“I don’t want to be Claire Littlemoon anymore. I want to be Claire Rand.”
His heart skipped.
“As soon as this is over,” he promised, “we’re going to make that happen.”
When he pulled the blanket over them, they cuddled. Claire wrapped herself around him as if to protect him.
She didn't need to because Beckett Rand was finally safe.
Because he found love.
* * *
He watched them from the trees.
When they arrived back at the house, they looked excited. That had to mean something, didn't it?
The treasure!
They’d found it!
That had to be the only answer.
When the lights dimmed on the house, he didn't know what to do. Should he risk sneaking in again?
Should he wait until morning?
So many thoughts were rushing through his mind. If they found it, what was to stop them from leaving?
It was his!
His family had been promised it!
He had a duty to uphold. After all, he owed it to his father, and his grandfather.
Staring at the dark house, he made his plan. If they did have it, he would need something to negotiate with.
Something big.
Something valuable.
Then, reality dawned.
Yeah, he knew what he could use.
Sneaking away from the house, he headed through the trees. Oh, he knew them well. He’d grown up there and played in this swamp.
Tomorrow, he’d reel in a big fish.
Then he’d get his reward.
Finally.
* * *
Thursday Morning
When Tori woke, she was all alone. It was odd, since Julian rarely left her side. Instead of panicking, Tori opted to use that time constructively.
Glancing down at her watch, she calculated the time difference. It was early back west, but it wouldn’t be too bad. After all, the person she needed to talk to had kids.
Grabbing her phone from the night stand, she made the call.
On the third ring came Elizabeth’s sleepy voice.
“Tori? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, but I need some help. I’m sorry to bother you so early, but I’m to the wire here, and it couldn’t wait.”
Elizabeth could hear the tone of her voice, and Tori wasn’t kidding. “Okay, shoot.”
“Is Ethan there?”
That surprised her. “Yes, he is.”
There was a shuffling, and then the man’s voice came over the phone. He sounded a little sleepy still.
“What’s wrong, Tori?”
“I need a quick profile. I wouldn’t have called, but something is bugging me.”
He didn't mind. “What do you have?”
“We just found the last of the six bodies. Only, the killer buried the first two together. Why?”
He thought about it.
“He was likely remorseful over it. Are they related?”
“Yes. Ralph Clarence was Tennessee Woodrow’s uncle. They were placed under the stairs. Trust me when I say that this was a very inconvenient place to put them, yet the killer did.”
“Then he obviously wanted them to be together. Maybe he felt remorse for taking their lives and wanted to have them be at peace with each other. It’s not uncommon.”
“We have his name.”
“That’s a lucky break. How did you come by that?”
While she wasn’t ashamed of her gift, it didn't feel right to lead with that.
“Let’s just say that a source came forward.”
Ethan Blackhawk sensed the lie, but he let it go. Tori wasn’t his employee, so he needed to let her drive her own life.
“I would begin with that. Find the connection to them, and you’ll likely be able to trace it to the reason the killer did what he did.”
“We already have Christina on it,” she stated. “He buried them with a book. I can’t help but feel like that means something. It was just a half empty journal.”
Blackhawk thought about it. “I would dig through it. Chances are, you might find something in it. Even if you don’t, it shows that the killer cared about the victims.”
She agreed.
“Thank you for talking this through with me. I appreciate it,” she offered.
“Anytime. Now I can chase Elizabeth around before work.”
There was a muted ‘yippee’ from the background.
It made Tori snort. “Love you guys!”
With that, she hung up. Grabbing the book, Tori started flipping through the pages.
Until her husband turned up, she’d get something done.
Julian was going to have a come to Jesus talk with his wife. When it came to the dead, there had to be some boundaries. She was taking too many risks, and that, to him, was unacceptable.
Carrying a breakfast tray to their room, he knew they needed to discuss the previous evening.
Inside, he found her lounging on the bed reading.
Before he could speak, she did, “There’s nothing in here that we didn't already know. He was after the gold. He wanted a story, but he wanted to get rich more.”
Julian placed the cereal in front of her. “You need to eat.”
He looked tense.
“About last night, Julian. I’m sorry.” Tori knew how much he was suffering, and she needed to take this one for the marriage team.
That caught him off guard. Julian expected a fight. This was certainly not how one started.
“About?”
“They were just too much for me. Bethany warned me, but I was stubborn. I don’t ever want to feel that again. I think I’m going to lay off dealing with multiple spirits at once.”
Well, hallelujah, there was a God.
“I know this freaks you out. I can see it on your face.”
He didn't deny it.
