to her. He’d seen the jewelry in the window at the Bless Her Heart Boutique. On impulse he’d purchased it and then freaked out. The last item of jewelry he’d bought was Meghan’s engagement ring. That’s when he got the other idea. And here he was.

  Aurora shook her head. “Someone was just playing Peeping Tom and you want to give me a gift.”

  “No. I wanted to give it to you on Valentine’s, but it’s necessary now so...open it.” She’d understand the urgency in a moment. It wasn’t only a gift, though it had been when he’d first laid eyes on it, and then he ordered a few extra pieces online.

  Aurora pursed her lips.

  He shook his head. “Please, open it.”

  “See how nice simple gestures like ‘please’ can be.” She cracked open the box and gasped. “Oh, Beckett, it’s gorgeous.” Turmoil swam across her face. She ran her hands over it, as if it were a treasure holding a promise she couldn’t hang on to. In a sense, he supposed it was.

  Inside the box lay a silver bracelet with three charms: the scales of justice in gold, a sterling silver chicken and a bronze egg.

  “It’s a charm bracelet. You can add to it.” He removed it from the box. “Let me.” He placed it on her delicate wrist. “You like it?”

  “I love it,” she said so heartbreakingly he almost threw caution to the wind and kissed her, demanding they discount all the reasons they couldn’t move forward, but the devastation on her face kept his words and actions in check. He might be able to convince her. And then he’d break them both when they realized it was futile, but he wished things were different.

  “A little inside joke,” he said.

  “Exactly.” She studied it until recognition hit. “Oh! The egg’s a locket.”

  Beckett nodded and marveled at the way surprise made her even more beautiful. “Which facilitates the need to give it to you now.” He opened the other box and removed a small GPS tracker. “Precautionary, of course.” He explained the device. “It tracks through a global satellite. So I won’t lose a signal. I’ve already synced it with a device I can carry in my pocket.” He placed the small chip inside the bronze egg locket. “Don’t take it off.”

  “Sir, yes, sir.” But she beamed. “It’s thoughtful. Thank you. No one’s ever bought me jewelry before.”

  How could that be possible? Well, he was glad to be the first. The thought of not being the last left him with a sour aftertaste.

  “Or given me a GPS tracker to locate my every move.” She snickered.

  “I want to cover all my bases, keep you safe, Aurora.” He skimmed the bracelet, letting his fingers brush her skin. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do now that Kelly’s...gone?”

  “Do you mean will I stay on as court-appointed attorney? I guess that will be up to the new judge, but I see no reason for them not to keep me on. Why?” She narrowed her eyes.

  “I’m not asking you to quit. Don’t get all accusatory.” But he wondered if she would. Selfish. Terrible thought. They both felt called to their careers. At some point, she’d meet a man who was on her side of the law or not involved in any side and he’d be placing jewelry on her wrist...her finger. He balled his fist and held back the pain and jealousy. He should have never bought the added charms. He was getting too emotional, losing focus. “I was just curious what the next step for you was.”

  “I’m going to keep fighting and championing people who need expert counsel. And I’m going to do it until they tell me I can’t.” Her countenance fell and he regretted even asking. She’d been lit up like a Christmas tree ten seconds ago.

  “We should probably go. It’s late.”

  She collected what she could with her uninjured hand and trudged to the garage.

  He loaded the backseat with the boxes and opened Aurora’s door. Could he find some way to make this work? Was it truly hopeless? He drove back to the inn, mulling it over.

  He escorted her into her room and walked to the door. When he glanced back her way, she was fingering her charms, the sweetest grin on her face.

  Emotions he’d been trying to keep in check got the better of him.

  He strode back over to her, startling her.

  “Aurora, about Valentine’s Day...”

  * * *

  “I don’t think so,” Aurora said. “I mean, we have a lot going on. Do we really need to take a pause to attend a dinner and dance?” Dancing in Beckett’s arms would be excruciating, knowing she’d have to leave them when the song ended.

