The Sierra Files Box Set: Books 1-3: Plus a bonus Christmas novella!

by Christy Barritt

  The countdown continued to tick away in my head, as well. That note I’d found with Freckle’s collar indicated I had to have this information ready to turn over by the end of the day tomorrow. I’d do whatever it took to find what I needed.

  That’s why I knocked at Sage’s apartment door, and Thyme answered a moment later. “Hi, it’s Sierra. I stopped by earlier this week.”

  She nodded behind her. “Of course. Come in.”

  I stepped inside the apartment, letting the AC wash over me. I couldn’t help but quickly glance over at the area where I’d bled on her carpet. From where I stood, it appeared the plant still covered the spot. I let out a mental whew and resisted the urge to wipe imaginary sweat from my forehead.

  I turned to Thyme. “How are you?”

  “Been better.” She shrugged, seeming melancholy.

  I glanced around the room and saw no evidence that someone else was here. No suitcases or plane tickets or extra sets of car keys. “Where’s the rest of the family? I thought they were coming into town.”

  She lowered herself onto the couch and motioned for me to do the same. I sat in the chair across from her instead and waited for her to continue.

  “My brother’s in town and so is my mom. That’s about it. They’re staying at a hotel, though. They said staying here would be too painful. Too many reminders of Sage, you know? I can hardly bring myself to pack up her things.” Her gaze met mine again. “What can I do for you?”

  “I was wondering if you had an update on the cat? Would you like for me to bring him back over?” And maybe a few more cats in the meantime until this craziness in my life passes over? Of course, I didn’t say that last part.

  “That’s right. I know I can’t have any animals at my place, not if I want to breathe. Let me check with my brother and mom today. It totally slipped my mind.”

  “Sure thing. It must be frustrating being allergic to cats, especially since your sister loved them so much.”

  She shrugged. “Cats have never been my thing. My sister was the one who went crazy over them.”

  “I guess you had to take allergy medicine before you visited her, huh?”

  “I always told her that I wasn’t going to put medicine in my body, just so a cat’s life could be more pleasant. Oh no, I’m an all-natural kind of girl. I don’t even like to take vitamins.”

  “So what did you guys do?”

  “If she wanted me to come visit, she had to change something about the cat. Like, keep him locked up. Thankfully, Ernest agreed with me. He was allergic, too.”

  I made a mental note of that fact. “Sage kept Mr. Mouser locked up when you visited?”

  “Mr. Mouser was supposedly hypoallergenic. He still made my allergies go crazy, though.”

  So Sage had purchased one of those hypoallergenic cats herself. Interesting.

  Thyme shook her head. “Anyway, enough of that. I wanted to mention that the funeral is Saturday.”

  My hopes deflated at the conversation change. Still, I had learned a few new things. I forced a smile. “Thanks. People at the office have been asking.”

  She shook her head. “I still can’t believe I’m having to plan my sister’s funeral. I’m supposed to be in Aruba right now. So much for my dream vacation.”

  “I’m sorry. Were you and Sage close?”

  She picked at a string on the couch cushion. “Close enough. I mean, we fought like cats and dogs when we were young. But we’d gotten close over the past few years. Hard times will do that to people.”

  “You mean, after she was accused of killing her husband?” I licked my lips, wondering if my approach had been the best one. But, for a moment, I had a feeling I looked more like a cat eyeing a canary for lunch than someone asking a casual question.

  Her eyes widened. “You know about that?”

  I nodded, hoping I hadn’t just offended her. Or looked like a cat on the prowl, for that matter. “I do. It sounds like a difficult time.”

  “No one else stood beside her during that trial, so I did. Sisters are supposed to stick together, you know? Sisters look out for each other.”

  “Not even your mom or brother supported her during the trial?”

  “They were there too. But most people thought she was guilty.”

  Ouch. “You thought she loved Ernest, despite their age difference?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. It was weird. But I think he got her. She glowed when she was around him.”

