Covert Kisses

by Jane Godman

  Cameron returned his stare. “I don’t remember mentioning a murder.”

  He knew he hadn’t. When they had met Grant on the highway in Park County, he and Laurie had both talked about a serious crime that she was staying in Stillwater to investigate. Neither of them had been specific about what that crime was.

  Grant’s smile vanished in a heartbeat to be replaced by a cold, hard, dangerous look that needed no interpretation. The intent behind it was so clear that Bryce shifted in his seat as though preparing to make a move to get between Grant and his brother.

  Then, with a short laugh, Grant drained his beer. “It’s been nice, but I can’t stay. Can I use your bathroom before I go, Vincente?”

  “Sure. You know where it is.”

  Vincente cast a worried look in Cameron’s direction. The bathroom was along the hall, close to the bedroom where Laurie was hiding. As Grant made his way out of the room, Vincente held his hands palms up and shrugged in a helpless gesture. “What could I do? I couldn’t refuse.” He whispered the words.

  “When he’s gone you need to tell us exactly what this is all about.” Bryce kept his own voice low. “That look he gave you was more venomous than a rattlesnake about to strike.”

  They fell silent, listening for Grant returning. When the bathroom door opened and they heard his boots on the wooden floor, Vincente leaped to his feet. “He’s not coming this way. He’s heading for the bedroom.”

  The three brothers dashed along the hall and through the open door of Vincente’s bedroom. Grant paused with his hand on the door handle of the en suite bathroom. “I heard a noise in here.”

  Vincente stepped forward, drawing himself up to his full height. “Don’t you need a warrant to search my property, Sheriff Becker?” Cameron had heard that chilly tone in Vincente’s voice many times, but he had never been glad of it until now.

  Grant gave a blustering laugh. “Come on, Vincente. This is me. We’re friends.”

  Vincente didn’t answer. Just stood there with his arms folded across his chest. Bryce stepped up and stood next to him, adopting the same stance. Cameron felt a lump rise in his throat. His brothers were coming through for him. He moved into place next to Bryce. The three Delaney brothers.

  It took us long enough to get to this point, but when we work together, we make a formidable team.

  Grant’s hand dropped from the doorknob, and he shrugged. “Just trying to help a friend.”

  “I’ll show you out.” Vincente stood to one side, making room so Grant could walk past him.

  Grant moved slowly toward the door. As he passed Cameron, he looked him fully in the eye, all pretense gone. His gaze was pure malice.

  “I’ll see you around.” He raised his voice slightly so it would carry through the bathroom door. “Both of you.”

  Chapter 12

  Laurie braced herself against the narrow walls of the bathroom. With her hands pressed up against the tile, she was ready to kick out with both feet if anyone came through the door. When she had heard those booted footsteps coming toward the bedroom, some deep-seated instinct had told her it was Grant, and with lightning-fast reflexes, she had taken refuge in this room.

  Why the hell did I leave my gun back at the cabin?

  Moreton’s murder had unsettled her more than she had initially recognized, throwing everything she thought she knew about herself off balance. She felt like an amateur, a rookie, a kid playing at being a cop. Leaving her gun behind was a stupid mistake. Now she was holed up in this tiny bathroom and on the other side of the door was a man who, if her instincts were correct, had killed at least seven other women. Grant had her backed into a corner like a frightened animal.

  Cameron is out there. He won’t let anything happen to me. She clung to that certainty, forcing herself to think rationally, calming her quivering nerves and biting back the cry that rose to her lips as a hand tried the door. Grant could hardly murder her here in Vincente’s bathroom, or drag her out by her hair with the three Delaney brothers standing by. Her rational self knew he wouldn’t try.