  “For St. Jude? Yeah.”

  “I don’t mean we shouldn’t donate. We should.”

  Beckett moved closer. “I have to be there. Magnets. Remember.”

  “Oh.” Heat filled her cheeks. “For a second I thought—I mean it’s not a... Right. I jumped to conclusions. The bracelet.”

  He tipped up her chin. “You didn’t jump. Be my Valentine, Counselor. Eat dinner with me.” He searched her eyes, his voice turned husky. “Dance with me,” he said as he made his way strategically to her lips, revealing a tenderness she’d yet to discover about him. Her heart sprinted as he made his case with nothing but the elegance of his mouth and a feathered touch to her cheeks, the taste of butterscotch lingering on his lips.

  His closing argument came when he slid his arm around her waist and lightly tugged her against him, proving she’d fit wholly and completely in his arms, that he was more than able to lead on the dance floor as skillfully and confidently as he led this perfectly perfect kiss.

  She all but puddled to the floor when he broke it, his forehead resting against hers. “Say yes, Aurora. Say you’ll come as my Valentine.”

  A war raged within her—her emotional side screaming yes, they’d find a way to make this work, and the logical side of her brain telling her that it was asinine to think it, and she wasn’t a fling kind of girl and Beckett Marsh wasn’t a fling kind of guy.

  “Beckett...” She tried to resist.

  “You’re right. I didn’t ask. I’ll ask.” He pecked her nose with such affection she wanted to die. But one of them had to keep their wits about them. It killed her it had to be her this time. And the fact he was going to ask. That he’d caught his mistake in demanding and was reversing it only made her want to cave and ignore the immovable mountain between them.

  If he hadn’t been standing right here, his nose pressed against hers, she’d collapse and cry, and she’d never cried over a man. A boyhood crush in sixth grade? Yes. But never a man because she’d never been in love until Beckett Marsh. How could she have let this happen?

  “No. Please don’t ask.” She couldn’t stand it. “It has to be no,” she offered with a cracked voice, and broke away from the physical contact searing her. She turned to the wall. “We’re both adults. We’re smart. Where is this really gonna lead, Beckett?” She waited to see if he had a solution she hadn’t thought of already. After several beats, she faced him. Did he have ans
wers that she couldn’t muster?

  “I don’t know.” Hopelessness surfaced in his deliciously wonderful brown eyes.

  That’s what she’d been afraid of all along. “We both know trying to make a go of something won’t last but a blink of an eye. You’re going to arrest people and I’m going to walk in and do what I do. We’ll fight more than we won’t.”

  “We haven’t been fighting these past few days.”

  “What’s going on now isn’t day-to-day life. It’s a bizarre situation, at best.” A headache was coming on. “I’m simply trying to be realistic. And what if you move to Atlanta?”

  “I’m not. I won’t.” The plea in his voice made a direct impact. Whether he stayed or left...it had to be for him. Why did he not realize that?

  “I can’t be a reason that you stay. I respect that you’re factoring in your mother’s feelings about keeping you close and safer. But guilt over that also shouldn’t be a deciding factor. And, honestly...Meghan shouldn’t be one, either.”

  “It isn’t about Meghan.”

  Good. “What about your mom?”

  “It’s not guilt. It’s respect. Honor. Love.”

  All things Aurora loved about him. And all the reasons they were dead in the water. They might have a fighting chance if he left the state. But not if he stayed, and she wasn’t going to push him to leave for her. If he went, it had to be as an asset to Wilder’s team and right for Beckett.

  Which put them back at square one.

  She wasn’t quitting.

  Beckett wasn’t, either.

  “You know, according to the magnet analogy, I have to go, but this dance is nothing more than a fairy tale with a bad ending. At least acknowledge you know it.” She lost her breath from the ache. The room closed in on her. Would he admit it? Could he? He seemed to press for what he couldn’t have. One of them had to be reasonable, no matter how much it hurt.