Despite all logic, the realization twisted my gut.
Life was rarely as simple as I longed for it to be. The more relationships I was tangled in, the more complex it seemed to grow.
The two men exchanged courteous nods.
“What’s going on?” Chase asked. “It sounded urgent.”
“I knew you’d want to see this right away.” I handed him my phone.
His countenance grew dark as he looked at the screen. “This is the confirmation we need that something is wrong. I’ll put my IT guys on it and see if they can trace anything. Don’t get your hopes up.”
“I won’t.”
Chase called someone into the office to run the photo and he chatted a few minutes with his captain in the hallway.
Just as Chase walked back in, Drew’s phone beeped. He glanced at his own screen and then stood. “Would you excuse me a minute? It’s my brother, and he says it’s urgent.”
“Of course,” I said.
When he left, Chase stared at me, tension shifting awkwardly between us.
“After all we talked about, you’re still with him?” Chase whispered. “Have you lost your mind?”
“I’m trying to give him the benefit of doubt.”
“I hope this Prince Charming of yours doesn’t get you killed.”
“Prince Charming?”
He scowled. “I see the way you look at each other.”
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but you’re the one who made the decision about our relationship. Maybe I called it off, but you refused to commit.”
His brow furrowed. “Did you want me to lie to you and tell you that I was looking for forever when I can hardly navigate a single week?”
My pulse pounded in my ears as emotions waged within me. Fire rushed through my veins. “What’s that mean?”
He leaned close. “It just means I knew it wouldn’t be fair to drag you into my life.”
“Isn’t that what relationships are? Two broken people dealing with each other’s brokenness together?” I caught my voice rising and lowered it. Drew’s voice echoed in the hallway.
Chase’s gaze softened. “You deserve better than what I can give you right now. You deserve someone like Drew.”
I crossed my arms, not willing to let him off the hook that easily. “Even if that’s true, you have no room to talk.”
“What does that mean?” Chase bristled this time.
Did I have to spell it out for him? Apparently, I did. “I saw the lipstick on your collar the other night, Chase.”
“Lipstick on my collar? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He sounded honestly confused.
I let out a mental sigh. “It was bright pink. I’m not sure how you could miss it.”
“Maybe it was from when I had to rescue a woman who’d nearly jumped off a bridge and she clung to me so tightly I feared she might take both of us down.”
Guilt pounded through me. “Oh.”
Silence stretched. So many thoughts clashed in my head. This had been the most candid conversation we’d had in a long time, and it was way overdue.
Thoughts about how we’d gotten to this place. This awkward place when we’d both been filled with so much warmth at one time. For a moment, I mourned for what I’d lost. For what we’d lost.
“We’re going to have to learn to work together, aren’t we?” I finally said. “This isn’t easy.”
“It’s not easy. I’m sorry for snapping.”
“Me too. Look, Chase. You mean too much to me to let this happen between us. I want to be friends. To be there for each other.”
Chase had no one else. Sure, he had a few friends that he might watch the games with at times. But his family was as good as gone. He’d been a part of my family while we’d dated, and I knew he’d appreciated that support system.
“You think we can really do this?” he asked. “Work together? Be friends?”
“I know it’s going to be hard, but I think we can. We just have to be willing to talk.”
Before Chase could respond, Drew stepped back into the room and slipped his phone into his pocket. “I’m sorry to say, but with the power outage, we’re having some problems with our backup generator at the funeral home. We have to make sure the refrigeration is on or . . . well, you don’t want to know. I’m sorry to leave you right now, but I do need to handle this.”
“I understand.”
“Do you want me to drop you off at your car?”
“I’ll give her a ride home,” Chase said.
Drew paused, as if unsure how to proceed. Finally, I nodded, trying to reassure him that it was okay. Besides, I really did want to stick around and ask Chase more questions.
“Please, go ahead,” I said. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Despite my words, Drew seemed to hesitate. I stood and met him at the door, taking his arm to step into the hallway.
“Really, I’ll be fine,” I whispered.
“I feel bad leaving you here.” His eyes latched onto mine, and I could see the unspoken concern in his gaze.
Concern over my safety? Over the impoliteness of leaving me? Or over me being with Chase? I wasn’t sure. Perhaps it was a combination of all those things.
Or he wanted an excuse to catch me alone and kill me.
So many options.
“No need to feel bad,” I told him. “I’ve done this plenty of times before.”
That seemed to break the tension, and Drew shook his head, some of the worry leaving his countenance. “That’s not something that would normally assure me. Thankfully we’ve had a conversation about this before.”
I squeezed his arm. “I’ve got this. Thanks for bringing me.”
He took a step back and paused. “I’ll call you later.”
It almost sounded like a question. I decided not to dwell on that now. “That sounds great.”
My cheeks heated when I came back into Chase’s office. I hoped he hadn’t overheard any of that, but I couldn’t worry about that now. Honestly, I just had to stop worrying in general and accept this situation for what it was.