  Someone had once told me that I glowed around Chad. Maybe unlikely pairs could work. Or maybe they’d literally end up just killing each other.

  “Thyme, I heard Ernest left Sage a lot of money, but she donated all of it to charities.”

  Thyme nodded. “She did. That way there would be no hard feelings from his family and people would stop calling her a gold digger. She had to get a job again, start working and fend for herself.”

  “Still, that must have been a hard choice. I mean, Ernest had a lot of money.”

  “My sister didn’t mind working. She even worked while they were married. But she was also clever. She did donate all of the money, but she set up her own nonprofit as a part of that.”

  I blinked, unsure if I’d heard her correctly. “Why would she do that?”

  And why was Thyme being so forthcoming with the information?

  “To ensure she still had money to use as she saw fit. She said there were a few things that needed some funding and that Ernest would understand.”

  Wow, Sage was a little devious. I wasn’t sure if I was impressed or appalled. “Did she use it for her own personal gain?”

  “Not really. I mean, look at her apartment. She wasn’t living a rich lifestyle. No, she saw herself more as a crusader, and she had some projects she was working on. She named me as the President for this nonprofit, and then used the funds to accomplish what she needed to accomplish.”

  “And what was that? What was she trying to accomplish?”

  Thyme shrugged again. “I’m not sure. She never really said. What she said, exactly, was that it was a better idea if I didn’t know.”

  “No hints even?”

  “Only that no one was going to rake her husband’s name through the mud and make him look foolish.”

  What if this somehow tied in with Paws and Fur Balls? What if Ernest had donated money to the organization, but Bryan had somehow mishandled the funds? Bryan was the one, after all, who made most of the financial decisions for the company. He’d said I could look at the books, but he could be trying to throw me off of his trail. I wondered, for that matter, if the nonprofit I worked for had ever utilized the lab where Andre worked? Somehow, this all tied in together.

  Another theory started to surface in my mind. What if Tom found out about this nonprofit that Sage set up? What if he wanted to get the ultimate revenge on his stepmom? Money could truly make people do horrible things.

  “Thyme, did any of Ernest’s children ever find out about the nonprofit?”

  She shrugged. “Not that I know of. They’d be burning mad if they did.”

  “What about his youngest son? Do you know him?”

  “Tom? Sure I do. He was the nastiest one out of them all. He loves money, and don’t let him tell you any different. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was the one who poisoned Ernest.”

  “You think he would kill his own dad?”

  “For money? Sure I do. The man lives for money. He’d sell his soul to be rich.”

  I nodded, more motives and theories solidifying in my head. “Thanks for your time.”

  Just as I left, my cell phone rang. It was Chad. I wanted to avoid talking to him. I hated the way my heart thudded with sadness when I thought about our time apart. I hadn’t realized just how much I cared about him until I wasn’t with him anymore. But I didn’t want him to track me down again.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Sierra?” Chad sounded confused. Who had he expected to answer? A police officer who would inform him I’d died?


  “Yes?”

  “You don’t sound like yourself.”

  “I’m just irritated.” I unlocked my car, but checked the backseat before getting inside. It was clear.

  “Sorry to hear that. You’re staying safe, right?”

  Maybe he did care. “I’m trying to.”

  “Not to sound like a broken record, but any updates on someone to take the cats? My landlord just stopped by again. I really think the farther you are away from your cats right now, the safer all of you will be.”

  “I’m working on it.” I really needed to move that up on my priority list. “I’m really sorry, Chad.”

  I miss you. I love you. I wish I could hit a rewind button. I didn’t say the words, though. Why was I so stubborn?

  “I thought you might say that, so I had an idea. I’m going to take the cats to Pastor Randy’s house. He offered to keep them there and said that cats don’t bother him.”

  “But—” I locked my doors before cranking my engine.

  “I don’t have any other choice. My landlord gave me an ultimatum. You know where Pastor Randy lives, right?”

