Hook, Line and Shotgun Bride
Page 16
“She could be using her maiden name.”
“Or she could be married again. Dr. Em didn’t know anything else about her.”
Angela didn’t bother wondering about why Prentice would lie about Neil’s mother. Or why Neil never revealed anything about his estrangement from her. The two of them had done nothing but lie. “What’s next?”
“I’ll ask around and see if I can gather more information.”
“Can I help?”
He gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head. “The number one priority is keeping you and Benjy safe. Neil’s going to be out of jail by tomorrow, and he might come looking for you.”
“But I have a restraining order.”
As soon as the words left her lips, she knew a piece of paper wouldn’t stop Neil from doing exactly as he wanted. He’d meant what he said about not letting her go.
She’d like to believe that she could handle herself, but when he’d lashed out at her in the parking lot, she’d been startled. Never before had she been struck by a man. The only fights she’d gotten into were playground shoving matches.
His blow had chipped away at her self-confidence, even though it hadn’t caused any actual physical harm. Neil had shown himself to be capable of physical violence, and that scared her.
“This cabin is secure,” Shane said. “But I don’t want you to be here alone. During the day, it’s best if you and Benjy stay with Calvin at the horse ranch where there are plenty of people around.”
She finished her wine and set the glass aside. Turning around in his embrace, she wrapped her arms around him. “But I want to be with you.”
“As much as possible.”
“And as often as possible.”
He kissed her, and she tasted wine on his lips. Though she had been completely satisfied, she wanted to make love again. She wished this night could last forever.
Chapter Nineteen
Over the next couple of days, Angela settled into a routine. First, she’d go for a morning run on the gravel road outside the cabin. Then, Shane would take her and Benjy to the horse ranch where they’d spend most of the day. After dinner, the night belonged to her and Shane.
This morning she’d already done her exercise and showered. In the cabin kitchen, she prepared cheese omelets to go with the muffins she’d made the night before, and her mind wandered. Last night, they’d made love beside the creek, bathed in moonlight and serenaded by the rush of water.
When they had climbed the hill back to the cabin so they’d be nearby in case Benjy woke up, they had seen intruders: a family of elk crossed in front of the cabin at a stately pace.
Though it had been close to midnight, she hadn’t been ready for sleep, so she made them chamomile tea flavored with a stick of cinnamon. They went onto the porch to sip and talk. After all these years, it didn’t seem as if they’d have much to say, but there were endless stories of their pasts and even more plans for the future. He encouraged her to write that cookbook of her breakfast recipes—something Neil would have put down as unimportant. And she promised to fly with him as soon as he was a certified helicopter pilot.
Her fears about losing him as a friend had been utterly unfounded. Their friendship hadn’t changed; it had grown.
The morning light through the cabin window held the promise of another beautiful day. Though there was still much to be settled, she was beginning to feel safe. After he got out of jail, Neil hadn’t tried to contact her. Nor had Prentice. Their precaution of keeping their location a secret seemed to be working.
She looked up from the stove as Shane and Benjy tromped through the front door of the cabin. Benjy dashed to the table. “I’m starving, Mommy.”
“You’re just in time.” She prepared his plate and carried it to the coffee table in the living room, which was the only place they could all sit together and eat in this small cabin.
In the kitchen, Shane dished up his own food. He gave her a little kiss on the cheek before he joined Benjy. She liked the way their intimacy spilled over into their regular life. Casual kisses, hugs and holding hands felt perfectly natural, and Benjy seemed to accept their deepening relationship without question.
Her son was doing well in this mountain environment. Wearing his ever-present cowboy hat, he blended in with the other kids at the horse ranch. The only place he was a know-it-all was in the kitchen at the ranch house.
Angela had taken over the cooking chores to help out at the ranch, which was fine with her. She preferred keeping her hands busy and enjoyed coming up with new recipes for farm-fresh produce and the lusciously marbled beef from a nearby ranch. Every afternoon, she baked something sweet—cookies or a pie—and the children gathered around. Benjy was the self-appointed supervisor, telling all the other kids how to hold a spoon and how to measure.
She sat at the table and looked at her two men. “This is nice,” she said. “Being together. Having breakfast. I could do this forever, until I grow old and gray.”
Shane shot her a glance. “Speak for yourself, Grandma.”
Benjy laughed. “Yeah, Grandma.”
“We’ve got a lot to do today,” Shane said. “I just got a phone call, and I’m going to need your help, Angela. I want you to come into town with me.”
She looked at Benjy. “Will you be okay at the ranch?”
“I gotta be there,” he said. “One of the mares is having a baby, and I have to help.”
“Well, then, I guess I won’t be missed.”
She wondered about Shane’s phone call. It was time for the DNA profiles for Benjy and Neil to have come back from the lab. Though she was fairly sure that she wouldn’t like the results, she needed answers.
AFTER THEY DROPPED OFF Benjy, Shane held the car door for Angela and went around his Land Rover to slide behind the steering wheel. Though he was wearing his uniform, he doubted he’d be doing much work for Clear Creek County. His status as a lame-duck deputy allowed him free rein to pursue his investigation into Neil and Prentice.
