“Freeze,” a man’s voice gruffs into the night as he takes a defiant stance, the moon shining down on a black gun pointed in our direction.
“Dear God up in heaven, don’t shoot!” I squeeze my eyes shut tight and prepare for the worst.
“Lottie?” That deep, warm voice sounds far too familiar and I pry an eye open, hoping I’m both wrong and right.
“Noah?”
“Geez.” He tucks his weapon into his back and speeds over. “There’s a call out for a security system breach.”
“I can explain everything. It’s a total misunderstanding,” I belt the words out so fast it sounds like gibberish.
“Listen to me. I’m only going to say this once.” His face elongates in the shadows, and his stern eyes press into mine with an unspoken threat. “Get in your car and leave now. You have exactly one minute and thirty seconds before a squad car shows up and—”
He doesn’t finish his sentence before Lainey and I are back in my hatchback and halfway down the road.
Lainey smacks me on the arm. “I’m never getting into a car with you ever again. I don’t even care if you’re behind the wheel!”
“So, does this mean we won’t be driving to the Evergreen Manor together tomorrow night for the annual Honey Hollow Christmas party?”
“You’ll be lucky if you’re not spending tomorrow night in a jail cell! You crossed one serious line tonight, missy.”
“All right. I did. I’m sorry. I just got a little carried away. It was Meg’s fault for seeding the idea into my brain to begin with.” That’s always been my go-to—when the going gets rough, blame Meg.
“It’s not Meg’s fault, and you know it. You’re obsessed with finding these murderers. It’s all you think about!”
“Because I am trying to clear your name and your boyfriend’s! Who, by the way, has a very flimsy alibi. You both do.” I gasp as I pull onto my sister’s street. “Say, the two of you didn’t actually off Tanner, did you?” I stop the car in front of her house, and Lainey swings the door open, letting the icy wind have its way with us once again.
“No! Of course not.” She gets out and ducks back in for a moment. “And look, I do appreciate you going out on a limb for us, but you have to understand that we don’t want you ending up with a rap sheet over it.” Her eyes squint to nothing. “Wait a minute. You’ve been complaining nonstop over the fact you and Noah haven’t had your penciled in sexy date night yet. This isn’t about Forest and me at all, is it?” Her mouth falls open with the revelation. “This is about Noah’s woody!”
“Out.” I do my best to shoo her away. “Shut the door, Lainey, and goodnight. Let’s pretend this never happened.”
“Fine.” She takes a meager step back. “So, did you learn anything new? See any decent clues that can take you one step closer to a mattress?”
I think on it for a moment. “I already knew he was having an affair with Dr. Ferdinand.”
Lainey makes a face. “You mean, she was sleeping with both Tanner and Ned Sweeny? That’s quite a range. I guess that woman would sleep with anyone and his brother.”
Brother. Brother? It’s as if a light goes off.
“That man with the beard! It was Bella’s brother—Mason Carter.” A laugh stifles in my throat. “He was giving Ned Sweeny a look as if he wanted to kill him for having his arm around Dr. Ferdinand.”
“I have no clue what you’re talking about, but my uneducated guess is that the man with the beard was sleeping with her, too. What does any of this have to do with solving Tanner’s murder?”
“Everything and maybe nothing.” I shrug. “Sorry about the breaking and entering.” I’d say it wouldn’t happen again, but at this point in my life I can’t guarantee it.
“No problem.” She waves it off. “Meg is right. You’ve got the entire judicial system in your back pocket. Sure doesn’t hurt to have boyfriends in high places.” She shuts the door and takes off with a wave of her fingers.
I roll down the window and pull up a bit. “Boyfriend!” I shout over at her. “Singular!”
Noah comes to mind, and a devilish smile glides over my face.
That man should have arrested me, and he let me go.
He loves me after all.
Chapter 17
Usually on a frosty night like tonight, there’s nothing better than curling up with a good book, a cup of hot cocoa, and my cat, Pancake, by a roaring fire. But tonight is no usual night.