  My soul felt numb. “Yes, I do.”

  “Perfect.” He paused, and an eternity seemed to pass in that moment. “Do you have any time to talk tonight, Sierra?”

  I almost said yes. But then I remembered Freckles. I remembered how my time was ticking away. I’d have to talk to Chad after I got my cat back. I had no other choice.

  “I’m kind of busy tonight. Maybe on Saturday?” Meg’s words came back to me. If someone didn’t love my cats, I’d know they weren’t the love of my life. My heart lurched at the thought.

  “Really? You can’t even spare a few minutes?” His voice sounded calm but confused.

  My heart squeezed. “Unfortunately, no.”

  “Is this because you’re searching for your cat still?”

  “You know how much they mean to me.”

  His silence said enough. It set me on edge. Made me feel judged and inadequate.

  “Chad, why are you acting like this?” I finally asked.

  “Why am I acting like this? Me? I’ve been bending over backwards to appease you.”

  Fire rushed through my blood. “Appease me? You just want me to do things your way.”

  “You mean because I want you to go to the police? That’s only because I care about you, Sierra. Why can’t you see that?”

  “If you cared about me, you’d stop trying to get me to choose between my cats and the police. You would try harder to understand the position I’m in!”

  “I’ve been biting my tongue. I’ve been trying to be nice even though I’ve only felt hostility from you. I don’t think you would have given me the time of day this week if I hadn’t been taking care of your cats. I feel like you’re taking advantage of me.”

  I hit my hand against the steering wheel. “I’m taking advantage of you? All you’ve done is insult my cats and made me feel like I’m an inconvenience to you.”

  “Insult them? Are you crazy? I’ve gone out of my way to take care of them and try to make you happy. I wish the sentiment was reciprocated.”

  He’d gone out of his way? He was the crazy one. He’d just thrown me a bone and tried to pacify me.

  “All I’ve heard is you complaining about how I’m not who you want me to be. You want to change me! Even worse—you want to control me!” I sucked in a deep breath before blurting, “You’re just like my father!”

  I didn’t know where the words came from. From some place deep and painful, apparently. I hadn’t truly realized how much of the way I was acting stemmed from my childhood. From hurt places in me. From my desire to rebel against people’s expectations.

  Silence stretched between us. I was breathing deeply, my heart pounding rapidly, and my thoughts racing.

  “Sierra—” Chad started.

  “I’ve got to go,” I blurted.

  I hit the END button. I had to stop doing that. Every time I turned around, I was hastily ending my phone calls with Chad in an effort to avoid talking about things I didn’t want to talk about.

  As I stared at my phone, I felt worse than ever. What was wrong with me? I had the ability to make things right, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to have to choose between my furry friends and the man of my dreams. Besides that, he wasn’t even asking me to. Not really, at least.

  That made me dumb.

  Despite the fact I’d graduated from Yale.

  That I’d won awards.

  That my IQ was about 20 points higher than the average person’s.

  And what was all of that about Chad being like my dad? I squeezed back tears. Maybe it had to do with the fact that the man who’d played the biggest role in my upbringing had never accepted me for who I was. He’d wanted me to be the person he’d dreamed for me.

  A doctor, just like him. To marry a good Japanese man. To live a quiet life.

  Instead, I was a noisy, single animal rights activist.

  My dad and I almost never spoke anymore except sometimes on holidays.

  Though I was proud of my accomplishments and who I’d become, the fact always lingered in the back of my mind that the one person who should love me unconditionally, didn’t love me at all. He’d practically shunned me and, in return, I’d shunned him, as well.

  I pushed aside those thoughts. I didn’t need a man in my life. Not my dad. Not Chad. Not anyone.

  Right now, I had to think of my cats. Here I hadn’t wanted to investigate. I’d wanted to let the police handle this.

  But then someone had to pull my cats into this.

