Shadow of Suspicion (Haunted by the Past)

by Danielle Rose-West

  “Of course.” Callie knew the place needed remodelling. It was why she was engaged to work there.

  “Really? Do you have any idea just how rundown it is? I’ve heard rats refuse to stay there.” She heard no jest in his voice.

  “I know it’s in need of remodelling.” She twisted her fingers together in her lap. “It’s actually why I’m here. I’ve been engaged by the new owner to revamp the whole place. I’m an interior designer.”

  He shook his head. “Then you’ve got your work cut out for you.” His gaze travelled over her form and Callie felt the hated heat of a blush steal over her cheeks yet again. “So, Handy Andy hired you did he? Figures.”

  Callie’s embarrassment drained away at his words and the derisive tone she heard creep into his voice. “I beg your pardon! What is that supposed to mean? Who is Handy Andy?”

  “Andrew Cunningham, of course. He is the new owner of the Lazy Boy, as I’m sure you must know. He’s quickly picked up a reputation for having a roving eye and hands.” He quirked a brow at her. “It figures he’d hire a young woman to do up his place. I gather your credentials didn’t need much checking into.”

  Callie glared at him. “How dare you! If you must know, I am very highly regarded in my profession. I was hired by Mr Cunningham because I am the best. Not for any other reason!”

  He snorted and opened the door of his van. “You keep telling yourself that. Nobody’s going to believe you.” He shut the door before Callie could respond.

  She seethed and cursed the arrogant man under her breath. How dare he sit there and judge her! She was a professional that had worked in some of the most exclusive places in London. She was hardly in need of using her appearance to get work. She’d never met a man quite as rude as him. Had he never heard of customer service? She had a good mind to report him!

  Callie gripped her hands together tightly as if she had his neck between her fingers. Drawing in a deep breath, she pried her hands apart and forced herself to relax. This wasn’t like her at all. Callie prided herself on being a calm and reasonable person. She wasn’t the type to fly off the handle and had earned herself a reputation for being able to stay in control under the most difficult circumstances. She wouldn’t let one arrogant mechanic get under her skin, no matter what he said or did.

  Callie jumped violently as the van door opened and prince not so charming climbed back into the vehicle. “Ready to go?” he enquired.

  “The sooner I’m out of your boorish company, the better!” she sniffed, her nose rising several degrees. He laughed, further igniting her ire.

  He twisted the key in the ignition and the van roared into life. The man pulled his seatbelt around his body and clicked it into place. Callie would have dearly loved to strangle him with it.

  As he pulled slowly onto the road, she glanced back at the layby through the large wing mirror on her side of the van. Her heart skipped several beats and she stared in shock.

  Standing in the middle of the layby was the girl. Even though the rain poured down around her, it didn’t seem to touch the child. Callie shivered. Was it her imagination or did the rain actually pass through the girl? Even though she knew it was impossible, Callie was sure the girl’s eyes clapped onto her own through the mirror. She could sense the intensity of the child’s stare. A deep foreboding flowed through her body.

  She snapped her eyes to the road ahead. It wasn’t possible that she’d seen anything. It was her imagination. Maybe this trip to meet her real mother was taking more of a toll on her than she’d thought. Callie dismissed the encounters as nothing more than her overwrought imagination.

  “Turn back………..before it’s too late.” The whispered words were soft, as if they’d been tossed on the wind. Callie shivered and drew her arms around herself.

  The dark road sped past, carrying her towards her destination. There was no going back now!

  Chapter Five

  The van pulled into a long driveway. Callie stared at the large, grey building as it rapidly approached. It gave her the impression of a miserable old woman crouched down into the hillside. The dark, uninviting windows were like angry eyes boring into them as they came to a halt before the front entrance. Even the wide front door appeared to be an unhappy wrinkled old mouth. Nothing in the appearance of the B&B gave the slightest feeling of warmth or welcome and the steady fall of rain from the bleak sky didn’t help.

