“No, I want to see him.” Caroline squeezed next to Tom, frowning at his recalcitrant attitude. “Let him in for Pete’s sake. He’s a friend.”
Travis heartily hoped she believed that thirty minutes from now.
“Would you like some coffee, Travis? Or maybe a soft drink?”
“No, thank you.” Travis sat on the couch and Caroline settled in a chair next to it. Tom didn’t sit, choosing instead to hover in the background as if ready to pounce at a moment’s notice.
“I want to thank you so much for finding that photograph of Granddad wearing the other set of cufflinks.” Caroline sighed and curled into the cushions, a mug held in her hands. “The attorney is having another go at the judge that denied bail. He seems optimistic that it might help if it raises doubts as to his guilt.”
“It was actually Aubrey who found it but I’m glad that we could help in some small way. How are you holding up with all this?”
Caroline’s teeth sunk into her lower lip before answering. “I’m just trying to take everything moment to moment and day by day. I’m not thinking about the future right now. I hate the fact that Granddad is in jail. I know he didn’t do this. He hated Bruce but he wouldn’t kill anyone.”
Travis didn’t beat around the bush. “If Martin was wearing different cufflinks than what they found underneath the body that means they were planted by the killer. Do you know who might have had access to the suite and to Martin’s belongings?”
Caroline’s nail tapped the ceramic mug. “Me. Alana. Bruce. Housekeeping, of course. I think that’s it.”
“So you and Bruce were staying in the suite with Martin and Alana?”
“Yes, not that Bruce was here all that often.” Tears shimmered in the young woman’s eyes but her chin was bravely lifted. “He spent a great deal of time…out.”
“Out?” Travis echoed, not wanting to push but needing to know if there was someone else that they didn’t know about. “Was he conducting business over the weekend?”
Tom stopped pacing and stared down at Travis with disgust. “Christ, we all know what Bruce was doing. He was with his slut Iris Perry.”
Caroline winced at the blunt statement but then nodded her head, a sad expression on her face.
“Tom’s right. Bruce spent most of his time with Iris, and honestly our marriage was to the point that I was glad that he did. He never missed an opportunity to tell me what a disappointment of a wife I was and being with him had become increasingly difficult. We’ve basically been living apart for the last six months.”
“You should have left him a long time ago,” Tom muttered, restarting his pacing.
“I should have,” Caroline agreed. “But I didn’t. He had me convinced our problems were all my fault and if I just changed everything would be better. I finally realized that nothing was ever going to make our relationship a good one. I’d screwed up picking a husband and I guess I thought that I had to suffer for my mistake. That this was my punishment.”
“You were young and you made an error in judgment. Suffering the rest of your life for it seems like overkill,” Travis argued. “Especially when he was cheating on you.”
“I’m not sorry he’s dead,” Caroline whispered, her voice tortured and low. “He used to yell at me, calling me names. Sometimes he’d physically intimidate me by backing me into a corner and then screaming at me. He made me feel like nothing. Now that he’s gone I’m finally free.”
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The poor girl.
Bruce was worse than Travis had thought and that was pretty damn bad.
Tom rounded the couch and sat on the arm of Caroline’s chair, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Caro. You don’t have to talk about this.”
The man gave Travis a glare of dislike as tears began to slide down Caroline’s cheeks. Travis didn’t feel good about this line of questioning but the police would be much less gentle.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
The door flew open and Alana breezed in, a smile on her face until she took in the scene before her – Caroline crying, Tom comforting, and Travis sitting there uncomfortable and grim. She dropped her purse on the floor and held out her arms to the distraught young woman.
“Sweetheart, what’s the matter? Come here, honey. Let me give you a big hug.” Alana jerked her head toward the bar. “Tom, get Caro a drink. A strong one.”
“It’s ten in the morning,” Tom protested but did as the older woman asked after she gave him a quelling look. “I guess one wouldn’t hurt.”
