That sucked.
Julian stared at the mayhem all around him. What did surprise him was that the man didn't have an armored tank hidden somewhere. This guy absolutely was crackers.
You could tell.
“Do you think he’d kill for some treasure?” Julian whispered to his wife.
She looked around. “Yeah, I think he’d kill if the mailman forgot to show up. I feel off, Julian. Way off.”
He watched her.
Tori’s body language had changed. She was still, her torso was tense, and she was prepared for something. “Are you okay?”
She didn't reply. Tori was too focused on her surroundings. As she turned to scan toward the house, Julian moved toward the man’s porch. Just as he went to move between two trees, she saw it.
If Tori wasn’t trained, it would have gone unnoticed. Moving toward Julian, she jumped on him, just as his foot hit the nearly invisible wire strung across the grass.
There was a loud pop as two little explosives went off on each tree.
They tumbled to the ground, Tori riding his body down, until they both hit.
Julian looked shocked, and then he looked worried.
“Are you okay?” he hissed, not liking that his wife had just used her body as a shield for him.
“Yes, are you?”
He nodded.
Suddenly, there were footsteps as the crazy man in question exited the trees. He was dressed in camo and looked like he was a few bricks short of a wall.
Immediately, Tori was up and facing the man down.
“Who are you?” he asked, pulling a gun from his hip holster.
As Julian went to reply, Tori went into action. There was no way he was going to be pointing anything at them. This man had just tried to blind them with the small blasts. They wouldn’t have died, but they would have been injured.
Grabbing his wrist, she twisted before taking him to his back. Effortlessly, she had the gun from his hand and pointed at his head.
“Hey!” he objected. “You’re on private property! You can’t trespass here!”
Julian and Tori were going to have a discussion later. He was pretty sure it was going to involve him losing it. While he trusted her completely, he wasn’t thrilled that she seemed to forget that there was a baby on board.
“You can’t use military flash grenades in the public sector, Mr. Parker,” Tori stated, moving away from his body. “In fact, you can’t own them outside the warzone, so I should call the cops.”
The man stared at her. “Are you a soldier?”
“I was. Army.”
He slowly got up. “Me too.”
When he saluted, she followed suit. In this case, it was probably for the best. The man was definitely insane.
“Are you here to recruit me?” he asked, looking around. “I have a full arsenal of guns and weapons to bring to the fight.”
Julian didn't even know where to go with this one, so, he let Tori take it.
“No, soldier,” she stated. “I’m here to get a debriefing on your neighbor.”
The man looked toward the house. “Bad shit goes on over there,” he stated, running his hands through his graying hair.
Tori took in the ex-soldier before her. He looked battle worn and beat down. Maybe that was the craziness, but for being in his late forties, he looked so much older.
“What can you tell me?” she asked. “We’re heading in, and I need to know what to expect.”
The man shook his head. “Don’t do it. I see things moving around over there. In that swamp behind the house, things are building their own army. You’ll regret it.”
“What did you see?” she asked.
“Too much. Stay out of that swamp. It’s a dumping ground,” he stated.
Tori noticed he looked panicked. They needed to get out of there. A stressed crazy was ten times worse than a regular insane person. Popping the magazine out of his gun, she used her thumb to slip the bullets into her palm. There was no way in hell he was getting a loaded weapon as they walked away.
“You’re still going in?”
She nodded. “It’s our duty.”
Brady Parker shook his head. “You’re crazy.”
That spoke volumes to Julian. He was well aware that this whole case had gone from simple to insane in a matter of days.
Tori motioned toward Julian, all the while keeping her eyes on him. In the car, he shook his head.
“I don’t know what to think.”
She did. “He’s not a killer. Not the one we’re looking for, at least. He needs help.”
Julian didn't disagree. “What now?”
“I need to think,” she stated. “Let’s head into town. I want to see a psychic.”
For some reason, that worried him just as much. “Tori, what are you going to do?”
She laughed. “My ghost is going to talk to hers, if they exist. Then, we’re going to exchange notes.”
Julian put it in drive. “I’m really sorry that I asked. What happened to our lives?”
Tori snorted.
She had no damn idea.
* * *
Monday Mid-Morning
Inside the house, they worked on their game plan. They scribbled down the locations that could possibly be the hiding spot. There was Claire’s bedroom, which they knew was a dud. The butler’s pantry had pretty rose patterned carpeting, and it would have been old enough to have a secret hidden beneath it, and then there was the rose garden.
Which sucked.
The last thing they wanted to do was be outside digging for hours.
Beckett didn't think they had any choice.
“Claire, I don’t think we have a lot of options. I can wander around to see if I can pick up the vibe.”
Now it was her turn to be unsure.
“Beck, I don’t like the idea of you walking around like a lightning rod. That’s careless and dangerous. What if you slip back under and it’s a million times worse. If the killer was escalating, and you stumble across Jeffery Lamont, who knows what will happen?”
