“What about the knife in her bed and in the tree?”
Chief Vega met his gaze. “A sick joke.”
“Do you really believe that?”
He was silent for a long time.
That’s okay. Sean could wait.
Finally, Chief Vega said, “As a cop, I can’t afford to dismiss it. But until you bring me something concrete on your suspects, there’s not a damn thing I can do about any of them.” He met Sean’s gaze. “And there’s nothing you can do to them. You’re a cop now, Sean. No vigilante justice. Play by the rules. I’m not questioning the integrity of my staff until you bring me something other than a gut feeling. The department would never survive it. You bring me evidence, I’ll act. Without it, I can’t and I won’t.”
“You used to go with your gut.”
“Yeah, when we were teenagers. Now I have a job to do and a department to manage.”
Sean cursed and stood. “Great rhetoric. Will it sound so good when you’re at Kim’s funeral?”
Kim’s mouth tightened, but she said nothing.
Chief Vega looked at her. “You don’t have to work with him, Kim. I can get someone else to watch you, or you can head back to L.A.”
Sean tensed. He hadn’t expected Bill to make the offer. If Sean were Kim, he’d be half tempted to take it. After this little discussion, how could she feel confident about him? “I request permission to go off duty and devote my full schedule to this case to provide protection for Kim.”
The chief eyed him. “I hired you to help take some of the workload off me, not to go off on some personal vendetta.”
“If I wasn’t working this case, you’d have to do it.” Sean knew he was right. As much as Billy might want to deny it, the details simply didn’t add up.
Chief Vega turned to Kim. “It’s up to you. You want him, you can have him. You don’t, I’ll find someone else.”
She shot a glance at Sean. “I’ll stick with Sean, thanks.”
“You sure?”
“Yep.”
Sean didn’t realize how tense he’d been until he felt himself relax. He looked at Kim and she raised one eyebrow at him. She knew the facts. She knew he’d let his best friend die. She knew he was running on fumes and gut instinct on this case. She was smart and independent and able to stand on her own.
And she’d decided to throw in her lot with him.
For some reason, that show of confidence meant a hell of a lot more to him than her acceptance of his proposal all those years ago. She was putting her life—and her sister’s—in his hands and he’d be damned if he’d let her down.
KIM’S CELL PHONE RANG as soon as they stepped outside the police station. “It’s Alan,” she told Sean as she answered it. “What’s up?”
“I’m at the office working on your dad’s files,” Alan said.
“And?”
“Someone has been embezzling from the camp.”
She sucked in her breath. “Are you sure?”
“Uh-huh. And in an attempt to hide his tracks, he’s changed so many files and entries that there’s no way this camp could run efficiently. It’s impossible to track deliveries, payments to vendors, staff payroll—you name it. It’s a disaster, but only if you’re looking for it. Can you come by so I can show it to you?”
“You bet.” She snapped the phone shut and frowned at Sean. “Embezzling isn’t exactly in line with Jimmy Ramsey, is it?” So now they were back to two different crimes, or the attacks on her being a red herring. “What career did Helen have before she married my dad and started helping out at the Loon’s Nest?”
“I knew you were going to bring that up.”
“Show me someone else with an incentive to wreck the camp.”
“She loves him.”
“People have done far worse in the name of love.”
He scowled. “She knows that losing the camp would ruin him.”
“No, Sean. She believes that failing to let go of his past will kill him. If she has to rip the camp out of his hands to save him, she’ll do it. She told me that, Sean. In front of Officer McKeen, if you don’t believe me.” She clenched her hands. “Or maybe the whole show was a lie and she actually wants the money and the inheritance. That’s why the accident on top of the embezzlement. Did you know that she wouldn’t get the camp if my dad died? Cheryl and I would get it. That means she had to siphon off the money before he died, so there was nothing left for us.” She took a deep breath. It would shatter her father to lose the camp, if he wasn’t dead already. Her throat began to tighten up and she sucked her lip between her teeth.
