Scene of the Crime: Return to Bachelor Moon

by Carla Cassidy

  “Did you take a psychology lesson while I was gone this afternoon?” he asked drily.

  She laughed, and then winced as her ribs protested. “Actually, I’ve had very little to do today besides sleep and think. You just happened to be what I thought about.”

  This time he managed to pull his hand away. “You shouldn’t do that. You shouldn’t waste time thinking about me.”

  “You might be a big bad FBI agent, but you don’t get to dictate who I think about,” she replied. She wasn’t sure why, but she was feeling reckless. Maybe it was because she’d felt the brush of death on her neck one too many times.

  “You should be thinking about why somebody pushed you into the pond, why somebody shoved you down the stairs.” His voice was more forceful than the situation warranted.

  “I know, and I’ve tried. But I can’t come up with a name for you to make it all easier.” She released a small sigh. “I’ve lost three people I love, and twice now somebody has tried to kill me, and I have no clue what’s going on or who is responsible for any of it.”

  At that moment Cory appeared in the doorway, holding two tall glasses of chocolate milk. “Uh...want me to come back later?” he asked hesitantly.

  “No, it’s okay. I’m done here for now.” Gabriel jumped up out of the chair as if he couldn’t escape her fast enough. “I’ll be in to check on you later,” he said, and then with a nod to Cory he left the room.

  “Chocolate milk always makes you feel better,” Cory said as he sat in the chair Gabriel had vacated. He set one of the glasses on the nightstand and took a sip from his glass, then eyed her critically. “Do you feel as bad as you look?”

  She smiled as she reached for the treat he’d prepared for them. “I’m stiff and sore, but at least I’m alive.”

  “Who is doing this, Marlena? Who and why?” Cory’s eyes darkened. “I can’t believe this has all happened to you.”

  “I wish somebody had some answers for me.” She took a sip of her chocolate milk. “Mmm, you got it just right.”

  Cory grinned. “Yeah, one part milk and thirty parts chocolate. I know how you like it.”

  Marlena took another sip and then set the glass back on the nightstand. “I think tomorrow I’m going to talk to Gabriel and see if you and I are allowed to leave here. Who knows when or if Daniella, Sam and Macy will come back, and we can’t just live in limbo until we have answers to what happened to them.”

  Cory frowned. “I’m going to miss hanging out with John when we leave.”

  “I know, but you’ll make new friends. Besides, there’s no reason why you couldn’t drive back here on weekends occasionally to visit him.”

  Cory nodded and downed the last of his milk in several gulps. “Have you decided where we’re heading?”

  “Probably New Orleans.” Her first choice had been Baton Rouge but she had changed her mind, knowing that’s where Gabriel lived. She didn’t want to run into him at a grocery store or see him on the streets. When she left here, she had to put him firmly out of her life forever.

  “So when are we heading out?”

  “Maybe by the end of next week.”

  “That soon?” Cory looked dismayed.

  Marlena nodded her head. “It’s time, Cory. We never planned to stay here forever, and it’s time for us to move on. You need to get into a trade school, and I need to get started in some college classes. We can’t do either of those things staying here.”

  “I know.” He gestured toward her glass. “Finish your milk, and I’ll take the glasses back into the kitchen.”

  She dutifully did as he asked. “We’re going to be fine, Cory,” she said as she handed him the empty glass.

  He smiled at her. “We’re the two musketeers, right? We’ve always been fine.” He leaned down and pecked her on the forehead. “I’ll check in on you in the morning. You rest like the doctor told you to.”

  “Don’t worry. I have no desire to jump out of bed and do anything,” she replied.

  It was long after dinner when Marlena turned on her side and faced the window, where she could see the night shadows begin to take over the day.

  Andrew had brought her a dinner tray earlier, but she’d only picked at the food. The chocolate milk that Cory had brought her earlier in the afternoon had filled her up.

  It was time to take two more of the pain meds she’d been prescribed, but she wasn’t ready to sleep yet and knew the pills would knock her out fairly quickly.

  The truth of the matter was she had hoped Gabriel would stop in to tell her good-night, but as the darkness outside the window grew deeper and it got later and later, she realized he didn’t intend to see her.

  And why would he? she mentally scoffed. He didn’t owe her a good-night or a sickroom visit or anything else. He was working his job, not babysitting her.

  She sat up and shook out two of the pills, and then washed them down with a sip of water from a glass on her nightstand.

  As she waited for the pills to take effect, her mind flew in a thousand directions. She knew initially it would be hard to leave here and start all over again, but it was what she’d always planned for, and now it was time to set those plans into motion.

  Gabriel really was just a dream, not a man who had any place in her life. She’d be foolish to expect him to be anything else to her. He was an FBI agent sent here to solve a crime, not a man looking for a love interest.

  Finally, her mind drifted back to those moments when she’d been in the pond, terrified that she would meet her death there, unable to save herself if Gabriel hadn’t rushed to her rescue. Now she knew it had been an intentional shove, that somebody had wanted her to drown in the pond. She couldn’t write it off as some sort of weird accident. It had definitely been attempted murder.

