Tart of Darkness

by Denise Swanson

  However, reentering the kitchen, Dani’s impassive expression slipped, and Spencer witnessed the full impact of the experience as it slammed into her soul. The rest of the mansion had been searched, but the kitchen shambles displayed a malicious intent to cause destruction. Broken dishes and shattered glass were everywhere. And the fragments were mixed with piles of flour and sugar. Pools of milk and broken eggs decorated the stainless steel counter, while molasses and honey oozed down the dark wood cabinets.

  Despite his assurances that the home invader was long gone, Spencer had been on the alert for an ambush. Now that they’d been through all three floors, he allowed himself to stow his gun in his ankle holster and stand down.

  Putting an arm around Dani’s bowed shoulders, he said, “It’s not as bad as it looks. There’s very little damage anywhere but here.”

  “Just a few cushions ripped open,” Dani murmured, staring at the kitchen.

  “Even here, it’s mostly a mess.” Spencer squeezed her arm, then forced himself to take his hand away before he started stroking the soft flesh. “It looks as if the perp only smashed a few dishes and glasses.”

  “Right.” Dani perked up a little. “All of the expensive equipment seems fine.” She walked over to the china hutch by the table. “Mrs. Cook’s vintage milk glass and Waterford are still intact too.”

  “It looks as if your loss is minimal and you don’t have to worry about filing an insurance claim.” Spencer smiled encouragingly.

  “True. With my deductible, it wouldn’t be worth the hassle.” Dani rubbed her hand across the back of her head. “Is it safe to let the girls come home?”

  “Sure.” Spencer sent Ivy a coast-is-clear text. “After cooking all night, you’re probably exhausted. Why don’t you wait for the girls down here and I’ll go put the beds back together?”

  “Adrenaline must still be rushing through me because I’m not at all tired.” Dani followed him up the stairs. “I’ll help with the beds.”

  As Spencer and Dani worked together, he couldn’t help notice her lush curves, especially when she bent over. It wasn’t too bad while they were dealing with the girls’ beds, but entering Dani’s room, he suddenly felt like a perv staring at her heart-shaped bottom as she reached for a pillow on the floor.

  Turning away, he shoved the mattress onto the box springs and asked, “Where are the moving boxes that your ex wanted you to go through?”

  Dani jerked upright and put her hand over her mouth, pointing to the ceiling. “They’re in the attic. I couldn’t stand living with cartons all around. Do you think Kipp is the one who did this?”

  “The good doctor is certainly high on my list of suspects.” Spencer raked his fingers through his hair. “How do you get into the attic?”

  “Through the walk-in closet.” Dani trudged over to it. “The steps are hidden behind shelving that swings out on concealed hinges.”

  “Interesting.” Spencer followed her into the closet, then watched as she swung open a rack filled with shoes and revealed a narrow set of steps.

  “I’m not sure if this house was a stop on the Underground Railroad or maybe it had something to do with prohibition.” Dani grinned. “But I love this hidden staircase.”

  As they entered the attic, Dani pulled a string attached to the overhead bulb. With the light on, the mountain of cartons stacked against the back wall was visible and it was evident that the boxes hadn’t been disturbed.

  “Guess your intruder didn’t find his way up here,” Spencer commented as he and Dani retraced their steps into her bedroom. “Which means if it was your ex, he didn’t get what he wanted and he might come back.”

  “I can’t really see Kipp breaking and entering over a book.” Dani stepped briefly into her bathroom to grab a fresh set of sheets from the linen closet, then started to make the bed. “I told him I’d give it to him.”

  “Yeah.” Spencer helped her get the fitted sheet in place. “About that. I’m wondering if there’s something about that book we don’t know. And I for sure want to be here when you hand it over to him.”

  “Like the book’s worth a lot of money?” Dani asked, then shrugged. “It crossed my mind, but I can’t remember the dang title. And it really doesn’t matter. Even if it is valuable, I’d let him have it.”

  “Mmm.” Spencer couldn’t help but lose a tiny piece of his heart. Very few women would willingly give an ex something expensive.

