Passionate Hearts 1: Romantic Drama and Mystery Collection

by Sandra Ross

  "Yes, sweetheart."

  "I love you."

  "And I love you."

  They both dozed off a little after that until the alarm sounded on Eve's clock radio. Reaching over blindly to hit the off button, Eve rolled over onto her back and spent a little time simply waking up. She wasn't exactly a morning person and never really had been. So it was safe to say that she wouldn't be bounding out of the bed all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

  "It's that time, huh?" asked Hunter sleepily.

  "Yep, that it is," Eve replied. "I'm headed to the shower. Would you like to join me?"

  "When I have ever turned down that particular invitation?" Hunter laughed.

  Eve sat up, swinging her gorgeous toned legs over the side of the bed. Her long dark hair was tangled seductively around her face and she looked mischievously at Hunter from the side of her sexy whisky-colored eyes.

  "Wanna race?" she challenged.

  Hunter was up on his feet and flying toward the bathroom at an unbelievable speed almost before Eve had finished her sentence. She tore off after him. Ducking under his arm at the bathroom entrance, she managed to push him out of the way and win the race once more.

  "You never play fair!" Hunter complained.

  "Sure I do," Eve countered. "It's just that you keep treating me like some fragile creature that will break if you aren't careful. I keep telling you that I'm very good at taking care of myself. Apparently, you're either not listening or you just don't believe me. And that's how I keep winning."

  "Yeah, yeah," Hunter said. "Are we going to take a shower or not?"

  Eve laughed.

  "We are as soon as you turn the water on," she teased.

  The warm spray cascaded over the two of them as they took turns washing each other's bodies. This was something that they had found they both enjoyed. It allowed them to have a reason to touch, as if they needed an excuse for that. But there was just something so sensuous about performing such an intimate act as washing each other that it had almost become a sacred ritual between them.

  Since Eve and Hunter had reconnected a couple of months ago, they had been nearly inseparable. In fact, Hunter was now completing the steps to become a licensed private investigator so that he could be partner at Eve's PI agency. The kidnapping of his niece had changed both of their lives drastically in bringing Hunter a total career change, as well as the plans for a wedding in the spring. After so much pain in the past, life was finally good. For now.

  Wrapped in a bath towel, Eve padded barefoot back into her bedroom. A flashing light caught her eye. Walking toward her nightstand, she saw that her cell phone was alerting her to a voice mail. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she picked up the phone to hear the message.

  "Hey, Eve, this is Chad," a male voice said. "Please call me as soon as you get this. It's really important. I'm at 555-3680. Thanks."

  Hmm, I wonder what that's all about, Eve thought. I better call him back.

  Chad Morrison had been a close friend to Eve for years. They had practically grown up together. After college, when she decided to go into business as a private investigator, Chad had opted for the police academy. He had done quite well for himself, and had just made detective for the homicide squad, the youngest on board.

  His voice had sounded very serious; so serious that an involuntary chill went through her.

  Punching in the numbers, she returned Chad's call. She knew something was very wrong when he answered the call before the first ring had even completed.

  "Morrison," he said abruptly.

  "Hey, Chad, it's me. What's up?"

  "Hey, thanks for calling me back so quickly. I've got a situation here and I need to talk to you," Chad replied. "It's bad, Evie. It's really bad."

  "You're kind of scaring me, Chad," Eve said. "Can't you just tell me what's wrong?"

  She heard Chad sigh deeply before answering her.

  "Do you remember Sara Cranston?"

  "Sara? Sure, we've been out of touch lately, but we were pretty close friends in college and after. Is she okay?"

  "I wouldn't use that term to describe her condition, Eve. She's dead."

  For several seconds, Eve wasn't sure she had heard him correctly.

  "She's dead? What the hell, Chad?"

  "We don't know very much at the moment," he replied. "Her sister found her last night. They were supposed to go out to dinner together. When she got here, Sara didn't answer the door but her sister has a key so she went in. That's when she found her. We've been here all night gathering evidence and trying to piece things together. I'm heading back to the office now."