  She suspected what he wanted to do was to intimidate her by looking her in the eye or putting his hands on her when no one else was around. To show her what was to come when he finally did get her alone. Possibly he hoped to drive a wedge between Cameron and his brothers by convincing Vincente and Bryce that Laurie was unstable, that she wasn’t a cop at all. Maybe he would try to convince them she wasn’t even Carla’s cousin, that she was an impostor who had duped Cameron into believing Grant was some sort of villain for her own reasons. Probably because she was out to get her hands on Cameron’s money by using her likeness to Carla to play on his grief.

  Laurie had no doubt Cameron was right when he said Grant would arrest her on any trumped-up charge if he got the opportunity. With no badge, no ID and no way of contacting her captain or the FBI, she couldn’t prove who she was. Not fast enough to get her out of his clutches before he could spirit her away to wherever he had taken the other women, anyway.

  She heard Vincente’s voice on the other side of the door, although she couldn’t make out what he was saying, then Grant’s mumbled response. Finally, his voice rose on an aggressive note so she could hear him. There was no mistaking the threat in those words when he said he would see them around. Silence followed, then the door handle turned again.

  “Laurie, it’s me. Open up.”

  She realized her arms were shaking with the effort of supporting her body weight against the wall in preparation to lash out if Grant should appear in the door frame. When she released the lock and Cameron’s dark head appeared instead, she relaxed her stance, swaying toward him.

  He caught hold of her. “It’s okay. He’s gone.”

  “He knew I was in here.” The words were muffled as she pressed her face into his chest, inhaling his scent, assuring herself that he was here, that he was real and she was secure in his arms.

  Her hands tightly clutched the front of his shirt, and he held them gently, pressing a kiss onto her knuckles. The action grounded her, restoring her confidence that she was safe.

  “We owe Vincente and Bryce an explanation,” Cameron said.

  Laurie nodded, even though she wanted to stay here with him, wrapped in the reassuring bubble of his nearness. She lifted her head, scanning his face, seeing strength and understanding. It stunned her all over again that he was prepared to forget why she had come here and help her.

  He is my white knight. The thought flitted in and out of her mind, fleeting and troubling. She tried to catch hold of it, sensing it had a deeper meaning, possibly one that had nothing to do with Cameron, but it was gone. He was right. It was about time they told his brothers what was going on.

  Vincente and Bryce both looked shocked at what had just unfolded before them. Their expressions grew increasingly more astonished as Cameron explained what he and Laurie had discovered about Carla’s death and the other missing women. His brothers listened in silence while he summarized everything they knew. Laurie’s eyes went from Vincente’s expressionless face to Bryce’s stormy one. Did they believe what he was saying? Or would they come down on the side of their childhood friend, Grant? Would they choose instead to believe she had brainwashed Cameron in attempt to come between him and his friend?

  Bryce spoke first. “You think he is selecting these women because of how they look?”

  “You believe us?” Laurie felt the tension ooze out of her muscles. She hadn’t realized how tightly coiled her body had been until now, when she allowed herself to relax.

  “I’m not sure I would have been able to accept what you’re telling me, if I hadn’t seen that look on his face. It didn’t last long, but I have no doubt he wanted to kill you in that instant, Cam.”

  “And he had no reason to go into my bedroom unless he was looking for Laurie. If he really did hear a nois
e, why not just come back in here and tell me?” Vincente nodded his agreement. “Of course we believe you.”

  “Thank you.” Laurie felt a sudden sting of tears at the back of her eyes, and blinked them away. “I’m not sure I believe it all myself sometimes.”

  Cameron took over, returning to Bryce’s question. “There’s no doubt he chooses them for their looks. All of these women have dark hair and blue eyes, but many women have that coloring. There has to be something more to it than that. Something else about them appeals to him.” He shifted position slightly, so he was facing Vincente. “We think Beth Wade could be one of the victims.”

  “Beth?” Vincente sat up straighter, and Laurie could see the name had a profound impact on him. “What makes you say that?”

  “She disappeared suddenly four months ago. At the time it looked like she just up and left town without a word to anyone. You knew her well. Was that the kind of thing she’d do?”