“I just got an update on Blake from one of my guys,” Chase said.
“Okay. What did you figure out?”
“Her real name is Kari Harling. Her parents died when she was five, and she grew up in foster care.”
“Foster care?” That fact swirled in my head.
“There was never any mold in her apartment and, as far as we can tell, she’s not a student at any of the local colleges either. She singled you out for some reason, Holly.”
“Was there any connection between her and Travis?”
“Not that we discovered yet.”
I leaned back and chewed on that. It was going to take me a while before I drew any conclusions. “What’s next?” I asked instead.
He shook his head. “We’ll probably contact the media, but I need to speak with my captain about it first. He’s reviewing the case right now.”
“I know she hasn’t been truthful, but I’m worried about her, Chase.”
“I’m worried about her. But I’m worried about you as well. You were the intended victim, Holly. The question is why.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Even though Travis and I weren’t dating, I headed to his memorial service the next day. I had little choice since I’d been awake most of the night, worried about Blake, unsure about Drew, and replaying my conversation with Chase. This case was going to haunt me until I had some answers.
Not even a late-night chat with Jamie had helped me make sense of things.
Who was behind this?
Raul? Jason? Ronald? Blake? . . . Drew?
I stared at the crowd gathered for the memorial. I had a feeling the killer would be here. He was someone who knew Travis, and if he didn’t show up, that would seem suspicious. Knowing I was in the room with a killer did little to comfort me.
A decent crowd had shown up, and right now everyone mingled be
fore the service started. There was an overall air of positivity, despite the reason for gathering. Huey Lewis played on the overhead. Apparently, he was Travis’s favorite.
The Hookers had already assaulted—I mean greeted—me, and they acted like our entire conversation earlier this week about how Travis and I weren’t dating hadn’t happened. And, again, they were grieving, so I had hesitations about setting them straight during this difficult time.
While nestled near the wall, I watched Drew across the room. He was in his element here. The perfect gentleman and host. He made people feel at ease and welcome, and he seemed like a natural.
But he also seemed burdened, I realized, and I didn’t know why. Some of his lightness was gone, replaced with stiff movements and a hesitant smile. Had everything caught up with him? Had something new happened? I had no idea, and I hadn’t had the opportunity to talk to him alone.
“I’m surprised you’d show your face here,” a deep voice said behind me.
I turned and saw Raul. Instantly, I remembered when he’d confronted me earlier, and I scowled. “I could say the same for you.”
He stood beside me and crossed his arms. “You don’t like me.”
“Can you blame me after our last talk?”
He shrugged. “I guess not.”
Silence stretched, and I waited for him to get the hint and leave.
“You miss working here?” I asked, deciding to fish for information since he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Not on your life. I’m not cut out for this kind of work.”
“You probably make better money selling medical equipment anyway.” Maybe money was important to him—important enough to steal from the dead.
His hefty jaw flexed. “It was never about the money. This is an interesting life working here. Living with the dead.”
“That’s an interesting way to word it.”
“It’s not for me. Hang around much longer, and you’ll see what it’s like.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I’m talking about the business of death. The business of profiting from other people’s heartache. It’s not just the funeral home. It’s the people who sell caskets and flowers and cemetery plots. I’m not saying these people don’t have good hearts. But there’s a dark side that people don’t see.”
I couldn’t help but wonder how much this guy knew about stuff around me. Did he have suspicions about anyone in these circles? Maybe people who dealt with death so often were more prone to be desensitized when it came to murder.
I didn’t really want to think about the business of death. Those who sold caskets and tombstones and flower arrangements. All those things were needed, but it seemed so uncouth to profit off someone else’s loss.
I turned toward him, watching his expression. “Something fishy is going on here at the home. Do you know anything about it?”
His gaze darkened. “No, and if you cause trouble, I’ll make sure you get some trouble.”
“That sounds like a threat.”
“Take it for what you want. I watch out for my family.”
“How far do you take that?” My gaze latched onto his. “Do you lie for them? Set up secret PO boxes?”
“What are you talking about?” He glowered at me.
“I see the two of you have met.”
We both turned and saw Drew standing there. Instantly, we cooled.
“I was just going.” Raul took a step away—but only after he gave me a warning glance.
“I hope he wasn’t giving you a hard time,” Drew said. “He can be rough around the edges sometimes.”
“No, I’m fine. I’ve handled worse.”
“I’m sure you have.” He smiled faintly and came to stand beside me.
I could feel the heaviness surrounding him. Was it because of the funeral? Because he knew Travis? Or was it something else?
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
He seemed melancholy today, which was unlike him.
“I had an interesting talk with someone this morning,” he said.
“About what?”