Sean yanked open the passenger door of his cruiser for Kim. “You want to get Helen thrown in jail, even if it’ll devastate your father. You’ll take any chance you have at destroying your dad and the family he loves.”
She paused in front of him, one foot in the car. “Not anymore.”
Before he could ask, she pulled the door shut, leaving him standing on the outside.
He climbed into his side and started driving. They were halfway to camp when he asked, “What changed?”
She sighed and stared out the window. She had changed. It hadn’t occurred to her until Sean brought it up, but now that she was thinking about it, it was true.
“Kim?”
“I thought my dad was going to be killed last night. I thought someone was going to go to the hospital and finish the job. Remember when I tried to rush out of your cabin to go save him?”
He nodded.
“I didn’t think about it. I just ran for the door. To rescue him.” She bit her lower lip harder, but it wasn’t working to ward off the emotions. “If I wanted him dead, I wouldn’t have reacted that way.”
“He’s been in a coma since you got here and that didn’t bother you.”
She sighed and watched the trees go by. “I guess you were so certain he was going to wake up that I didn’t really think he wouldn’t. He’s my dad. He’ll be around for me to hate as long as I want.” Hate. It seemed like such a strong word now. Too strong?
Sean managed to exercise enough control not to editorialize on that statement. The man was learning. Good for him.
“But when I thought someone was going to kill him…I got mad. And I got scared.” Sean turned into the camp driveway, heading toward the parking lot. “I don’t have a mom anymore and suddenly I realized I wasn’t ready not to have a dad. Even if I don’t talk to him, he’s always there, you know?” As long as he was alive and she could hate him, there was still a foundation in her life. As long as she knew he still loved her and wanted her back, there was comfort in knowing that she belonged somewhere. If he died, then she had nothing. No home to come back to. No roots. No parents at all. No possibility of future reconciliation, if she ever decided she wanted it. “Dammit, Sean. I don’t want him to die until I’m ready for him to die!”
He pulled into a parking spot and shut off the engine. He turned his head just enough to look at her. “You’re crying.”
“I am not.” She immediately wiped her cheeks and turned to stare out the passenger window. No way was she going into the office looking this way. Get it together, Kim. She felt a light pressure on her shoulder, but she didn’t look at him. “Go away.”
“No.”
“Please?”
His fingers trailed over her forearm and she finally turned in his direction. He smiled. “It’s not easy to change your mind about something you’ve believed for so long.”
“I haven’t changed my mind. I still blame him for my mom’s death. I just…well…I don’t want him to die before I’m ready for him to die.”
He nodded and ran his thumb over her lower lip. “I understand.”
“Do you?”
“Over the past ten years, I haven’t had a whole lot of kind thoughts about you,” he said. “But when I showed up at your door a few nights ago to investigate the prowler and learned that you were in real danger, I was furious. Maybe I didn’t want you in my life, but no way was anyone
allowed to kill you.”
She managed a smile. “You know, it must be a sign of my warped mental state that I actually think that’s a really sweet thing for you to say.”
He smiled back and she realized he’d moved even closer, his thumb trailing over her shoulder. “I think we may both be a little outside of the norm. Maybe that’s okay.”
“Maybe.” She could feel his breath on her lips. Her heart was racing and all she could think about was how much she wanted him to kiss her. “Um, Sean?”
“Mmm?”
She wrapped her hand around his wrist and held tight. All she could think about was the feel of his bare skin under her fingers. “I forget what I was going to say,” she whispered.
“Me, too.” Then he leaned forward and kissed her.
Chapter Thirteen
This was nothing like the kiss they’d shared in the mailroom. That had been frantic and energetic and brought on by memories of their past.
This kiss was soft and sweet and perfect. It was about the present, about today, about them and only them.