After dropping Lainey off at her place and listening to her salty reprimands regarding that little breaking and entering faux pas, I’ve lost my ability to focus on reading a book. My cocoa is far too hot to enjoy, and both Pancake and I miss Dutch far too much for it to ever be reasonable. Not to mention the fact I can’t stand it when Lainey is upset with me. I tried to point out that I came by the break-in honestly. It was never my intent to encase myself in a room with a hundred haunted faces staring back at me. The breeze picked up, and I fell inside. And, honestly, there was no theft, no damage to the property as all of those wooden eyes that were feasted upon me can attest—and most importantly, we weren’t hauled down to the Ashford Sheriff’s Department and booked. And to her salty rebukes, I responded with the only way I knew how—all is well that ends well and every other maxim that is on my side.
No sooner do I stoke the fire than a gentle knock erupts at the door.
“Who could that be?” I ask, swooping up Pancake into my arms. I don’t know why I do it, but I’ve trained myself not to open a door without him when there’s a potential stranger on the other side. I think deep down inside I like the thought of Pancake providing a first line of defense in the event I’m attacked. Not that I would open the door to just anyone. I peer through the living room window and spot an all too familiar frame on the porch holding a couple of boxes of pizza.
I swing open the door, and Noah offers a defeated short-lived grin. “Pizza delivery.”
“How did you guess I was hungry?” I can’t help but bite down on my lip as I let him inside.
“Because I happened to see you work up an appetite.” His brows twitch as I take the pizzas from him and he removes his jacket. “You mind if I steal a slice?”
“You can steal a whole pie. You do realize you bought two, right? Is one for Ivy?”
“Funny.” He pulls me into his arms. “I’m off for tonight. I thought maybe since we can’t seem to make headway on our alone time that we might be able to put our great minds together and try to remove the obstacle that’s keeping us apart.”
“The case?” I inch back and examine him. “Are you, Noah Corbin Fox, inviting me, Lottie Kenzie Lemon, into your investigation?”
His lips twitch as if unsure of what direction to go in. “Not exactly. The detective in me that is on probation down at the Ashford’s Sheriff’s Department still very much does not want you in any way to jeopardize those nice paychecks he’s quickly getting used to.” He tilts his head to the side, and there’s an adorable boyishness about him right now. “But every other part of me is overriding that fool because I want nothing more than some serious alone time with my girlfriend.” His finger caresses my jawline. “I had an idea earlier. We both spill everything we know, no-holds-barred.”
“A wrestling term. Now that’s something I can relate to on a sibling level. What about Ivy?”
“She will never know. I can lose my job over this.”
“Then you must really trust me.”
“With my life.”
A breath hitches in my throat. “It sounds like you’re calling a momentary cease-fire.”
“Accepted?”
“Yes, now let’s get to solving this case.”
Noah and I land on the rug in front of the fireplace, noshing on pizza, washing it down with the few measly water bottles I had rolling around in the fridge, and talking about everything under the sun besides that aforementioned obstacle. The sparkling white twinkle lights on the Christmas tree add an aura of magic to the room, and the fire ensure
s that a romantic time will be had by all. Tanner Redwood flashes through my mind as if refuting the theory, and I have always hated it when Tanner is right.
“You know”—I toss my crust back on the coffee table and scoot in close to him—“you never did tell me much about your family. I think you mentioned a brother, Alex?”
“Yup. A Marine turned investment banker. He’s doing well for himself in Fallbrook. My mother moved to Florida a few years back, but we were never close. After my dad and she went their separate ways, my mom floated in and out of relationships. They were so bad my dad had us boys move in with him.”
“What about Christmas?” I give a cautious shrug. Noah spent Thanksgiving here with my family and me, so did Everett, but I would think Christmas might be different.
“Alex and his girlfriend will be with her family. I’m sure we’ll enjoy a rather nice phone call that lasts less than five minutes. Same with my mother.” There’s a touch of grief in his eyes as if he wished it wasn’t so.