“I’m going to be more careful in the future. I don’t want to risk me, Veronica, or your sanity. I’m sorry I made it hard on you.”
Julian wanted to do naked cartwheels. This was like an early present for him. His wife understood, she wasn’t going to risk herself, and he avoided a fight.
Picking up a spoonful of cereal, he fed it to her.
“I called Ethan.”
Julian lifted a brow.
“I needed to confirm why Louis Jameson buried them together. Was it because he didn't want to have to place them somewhere, or was it more?”
Julian thought about it.
“It’s likely he killed the first three victims.”
Tori agreed. “After the nineteen fifties, the killings stopped for nearly two decades. Why?”
“Louis might have died himself.”
She nodded. “Then, in the seventies, his son took over.”
It felt right.
This had to be a family.
Tori had worked enough killings to know that this was too big of a coincidence.
“I agree.”
“Then, I think that he took out not only Warren Luther, but Marshall Salvatore. Again, there was a stretch of time with no killings. I think the last killer is the third in the family. Where we thought it was a father and son, it might be more.”
“Now we just have to figure out who they are.”
Yeah, that was the hard part.
Julian offered her some more information, “I called Christina. They’re still working on the family tree for Louis Jameson. You should have something sooner, rather than later.”
That was good with her.
“Speaking of the office,” Julian stated, staring into her gray blue eyes. “I’d like to hire your brother.”
That caught her off guard.
“What? He’s in the military.”
Julian stuffed another spoonful of cereal into her mouth. When his wife was distracted, she often forgot to eat. He’d spent the last year getting her to gain all the weight back that she’d lost in the VA.
“Christin
a was talking to him, and he’s thinking of going into the reserves while he tries to be a cop. We can work around his schedule, and while we’re not the police, we do run a pretty decent family business. Honestly, he needs his family, and so do you.”
She felt the set up.
Something had gone on. She could feel it.
Julian was tiptoeing around that, and he wasn’t normally one to be timid. If he wanted Beau to work there, he would just hire him.
“What happened?”
Julian sighed. “I’m sorry, honey.”
Gently, he pulled the rolled up tabloid out of his back pocket. As he handed it to her, he hoped she could shake it off.
Tori unrolled it.
When she stared down at it, and the headline declaring a military cover-up, she knew it was going to be bad. Plastered on the cover was hers and Julian’s smiling faces.
‘Littlemoon Inc. has secrets of their own.’
Her heart sunk.
Not because the woman who gave her life had sold her and Beau out, but because she had besmirched Julian’s business. If anything, her husband loved the business he’d built. He’d cared and nurtured it.
Now, he had another mess to clean up.
“Oh God! I’m so sorry, Julian. I’m so damn sorry.”
Try as she might, the tears wouldn’t stay hidden behind her steely resolve. Tori cracked.
Julian moved the tray and pulled his wife into his arms. He didn't give a shit about his business. He only worried about Tori.
“It’s okay, honey. I have you.”
She wept.
Her heart was broken for the man beside her.
She had to find a way to make this right.
Tori just had to.
* * *
Sheriff Penny Weinboro called him into the office. She wanted to talk to him. When he sauntered in, she waited for him to take a seat.
“So, you’ve been following the Littlemoons.”
He shrugged. “Yeah. I felt like an asshole for letting you down, boss. So, in my downtime, I’ve been tailing them.”
“Did you learn anything?” Why not get what she could out of him? Yes, she told him to stop, but if he found dirt, she’d use it. His tenacity impressed her. Maybe he was redeemable.
Honestly, she trusted her men over the PI’s any day.
“Something’s been going on at that house. They have this nondescript van coming every now and again. They’re moving things out of there.”
She was curious, especially because the Littlemoons were sure that Andy Dawkins had something to do with this. If he was the killer, how was that possible? One hundred years of missing home owners didn't add up.
If he was doing this, he looked damn good for being that old.
“Anything else?”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t get too close. They would have seen me.”
She shook her head. “They made you again.”
“Shit! I was so careful this time, boss. I swear I was.”
What was Penny to do? This man was harmless and meant well. “What are you doing today?” she asked.
“I was about to head out on my patrol, why?”
“I put out a BOLO yesterday on Andy Dawkins. They suspect him. Can you check it for me before you head out? It won’t take more than a few minutes. I’m buried in payroll.”
He whistled. “Man! He seems like such a nice guy too. That’s a shame.”
She didn't reply, only dismissed him.
Penny Weinboro didn't know why, but this whole thing screamed clusterfuck.
And she was in the center.
* * *
One Hour Later
When Tori calmed down, they headed downstairs. The baby hormones were one hell of a rollercoaster, and she was struggling with it.
