Then she remembered Detective Boone telling her about the LLC that owned the condo next to hers. The fact that Elias ended up living there made her think that the owner of the condo and Elias were connected.
Slippery fear snaked through her gut.
She glanced around the area wondering if that person was nearby. None of this was over. It wouldn't be over until the diamonds were found.
Griffin sat on a gurney inside the ambulance, a sympathetic smile lifting the corners of his mouth. “Our neighborhood isn't normally like this," he said apologetically.
She would have to tell him that she was the reason that trouble had found him. He probably wouldn't want to see her again after that. “Are you okay?” She took his hand.
He looked at the side of his arm. Rivulets of blood trailed along his skin. “Well. This isn't exactly how I'd planned our day to go.”
“We’re taking him to Regional Hospital if you want to follow us in your car, ma’am.” The EMT stood as if he were ready to close the doors.
“Let’s have a redo, tonight at my place. Sans guns and EMTs and so forth. Just wine and a fire and, apparently, take out.” Griffin nodded to his arm where he had been shot.
She reluctantly let go of his hand.
“It’s a date,” she said.
13
“You’re very lucky, Griffin,” Dr. Johnson said as he threaded another stitch. “The bullet only took a chunk out of your arm. If he had been a better shot, this hole could have been in your neck. Or in a lung. Maybe even your head.”
“I think the guy was a good shot,” Barbara said from across the room. She remembered reading Elias’s name from the first time David brought him up. He was a marksman. “Griffin just moved at the right time.”
The doctor looked at her over the top of his black rimmed glasses, then returned his attention to Griffin’s arm. “Well, that makes you doubly lucky, then. You might want to thank your lucky stars if this is the angel who’s going to watch over you tonight.”
Stars.
The doctor snipped the thread and dropped the scissors into a metal pan with a loud clank.
When the nurse began to discuss lab test results, prescriptions, and care instructions with Griffin, Barbara went into the hallway. She called her dad and gave him the news: Elias was dead. Then he used his three-way calling feature and added Kris to the call, and she told the story all over again.
“See, this is why I taught my kids to shoot,” her dad said with an air of validation. “I’ll call Detective Boone and give him the news. Barb, are you coming home tonight or tomorrow?”
“Probably tomorrow,” she said. “I’ll have to figure out how to get all of my things out of that house. It’s a crime scene right now.”
“Where are you going to stay tonight?” Kris asked.
“I don’t know, yet. My neighbor got shot while trying to protect me and I think I’m going to help him for a little while. Then I’ll figure it out.” She ran her hand over her face, still unbelieving of everything that had happened. "Lillian, the property manager, probably knows of a good hotel or B&B nearby."
“I don't think you should be alone tonight,” her dad said. He had reached the same conclusion that she had. Elias might not have been working alone and her whereabouts weren't the secret they had hoped for. “I'm going to have Detective Boone get you some police protection.”
“I'll take it," she said. "Have him call me and tell me where to go.”
She looked up just in time to see Lillian running down the hallway in her low-heeled shoes. She pressed her hand over her breasts to hold them in place. Her short hair was windblown and a look of worry painted her face.
“I’ll text or call y’all later, I need to go,” Barbara said.
Lillian gave her a warm hug. “Oh, honey, I heard all about it. I have a nephew on the force and he called me. Where are your clothes? Did you get blood on them?” Her questions ran together like one long sentence and her cinnamon perfume arrived two seconds after she did.
Barbara looked down at the doctor’s lab coat and surgical shoe covers that one of the nurses had given her. “No, I had been swimming before I ran into the guy at my house. They wouldn’t let me take anything from the house, so the nurses found me this hospital wear to cover up a bit.”
“Oh, bless your heart. No, of course they wouldn’t let you do that.” Lillian dug through her royal blue purse until she found a pen and piece of paper, which turned out to be a grocery store receipt. She turned it over to the blank side and handed it to Barbara. “Write down all your sizes and I’ll run by the department store and get you some things. You can stay with me tonight, and as long as you need. I have an extra bedroom and I’m happy to do it. Mr. Grossman misses our children so much, he’ll be thrilled to have more people in the house. I’ll start working tonight to find you a new house.”
She tried to refuse Lillian’s shopping offer, but she wouldn't hear of it. Barbara wrote down her sizes and told Lillian how she was going to see what help Griffin needed. Then she asked for a hotel recommendation. She wouldn't put another person in danger.
“Oh, honey, yes. Take care of Griffin.” Lillian pressed her fingertips to her chest, her shiny red fingernail polish reflecting the overhead lights.
“You know Griffin well?” Barbara asked. She didn't want to pry, but Lillian gave the impression she knew everything about everybody. And even though Barbara didn't think she and Griffin had a shot at even exploring the connection they shared, she did wonder if she had read him correctly.
“My husband works at the college so we’ve both known him since he moved here about ten years ago. Griffin is such good people. You may not know this, but his wife died. Right after she cheated on him. He’s had it hard these last few years.”
Barbara wanted to say thank you and politely make her way back to Griffin's hospital room. But Lillian took Barbara by the arm and sat on the bench on the side of the hallway as if she was about to share important, insider information. There wasn't a thoughtful way to exit the conversation just yet.