He played with her lips, his touch gentle and almost unsure. Her heart rate was skyrocketing and all she wanted was for the kiss to last forever. She fisted the front of his T-shirt in her hand and pulled him closer. His breath mingled with hers. He tasted of toothpaste, and he smelled like soap and man.
More. She wanted more. When she parted her lips, he made a soft grunt and wrapped his hand around the back of her head, his fingers twisting in her hair, his other hand cupping the side of her face. How could his touch be so tender and yet infuse her with such incredible wanting?
His hand slipped down the side of her face, his fingers trailing over her neck as he kissed her deeper and deeper, his tongue playing in her mouth, warm and hot.
He pressed his fingers at the base of her neck and broke the kiss. His eyes were dark and smoky. “Your heart is racing.”
His fingers were over her pulse, so she couldn’t lie. And why would she want to? “I know.”
A slow grin spread over his face and he leaned forward again.
Only this time when their lips met, it wasn’t soft or gentle or tentative. It rocked with heat and passion and a need she felt to her core. She flung her arms around his neck and buried herself against him while he held her tight, so close she could barely breathe. Who needed to breathe, anyway? Breathing was overrated, especially when weighed against the feeling of his solid chest pressed up against her breasts. Their shirts did little to block the heat, and she felt his heart pounding against her chest. She leaned back. “Your heart is racing, too.”
He grinned. “How about that? I’ve never had a kiss spike my heart rate before.”
“Really? Not even when we were teenagers?” she teased.
He kissed her for a long time before answering. “It was never like this.”
She felt the same way. This thing between them was different now. A hell of a lot more intense, for one. Almost scary. “I know what you mean.”
He sighed. “Kim—”
The scream of a little kid startled her and she turned to see a family of four heading toward the boathouse with picnic supplies in hand. Two small girls were chasing each other, their voices shrill as they shrieked with excitement.
Sean’s fingers tightened in her hair and she turned to look at him. “Not exactly the place for a make-out session, huh?”
He laced his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his lips. “Someday, we’re going to have to get this right between us.”
She swallowed. Was he talking about the kiss or their relationship? Had he not given up on them? Did he want to try again, or did he merely want a night of passion to toast their shared past?
She didn’t dare ask.
Because she wasn’t sure what she wanted him to say.
And she was desperately afraid of what her gut was telling her she was yearning to hear.
SEAN TOOK KIM’S HAND as they walked up the front steps into the office. He wasn’t sure why he did it, but he did.
And she didn’t pull away.
So they walked hand in hand into the office to find Didi and Alan huddled over the computer screen in a very cozy picture. Sean grinned at the sight. He couldn’t drum up any regret if Alan got hung up on Didi and found another woman to call his best friend, because Alan being possessive of Kim was a pain in the butt for their investigation. No other reason.
“Hi, guys,” Kim said, and the couple broke apart quickly, guilty looks on their faces. “Did we interrupt something?”
Alan’s gaze flicked to their entwined fingers and Kim released Sean’s hand immediately. But the soft look she gave Sean as she did it made Alan scowl. So Sean grinned and decided that he could be generous with Alan today. “What’d you find?”
Didi propped herself up against the windowsill behind Alan, as if she belonged there. Sean frowned. “Didi, would you mind giving us some privacy?”
Her lips pursed into a pout. “I’ve been helping him. I know what’s going on. You might need me to explain some of the files.”
Alan nodded immediately. “She needs to stay.” Didi put her hand on his shoulder and he set his hand on top of hers. “She’s been a huge help with this mess.”
His respect for Alan dropped more than a couple of notches. Get a little sex and you start spilling confidential details to your bedmate? Always a good plan.
As Sean watched them exchange secret glances that made him wonder whether they’d been rolling around on the floor before he and Kim arrived, he recalled the interlude with Will and Didi. Will, who fit the profile for John Ramsey and who had been missing for quite a few days. If one man would confess his secrets after a roll in the hay with Didi, would another one? “Didi, do you have a minute? I’d like to ask you some questions.”