Well, that’s what she was telling herself. Really, she knew why she was crying.
Betrayal sucked.
Family was supposed to stick together, weren’t they?
As she arrived in the living room, Beckett and Claire were working on the couch.
Immediately, they stopped when she entered the room.
“Tori, I’m sorry. I ran out this morning to grab the paper, and I saw the tabloid.”
“It’s okay. I’m not mad.”
No, she was hurt.
Julian dropped his arm around her waist, hoping to offer her some comfort. Before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door.
Oh please don’t let this be the sheriff!
“Shit!” Julian muttered, heading toward the door. If this was the law, they were likely screwed.
When Julian opened it, they all stared at the stranger. They had no idea who he was.
“Hello, I’m Horace Willimaker. I was hired by Chester Lamont to list this house for sale.”
Well, shit!
Here was the real estate agent.
This was a disaster.
They all shared a look. They needed to hustle through the house and put it back together as best they could. While they knew he was coming, they didn't think it would be at that moment.
Until they could ‘clean up’, they needed a distraction.
Tori took the lead. “Yes, they mentioned you were stopping in. How about we do the outside first? You have to see the rose garden. I’m sure that’s going to be the house’s selling point.”
She led the man away.
Julian hissed, “Hide anything incriminating, including holes!”
They rushed from the room.
It looked like they had another job to do.
It was a genuine cover-up.
* * *
He saw them rushing around and the arrival of the stranger. This had to be a sign.
Damn it!
They were going to steal his gold or sell it to that stranger. There was no way he could let that happen. He didn't have much of a choice at this point. They’d forced his hand.
It was time to claim what was rightfully his.
He was going to use their confusion to make his move. While they rushed in circles, he’d sneak in the back way. He knew how. After all, his father and grandfather had taught him well.
When this was over, they would be dead too.
Oh, and he would be filthy rich.
* * *
Inside, they split up.
Beckett was in his bedroom, stuffing their luggage into the closet to block the hole they’d made. If the man didn't think to question it, they were going to be lucky.
This was a mess.
How Julian expected them to fix this house in five minutes was insane.
They were screwed.
As he rushed around, he only hoped that Claire was having a better time downstairs. When he threw the last suitcase in, he rushed toward the attic stairs. He needed to secure the trap door, and make it look like they never disturbed anything.
He prayed Tori was good at distracting the real estate agent or the jig was definitely up. The agent would notify the Lamonts, and they would be on their way home.
ASAP...
Claire grabbed her big purse and all the papers on the table. She figured it was best to get as far from the living room and patio as possible. Tori was right outside, trying to block the door.
In the kitchen, she checked the stairs to assure that they were in place.
Thankfully, Beckett had done a semi decent job. Grabbing the journals, the papers, and their notes, she shoved them inside her bag. Now at least the real estate agent wouldn’t think they were too crazy.
She laughed.
Yeah, they were so busted.
There was no way they were going to pull this off.
The man would have to be an idiot.
Crossing her fingers, she mentally prayed they managed to get out of this. Not only was Julian going to be forfeiting their fees, but the agency’s reputation would be tanked.
Just as she was about to rush from the room to go help Beckett, she turned.
There stood a man.
>
It took a second for recognition to dawn. She’d seen him before. Then, she stared in horror as he swung out, hitting her in the face.
Claire fell, her head hitting the side of the island.
As he approached, the room went gray.
In her head, she screamed for help.
Only it didn't matter.
He had her.
The killer was going to take her life.
~ Chapter Twenty-Six ~
Tori couldn’t keep him out of the house any longer. You could only describe the swamp in so many terms. It looked like they were sunk.
As she was about to follow Horace Willimaker in, her phone began ringing.
“It’s Christina,” she whispered to her husband.
Julian made a quick decision. “You handle the call. I’ll babysit the real estate guy.”
She answered her cell.
“Boss!”
Tori could tell by her voice that the woman was beyond excited. That made her happy. Christina likely had something for them. At that point, anything would help out.
“What?”
“I linked them! You’re not going to believe how!”
Tori settled in for a long, detail filled call. “Tell me, and make it brief, Christina. We have a huge issue here and are running out of time.”
She thought about the three members of the team trying to keep the real estate agent busy.
“I tracked Louis Jameson. I know you said he was connected to the first victim, and I found the link.”
“Awesome. What did you find?”
“They worked together at the same business. I found online records that they both did articles for the same newspaper. They were professional rivals.”
Okay, so far that worked for her. It explained why he buried Ralph and Tennessee together.
They were acquainted.
Unthinkable Games (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 3) Page 40