Due to budget restrictions, the higher-ups had already decided that his position wouldn’t be filled after he left to work for PRESS. The rest of the deputies said they’d miss him, but were also relieved that none of them would be laid off to trim costs.
As they drove away from the ranch, Angela peppered him with questions. “Who called you this morning? It was the lab, wasn’t it? Should we contact Eve to interpret the DNA profiles?”
“Sorry,” he said. “My call this morning wasn’t about the DNA.”
She flopped back in her seat. “Thank goodness.”
“I thought you were anxious to find out.”
“Of course, I want to know.” Her slender hand rested near her throat as she exhaled a giant sigh. “At the same time, I don’t.”
“Because you have to face the problem and deal with it.”
She nodded. “If the phone call wasn’t about the DNA, what was it?”
“I’ve got a location for Prentice’s cabin.” He’d wasted a lot of time with computer searches, interviews with the county assessor’s office and phone calls. Yesterday, he drove all the way to Fairplay in Park County to search through property records. “I’m guessing that this place is where Prentice goes to get away from it all. His hideaway. His name isn’t on any of the records.”
“If his name isn’t on it, how did you figure it out?”
“The old-fashioned way,” he said. “I talked to our local postmistress, and she referred me to somebody else and somebody else. This morning, she finally got information and called me. One of the rural delivery drivers had a note to deliver a package addressed to Dr. Prentice at a cabin belonging to J. Stilton.”
“The name doesn’t ring any bells,” she said. “Why did you want me to come along?”
Partly because he wanted to spend more time with her. When they were apart, she filled his mind and he couldn’t wait to get back to her. “I need your help to figure out what Neil and Prentice are up to. Our easygoing lifestyle won�
�t stay this way forever.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. “Have there been threats? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
For a moment, he took his eyes off the road and met her gaze. Honesty had always been the cornerstone of their relationship. Though he had dedicated himself to protecting her, he wouldn’t lie to her. “I’m not keeping secrets, and I never will. If there’s a need for worry, you’ll know about it.”
“Good.” She emphasized the word with a nod. “You don’t have to treat me like a precious hothouse orchid.”
“You are precious, but you’re sturdy, too.”
“A sturdy orchid?”
“A daisy,” he said. “I want you to know that Neil hasn’t given up. He and Prentice have both been sighted in this area. I reckon they’re doing the same thing we are, but in reverse. They’re trying to find our hideout.”
“But they can’t,” she said. “Right?”
“I sure as hell hope not.”
Though he didn’t think Neil would physically harm her or Benjy, he wouldn’t be surprised by a kidnapping scheme. Neil was arrogant enough to think that if he got Angela alone, he could still win her back.
“Tell me how to help,” she said. “What are we looking for at this cabin?”
“You know these people better than I do. That’s why I wanted you with me.”
He concentrated on the road. Though he knew his way around Clear Creek County, he’d never been in this area and he was glad he had the GPS navigator to show him the way. Rural routes could be tricky; there were few road signs or markings to show where you were.
When they got close, he started reading the names on mailboxes at the side of the road. On a battered metal box, he could just make out the name Stilton.
Angela saw it, too. “There.”
A fence that had once been white marked off a property that looked to be about two acres. A gray, ranch-style house with a sloped roof stood at the end of the gravel driveway. The detached garage was almost as big as the house.
“Doesn’t look like anybody’s home,” he said. “No cars. But they could be parked in that garage.”
“The house and grounds seem too dilapidated for Prentice. He’s got expensive taste.”
He drove to a crossroads and turned. Behind a stand of trees, he parked the car. “Let’s do a little trespassing.”
They made their way across another larger property that also appeared to be deserted. Though the forest was sparse and plain, the mountain views were attractive. He reckoned this area was filled mostly with vacation homes that were used only in summer or for weekend getaways. Or they could be rentals left vacant by the sluggish economy. Not many people could afford to live in solitude; they needed jobs and the price of gas made it impractical to make the commute from the mountains.
The morning sun beat down on his back. He could feel himself starting to sweat. Breaking into the Stilton house wasn’t the way he usually pursued his duties. As a duly appointed law enforcement official, he could justify his actions as part of an ongoing investigation. Dr. Prentice had committed fraud many years ago when Angela was born. But Shane knew he was stepping outside the boundaries of legality into a gray area.
A tall spruce tree stood beside the house, and he crept into its shadow. Angela was right beside him. “What do we do now?” she asked.
“We hope that Prentice isn’t sitting behind the door with a shotgun.”
“He’d never dirty his hands with something so crude,” she said. “But Carlson would.”
Shane moved across the dried prairie grass to the back-door and tried to turn the knob. The good news was that Prentice didn’t appear to have an alarm system. The bad news? The door was locked.
Angela peeked into the window beside the door. “This is a kitchen. I can hardly see through this filthy glass, but it’s kind of cute inside. There’s a vintage honey bear cookie jar.”