“Loralee, that was his wife, she cheated on him with Matt Robertson, who’s the archaeology department head. He would wait until Griffin was on one of his archaeological digs and—”
The nurse wheeled Griffin into the hallway and whispered something to him that made him smile.
Lillian leaned close. “Oh, lookit. That’s Blair, she’s been chasing Griffin since the day after Loralee died.”
Lillian trotted over to where Griffin sat and she gave him a gentle hug. She promised him a pot of her chicken bone broth soup, home baked bread and an apple pie. She told Barbara that she knew these were all his favorites. Then she offered to go grocery shopping for him and said she would bring everything over before dinnertime.
Griffin nodded and worked in several polite you-don’t-have-tos and a few thank-yous. He looked tired, but far too well to be in a wheelchair.
“Listen, sweetheart.” Lillian held Barbara’s hand. “I know we were supposed to have an interview today. But you just let me know when you want to work and I’ll set up a time for you to come in. I know you’ll be great. The clients will love you, I can tell these things ahead of time.”
“Oh, well. Actually, I’m probably heading back home. Just as soon as I can recover all of my things from the house.”
“No, that’s— Oh, no. That just won’t do. We don’t normally have intruders like this.” She squeezed Barbara’s hand briefly and then began to back away. “Griffin, talk her into staying. Just for a little while longer.” She winked and waved as if she patted something and headed out the door.
Griffin signed his discharge papers, collected his prescriptions, and the nurse helped him into Barbara’s Jeep. “Remember to stay out of that lake until the stitches are healed,” the nurse said with a call-me-anytime tone in her voice.
Barbara revved the engine slightly. When the nurse looked in her direction, Barbara gave her a half smile.
She drove slowl
y along the winding mountain road, taking special notice of the steep drop to the right of the road. Dusk had settled over the mountains and she navigated the slippery gravel with intense concentration. The muscles in her chest tightened. She wasn't looking forward to driving back over this mountain in the dark to get to a hotel. She checked her rearview mirror to see if anyone followed them. If Elias’ boss found her up here, and especially at night, it wouldn't take much to push her Jeep off the mountain. Her throat went dry.
They made small talk until they were almost to his home. The park ranger let them through the gate.
“You okay, Griff? Heard you had a little trouble today."
"Nothing we couldn't handle,” he said and waved.
She noticed her hands were tight on the wheel when she passed the place where she had run into the bear. She would have to drop Griffin at his house and leave quickly. As much as she wanted more time with him, she couldn't get turned around on these roads at night.
“So, now might be a good time for you to tell me how you came to carry a gun in your purse, and why that guy was in your house. Don’t you think?”
She bit her upper lip for a moment and glanced at him. His eyes were fixed on her and it looked like he wasn’t going to settle for anything less than the truth.
She accelerated when the road straightened and decided that—no matter what—honesty was best. If David had done the same with her, he might still be alive today.
“You’re right. I thought we’d be able to spend a little time together without my situation becoming a problem for you, too. Obviously I was wrong about that.” She exhaled hard, faced the dirt road ahead and summoned her courage. “My husband was murdered. It wasn't an accident like I originally said. I didn't really want to go into it at the time, and I thought I was hidden well enough way up here. Anyway. She cleared her throat. He was killed about a year and a half ago, while we sat outside at a restaurant. The guy who did it was never caught, but he resurfaced recently and threatened me.”
She told him how David had an import export business, and she thought he must have stolen some diamonds from one of his clients. She went on to tell him how Elias Roberts had rented the condo next to her, and how he broke in through the firewall to search her home for the diamonds she had never seen.
“I came up here to get out of sight for a while. My hope was that the police would have found him in short order. But he found me, instead. He obviously thought I knew where the diamonds were. I’m so sorry. If I’d had any idea that he knew where I was, I wouldn’t have accepted your invitation for hiking or dinner or anything. This isn’t even my Jeep, I thought I'd gotten out of town clean.”
He was quiet. She pulled the Jeep into Griffin's driveway and parked next to his SUV. She shifted in her seat to face him, expected him to ask her to leave.
“You don’t need to apologize.” His tone was soft, understanding, and it took her by surprise. Maybe he had a gift for reading people, too.
“I want you to know that we think the guy I shot today might have been working for someone. That means someone else might know I'm here, and come after me. I'm going to find a hotel for the night. There's a Charlotte detective working on the case and he’s going to have someone from the Brevard police force keep an eye on me tonight. I don't want to subject you to all that. You've been through enough today.”
He scanned her face as if he were solving a puzzle, figuring her out. In the quiet she became acutely aware of the force of their connection. Every detail came alive in the small space of the car, the spiced scent of his sweat, the pounding of each beat of her heart, the fierceness of their attraction. Its intensity nearly took her breath away.
He placed his hand on hers, squeezed gently. "I think you're the one who's been through enough."
Her lips opened, a sigh escaped. The tension in her chest gave way to her heart that seemed to expand.