Didi nodded. “Of course. That’s why I’m here.”
Sean glanced at Alan. “It’s about Will. Shall we go in the hall?”
Didi’s fingers tightened on Alan’s shoulder, then she nodded. “Sure.”
“Kim, you can stay and go over the files with Alan. We’ll be right back.”
Kim nodded and walked over to the desk while Didi led Sean to the hallway.
There were two guests waiting for help, so she effectively took care of their issues, then turned to Sean. “Thanks for letting me take this out into the hall.” She looked at the closed door. “I really like Alan and, well, who knows how he’d react if he knew I’d been dating someone else so recently.”
“You mean having sex with.”
Her eyes lost their softness. “What exactly is it that you need?”
“I’d like to know if Will ever talked about his past, his family, any activities he was involved in. Maybe he uttered a few names in his sleep?”
Didi frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Sean hesitated. If he didn’t give her at least a hint about what he wanted to know, he might waste a lot of time. If he did give her info, well, it potentially compromised the investigation. What choice did he have? “I need to know if he ever mentioned a brother named Jimmy Ramsey.”
Didi stared at him. “What?”
“A brother named Jimmy Ramsey.”
“But his last name is Ambrose. Will Ambrose.” Her eyebrows were knitted together in an effort to follow him and he decided at that moment that maybe Didi wasn’t the brightest person he’d ever met.
“Names can be changed. Did he ever mention a brother?”
“No.” But her tone was drawn out and thoughtful, indicative of truth more than a quick, vehement denial would have been.
“Did he ever accidentally refer to himself as John Ramsey? Not turn right away when you called him Will?”
Didi’s eyes widened. “You think Will is actually someone named John Ramsey, who has a brother named Jimmy Ramsey?”
“Answer the question.”
“No, I never noticed anything.” She frowned. “Why?”
“Did Will ever show any familiarity
with California? As if he’d been there?”
She shook her head, her expression mystified. “Why do you need to know this? What’s happened?”
“What about Carl?”
“The maintenance chief?”
“Yes. Did he ever mention a brother or accidentally call himself John? Show any familiarity with California?”
“I didn’t sleep with him.” She folded her arms across her chest and looked offended. “Just because I made a mistake with Will doesn’t mean I’m a slut.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that you did. But since you work at the same place, I figured you might have some knowledge of him.”
Didi softened, mollified by his recant. “No to all of your questions, but I never spend much time talking to him.”
Probably not by choice, given how she seemed interested in every guy who walked into the place. “What about Tom Payton?”
“The guy at the boathouse?”
“Yep. Same questions.”
“No, but I don’t talk to him much. He mostly flirts with the girls who are guests at the camp. Staff aren’t good enough for him.”
Interesting. Tom hadn’t seemed to be the playboy type. He was due for an interview at the station anyway. “Thanks for your time, Didi.” He hesitated, then added, “We don’t know what John Ramsey looks like, but he’s about twenty-five and we believe he may be in the area. He’s potentially dangerous, so if you get any indication that he’s around, call the police and stay away from him.”
She frowned. “What about the other one you mentioned? His brother? Should I be watching out for a couple of guys who are hanging together?”
“No. Jimmy Ramsey is dead. It’s only his brother we’re concerned about.”
Didi stared at him. “Dead? You mean, really dead?”
Sean nodded.
“How do you know?”
“We found his body.”
She looked rather shocked. Pale. Her lower lip was trembling. “You think his brother killed him?”
“Seems like it was a bar fight in Portland. His brother may be trying to avenge his death, though, so be wary. He could be pretty desperate.” Belatedly, he realized that Didi looked a little stressed. Too much info. “Listen, Didi, I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. His rage will be directed toward one target and that isn’t you. I’m sure you’re safe, so all I want is for you to report any suspicious folks, okay?”
The Sharpest Edge Page 14