  Where now? I could stop by Paws and Fur Balls. But perhaps my energy would be best spent at the moment if I looked out for the rights—and lives—of my own animals. After all, that’s what I did for a career. I was an animal rights activist. Sometimes, you had to take care of your own. I would not be my parents.

  With that in mind, I swung by Harbor Park—the stadium where our minor league baseball team the Tides played—and bought a ticket. I had suspicions that Tom was hiding something and that his vacation here in Virginia Beach was no accident. He’d claimed he got here Saturday evening, but why should I believe him?

  My theory was that he’d found out about the nonprofit Sage had set up. What she’d done was slimy; even I had to admit that. And it just might have been enough to put Tom over the edge. She came across looking like a saint, all the while she still had access to some of her former husband’s money.

  Amidst the smell of hot dogs, popcorn, and an organ playing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” I searched for Tom. I spotted him behind first base, sitting with a plump brunette and a gangly preteen holding a baseball mitt. A free seat beside Tom seemed to call my name, so I plopped down there, as if I belonged.

  He did a double take when he saw me.

  “Hello, Tom,” I muttered.

  Sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. “You? What are you doing here?”

  “I have a few more questions.”

  He looked over his shoulder. “Did you follow me?”

  “No, I saw the tickets in your hands when I met with you earlier this week.”

  His wife—a regal, almost mean looking woman with coifed brown hair—peered over at me and scowled. “Did you bring a friend, Tom?”

  “Long story,” he muttered. “How about we take a quick walk?”

  I smiled brightly. “It sounds like a plan.”

  We climbed the steps to the upper deck and wandered between the crowds. I could feel the nervous energy radiating off of Tom as we walked. “Why are you here, Sierra?”

  “Tom, I know that Sage—or maybe I should call her Anise—set up a supposed nonprofit and then donated a large portion of your father’s money to that organization.”

  He scowled ever so slightly before catching himself and neutralizing his expression. “That’s the first I’ve ever heard of such.”

  “I don’t think that’s true. In fact, I think that’s why you pl
anned your vacation here, to the very area where she moved. I think you wanted to confront her about it.”

  “That’s crazy. Why would I do that? What good would it do for me to confront her? The money is rightfully hers.” He tugged at the bill of his baseball cap. The hat covered his receding hairline and made him look about ten years younger.

  I shrugged. “If it makes you feel any better, she wasn’t living extravagantly. In fact, I’m pretty sure she was living off of the money she made at Paws and Fur Balls. I’m not sure what she was using that other money for.”

  He stared at me.

  “Did you come here just to kill her and get your final revenge?” Maybe I should learn to be more subtle? On second thought, there was a time to be subtle and a time to be direct. Now wasn’t the time to hold back.

  That accusation seemed to jostle him to life. “Are you out of your mind? I would never kill someone!”

  “But you did know that she’d funneled that money into another account?”

  He stared at me again before slowly nodding. “Yes, I did know about that. I wasn’t happy. But I didn’t kill her. I just wanted to talk to her.”

  “And tell her what a lousy human being she was? I read some of the articles on the court case. I think you were the most upset of all your siblings.” The articles hadn’t said that, but I didn’t want to throw Thyme under the bus, so to speak.

  “Yeah, I was upset.” His face reddened as he crossed his arms. “I don’t deny that.”

  “So that whole story about your friend who’d won the lottery? You made that up?” We stopped in front of a gift shop to finish our conversation.

  “No, I actually did have a friend who won the lottery. He did end up with a miserable life. But here’s the whole truth. My stepmom,” he said the word with disdain, “didn’t deserve that money. My brother and sisters and I did. Anise—Sage, as you guys call her—swept into my dad’s life for a couple of years and ended up with his entire fortune. She had my dad wrapped around her little finger.”

  I moved to the side as a family of six squeezed past. “It sounds to me like it’s your dad you should be mad at. Why in the world didn’t he have you in his will?”