  "Wow," Eve breathed. "Do you want swing by here on your way?"

  "Yeah, that would probably be best for now. There are a couple of really strange elements involved that you might be able to help with. For now, at least, I'd like to keep this unofficial until we know more. I might want to pull you in later, in a more official capacity."

  "Sure, Chad, I understand. Anything you need."

  "Thanks, Evie. I'll see you in a few minutes."

  She was still sitting on the bed, holding the phone when Hunter joined her. Freshly shaved, he walked over to her wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist.

  "Hey, babe, what's wrong?" he asked.

  "Do you remember Sara Cranston?" she asked.

  "Sara? Oh yeah, she was the one who came over to get your stuff when you moved out," he replied.

  "Yes, that's her."

  "Was that her on the phone?" he asked.

  "No, that was Chad Morrison. He's on his way here to talk. Apparently, Sara was found dead at her house last night."

  "What! Dead? What happened to her?"

  "Chad said it looks like she was murdered but they're not sure what happened."

  Slowly sinking to the bed beside of her, Hunter had a rather shocked look on his face.

  "I'm not even sure what to say."

  "Yeah, I know how you feel. Why would anyone want to hurt Sara?" Eve said almost to herself.

  "Anyway, I need to get dressed," she said. "He's going to be here in a few minutes."

  Hunter nodded absently as she stood up.

  Chapter Two

  APPROXIMATELY TWENTY MINUTES later, Eve was dressed in some form-fitting jeans and a baggy violet sweater and was standing in her kitchen getting coffee started. Just as she pushed the button on the coffee maker, her doorbell rang.

  "Coming," she called, as she hurried toward the front part of the house.

  "Hi, Chad, come on in," she said as she stood aside to let him enter.

  "I appreciate you seeing me on the spur of the moment like this," he said as they hugged.

  "Oh, it's fine," she said. "Hunter and I were already up. In fact, we were getting ready to have some coffee. Would you like some?"

  "Actually, I would love a cup," Chad said. "I need something to keep me fueled, and you certainly make some of the best coffee I've ever had."

  "Flatterer!" Eve laughed. "Come back to the kitchen with me."

  Chad sat down on one of the stools at the bar while Eve poured them both some coffee.

  "So how are you and Hunter getting along?"

  "You know, I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but we're really good. Honestly, Chad, I'm happier than I've ever been in my life. We're getting married in May."

  "Seriously?" Chad looked a little stunned. "That's great, Evie! So I guess love really is better the second time around."

  "Yeah, I'd have to agree with that sentiment."

  "Where is Hunter anyway?"

  "Oh, he'll be down in a minute. He's still getting dressed."

  "Let's wait for him and that way I can tell you both at once what's going on."

  "That works," Eve said, as she sipped her coffee. "I still can't believe that someone would want to hurt Sara."

  "Well, as I said on the phone, we're still not clear on what exactly happened," Chad said. "But she looks pretty bad."

  Just as he said this, Hunter
entered the kitchen.

  "Hey, Chad," he said, as he walked over to get his own cup of coffee.

  "Hunter! It's good to see you, man," Chad said enthusiastically as he rose to shake hands with him.

  Hunter sat by Eve at the bar and picked up her hand.

  "This is so sad about Sara," he said. "I can't believe she's dead. I mean, we had lost touch over the last couple of years, but she was always a sweetheart. Why would anyone want to hurt her?"

  "That's what we're trying to figure out," Chad said. "Her sister found her. She was pretty upset, as you can imagine."

  "What do you know so far, Chad?" Eve asked.

  "From what we can tell, Sara got home from work at her usual time, around 5:30 yesterday evening. A neighbor said she saw her pull into the driveway about then. After that, it's anyone's guess. Her sister, Melanie, got there about an hour later to pick Sara up for dinner. Since no one came to the door, Melanie used her key to unlock the door. She found Sara on the kitchen floor. Sara was already dead but she called 911 anyway."

  "Damn," Hunter said. "Was she shot, stabbed?"