  Drowsy now, she thought of that single second when she’d felt the hands on her back, hands that had shoved her at the top of the stairs. Who had done such a terrible thing? Who had wanted her dead?

  Despite the sleepiness now nearly overwhelming her, a sliver of fear raced up her spine. Would there be another attempt? Was it possible that the third time would be a charm?

  * * *

  GABRIEL PACED THE length of the great room. Jackson was sprawled on the sofa watching television and Andrew was in the kitchen looking for a snack.

  Gabriel had consciously chosen not to go in and tell Marlena good-night...because he’d wanted to, because he’d wanted her face to be the last thing he saw before he went to bed.

  He felt like she was messing with his head, talking to him about love and such nonsense. For the first time since he’d been a young boy he felt vulnerable, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all.

  He’d checked in with his director again late today and had the unpleasant duty of reporting that there was nothing to report in the disappearance of the former FBI agent and his family.

  He had been instructed to remain in Bachelor Moon with his team until further notice. So here Gabriel was with no leads, nothing to do and nothing to think about except the woman who haunted him far too frequently.

  At ten o’clock, both Jackson and Andrew headed upstairs to bed, and Gabriel sat at the dining room table with all the reports and copies of interviews they had generated while in Bachelor Moon.

  Somehow, some way, they had to be missing something, an important piece of the puzzle that had been overlooked or thrown out as insignificant.

  He was not only checking what they had in relation to the family disappearance but also to the attacks on Marlena, even though in his gut he didn’t believe the two were connected.

  He leaned back in the chair and blew a sigh of frustration. They only had three persons of interest at this point, Thomas Brady, Ryan Sherman and Pamela Winters, and there was no way that Pamela had any motive to harm the family—but she did h
ave a motive to harm Marlena.

  Marlena. He looked toward the kitchen and then checked his watch. It was almost eleven o’clock. She’d be asleep now. Maybe it was a good idea for him just to peek his head into her room and make sure she was okay.

  Almost without conscious will, he rose to his feet and padded through the kitchen and to the door to her quarters. He told himself it was just his job to check on her, that it had nothing to do with any desire to see her, to watch her while she slept.

  Whatever the reason, he knew he wouldn’t sleep himself until he’d checked on her. Softly opening her door, he saw the small glow of the night-light in her room that led him unerringly to the side of her bed.

  The faint light just reached her face, bathing her sleeping features in pale illumination. Who could ever want to hurt such a good, beautiful woman? Why would anyone want to douse her flame of life, of gentleness and caring?

  He crept back out of the room, satisfied that he’d done his job. He’d seen that she was safe. He returned to the dining room, closed his laptop and shut the manila file of his materials on the table, then headed upstairs to bed.

  Even as he slid beneath the lavender sheets, his mind whirled with elements of the crimes. What were they missing? Who had they overlooked? The only place they hadn’t searched was John’s little cottage because they’d had no legal reason to enter his home.

  Was it possible the gardener was hiding something there? First thing in the morning, Gabriel intended to check it out. If John had nothing to hide, then he should allow the men inside to look around.

  The other thing Gabriel had realized was that a little over two years ago, Daniella had been in the middle of a crime they knew little about other than what the sheriff and Marlena had told them. He needed to get the files from that particular crime and see if there were any clues in there that might yield some answers. He knew that Frank Mathis had been arrested for the murder of one woman and the kidnapping of Daniella and Macy, but was it possible Frank had had a partner?

  That was his last thought before he fell asleep.

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING Gabriel, Jackson and Andrew stood on John’s doorstep at seven-thirty. Gabriel knew that by eight the young man was usually someplace out on the property working, and he’d wanted to catch him before he left.

  John opened the door, obviously surprised to see the three agents. “Hey, what’s up?” he asked.

  “You mind if we come in?” Gabriel asked.

  “Sure.” John opened the door to allow them inside the small cottage.

  Gabriel’s first impression was one of surprise at the tidiness of the living room. Although the sofa and recliner were worn and the wooden end tables had seen better days, there was nothing out of place, and the air smelled faintly of orange furniture polish.

  “What’s going on?” John asked as he gestured for them to sit. His eyes widened slightly. “Has something else happened to Marlena?”

  “No, she’s fine,” Gabriel replied. None of them had taken John up on the offer of sitting. “Look, I’ll be straight with you, John. This is one of the places we haven’t checked to see if you have the Connellys shoved in a closet or locked in a room. So do you mind if we look around?”

  John eyed him somberly. “I’d never do anything to hurt Sam and his family. There’s not much to see, but you’re welcome to search.” He sank down on the sofa as the three men moved through the rest of the two-bedroom cottage.

  The smallest room was obviously a guest room, with a single bed and a dresser and no closet space. The bathroom had a stand-up shower, no tub and a sink and stool.

  It was easy to tell which room John used. Not only did it contain a double bed, but on the nightstand was a horticulture book, and a small bookshelf held more books about flowers, bushes and landscaping.

  The three men returned to the living room to find John still seated on the sofa. “I didn’t expect to find anything here, but I had to check,” Gabriel said.