  Callie’s instincts and training kicked in. The interior designer in her scanned the property thoroughly. She mentally filed away observations as her saviour set his hand break. There was a lot of work to be done on the exterior of the establishment alone. Worry nagged at her and she frowned. What was she going to discover on the inside? If the outside was any indication, it wouldn’t be good.

  “Well, here it is.” Her annoying rescuer swept his hand towards the building.

  Callie glared at him and forced herself to ignore his incredibly handsome face. She’d had quite a turn when he’d removed his hood and scarf as they drove. She’d never imagined that the man underneath all that winter covering had a face that wouldn’t be out of place on billboards and magazine covers.

  His strong square jawline was dusted with a light stubble that gave him a rugged appearance. She could clearly see strength of character in his stubborn chin and high cheekbones. Everything about him shrieked sexy and she’d certainly not been immune to it, much to her chagrin. Callie had never really understood that whole workmen sexy male thing before. She’d always maintained that she’d like a man who had intelligence and was sensitive. She needed to send a memo to her body to remind it of her ideals. Maybe then she wouldn’t get breathless every time his gorgeous eyes landed on her.

  “Are you going to get out or do you plan on sleeping in my van all night?” She gritted her teeth at the amusement she could hear in his tone. “I can always take you someplace else, if you’ve changed your mind about staying here.”

  “No, of course not.” Callie cleared her throat and ran her fingers through her damp hair. “I’m sure the inside is better than the outside.”

  He snorted with laughter. “I can assure you, it isn’t!”

  Callie squared her shoulders. “Well, that’s why I’m here. If the place was already an oil painting, my services wouldn’t be required. I will soon turn this establishment into a goldmine. You’ll see. It will end up being the place to stay in the area.”

  “You carry a magic wand?” He glanced around her as if expecting to see one poking out somewhere. “Cause you’re going to need one to turn that place around.”

  “Look here Mr?” She realised she didn’t even know his name.

  “Hawkes.” He extended his hand. “Jason Hawkes at your service.”

  Callie reluctantly shook his hand. Little frissons of energy shot up her arm at his touch. “I’m Callie Price,” she introduced herself. “As I was saying, Mr Hawkes, I’d appreciate it if you kept your comments to yourself. I have turned many a business around and I am the best at what I do. You were obviously offended when I remarked on your knowledge as a mechanic, so don’t make sarcastic comments about my job.”

  “Touché.” He saluted her with a cheeky grin.

  “Now, if you don’t mind, I would appreciate it if you could retrieve my luggage and help me inside.” Callie unclipped her seat belt before she noticed he hadn’t moved.

  “In case you didn’t realise, I’m a mechanic not a manservant.” He arched a brow at her. “I’ve picked up your car and driven you to your destination. That’s as far as my job description goes.”

  Callie huffed, at a complete loss for the first time in her life. “You mean you won’t help me inside?”

  He quirked a brow at her. “I’m assuming you know how to open the boot of a car and lift out cases?”

  “Of course I do!”

  “Well then.” He waved a hand at her. “Please don’t be all day about it. I’m supposed to be picking up my girlfriend for dinner tonight.”

  Callie snorte
d rudely. “You mean you actually have some poor woman that will put up with you?”

  She pushed away the sliver of jealousy that surged through her. It was nothing to her that he had a girlfriend. He was just some annoying mechanic that had saved her from spending a night on the roadside. She couldn’t care less about his relationship status.

  Jason grinned. “She more than puts up with me, I assure you.”

  “Then she must need her head examined!” His laughter filled the air and set her teeth on edge.

  Callie gathered her bag and broken umbrella. She didn’t relish the thought of trudging back into the rain, but there was no avoiding it since Mr Ungallant wasn’t going to help her. She pulled her car key out of her bag and opened the van door. The wind whipped at her hair and clothes. She shivered. The icy blast cut right through the damp material plastered to her body and penetrated her bones.