“You’ll be with my family and me at the B&B and I won’t take no for an answer.”
He glides me over his knees until I’m seated on his lap.
“That’s very nice of you, Lottie. Invitation accepted. If you’re there, then that’s where I want to be.”
My insides melt at his kind words. “You’re my family, Noah. I mean it.”
“In that case, I’d like to make dinner for you after the holiday. Just you and me at my place as a way to say thank you. If you don’t mind, I’ll relegate dessert in your capable hands.”
“Aye aye, sir. I’m good at following orders.”
His brows pinch, amused. “I’ll remember that.”
He lips land over mine slowly and methodical, the kind of kiss you give when you know you don’t have anywhere to go for hours and you can take your time doing just this.
Noah pulls away slowly, his lids still hooded thick with lust.
“Is that a taste of things to come?” I give that scruff on his cheeks that I love so much a quick scratch. Noah’s warm cologne casts its spell on me the moment he walked through the door.
“Exactly.” A dark rumble of a laugh pumps through him. “Now let’s get down to business so—”
“So we can get down to business.” I spin around to face him fully. “First suspect.”
“Forest Donovan.”
“Forest is innocent, and we both know it.”
Noah winces. “He’s got a great motive, and he argued with the deceased just moments before you discovered his body. Ivy and I shook the poor guy down. He even volunteered for a polygraph.”
“Well, there you go. I mean, someone who is guilty wouldn’t volunteer to have their innocence legally questioned.”
“That’s the thing. A polygraph isn’t admissible in court. You may as well introduce psychics or pull out the tarot cards. It doesn’t mean a whole lot. And he might know just enough about the law to realize that.”
I shake my head. “Next?”
“Your sister, Lainey.”
“She didn’t kill him, but she should have. And before you get to the prime suspect, yours truly, I should have killed him, too.”
“Who’s your top suspect, Lottie?” His fingers dig into the back of my hair, and I’m about to say to hell with the homicide investigation, let’s open a whole new investigation—with each other.
“I don’t know. It’s a draw. There’s Bella Carter—the Bazingas’ waitress. She was having a fling with him, and things went sour. I saw him wearing her like an accessory just before the party got underway that infamous night. Then there’s Kelly Ferdinand, our favorite sex therapist.”
His dimples cinch in. His lids hood dangerously low. “Whose services we won’t be needing—I assure you of that.”
A dirty laugh gurgles in my throat. “Kelly attached herself to him like a barnacle when my sister caught them. It was a sizzling blur of emotions. I don’t know where Kelly took off to, but Tanner took off not long after. Kelly could have done it. She said some creepy things about her younger suitor when I met up with her at the gym.”
“You met up with Kelly at the gym?” His head ticks back a notch, and I can’t tell if he’s impressed or not.
“I suppose that’s below Ivy’s investigative standards. But that also happens to be where I met up with Mason Carter, Bella’s brother. It turns out, Mason wasn’t so happy that Bella had her heart broken. Maybe he did go berserk and kill him? Then there’s Ned Sweeny and all those strange wooden dummies. I still can’t figure out how he factors into this, but let’s face it, those wooden toys he plays with puts him on the suspect list whether he likes it or not. Plus, he was having an affair with Kelly. Maybe Tanner knew something? Maybe he was threatening to tell Ned’s wife?”
Noah takes an enormous breath as he looks to the ceiling. “Maybe. Have you checked out Tanner’s siblings?”
“Rachel is pregnant with her first child. Hook is busy with the family business. I don’t think either is responsible.”
Noah’s brows bounce. “You don’t think one of them offed Tanner? Rachel could be bitter that she was left out of the real estate business.”
“Maybe so, but she still collects a check from it.”
Noah gives a hard blink toward the fire. “The father only wanted his sons to run the business. Chauvinistic much? And now that Tanner is out of the picture, Hook is in charge.”
“I guess we need to talk to Hook again.”