  “Well, if it was Kipp, I have to find that darn book tomorrow morning and put an end to his nonsense.” Dani finished with the sheets and said, “Now we need to go downstairs and make sure the girls are okay.”

  “I’m sure they’re doing better than you are.” Spencer smiled.

  Spencer led the way, and when they reached the first floor, he heard female voices coming from the kitchen. Entering it, they found Ivy, Tippi, and Starr cleaning up the mess on the floor.

  “You don’t have to do this,” Dani said, tears welling up in her eyes.

  “Yes we do.” Starr was closest and slung an arm around Dani. “This way you can still make and serve the lunch-to-go sacks tomorrow.”

  Tippi paused and asked, “You weren’t calling the cops, right?” Dani shook her head. “Phew! I just realized that if you were, we might be destroying evidence.”

  “No.” Dani grabbed a dustpan from the pantry. “Spencer and I decided that it was better not to involve the police or the insurance.”

  “Glad that you and Uncle Spence are on the same page.” Ivy smirked and then mouthed I told you so to Dani when Spencer wasn’t looking.

  After they got the kitchen back to normal, the girls went to bed.

  Once her boarders were gone, Dani turned to Spencer and asked, “Can I get you a beer or something?”

  “Ivy told me you don’t keep any booze in the house.” Spencer cocked his head to one side. “Do you have a secret stash?”

  “Promise not to tell?” Dani asked, and when he nodded, she opened the refrigerator, took out a rack full of water bottles, and reached into the compartment they had been concealing. Reaching in, she grabbed two Coronas and handed them to Spencer along with the opener she retrieved from a nearby drawer.

  When Dani joined Spencer at the table, he uncapped both bottles and placed one in front of her, then said, “I kind of pictured you as a wine connoisseur.”

  “I’m not much of a drinker at all.” Dani took a swallow of beer. “Maybe a margarita with my girlfriends once in a while, but that’s about it.”

  “So you have the Corona why?” Spencer’s throat tightened. Maybe Ivy didn’t know about the man in Dani’s life.

  “It’s silly.” Dani’s cheeks turned a sweet shade of pink.

  “No judgment here.” Spencer traced a finger over the hand she had resting on the table.

  “My dad drinks Corona.” Dani stared at the bottle she held in front of her eyes. “Not that he has ever visited me, but I always keep a six-pack just in case he ever does come see me.” She shook her head. “Enough about that, let’s talk about the case.”

  Spencer scowled. Dani’s father lived less than half an hour away. Why the eff didn’t he visit her?

  Deciding to allow her to avoid what was obviously a painful subject, Spencer told her about what he’d seen when he followed Vance, then asked, “Did you get anything from Bliss?”

  “I did.” Dani put down her beer, grabbed the list from her purse, and handed it to him.

  Scanning the document, Spencer was once again impressed with Dani’s ability to get people talking. After copying her notes, he was silent as he considered everything Bliss had revealed.

  As if reading his mind, Dani said, “I realize that Bliss seems like a good bet, having the key and knowing about Regina’s bulimia, but I still don’t think it was her. She just doesn’t seem like the type.”

  “They never do,” Spencer said w
earily. “But having your best friend post the kind of photo you described could send anyone down the rabbit hole.”

  “Yeah.” Dani bit her lip, clearly struggling to find the words. “But Bliss has had reason to snap before, and she never did.”

  “Okay.” Spencer tapped the rim of his bottle. “Let me see if I can find out to what extent that picture was distributed.”

  “Fine, but my money is on Vance King.” Dani narrowed his eyes. “With his family’s business catering to a Christian market, if Regina had something that proved that he was into BDSM, it could really hurt him.”

  “Good point,” Spencer conceded. “But if it’s him, that makes me more concerned about your break-in.”

  “Why?”

  “Because one of three people vandalized your house.” Spencer held up his index finger. “Your ex.” He held up a second finger. “Detective Mikeloff looking for evidence to frame you.” A third finger joined the other two. “Or Regina’s murderer trying to intimidate you into stopping your investigation.”