  "Neither one of those," Chad said. "As far as we can tell, the only real injury she seems to have is a very severe, ugly bite mark on her wrist. Not like a bite made from human teeth, though. It was more like an insect bite. There were two deep puncture marks and then some serious swelling, bleeding and bruising at the site. We'll know more once the ME has finished with the autopsy. She's doing that first thing this morning. We need to know as soon as possible what the cause of death is."

  "Of course you do," Eve said sympathetically. "I can't imagine what her family is going through."

  "Yeah, they're taking it pretty hard," Chad said. "That brings me to why I'm here. I want to find answers for Sara's family and I know how good you are at unearthing things no matter how deeply they're buried."

  "Well, most of the time my success rate is pretty good. All I can do is try," Eve said.

  "I was so hoping you'd say that," Chad replied with relief. "What do you need to look into this?"

  "The fastest way is to spend time at the scene. Would that be possible?"

  "Sure, I think I can get you in there without drawing too much attention. They're clearing things out now so everyone should be gone by this afternoon. Will that be okay?"

  "Yes, of course," Eve said. "Hunter and I have to go to the office this morning for a little while. We're going to be interviewing for a receptionist. But I don't think we have any interviews scheduled after around 1."

  "That will work," Chad said. "I'll meet you at your office by 2. We can go over from there."

  "Okay, sure," Eve said. "Would you like some more coffee?"

  "I would, but I've really got to take off. I've got a ton of paperwork to get done and then I'm going to be interviewing possible witnesses. I'm also hoping that the ME will have some preliminary findings for me by later today."

  "Sounds like you've got a heavy day cut out for you," Hunter commented, as he and Eve walked Chad to the door.

  "Yeah, and I've got a feeling that this case is going to get more complicated before it's solved. Thanks for the coffee. I'll see you later this afternoon."

  "We'll be waiting," Eve said.

  Chapter Three

  AS HUNTER AND Eve walked back to the kitchen, they weren't sure what to think about everything that Chad had just told them. Hunter knew that Eve was accustomed to using her ability to help solve cases that seemed impossible to figure out. But he worried about her getting involved in these dangerous ones. He had only just found her again and was terrified of losing her. His problem was that she was used to doing things on her own and she was already pretty resentful of what she termed as his "over protectiveness."

  He didn't want to upset her but he couldn't seem to stop himself. All he wanted was to keep her safe. But, according to the world that Eve Snow resided in, she was perfectly capable of looking after herself and didn't need a knight riding in on a white steed to rescue her. Even if that knight happened to be in the form of Hunter Vale. He wanted to stop pissing her off, but he was the kind of man that couldn't stand by when someone he loved was in danger.

  Hunter knew that Eve was capable. She was trained in all sorts of self-defense techniques and certainly had shown just how well-prepared she was when it came to various situations. But she was so damned independent. Why couldn't she see that he was only trying to work with her so that they could both stay safe? This was something that they really did need to work on.

  Eve was busy making cinnamon toast while Hunter whipped up a couple of omelets. Cooking together had become a favorite pastime for them and they had fallen into somewhat of routine. They worked well together in the kitchen and created many delectable meals. In a very short time, people were eager to be invited to any dinner parties or barbeques that the couple was having. Their cooking had already become the talk of certain circles in town.

  This morning, though, they worked together quietly, each lost in thought about the horrible thing that had happened to Sara. As they ate, they bounced various theories off of each other as to what could possibly have caused Sara's death and who could have been responsible.

  "I guess we'll just have to wait to see what the ME has to say," Eve finally acknowledged. "Chad promised to call as soon as he knows anything. But we've got some interviews to conduct."

  "Yes, that we do," Hunter replied. "We better take off because the first applicant is due in about 10 minutes."

  "Dammit," Eve swore. "I had no idea it was so late! I'll meet you at the car!"

  "Okay," Hunter said. "Which car are we taking?"

  "Let's take mine," Eve replied. "I just need to go grab my bag."