“I’m sorry I’ve upset you–” Travis began but Caroline held up her hand and shook her head.
“I’ve been upset for a long time, honestly. I’ll admit the events of the last week haven’t helped but these tears aren’t about you. They’re about my life and what a mess I’ve made of it.”
“Honey, you’re going to be fine.” Alana perched on the edge of the chair and wrapped her arms around the young woman. “The world will always try and bitch slap you but you just have to get up and kick them in the balls right back. Don’t let anyone tell you to lie down and take their crap.”
Travis crossed his legs, uncomfortable with the thought of anyone getting kicked in the privates no matter what they’d done. Tom was shifting on his feet as well as if he wasn’t happy about the imagery either. He finished mixing some champagne and orange juice in a flute and came to sit down on Caroline’s other side, handing her the drink.
She made a face but Alana tapped the glass and gave Caroline a stern look. “Drink. It will relax you. You’ve been living on caffeine for the last several days so this isn’t any worse.”
Travis narrowed his eyes as he took in Tom’s worried countenance and the way the man’s hand patted Caroline’s knee. Travis had always assumed that Tom was Bruce’s friend but perhaps he was more Caroline’s friend.
“Are you going to see Martin today?” Travis decided changing the topic of conversation would be a good idea.
Alana dragged a decorative throw off the back of the sofa and tucked it around Caroline despite the temperature outside of near eighty degrees. He was impressed by the woman’s motherly instincts even if he wasn’t as impressed by her devotion as a wife.
“Yes, Tom is going to drive me there this morning.”
“I want to go too,” Caroline pushed down the cashmere fabric so it was around her waist instead of her neck. “I need to see that Granddad is okay.”
Tom and Alana were already shaking their heads before Caroline even finished talking.
“You need to rest,” Tom replied, another pat to her hand. “Going to the county jail is only going to upset you.”
“I’m a grown woman and it won’t hurt me to be upset. Not being upset that my grandfather is in jail for murdering my husband would be much worse, don’t you think?”
“Your grandfather is a strong man and he will be fine in any situation.” Alana dug into her purse and pulled out her phone to check her messages. “I agree with Tom on this. You should stay here and rest.”
The scene was rather surreal. Alana and Tom were treating Caroline like she didn’t have a brain in her head. The look on the young woman’s face told the story as well. She was tired of it and was about to say something scathing. Perhaps Travis could do something to alleviate the growing tension between the three.
“Caroline, how about you and Aubrey go downstairs to the spa and have a nice relaxing massage? Aubrey has been saying she’s wanted to go but I haven’t had the time to go with her. She’d love the company.”
Alana clapped her hands together and smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. Some girl time never hurts.”
Caroline opened her mouth to object but Travis tried his best to give her a side eye that silently told her to trust him. Instead she acquiesced, her gaze still on Travis. “I guess I could do that. I really liked talking with Aubrey the other day. She and I got along really well. And I’d like a chance to thank her as well for
finding the photo.”
Travis stood and gave Caroline a meaningful look. “Why don’t you come to our suite when you’re ready? In the meantime I’ll call down to the spa and make the arrangements.”
Nodding, Caroline’s gaze rocketed between him, Tom, and Alana before finally settling back on Travis. “I just need to freshen up a little.”
“No hurry. We’ll be waiting. Tom. Alana. Nice to see you. Tell Martin we’re thinking about him.”
“Of course we will, Travis. I know my husband is grateful for everything you’ve done.” Alana opened the door for him and he had a feeling she was glad to see him go.
“Call me if you need anything.”
Travis had a feeling that call was never going to come.
As he walked down the hall to the elevator he couldn’t help but think there was something very strange about the dynamics of those three people. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but in his gut he knew there was something that wasn’t right.
He just needed to figure out what it was.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
‡
Aubrey and Caroline were down in the spa so that left Travis and Shane to try and find out more about the relationship between Caroline, Alana, and Tom. Travis only had one word for it.