  “I get it,” John replied. “No stone unturned and all that. Don’t worry, I’m not offended.” He stood. “Is there anything else?”

  “No, we’re finished here,” Gabriel said.

  “Then I’ll head out with you. Most days I have to haul Cory out of bed to get him on the grounds.” John smiled and shook his head. “Kids.”

  “You know he’s smoking pot,” Gabriel said as they all started up the trail that led to the walkway around the pond.

  “I know he dabbles a bit,” John admitted. “I’ve been giving him hell about it. I think he’s found some guys in town who party.”

  “Maybe it’s a good thing Marlena is planning a move,” Jackson said.

  John shrugged. “If he wants to party, he’ll find the party people wherever they move. But Cory has a good head on his shoulders. I think, once he gets into school, he’ll buckle down to real life.”

  “For Marlena’s sake, I hope you’re right,” Andrew said. “She definitely loves her brother.”

  They came to the place where they parted ways, John heading to Cory’s small apartment around the back of the carriage house and Jackson, Andrew and Gabriel heading toward the car. It was going to be another long day of seeking clues to two crimes that had occurred at the cursed Bachelor Moon Bed-and-Breakfast.

  Chapter Eleven

  It had been two weeks and two days since the Connellys had gone missing, and five days since Marlena had been pushed down the stairs. The agents had spent the past couple of days doing what they’d been doing since their arrival—beating the bushes, walking the streets and coming up with nothing.

  Gabriel had managed to keep his distance from Marlena, stepping into her room only when they arrived home after another disappointing day to keep her up-to-date. Her bruises had begun to change from the original violent purple to an ugly yellow, and he knew she was spending more time out of bed while they were gone during the daytime.

  As usual, when he pulled into the parking lot just after six, a pall of frustration covered the three men in the car like a heavy old coat. Even Andrew’s easy smile had been usurped by a weariness of expression they all felt.

  They were men used to action, to finding answers to the most difficult questions, and yet they’d spent the past two weeks spinning in place like hamsters on wheels going nowhere.

  Gabriel was surprised when they walked through the front door and the scent of cooking filled the air. Since Marlena’s crash down the stairs, dinner duty had fallen on Andrew’s shoulders, but apparently Marlena was up and at work.

  As the door closed behind them, she appeared in the dining room doorway. Gabriel tried not to notice how his heart gave a little jump at the sight of her.

  “Should you be out of bed?” Jackson asked with concern.

  She smiled. “If I spend another minute in that bed, you’re all going to have to lock me in a padded room because I’ll go out of my mind.”

  Gabriel didn’t want to be captured by the warmth of her smile. He didn’t want to feel a rush of heat as his gaze lingered first on her face and then swept the length of her.

  She wore a white-and-green-striped T-shirt that hid the last of the bruises on her torso, along with jeans, which hid those that had marred her hips and thighs.

  “I’ve got hamburgers just about ready, so dinner can be served within the next ten minutes or so,” she said.

  “Sounds good,” Andrew said. Together he and Jackson headed upstairs while Gabriel followed her as she turned and went back into the kitchen.

  “Are you sure you feel well enough to be out of bed?” he asked as she removed a large pot of baked beans from the oven and set it on the stovetop.

  “I’m still a little stiff and sore, but it’s past time for me to be up and around.” She didn’t look at him as she removed the hamburger patties from the skillet and
set them on a plate already filled with burgers. “I think I needed to get up and work out the last of the kinks.”

  She sidestepped him to open the refrigerator and pull out ketchup and mustard bottles, then set them on the counter. “I’m assuming there’s nothing new to report.”

  She finally looked at him, her green eyes pleasant yet distant.

  “Nothing.” He held out a thick file folder that he’d carried in with him. “I finally decided to go back to when Daniella was kidnapped and look at everything Sheriff Thompson had on file about that crime.”

  “Surely you can’t think what’s happening now is tied to that. The man responsible for Daniella and Macy’s kidnapping is behind bars.”

  “I know.” He heard the frustration in his own voice. “We’ve gone over everything with a fine-tooth comb. We’ve interviewed and reinterviewed most all the people in Bachelor Moon and we’ve come up empty-handed.” He dropped the fat file on the nearby table. “This is my last gasp, my reaching for straws in an effort to gain some answers.”

  “I hope you find something.” She pulled a platter of sliced tomatoes from the refrigerator and then faced him again. “I’ve been meaning to ask you when Cory and I can leave here. We can’t just wait around forever for something to happen. We have to get on with our lives.”

  “You’re still part of an ongoing crime,” he replied. He hated the distance he felt emanating from her even as he recognized he’d been the one who’d put it there.

  She tilted her head slightly, her eyes confused. “So what does that mean? Can we leave or not? I would think if somebody is trying to kill me here, then probably the best thing I could do is leave.”

  “But what if the person follows you? Then you’ll be vulnerable.” Gabriel had no idea if he spoke from his head or his heart; he only knew he didn’t want her alone in some big city without closure as to what was happening here in Bachelor Moon.