It touched him that she was so worried about him. This was something that he never thought he’d find. His girlfriend was concerned about him.
He nearly laughed at the term. Whether Claire knew it or not, that was now going to be her role in his life.
“Do we have a choice?” he asked.
Claire leaned back on the couch and stared around the living room. She absolutely couldn’t let the man she loved do something dangerous. While she didn't mind anchoring him from his episode, she didn't like the blood and how scary it was.
“I’ll go find some shovels.”
That’s when she looked up and saw it.
“Wait!”
He stopped. “What?”
From her seat on the couch, she could see the foyer. In it, there hung a really large chandelier. Instead of teardrop crystals, they all had a shape.
“Look.”
He tracked her gaze and headed there. When she appeared at his side, they both stared up.
“You have really good eyes. From a distance, I never noticed.”
On the chandelier, there were fading, hand painted roses. Hanging from it, there were crystals shaped like roses.
Claire got excited. “Yeah, I never noticed it before. Just now, it called to me.”
He lifted a brow.
“Can you feel anything?”
“Not from this far below it. We need a ladder. I think I saw one in the wine cellar. I’ll go down.”
She laughed. “Uh, no, you won’t. That’s just dangerous down there,” she offered. “I’ll go.”
He would take his chances. “You were hit in the head, shoved into the water, and nearly died. You’re not doing this alone. We can both go.”
She grinned at him. “Okay, then let’s get this done.”
Well, at least they could watch each other’s backs.
It didn't take long.
Getting the ancient, dusty ladder from the bas
ement was the easiest part of their job. Figuring out where the next clue could be was the hardest part.
As Claire climbed the ladder, Beckett braced it. From beneath, he was checking out her ass.
“I know what you’re doing,” she stated. “I can feel you staring lecherously at me.”
He grinned. “Want me to stop?”
“Hell no! I just want you to know that next time I’ll be ogling you in those jeans.”
It made him laugh. Beckett’s heart soared as her sweetness wrapped itself around him. If this was his fate, Beckett knew that he’d been blessed.
“So, what’s your mother like?”
Claire laughed. “Let’s just say that you don’t want to disobey or piss her off. She runs a tight ship because she had to. When my dad died, she had five kids to keep in line. Being Native is tough enough. The poverty was overwhelming, but she saved us all.”
He respected that.
“She worked two, sometimes three, jobs to support us. Julian takes care of her now. He just had her cabin redone. She’s living in the lap of Native luxury on the Rez,” she teased.
“It was hard, wasn’t it?” he asked.
Claire stopped. “You know, now that I look back at it, I can see it. I realize that we didn't get new things often, and that we had an old car, but it didn't matter then. I had my family.”
He wished he did. What Beckett wanted to do was bring Claire home to meet his parents. He wanted them to see the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
She could sense him going still beneath her. She longed to know more about his past, but he wasn’t ready. “Clarissa is tough, and she pretty much makes up her mind about you right away. If you screw it up, it’s a bitch to make up ground later.”
That was good to know.
A plan began formulating in his mind.
He was going to take her advice and not make that mistake right out of the gate.
“I feel something,” she said, running her fingers gently over the porcelain chandelier.
It snapped him back to reality.
“What?”
Claire worked at it a little. With her fingernail, she was able to pry it off. “It’s a key!”
He got excited. “We found it!”
When he let go of the ladder, it shifted.
“Crap!” Claire yelped, as she started to fall.
Beckett saw her tumbling and grabbed her. When she landed in his arms, cradled against his chest, there was relief. He really thought she was going to hit the ground.
She grinned wickedly at him. “I do believe you found something too,” she said.
He laughed. “Yeah, I think you’re right. I found the real treasure in this house, Claire.”
It made her flush.
Slowly, he kissed her. As his lips moved across hers, he realized that those were the truest words he’d ever spoken. Now, it was time to do something about it.
When he broke away, he could feel the energy vibrating. “The key is part of this. I can feel it in your hand.”
She moved her closed palm away from him.
“It’s not that bad,” he offered. “When you’re kissing me, I can’t really be sucked under. It’s weird.”
No, it really wasn’t. She was meant to be his other half. While he had the gift, she was the shield that would keep him safe.
“You better put me down. I want to see what it is we found.”
Beckett did as she asked, and the second she was back on her feet, he was bereft. If anything, he really liked her being in his arms.
Claire stepped away from him and opened her hand.
It made him laugh. “For the record, it feels the same whether you’re beside me or four feet away.”
He moved closer and stared down at it.
“It looks like someone painted over it to blend with the chandelier.”
“It looks like you’re right, but this is a house of a million old doors. That skeleton key could fit anywhere.”
Flipping it over in her palm, she saw etching. “It says something.”
Together, they both moved closer to the object.
“It says ‘fireplace’,” Claire said.