Dysfunctional.
There had clearly been an undercurrent of some kind of history between them and knowing about it might give Travis some insight into Bruce’s murder. He and Shane were in the elevator hoping to catch the resort maid that serviced Tom’s room. Travis wanted to know if Caroline had been seen anywhere in the vicinity. He didn’t want to believe that she was someone capable of murder but he’d ignored her motive for far too long.
“You’re pissed.”
Shane certainly had a way of summing up fucked up situations. But he was wrong. Travis wasn’t pissed off, he was livid.
“Yes, and your point is?”
Shane reached around Travis and slapped the emergency stop button on the elevator and the car came to a shuddering halt.
“My point is you better pull your shit together and fast. I get that you wanted to clear Aubrey’s name because you’re in love with her and now you want to clear Martin because he’s been like a second father, but you’re letting this case get to you. Ultimately it is not your job to find this killer. It’s Prather’s job and while he might not be doing everything you want, he is investigating from what that reporter told me. You just don’t like what he’s found.”
Anger and frustration churned in Travis’s gut. He’d never felt so helpless in his life.
“It’s a good thing it’s not my job because I’m piss poor at it. If it had been Aubrey would be on death row about now.”
“Is that why you’ve got your knickers in a twist? Because you’re not good at catching criminals? You know that’s not your real job, right? You’re a businessman and a damn good one but honestly, Travis, you’re an amateur detective and no, it doesn’t make any difference that two of your brothers are cops. If they were musicians would you book a concert hall for yourself and sell tickets? Give yourself a fucking break.”
Travis’s jaw tightened and he had to swallow a not so pleasant retort. Shane didn’t understand.
“Fine, consider me lectured,” Travis growled. “Can we go now?”
Shane insinuated himself between Travis and the elevator button. “No. In fact, hell no. We are not done here. You’re still being a dick and not listening to me. You’re doing the best you can. That’s all you and I can do. The fact you need to face is that Martin just might be guilty. That’s the eight-hundred pound elephant in the room you’re ignoring.”
Travis slumped back against the elevator wall with a groan. “I just can’t believe that. Not Martin.”
“I don’t want to believe it either. I like Martin. He seems like a good guy but I’ve always believed that anyone is capable of murder if motivated enough. If a mother was protecting her child, you would think she could kill. So if Martin were protecting Caroline he might kill Bruce. All I’m saying is that it is possible and we can’t pretend it’s not true.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Travis nodded in defeat. He couldn’t fight this much longer and it was making everything more difficult than it needed to be. “Fine. Martin might have done it. He’s capable of it. But so are a lot of people.”
Shane pushed the red button and the elevator lurched as it began its descent once again. “Luckily we aren’t looking at a lot of people. We’re only looking at a few. Right now we want to find out if Tom and Caroline have some sort of relationship that we don’t know about. Something more than friends. Then we can go back and talk about Martin as a possibility.”
The doors slid open and Travis and Shane exited the elevator heading straight down the hall to where a housekeeper and her cart full of supplies was working her way through the rooms. Stepping back, Travis let Shane take the lead on talking to the woman. His cousin could charm the birds from the trees and definitely had some sort of voodoo when it came to females. He was their best chance of learning anything.
“Good afternoon, ma’am.” Shane gave the older woman a wide smile. “My name is Shane and this is my cousin Travis. We were hoping you could perhaps help us? It would only take a moment.”
The woman lifted an armful of towels from the cart but didn’t go into the room she was cleaning, which wasn’t a surprise. The service in the resort was exemplary and she was certainly in the habit of helping a lost or confused guest.
“How can I help you, sir?”
Shane chuckled as he leaned casually against the cart. “Please call me Shane. I won’t take up much of your time as I’m sure you’re very busy.” Looking down at the floor, somehow Travis’s cousin managed to blush slightly. “I’m a little embarrassed to admit this but I’m looking for a woman. One woman in particular and I was wondering if you’d seen her around. I think the man in this room is her brother.”