  Vincente shook his head. “Hell, no. Not Beth. She’s the most conscientious person I know. It was totally out of character for her to leave her clients in the lurch like that. Everyone said so at the time.”

  He slumped in his chair with his chin sunk down onto his chest. Cameron exchanged a meaningful look with Laurie. It looked more likely than ever that Beth was one of the victims.

  “So Grant is the reason we can’t go to the police about Warren and Nichols?” Bryce drew their attention neatly back to the other problem facing them.

  “He’s the main reason, but, like I said, the publicity fallout from this could ruin us. I’d rather deal with it ourselves. For now,” Cameron said.

  “How the hell are we supposed to do that?” Vincente dragged himself back into the conversation with a visible effort. “Sounds like these guys have quite an operation going.”

  “Bryce summed it up earlier when he said Warren and Nichols must have done this before. They didn’t just meet up when they started working for us and think this whole thing up over a few beers. They targeted Delaney Transportation,” Cameron said. “Where did they come from? Who recommended them to you?”

  “They both came from a firm called Monroe Haulage in Colorado. I hired a few drivers from the same company around the same time. Monroe was laying men off. Like I said, Warren and Nichols came with great references.” Vincente’s expression clouded over. “You think I was set up?”

  “I think it’s likely Monroe Haulage never existed, that it was a front for whatever dodgy activities Warren and Nichols were into.” Cameron leaned forward, his expression sympathetic as he looked at Vincente. “It’s possible the police were onto them in Colorado and they were looking for a legitimate business where they could shift this venture, keep it going and be less obvious. We were the unlucky firm they chose.”

  “You mean I was the lamebrain who fell for it.” Following on from the revelations about Beth Wade, Vincente looked to be in danger of sinking into a pit of despair.

  “You couldn’t have known,” Cameron insisted. “The important thing now is we put a stop to it.”

  “How?” Bryce’s single word cut across the room like a gunshot. “If we can’t go to the police, how are we meant to close this down and still make sure these bastards get what’s coming to them?”

  “The first thing is to get rid of Warren and Nichols. I don’t care what made-up charge you use. Fire those guys tomorrow along with any drivers who came from this Monroe Haulage along with them.”

  “If we fire them, they’ll walk away and find somewhere else to start up their evil business. Plus, they get away with everything they’ve done in the past.” Bryce’s frown summed up exactly what he thought of Cameron’s plan.

  “I’m not proposing we let them walk away unscathed. I think the three of us should pay them a little visit.” Cameron glanced from Vincente to Bryce, securing their agreement. “Just to be quite sure they know we’re onto them. And when this business with Grant is over, Laurie will be free to file a full report.” He flashed that devastating grin her way. “I hope you’ll be able to minimize the damage to Delaney Transportation once Warren and Nichols no longer work for us. I don’t want to be in a position where we don’t cooperate with the police—this whole business Warren and Nichols have been operating is too big and too nasty for that. I just want to buy a little time before our involvement becomes necessary.”

  Laurie nodded. “It will be the least I can do.” If we get through this in one piece. Somehow, her mind refused to let her imagine the future. Having just escaped Grant’s clutches, she couldn’t picture anything beyond the next ten minutes. “What about the old Dawson ranch? They could still use that place as their base.”

  Cameron laughed. “I’ll tell Chief Wilkinson there’s a rumor a group of local kids have been driving over there to drink and make out. He’ll have someone checking the place out on a regular basis like a shot.” He looked at his brothers. “You both know what an old puritan he is.”

  Bryce appeared to be turning things over in his mind. “I don’t like it, but I guess until the bigger problem of making sure Laurie is safe gets resolved, it will have to do.”

  “On the subject of Laurie, what happens next?” Vincente asked. “You can’t hide from Grant forever.”

  “We need to find something that links him to the disappearance, and presumably the death, of these women. We wondered if you might be able to help with that,” Laurie said. “You’re one of his closest friends. Is there anywhere you can think that he might have taken these women, either to kill them or to dispose of their bodies? Some place to which he feels a connection?”