“I did.” He shakes his head. “He actually seemed bitter he needed to give up life in the city but said he was taking one for the Redwood team. It doesn’t seem like a life he would have chosen, let alone killed for. It’s a great cover though if he did it.”
I make a note to speak with Hook again.
Noah nods my way. “What about Chrissy Nash?”
“The mayor’s ex-wife? What about her?” She and my mother have been friends for years. Chrissy is in on all of my mother’s shenanigans, including every book and travel club under the Honey Hollow sun.
“They were having an affair.”
“What?” I squawk so loud Pancake rawrrs right at us, and I’m suddenly fearing for Noah’s eyes.
“You mean the infallible Lottie Lemon was not privy to this information?” His chest rumbles with a laugh. “I’m questioning the validity of the claim.”
“Who made it?”
“Chrissy confessed to Ivy. She thought she might come under the spotlight. And I know I don’t need to ask, but please don’t say a word.”
“I wouldn’t dare. Wow, Tanner really was sleeping with half the town. I can’t see Chrissy doing anything like this. But then, everyone’s motives seem rather weak.” A thought comes to me. “You know, while I was in Ned’s study, I saw this picture. It was Ned and Kelly at some function last year, and in the background there was this man—he looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him. But it occurred to me a little while ago that it was Mason Carter. He seemed to be glaring at the two of them. It was creepy. Oh, and Ned had a flyer for the holiday party, but his name wasn’t on the roster of performers. I could have sworn he said he was going up on stage with Darjeeling.”
“Darjeeling?” His brows hike a notch. “It’s nice to see you’re on a first-name basis with Ned’s—”
“Don’t you dare call him his woody.” Meg and that seedy conversation come to mind.
“Whoa.” Noah lifts his hands a moment. “This just took a turn.”
“Let’s get back on track. I don’t think I can stand the fact I’m sitting on your lap and talking about someone else’s woody. What about Tim Wagner?”
“The kid with the chip on his shoulder? I don’t know. Sure, he seemed angry, but he has another job. A new girlfriend. A lot to lose. And to be honest, I just don’t see a guy offing Tanner that way.”
“So you think the murderer is a woman. How very sexist of you.” I bite down a smile.
“Sorry,” he mouths the word. “What do you think?”
�
��I think it was a woman. And I think it could have been a man, too. Mason Carter suggested that maybe the icicle didn’t kill him, that maybe it was a flesh wound. It got me thinking, maybe there were two killers.”
Noah glances to the fire. You can practically see his wheels churning at a million miles an hour. “There was no other outward sign of trauma.”
“Collette Jenner died of poisoning. There were no outward signs of trauma.”
He shakes his head. “Can’t be.”
“Maybe he was strangled after the fact?”
He moans as if disagreeing. “Considering he had a neck wound, that would have been messy.”
“Can’t you have them check the body once again?”
“The one we buried last week?”
“Yes, that one. They exhume bodies all the time on TV.”
“And the network foots the bill because it’s fiction.” Noah closes his eyes a moment. “I think I need to get back to my desk and check out the coroner’s report one more time. I’ll go over the case file and see if anything rings a bell now that we’ve gone over it in detail.”
He helps me to my feet, and I dive a heated kiss over his lips. “I hate that you have to leave. Do you know how hard it is to have your cookies left unfrosted?”
A warm laugh bucks from him. “Do you know how painfully uncomfortable a cold shower is in the middle of December? If it makes you feel better, I share your misery.”
“If you do end up unearthing Tanner, let me know and I’ll show up to clobber him for getting himself killed just in time to ruin my fun.” I wince. “That was terrible of me. Pretend you didn’t hear it.”
“I think Tanner would prefer a clobbering from you to someone else’s slaughtering.” He dips his lips to mine and lingers. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”
“Fine. See you at the Evergreen Manor tomorrow night for the annual Honey Hollow Christmas party?”
Murder in the Mix (Books 4-6) Page 13