  “Well, hell!” Dani yelped. “I never thought I’d see the day Kipp was the lesser of three evils. Especially when there are so many to choose from nowadays.”

  Chapter 21

  Friday morning, Dani yawned and stumbled bleary eyed into the kitchen, wrinkling her nose at the artificial lemon scent of the cleaning product they’d used last night to mop up the floor. Six a.m. had come much too early, but she couldn’t ignore her obligations. The girls had classes to attend and she had food to prepare.

  But she didn’t regret the lost sleep. She and Spencer had sat up talking until well past two. He’d been so sweet. So protective. So understanding. So why did he seem reluctant to touch her?

  Dani frowned. Every time he’d absentmindedly put his hands on her, he’d jerked them back as if she were kryptonite and he were Superman. Was Mikeloff telling the truth about Spencer having a girlfriend, or was Dani that repulsive to him?

  It was a shame he didn’t find her as attractive as she found him, but if she’d learned anything with her father, there was no way to make someone love you. You can’t change the size of your breasts, the width of your hips, or the person inside of you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

  Anyway, it was probably for the best. Her luck with men was already bad enough, and if Spencer was seeing someone else, Dani would never steal another woman’s boyfriend. She’d never be some guy’s side chick again.

  Besides, even if Spencer was the first guy to pique her interest since she broke up with Kipp, she didn’t have time in her life for a relationship. Heck! She didn’t have time for a date, let alone any kind of romantic involvement.

  Heavy footsteps in the hallway interrupted her internal dialogue and Dani spun around to face the door. Her heart was thudding in her ears, and although she knew there were four other people in the mansion, after the break-in, she was too jittery to stop the tiny scream that escaped from between her lips.

  An instant later, Spencer rushed into the kitchen, an alarmed expression tightening his handsome features. “What’s wrong? Is someone trying to get in? Lock yourself in the pantry.”

  “No. Uh…” Dani thought fast. She didn’t want to seem like a wuss. “I stubbed my toe on the corner of the island. Sorry for screaming.”

  “Which one is it?” Spencer knelt down and tugged her foot into his palm. “Are you all right? It’s really easy to break a toe.”

  “The little one,” Dani lied, enjoying the sensation of his warm palm on the sole of her foot. “But it’s fine. I’m sure it’s not broken.”

  After running his finger over her toe, Spencer nodded, put the foot back on the floor, and got up. Leaning against the counter, he asked, “Did you sleep all right? I thought I heard you moving around.”

  “Oh. I forgot that you were below me.” Dani’s cheeks heated at the unintentional innuendo. “I couldn’t stand the mess so I cleaned up a bit. I hope I didn’t keep you from falling asleep or wake you up this morning.”

  “Nah. My friend has already been here and changed the locks for you.” Spencer handed her four sets of keys and a bill. “Didn’t you hear the drill?”

  “I guess not.” Dani stared at the coffeepot, willing it to drip faster. “I was dead to the world until my alarm started shrieking.”

  “Good. You needed your rest. Last night was tough on you.” Spencer reached toward her, then jerked back his hand. “So…uh…is the coffee ready?”

  “Coming right up.” Dani scanned the locksmith’s invoice, relieved to see the total was much less than she’d feared, then she tucked it in her pocket along with the keys. “How do you take it?”

  “Black with three sugars.” His ears reddened. “I have a bit of a sweet tooth.”

  “Me too.” Opening a cupboard, she reached into it for a mug. “Thank goodness my intruder only busted the dishes and glasses that were sitting out in the sink rack drying or we might be drinking our coffee from a gravy boat or a ramekin.”

  “I’d take it intravenously if necessary,” Spencer joked and tapped a vein in his forearm.

  “You’re singing my song.” Realizing that her sugar bowl had been broken and the bin of sugar dumped on the floor, Dani grabbed the freshly washed containers from the sink. Holding them up, she said, “One second. I need to get some supplies from the carriage house. I have storage shelves and an extra refrigerator out there.”

  “I’ll give you a hand.” Spencer followed her toward the back door.