Shane pulled one of the photos from the party from his shirt pocket and handed it to the housekeeper, pointing to Caroline. “Have you seen the pretty blonde around here? I danced with her once and I simply cannot get her out of my mind. I think I might be in love.”
Travis had to hide his smile at how Shane sighed like a sad Romeo looking for his Juliet. But it explained his amazing success picking up women.
The housekeeper chuckled and took the picture from Shane, examining it closely, before shaking her head. “I’ve never seen her before but she’s pretty.”
Shane’s gaze shifted to Travis then back to the woman. “Are you sure? You’ve never seen her around here?”
The housekeeper tapped the photo. “No, I’d remember someone like her. I’m sorry I can’t help you.”
It still left the question as to what the undercurrent was between Caroline, Tom, and Alana but perhaps it didn’t have a thing to do with Bruce’s death.
“I appreciate that you tried to help.” Shane gave her his best smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name, darlin’.”
“Charlotte,” she offered. “My friends call me Lotte.”
“That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful lady.” Shane tucked the photograph back into his pocket. “Thank you so much for helping me. I hope you won’t mention this to anyone. I’m rather embarrassed about being so smitten with a woman I only danced with once.”
“It’s like Cinderella,” Lotte declared with a laugh. “And you’re her Prince Charming.”
Hiding his laugh with a cough, Travis nodded in agreement. “It is romantic, isn’t it? You just don’t see men going all out to find the woman of their dreams these days.”
“No, you don’t,” Lotte agreed with a harrumph. “Men and women seemed to have lost the romance from life. They’re all too busy staring at their phones.”
“Well, I do thank you again for your help. I just know I’m going to find her.”
“Good luck. I hope you do.”
Lotte waved as she disappeared into the hotel room w
ith a stack of towels. Shane and Travis hightailed it back to the elevator, not saying a word until the doors quietly slid closed.
Another dead end.
* * *
Travis, Aubrey, Shane, and Caroline were sitting in the dining room the next morning eating breakfast and filling in a few stray details from the case. A few gently probing questions to the delicate blonde revealed that she had known Tom Lovell for several years. She’d met him when she’d started dating Bruce and she’d always found him to be a good, loyal friend even when Bruce didn’t deserve it.
Travis had managed to get Caroline in to see Martin the day before after Alana had left the county jail. She reported back that her grandfather was in good spirits but he looked tired and thin. The attorney had another meeting with the judge today so hopefully this time bail would be set and they could get Martin free.
“What do you ladies have planned today?” Shane asked, popping a home fry into his mouth. “Going to see Martin again?”
Aubrey and Caroline were becoming fast friends and were already talking about meeting up with Brinley and Gigi when Caroline joined them in Tremont. It was good to see Aubrey making friends so easily. From what she’d told him, she had a hard time when she was in school with the other snotty girls being so mean to her. Now she knew she had nothing to be ashamed of and with any luck it would bring her out of her shell. She’d been alone too long.
“The resort rents out bicycles so Caro and I thought we’d take a ride up the beach. It’s supposed to be a gorgeous day.” Aubrey and Caroline were all smiles, both dressed casually in shorts and cotton t-shirts, tennis shoes on their feet. “Are you boys interested in coming with us?”
The case was at a standstill. Travis and Shane didn’t have any new information to go on and it was frustrating as hell. It seemed that the cufflink photo might be the only thing they could do to help Martin. West and Jason were always saying that criminals weren’t very smart but it appeared that this one at least might have pulled off the perfect crime.
In fact, it might be time for Travis, Aubrey, and Shane to return to Montana. He was able to do most of the work that needed to be done from here along with Aubrey’s help, but there were some things he needed to be at the office for. If he couldn’t help Martin he might as well go somewhere where he was needed. He’d talk to Aubrey about leaving in the morning.
Indecent Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 3) Page 17