He could have kicked down the door, but it was smarter to use finesse so Prentice wouldn’t know they’d been here. He squatted down to eye level with the lock and took out a set of picks.
She hovered beside him. “Interesting skill. Are you a deputy or a cat burglar?”
“We patrol a lot of areas with empty houses,” he said as he maneuvered the picks. “It’s handy to be able to get inside.”
After a few minutes, he had the lock unfastened. As Angela had noted, the kitchen seemed pleasant and welcoming, with cherry-patterned wallpaper and red vinyl covers on the breakfast nook. Though dust lay thick on the windowsill, the counter had been wiped down. “Someone has been here recently.”
Angela gave no sign of fear as she explored. Her first move was to open the refrigerator. “Whoever has been staying here likes beer. Three six-packs.”
The circular oak table in the dining area was covered with dust, and he saw footprints on the dusty hardwood floor. The pattern was common to work boots. Not the kind of footwear he expected Prentice to wear. Nothing about the furniture or the lamps or the knickknacks suggested the expensive taste of Dr. Prentice.
He pulled up the top on a rolltop desk. There was nothing inside but a couple of advertising flyers. He was beginning to think they’d come to the wrong house when Angela took a framed photograph off the mantel and studied it. “That’s Neil.”
The picture showed a skinny kid, probably eleven or twelve years old, dressed in a soccer uniform and proudly displaying a trophy. “How can you tell it’s him?”
“He has the same picture at his house.”
Other photos showed Neil as a toddler and in a Halloween costume. “There’s nothing about the older Neil. You’d think somebody like Prentice would find more value in graduation pictures than in kid stuff.”
Angela turned on her heel and strolled around the room. “I don’t think he lives here. This place looks like it was decorated by a woman.”
“A woman named Stilton.”
“Prentice never married,” she said. “I always thought it was odd for an ob-gyn who specialized in fertility treatments. He never had children of his own.”
“He could have had a mistress, and this was her house.” He went down the hallway. The doors stood open to two bedrooms and a bath. A rumpled comforter covered one of the bare mattresses. “This bed has been slept in.”
“Recently?” she asked.
“I can’t say for sure. From all the dust, I’d guess that this house has been closed up for a long time. But it’s been lived in.”
“By somebody who likes beer and didn’t bother to sweep all the floors. That doesn’t seem like Prentice or Neil.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Are they both good housekeepers?”
“They wouldn’t tolerate the dirt.” She glanced with disgust at the floors and the dirty windows. “Not that either of them would pick up a broom. They’d hire somebody to get the place tidied up.”
He’d been smart to bring Angela along; she noticed things that he wouldn’t have seen. “You know,” he said, “if Prentice used this place as a hideaway for his mistress, it would explain all the secrecy. He wouldn’t want his name on this property.”
“But that doesn’t make sense. He’s a single man. He doesn’t need to hide his relationship.”
“Unless she was married.” He put the pieces together. “A married woman with an interest in Neil.”
“Oh, my God. He was having an affair with Neil’s mother.”
Shane had been drifting toward the same conclusion. Prentice and Shane’s father had been lifelong friends. Prentice would want to hide his involvement with the mysterious Mrs. Revere. Now that he had a name for the woman—Janice Stilton—he could locate her. “Do you think Neil found out?”
“If he did, why would he be friends with Prentice?”
“You met his father,” he said. “Roger Revere isn’t a real warm and likable guy.”
“And Neil would blame his mother.” She gave a snort of disgust. “That’s why they were estranged and he refused to talk about her.”
Chapter Twenty
Before Angela had a chance to think, Shane rushed her through the house. “Somebody’s coming. Run.”
She dashed into the living room. Her foot slipped and she stumbled. She tried to catch herself on the back of the wood chair beside the desk, but she was off balance. Both she and the chair hit the floor with a crash. Panic raced through her. If anyone was standing outside the front door, they’d hear.
As she scrambled to her feet, Shane yanked the chair upright and shoved it toward the desk. She would have straightened it out, but there wasn’t time.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the kitchen and into the backyard. He closed the door. Under his breath, he muttered, “We should have covered our tracks.”
“What do you mean?”
“The chair is off kilter. I opened the rolltop desk. You moved photos on the mantel.”
“Do you think they’ll notice?”
“Let’s hope not.”
Instead of racing back the way they came, he signaled her to be quiet and eased toward the side of the house. He was moving in the direction opposite the way they’d come when they approached the cabin. What was he thinking? Did he want to be caught?
Following him closer than his own shadow, she bumped into his back when he halted at the front of the house.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“We’re okay. He didn’t hear us inside the house because he was parking in the garage.”
“Who is it?”
“Carlson.” Shane pressed his back against the side of the house. “Quiet.”
She stood beside him. Her heart thumped so loudly that she couldn’t hear anything else. Fear ripped through her, and she hated that she was afraid of Carlson. During the whole time she’d known him, Neil’s protégé had been a nonpresence. He’d faded into the wallpaper, seldom speaking and never making a scene.