He closed the distance between them, slowly, until his lips nearly touched hers. “I don't think you should be alone tonight. Stay here. Let me watch over you.”
She hesitated. “I don’t—"
He pressed his lips to hers, stopping her objection.
A rush of pleasure coursed through her.
“I want to,” he finally said. "If you'll let me. I have friends on the force, I'll get them up here to keep an eye on us.”
She opened her mouth and his lips met hers again.
After a long, tender moment, he said, “And I'm sure, so don't ask me if I am."
She felt her lips widen into a smile. “Okay."
His eyes combed the area, and she looked out to see the forest was dark with shadows that seemed alive. "We should go in," he said. "Just to be safe.”
They walked toward his double front door as the cool pine-scented breeze sent yellowed leaves twirling across their path.
Griffin pulled his keys from his pocket and fit the house key into the lock. She caught sight of her rental house. Yellow tape had been wrapped around the small front porch. She slid her hand along Griffin's back, reminded herself that she had read Griffin accurately, that Lillian had given her good validation on her insights.
Inside, Griffin’s home was the perfect mountain house, a sophisticated log cabin with paneled walls and rosewood beams across the ceiling. The back of the house was mostly glass to bring the majestic outside in. His furnishings consisted of black leather couches with silver steel frames, and wall-to-wall bookshelves that were crammed full.
“Can I get you some tea?” he asked.
“I think I’m the one who ought to be catering to you, don’t you think?”
“I’m fine.” He rolled his shoulder a couple of times. “They gave me a local injection so I actually don’t feel anything in that spot right now. I might take some Advil later. You don’t have to fuss over me.”
“Well, I should fuss a little. You wouldn’t have a hole in your arm if it weren’t for me.”
“I don’t have a hole in my arm anymore, they stitched it up. All I’m going to have to show for what happened today is a small scar, and an adventurous story to share with my students. I’ll get to tell them I got shot and they’ll think I really am Indiana Jones.” He smiled his glorious smile and a little bit of her melted.
He guided her to take a seat on the longest couch. “You’ve been through a hard time. I know what that’s like. I’m just glad that no one got seriously hurt today.”
“Me, too,” she said and exhaled deeply.
"Now. Doors and windows are locked. All entry points are wired to the alarm system. If the alarm does get tripped, the signal goes right to the police station. I have a gun in the bedroom that I'll bring out, so it's on hand. He stood and closed the blinds over the windows. She felt increasingly better as each set of blinds shut the world out.
“I know you have your gun,” he said.
She patted the side of her purse.
“I'll call my buddy Mac at the police station right now so they can get someone up here before the gates close." He paused as if he examined a private checklist. “I know this is a frightening situation, but I feel better about you being here than in some hotel by yourself.”
“Me, too,” she said.
She must have appeared somewhat overwhelmed because he sat next to her, quietly folding his hands.
“Diamonds, huh?”
She shook her head, still not used to the idea. “Apparently. I never picked up on what he had done. There weren’t any buying sprees or new cars. No fur coats. He did pay off some steep medical bills that insurance didn’t cover. I thought his business was doing well and that’s where he got the money. I didn't know about any diamonds until Elias, the guy I killed, showed up in my house with a gun.”
He didn’t flinch, didn't seem to judge or be surprised.
“You think you know someone, you think you can trust them. Then you find out you don’t know them at all,” she said.
“We all want to trust those we care about. Trust gives hope, it gives our
life meaning, it gives us a solid foundation. When we find our trust was misplaced, it’s devastating.” A painful memory flitted across Griffin’s face, as if hurt were still within his reach. Barbara remembered Lillian’s story about Griffin’s wife.
“My former wife had an affair. I think my heart actually ripped in two when I found out. Betrayals are hard. Takes a while to trust again.” His tone was cautious, as if he weren’t quite there himself.
Barbara thought her ability to trust would come back just as soon as she could trust her gift again, just as soon as she could figure out why she had missed the fact that David was a thief. Not to mention a liar.
“Maybe one day we’ll both get there,” she said softly.
His gray eyes softened, and for a moment they gazed at one another. It was if they belonged to a secret club. They knew what it was like to love and to have lost, to have your trust betrayed, and to need to begin again.
“Now,” she said after a moment. “The doctor said I needed to watch over you tonight, but did he tell you what I was supposed to do?”
Griffin chuckled quietly as if she had missed the inside joke. “That was his attempt to fix us up. He’s been married to his wife Marianne for thirty-five years and he thinks everyone should be on that same path.”
He walked to the kitchen and pulled a pitcher of tea from the fridge, along with a bowl of red cherries.
“I think everyone in town is trying to fix you up,” she said, remembering Lillian’s encouragement.
“They’re good people, they mean well.” He took two slim glasses from the cabinet, filled them with crushed ice, and poured the tea. “Lillian will be along soon with more food than we could eat in a week. But maybe these snacks will get us through until then. I think I could also scare up some crackers if I worked at it.”
He handed her a navy blue Brevard College sweatshirt from the back of one of the breakfast chairs. “I’m sure you’re tired of wearing that doctor's coat.”
Chasing Secrets Page 8