  Vincente was silent for a few minutes, frowning in an effort to concentrate. When he spoke, his voice started out hesitant. “I’m not sure if this is important. I used to go hunting with Grant, but I lost interest in it over recent years.” He gave a soft laugh. “Funnily enough, it was Beth who convinced me to give it up. She was fiercely against any blood sports.” He seemed to make an effort to shake off a memory. “Anyhow, around the same time Beth was campaigning for me to stop hunting, Grant was starting to act weird.”

  “Weird in what way?”

  “It was like he had a ritual. No matter what we were hunting, or where we were heading, we had to meet in the same place. Even if we were going fishing up on Wilderness Lake, he’d insist on starting out miles away, out by the Hope Valley coal mine—”

  “What?” Cameron’s interruption startled Laurie into turning her attention away from Vincente.

  “I know.” Vincente nodded. “It’s crazy. You have to go five miles out of town to get to the old coal mine, then double back in the opposite direction to head toward Wilderness Lake. So much easier to just take a direct route...” He trailed off. “But I get the feeling that’s not why you interrupted me.”

  “When I saw Chief Wilkinson yesterday, he was complaining he’d received a letter from Mrs. Martin about mysterious lights and spooky noises. Mrs. Martin has the last house along the Hope Valley road. It runs close to an abandoned coal mine,” Cameron explained to Laurie.

  “I guess we know where we need to start looking tomorrow.” Laurie didn’t know whether to feel excited or dispirited. “Although a disused mine doesn’t sound the easiest place to search.”

  “It could be worse. This was a small mine, and following a campaign by myself and the council members, it was cleaned up and the mineshaft made safe about five years ago. Its advantages to anyone looking for privacy are going to be its remote location and the fact the only people who go there are mine-exploration enthusiasts. It’s not the prettiest place. Although when we were kids, it had the element of danger that the more scenic locations nearby couldn’t offer.”

  Cameron gave a nostalgic shake of his head before he continued. “Dad threatened to tan our backsides until we couldn’t sit down for a week if we ever went out there, but Grant didn’t have anyone to impos
e those boundaries on him. He was always boasting about how far down into the mineshaft he’d been and trying to get me to go with him.”

  Vincente laughed. “I’m guessing Dad’s threat kept you away?”

  “You guessed right.” The three brothers shared a sentimental smile.

  “How long ago was it that Grant started insisting you went out there before you went on your hunting trips?” Laurie asked Vincente.

  “That’s the strange thing. He didn’t always do it. It was a habit that must have started around three and a half years ago.”

  “About the time Lisa Lambert went missing,” Laurie said. “We think she was the first girl to disappear,” she explained to Vincente and Bryce.

  “You mean he could have been going there as some sort of celebration? Knowing her body was there?” Vincente’s face paled. “And taking me with him? My God, was he hoping that on some level I’d share his sick enjoyment?”

  Cameron placed a hand on his brother’s knee. “He’s a killer, Vincente. He can’t help himself. Probably your presence was unimportant.” He glanced at the clock, then at Laurie. “We’d better get going. If we’re going out to the Hope Valley mine tomorrow, I want to make an early start.”

  “Where are you staying?” Bryce asked.

  “Uncle Frankie’s cabin.”

  “I’d forgotten that old place existed. You’re certainly well hidden up there.” Bryce laughed. “I’ll walk out with you.” He turned to Vincente. “We have a busy day tomorrow, as well. Let’s nail those bastards Warren and Nichols.”

  Vincente nodded, gripping his arm briefly. He turned to Cameron. “Look after yourself.”

  Cameron nodded. “I intend to.”

  Laurie sensed a shift in mood between the three brothers. In the few hours they’d been together in the apartment, the antagonism between them had been replaced by a new camaraderie. She hadn’t known them long, but she hoped it lasted. Walking out into the darkness between the two tall figures of Cameron and Bryce, she felt comfortable and protected.