Beckett looked around. “Well, that narrows it down. There are only a million of them.”
“Then we should probably get to work. It’s going to be a long day,” she suggested.
Oddly, Beckett didn't mind. He didn't care about his gift, or the long hours toiling. All he cared about was being beside the Native woman.
For the rest of his life.
* * *
He picked up their trail as soon as they left ‘The Killing House’, and he stuck like glue. For a while, he lost them on the neighbor’s property, but they were back in his sight. Here on out, he wouldn’t lose them.
In fact, he was prepared.
He’d grabbed some hats and sunglasses from home, and he was ready to do his job.
The sheriff was going to be so damn happy with him.
He couldn’t wait. When he told her the way he tracked them, she was smiling like an over-stuffed walrus in a seal pond. It was very obvious that Sheriff Weinboro was pleased with his fine work.
Maybe he’d get a commendation.
Or a plaque in his honor.
Yeah, he couldn’t wait to become a sheriff. One day, he’d be sitting in that office, just like his daddy had, and he would be in charge of the town.
It was going to be a fine, fine, day.
He was sure of it.
As the Littlemoons headed toward town, he grabbed two hats and prepared to do the job.
He was going to make a name for himself.
Right there in Cloverdale.
* * *
Town Historic District
Tori and Julian grabbed a coffee at the café and began heading toward the historian’s office. By this time of day, it should be open. What they needed was a little more on the background of the town, and of the first man to disappear, Ralph Clarence.
Granted, they knew they had the photocopied journal pages, but they wanted to know more.
They needed to be aware of everything that Jeffery knew before he was killed.
While they walked, Julian’s arm around her waist, Tori kept hearing that buzzing. She really prayed that one of the ghosts wasn’t trying to get in touch with her while she was out in the middle of the sidewalk. That was going to be awkward at the least.
Then she heard Bethany’s laughter.
Tori glanced over at her husband, and he seemed to be oblivious. From her peripheral, she noticed a small figure running past her.
If the dead woman was screwing with her, she was going to…
Yeah, she didn't know what she’d do, but she wasn’t happy. Just as Tori was about to say something to Julian, she heard the whisper.
‘Behind you,’ came the voice almost silently.
Tori tensed.
“What?” Julian asked, glancing over.
“Bethany,” she muttered, scanning the area.
He went on alert. “Here?” he asked, knowing that was going to be a huge problem.
“She’s trying to tell me something,” she stated.
Turning abruptly, she caught Julian off guard. She went against his body, her mouth locking to his in one hell of a searing kiss.
People stared as they struggled to move around them. All the while, Tori kept her eyes open.
It was all she needed to find out what was going on. When she pulled away, Julian was breathless.
“Holy shit, honey! That was a little unexpected.” Yeah, and really, really hot. His body was wide awake and wanting another dose of that.
Tori took his hand in hers. “We have a tail. Bethany was warning me.”
Julian understood. At the next garbage can, they both tossed their coffees.
“What do we have?” he asked, knowing he couldn’t turn and look. If he did, it might spook whoever was following them.
“We have one of the sheriff’s
deputies. He’s carrying too. It’s under the right side of his jacket. You distract him, and I’ll get his gun.”
He objected. “You do realize that at one time, I was a deputy and can defend myself, Victoria. I don’t need my wife playing bodyguard. While it was sexy when you weren’t pregnant, now it scares the hell out of me.”
“Okay, I’ll play bait, but don’t miss his gun, or he’s going to shoot and kill me.”
He glanced over at her as they headed toward an alley. “You know that’s playing dirty, right?”
She grinned. Tori was well aware, but it beat having an argument with her husband.
“I was a Fed and soldier. That’s how we roll. You should know that.”
Julian had no choice. While he could take someone in a fight, he didn't move as fast as Tori. If he didn't disarm them, she was in danger.
It was going to be the lesser of the two evils.
“Okay, but don’t get hurt!”
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Let’s head in there.”
Together, they moved into the alley and took up their positions. Tori ducked behind some crates, making herself really small and unobtrusive. Julian headed toward the shadowy part at the back to watch the mouth of the alley and study their tail.
Once in position, they didn't have long to wait. The young man came in and walked right into their trap.
The second he was past Tori, she’d absconded his gun, had him against the wall, and used his own handcuffs to restrain him.
“Please don’t shoot!” he begged. “I’m just doing my job!”
Julian took the gun from his wife. “Well now, we’re going to do ours. It looks like we’re having a makeshift interrogation.”
~ Chapter Seventeen ~
The house had more fireplaces than were necessary, or at least that’s how Beckett felt. Each room they wandered had taken some time to examine each stone hearth, and it was wasting their day.
The last fireplace on the ground floor was the one in the library, and in all honesty, he wasn’t looking forward to it. That was the room where they found the letter opener that killed someone.
Unthinkable Games (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 3) Page 27