  She struggled past the van to her car and shoved the key into the lock on her boot. Callie twisted the key and pushed up the car boot door. It squealed as it rose up, revealing her cases nestled inside. She gripped the handle of the first case and heaved it out of the car. The stupid thing promptly dropped heavily onto her foot and burst open. She yelped in pain and hopped on one foot, whilst she clutched the other with her hand. The wind grabbed hold of her clothing and tossed several items into the muddy puddles scattered around the driveway.

  Callie stood watching in fascinated horror as her best silk blouse soaked up the muddy water like a sponge. Tears pricked her eyes. Why was she putting herself through this? Was it worth it? This trip had been one disaster after another. She should have listened to Jade and stuck her mother’s letter in the bin. Callie sniffed and wiped a hand over her face.

  “Here.” She jumped as a hand appeared at her side, holding several items of dripping clothing. Callie glanced up at Jason. His expression could only be described as murderous.

  “Why are you helping me, if it’s so much trouble for you?” She snatched the clothes from him and stuffed them back into her case.

  “Because I don’t want to be here all night.” Jason swept up the remaining items, including her ruined blouse. “It’s a wonder you’re let out on your own.”

  Callie bit her lip. “I’ll have you know that I am a very capable woman. Everyone has a bad day now and then. I’m sure even you, as perfect as you apparently are, have your off moments.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Just zip up your case and I’ll help you inside.” He slapped the remaining sodden clothing into her open case and stepped to the car to remove the other one from the boot.

  Callie muttered under her breath, wishing all manner of awful predicaments on top of his head as she secured her case. She pulled the handle up and rolled the case along behind her. Callie staggered towards the front door. She could hear Jason’s heavy steps behind her, along with several choice complaints he directed at her. Callie gritted her teeth. She had quite a few complaints of her own!

  They entered a small lobby that opened out into the foyer of the B&B. Callie swallowed down a gasp of horror. The carpet covering the floor was threadbare and so dirty she could barely tell what the original colour had been. A faded pattern clashed horribly with the garish wallpaper that proudly sat on the walls.

  A large painting hung behind the reception. A fat boy sprawled under a tree, sleeping contentedly while others ran around him doing all the work. She raised a brow. Obviously this was supposed to be the lazy boy the place was named after. She made a mental note to speak to Mr Cunningham about the name of the establishment. If this place was ever to become successful, it would have to rebrand.

  Jason set her case down next to the old wooden reception desk. The thing looked as though it had been through several wars. The amount of dents, scars and chips were ridiculous. Callie wondered what was holding it together. She imagined she could blow on it and the whole thing would fall apart. She glanced at Jason to find him watching her closely. Callie blanked her expression. She would not give him the satisfaction of an ‘I told you so’.

  “Thank you for your help, Mr Hawkes. I can take it from here.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. His gaze scanned over the reception and then her. They were dark brown, she noted with a shiver. “You’re sure you want to stay here. I guess I can take you somewhere else, if you want.” He glanced at his watch. “I still have a little time to spare.”

  “I’ll be fine. I wouldn’t want to hold you up any further.” Callie squared her shoulders.

  “Okay, I’ll leave you to it.” He turned to leave.

  “Oh, Mr Hawkes?” He paused and glanced over his shoulder at her. “Do you have a phone number where I can reach you?”

  He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Why, Miss Price, I’ve already told you I have a girlfriend. I am flattered by your interest though.”

  Heat broke out over her entire body. The man was impossible. Laughter lit his eyes, which just made him sexier. Blast the man! She resisted the urge to stamp her foot.

  “As much as I’d rather never lay eyes on you again, I need to be able to contact you about my car.” She pointed back towards the driveway for some stupid reason.

  Jason’s grin widened and he held up his hands. “Just a joke, Miss Price. No need to get testy.” He reached into his jacket and she heard a zip being unfastened. He pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “You can either phone or drop in to the garage. I’ll sort out a quote for a new engine for you and we’ll take it from there.”

  “Thanks.” Callie slipped the card into her bag and watched him meander to the exit. She wondered if a jury would let her off for murder, due to mitigating circumstances.

  “Hope you settle in okay, Miss Price. See you around.” He gave a slight wave in her direction and ducked out into the stormy weather.