  A few minutes later, Dani and Spencer returned carrying a couple egg cartons, a half-gallon of milk, tubs of flour and sugar, and bottles of honey and molasses. As they walked into the kitchen, they found Tippi in the kitchen staring into the open fridge as if it held the answers to her next test. She had on sleep shorts with a thin tank top, and when she saw Spencer, she squealed, crossed her arms over her chest, and ran out of the room.

  “Guess she forgot you were here,” Dani said, glad she’d remembered to put on jeans and a T-shirt before coming downstairs.

  “I bet she’s warning the others right now.” Spencer chuckled and poured both of them a cup of coffee, stirring three heaping spoonfuls of sugar into his own mug.

  “Waffles, pancakes, or French toast?” Dani asked, taking a cautious sip of the steaming hot beverage.

  “Whichever is easiest.” Spencer rubbed his stomach. “I usually have cereal, so no matter what, it will be a real treat.”

  “Pancakes it is.” Dani took a package of bacon from the fridge.

  Grabbing a cookie sheet, she lined it with parchment, then arranged the bacon slices flat across the bottom and sprinkled them with brown sugar. After placing the pan in the oven, she programmed the temperature to four hundred, set the timer for seventeen minutes, and started on the pancakes.

  “The girls will be down as soon as they smell the bacon.” Dani paused for another sip of coffee and saw Spencer watching her with a strange look on his face. Frowning, she asked, “What?”

  “You really love this.” Spencer’s voice grew husky as he gestured to the stove and counter. “Cooking. Feeding people. Even after what happened last night, you just keep on taking care of everyone.”

  “Well, I can’t send the girls off with empty stomachs.” Dani’s chest tightened defensively. Did he disapprove of her wasted education? Was he like her father? “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing.” Spencer shoved his hands through his hair. “But most women I know, after your experience, would be demanding someone serve them breakfast in bed, not up making it for everyone else.”

  “Then you know the wrong women.” Dani hid her pink cheeks and relieved smile as she turned the heat on under the built-in griddle and continued to mix the batter while she waited for it to get hot.

  “I’m beginning to think you’re right about that.” Spencer grinned.


  Before he could go on, Ivy and Starr rushed into the kitchen. They both squinted at the bright sunshine pouring through the sliding window and put up their hands as if warding off a death ray. Dani shook her head. What was it with college kids? Were they part vampire?

  A fully dressed Tippi followed close at her friends’ heels. She kept her eyes down, avoiding Spencer’s gaze and headed straight to the coffeepot. Dani shook her head again. She’d seen Tippi wearing a bathing suit that was no bigger than two potato chips and a Post-it Note. Why was she so embarrassed to be caught in her pj’s?

  After good mornings were exchanged and Dani gave the girls the new keys, she started pouring out pancake batter. Fifteen minutes later, they were all enjoying breakfast.

  As they ate, Dani asked, “Whose turn is it to help me with the lunch-to-go prep?”

  “Mine.” Tippi stuffed a huge bite of pancake in her mouth. “But my study group is meeting this morning to review for a test.”

  “Tippi.” Dani infused a note of warning into her tone. Tippi’s excuses for getting out of the hours she owed Dani were getting annoying. “You know that I count on you working when you’re scheduled.”

  “I’m sorry.” Tippi attempted puppy-dog eyes, but Dani stared back without flinching.

  “When are you finished with your classes today?” Dani asked.

  “Noon.” Tippi crunched a slice of brown-sugar-glazed bacon between her perfect, white teeth.

  “Then how about this?” Dani said. “I have a hundredth-birthday celebration at an assisted-living facility this afternoon. Tippi, you can put in the time you owe me helping serve. Then you can do the cleanup afterward, which will free me to search my boxes for Kipp’s book.”

  “Fine.” Tippi wrinkled her nose and muttered, “Sounds like a blast.”

  “Since I’m working on Saturday and have today off, I can stick around and give you a hand with your lunch-to-go preparations,” Spencer offered. When Dani started to shake her head, he admonished, “Don’t. I want to do this and you need the help.”

  “Well”—Dani bit back her inclination to turn down any assistance—“thanks.”