He glanced around and then pulled me toward the corner. “I got a letter this week from someone whose dad received a bone donation. She asked me to forward the letter to the family of the donor—the names aren’t usually public. I needed a pick-me-up so I decided to deliver the letter myself in person this morning.”
“Okay. That seems like it would brighten your day.”
His gaze clouded. “The woman told me that her husband—who died of a heart attack—wasn’t a donor.”
I blanched at his words. “I’m sure there’s a process you go through for this, correct? Maybe, in the midst of her grief, she forgot.”
“There’s a lot of paperwork that has to be filled out and signed, but I can attest to the fact that her memory wasn’t faulty.”
“So . . . what happened?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. It just doesn’t make sense. I came back here and found the paperwork. It had been signed. But I compared that signature to her signature on some other paperwork, and they didn’t quite match.”
The truth lingered in the back of my mind. It wasn’t fully formed yet, but this was the key to this mystery, wasn’t it?
Before I could ask more questions, someone called Drew away.
And I had a lot to think about.
To my surprise, I saw Chase come in a few minutes later. He joined me at the back of the room. The music had changed from Huey Lewis to Guns N’ Roses.
He nodded toward a screen at the front. “I thought you never met this guy face-to-face?”
I looked at a picture of me and Travis with a Caribbean infused sunset behind us. “I didn’t. Photoshop.”
I couldn’t believe the Hookers had used those photos even after I’d told them they weren’t real. Now I knew where Travis had learned to be a compulsive liar.
“That’s . . . sad.” Chase stared at the screen as another photo of Travis and me popped up. This time we were visiting the pyramids.
“Isn’t it?” I muttered. “I didn’t realize you were coming. And wearing a suit at that.”
“I figured it couldn’t hurt to come and see if I could find out anything. Maybe to even keep you out of trouble.”
“Me?” I asked innocently.
“Yes, you.” Chase stood with his hands in pockets, a casual look, but he surveyed the room in a way that was anything but casual. “So, you see any suspects here?”
My mind still turned over what Drew had told me. “I see all of them. I learned something new, Chase.”
I told him what Drew told me.
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” he muttered. “It’s finally making sense.”
I nodded, still trying to piece everything together. “I agree. Someone is forging those documents and then pocketing the money from the donations. Travis and Chuck must have found out about it. Maybe they were involved, even.”
“So, who’s the ringleader here?” Chase asked. “Let’s hear your theories.”
“There are several possibilities. Starting with Ronald Dillow.” I nodded across the room to the man as he talked with the Hookers.
“He has an alibi.”
“That’s true, but I have a feeling there’s more than one person involved here.” I nodded toward Drew’s brother. “Then there’s Raul.”
“Why is he a suspect?”
“He had some heated conversations with Travis apparently. Someone here also set up that fake PO box. Raul could definitely do that. He had access to this whole place.”
“Good to know.”
“Then there’s Jason. He said he was in Wisconsin, but I saw him in some of the photos taken at the scene the night Travis died.”
“I talked to him,” Chase said. “He claims he stayed in town because he had a blind date in the area.”
“Then why didn’t he stick around when he learned his friend had died?”
“He suspected somethi
ng bad was going down with Travis. That’s why he told everyone he was leaving town for a while. He says he wanted to lie low, just in case the killer came looking for him.”
“You believed him?” I asked.
“The jury’s still out. We did talk to his date, and she said she was with him during the time of the murder.”
I bristled as someone new walked in. “And there’s Dr. Dan Gilbert. What in the world is he doing here?”
As if he’d heard me, he strode my way.
“You’re here,” he grumbled.
“I am.” I raised my chin. “I could say the same for you.”
Chase nudged his way in front of me, and Dr. Gilbert took a step back.
“Listen, I’m not here for trouble,” Dan said. “In fact, I should say thanks for that conversation you had with me outside my house. You got me thinking, and I left that night for an intense rehab. I know I need to move past this.”
Surprise washed through me. “Really?”
I supposed that was his alibi also.
He nodded. “I was ready to kill you. Like totally ready to blow your brains out. When I realized that, I knew I was out of control.”
“I’m . . . glad I could help.” I had no idea he’d actually been that close.
“Now I’m going to work on forgiveness. That’s why I’m here. I’m going to start with forgiving Travis Hooker.”
“Good for you,” I said.
Chase leaned toward me as Dr. Gilbert walked away. “You only told me an abbreviated version about your conversation with Dan Gilbert apparently.”
I frowned. “I figured you weren’t interested in all the details.”
He let out a skeptical uh-huh.
“I think you’ve left off the most obvious suspect,” Chase said.
“Who’s that?”
He nodded to someone in the distance. “Drew.”
My heart twisted. “Drew didn’t do this. If he did, why would he tell me about that donor letter?”
“To throw you off his scent.”
I shook my head. “I just can’t see it.”
“Maybe you should open your eyes. Because he’s the most obvious suspect here.”
Random Acts of Fraud (Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries Book 5) Page 20