  Fifteen minutes later, they were entering Eve's PI office. She turned off the alarm as Hunter headed back to the kitchenette to get some coffee going. They had also decided to set out a simple assortment of pastries for their applicants.

  No sooner had they set up the reception area than the first applicant arrived.

  Three hours later, they had gone through many applicants without any hopeful winners in sight. So far, they had talked with an 18year old young lady who would be graduating high school in the spring. She was looking for a way "to kill time" during the summer before started college in the fall. An older woman looked promising until the end of the interview when she asked if it would alright if she brought in her grandkids because she also babysat for her daughter on occasion. A man wasn't interested in running the office but wanted to get his private investigator's license and "join the team as an investigator."

  "Well, this morning has certainly been a bust," Eve sighed, as she leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on her desk. "We're never going to find anyone at this rate."

  "I know it seems that way," Hunter offered. "But we've still got a couple more applicants to see."

  He picked up the next application in the stack and scanned it.

  "The next one is due in about five minutes," he said. "Her name is Skylar Carson. She looks pretty good on paper. Here, have a look."

  Sitting up in her chair, Eve took the resume and started reading.

  "Okay, says she's good with computers and has excellent organizational skills," Eve murmured. "I'm afraid to get my hopes up, though."

  At that moment, they heard the outer door open.

  "Looks like we're about to find out if she's the one or not," Hunter said as he stood up.

  Eve joined him and they both went into the front of the office to greet their newest applicant. No one could have prepared them for Ms. Skylar Carson. In fact, they were both struck dumb as soon as they set eyes on her. Eve was the one to recover first.

  "Hi, I'm Eve Snow and this is Hunter Vale," she said as she held out her hand. "You must be Skylar."

  "Yeah, I must be," the young woman said as she shook Eve's hand and then Hunter's.

  She seemed to be rather amused at their reaction to her.

  "I'm so sorry for staring like this," Eve said
.

  "Oh, it's cool," Skylar answered. "I get that a lot."

  Skylar Carson was one of the most unique people she had ever seen up close and personal. She was model tall. She easily stood a head above Eve and was nearly able to look Hunter straight in the eyes. Her body was lean and fit while still retaining a feminine appearance. She had a very arresting face. While not being beautiful in the strictest sense of the word, it was definitely a face that one would be drawn to and wouldn't be forgotten. Her cheekbones were exquisitely sculpted to create an unusual definition to her face. Full lips created a sultry and rather sardonic look. Deep red hair was cut into a short, spiky style that somehow suited her perfectly.

  Yet, it was her eyes that caught and held one's attention.

  Her left eye was a gorgeous emerald green while her right eye was the blue of a summer's day sky.

  "It's Waardenburg Syndrome," she said.

  "Excuse me?" Hunter said.

  "You're looking at my eyes. I have Waardenburg Syndrome. That's what causes the two different colored eyes."

  "Oh, yeah," Eve said slowly. "I've heard of that. It might sound odd but on you, it totally works!"

  Skylar managed a half grin.

  "Thanks," she said.

  Eve thought it was kind of funny that the many tattoos and piercings that Skylar was sporting didn't outshine those eyes. Once you looked into them, you didn't notice the rest.

  She was dressed in jeans and a tank top that showed off quite bit of her ink and had several piercings in her ears and one eyebrow. Eve strong suspected that the girl may also be wearing some nipple rings but she wasn't about to ask. She could just imagine the sort of immediate impression that Skylar would make on prospective clients. That leather jacket Skylar was carrying over her shoulder looked like it had seen some action in the past.

  "So I guess you're here about the job," Eve said.

  "Yeah, I'm kind of in-between gigs right now and this one sounded like a kick."

  Hunter made some sort of strange choking noise and Eve ignored him.

  "Well, let's go back to the office so we can talk more," she said.

  Leading the way, Eve motioned for Skylar to follow. Hunter brought up the rear. He didn't look particularly enthusiastic about this turn of events but Eve didn't really care. There was something about this young woman that Eve was starting to like more and more.