  Callie drew in several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. She wondered where the receptionist was hiding. Surely someone kept an eye on the foyer for arriving guests. Callie desperately wanted to wash up and change into dry clothes. Thank goodness she’d packed two cases or she’d have no dry clothes left. She tapped a small gold bell that sat on the desk. The tinkling sounded dull. She hoped someone would hear it. A couple of minutes ticked by.

  “Hello?” Callie called and thumped on the bell again, silently praying the desk didn’t fall apart under her forceful strikes.

  Finally, she heard the sound of a door squeaking open. A young girl with a sulky disposition, stalked into the foyer. Callie guessed her to be around eighteen or nineteen at most. She raised a brow at Callie as she stepped behind the desk.

  “Can I help you?” she requested, her manner as lazy as the boy in the painting above her head. She drooped over the desk and propped her chin in one hand. She picked up a pen almost as an afterthought.

  “I’m Callie Price. You should be expecting me.” Callie was far from impressed. She mentally filed away the note to speak to Mr Cunningham about his receptionist. Her eyes dipped to the girl’s name badge. Kathy winked back at her in gold lettering.

  “Oh. The interior designer.” Kathy straightened up and her eyes roved over Callie with a slight sneer. “Andy said you’d be arriving today.”

  Callie’s brows shot up at the girl’s familiar use of Mr Cunningham’s name. Her lips thinned with displeasure. “If you don’t mind, I’ve been on the road all day. I would like to settle in my room as quickly as possible.”

  Kathy shrugged and grabbed a key from the rack on the wall beside her. “Andy requested you be placed in the best room. It’s number 8 on the second floor.”

  She tossed the key onto the desk and turned to leave. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she glanced back at Callie, “he told me to let you know that he’d pick you up at seven to take you to dinner.”

  “Pick me up? Isn’t he staying here?” Callie frowned, confused.

  Kathy raised a brow and laughed. “Mr Cunningham in this dump? You must be kidding. He’s staying at Warner House.”

  Her laughte
r bounced around the walls as she stomped back to wherever she’d been previously hiding. Callie stood rooted to the spot, shocked at Kathy’s revelation. Mr Cunningham wasn’t staying here? She glanced around the lobby. Anger burned in her chest. He’d assured her the place was comfortable, but it spoke volumes that he wasn’t putting his head down here.

  She gripped the handle of her case tightly. Just wait until he arrived later. Callie was fully prepared to give him a piece of her mind. She’d had about as much as she could take for one day. What with the traffic jam, her car breaking down, her rude rescuer, her case bursting open, and now this. She didn’t even want to think about the strange girl incidents. It was just too much.

  She picked up the key to her room and grabbed her other case. Callie slowly struggled up the stairs. Her cases banged against her legs and her bag slipped down her shoulder to dangle in the crook of her arm. She had no idea how she made it up two flights of stairs but she finally managed to locate her room at the far end of the corridor on the second floor. She couldn’t help but notice the hideous carpet and wallpaper ran throughout all of the hallways. Callie longed to strip the ugly stuff off the walls and floors.

  Callie slipped her key into the lock on the door of her designated room and twisted. She grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. Her heart hit the floor as she scanned the space. Her stomach rolled. She closed her eyes for a second and wished she had the magic wand Jason had teased her about. She should have taken him up on his offer to drive her to another B&B. So much for Mr Cunningham’s reassurance that the place was very habitable. No wonder he’d booked himself in somewhere else!

  A dusty, damp aroma assaulted her nostrils. She wondered when the last time was that the room had been aired, if ever. The wallpaper, although different from the hallway, was just as horrible with its loud ostentatious pattern. It clashed with the pattern on the carpet that screamed up at her from the floor.

  Callie struggled to drag her cases into the room and shut the door behind her. She glanced at the bed. There was no way that mattress would be comfortable. Callie sat on it gingerly. It sagged down and poked her up the backside with an errant spring. She didn’t need to lie down to know it was lumpy. Prisons probably had better beds in them.