by Polly Holmes
Clair swayed on her feet. The stuffy corner she’d hidden in suddenly closed in around her, suffocating her. Combined with information overload and the overwhelming musky scent and heat in the office, it was like being wrapped in a wool blanket on a hot summer day.
She wanted to storm in there and demand answers, but her feet wouldn’t move. If he did kill James, what would stop him from killing her right now? There would be no witnesses. Charlotte was the only one who knew she was coming here, and what good would that do? All he had to do was hide her body and claim she never arrived.
Fear skulked up her spine. Her brain sent messages to her legs to get out, but her legs didn’t seem to be receiving them. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed she held it together. A sharp clicking sound from the desk snapped her eyes open. Mr Gorson threw manila folders into his briefcase and snapped it shut. He was leaving.
Time had run out. It was get out or get caught. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she silently bolted for the front door, careful not to alert him to her presence. Clair’s heart sank, just as she closed the door behind her. She heard Mr Gorson’s office door slam. Did he see me?
The illuminated flashing sign of the chemist next door caught her attention and she darted inside out of line of sight, she closed her eyes and rubbed her hand over her forehead, relieved the ordeal was over.
“Is everything all right, Clair?” A petite woman with a twangy voice asked.
Clair gasped and looked up. “Mary-Jane, I didn’t see you there. Yes, everything’s fine, I’ve a headache that’s all and I’ve run out of painkillers.” Clair wasn’t about to tell her the truth. She felt like Pinocchio for lying, her nose growing longer by the second.
“You’ve come to the right place,” she said as she walked toward the counter. “You take Panadol, if I’m not mistaken.”
“Yes, that’s right,” she said.
Clair paid and grabbed the bag. She wasn’t really lying, she did feel a headache coming on. Who could blame her? With no time to waste, she dialled Mason’s number, eager to find out where he’s been and fill him in on her findings.
Chapter Ten
“WHAT POSSESSED YOU to go there alone in the first place?” Mason asked as he placed one of his father’s boxes on the kitchen table. “If you’d been caught, goodness knows what he might have done.”
Mason had been sorting his father’s possessions, hoping to locate his mobile phone when she rang. He insisted on her coming straight over, but now that she was receiving the third degree, she wished she hadn’t. “I’m not completely hopeless, you know. I can take care of myself.”
The hurt expression on his face gutted her.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said with a sigh.
“I did try and call you so you could come with me, but it went straight to message bank.” She ignored the flip-flop of her stomach when he leaned in and placed his hand over hers.
“Sorry about that, I had some work calls that I needed to make, but if I’d known you were in danger...” He paused, pursing his lips together. “I just want you to be careful. It would destroy me if anything happened to you.”
It would? The warmth of his hand blended into hers and she felt herself start to overheat. Her mind snapped back to reality. He’s just helping you out, nothing more. He doesn’t like you that way, remember.
She slipped her hand from his and pretended to sort through a stack of papers scattered on the table. Changing the subject, she asked, “So what is all this stuff anyway?” She noticed he pulled his chair closer to her before sitting down causing a cascade of tingles to flutter in her lower belly.
“My father’s documents. Stella’s out of town tonight visiting her sister in Budgewoi, so I thought I’d get a head start sorting this stuff and hopefully get lucky in finding his missing phone.”
“Want some help?” Her lips blurted before she had a chance to put her mind into gear. The spicy scent of his aftershave teased her nostrils and she hadn’t realised how much she wanted his answer to be yes.
He smiled and her heart somersaulted. Again. “I’d love some, but I insist that you stay for dinner as my guest. It’s frozen pizza night, nothing flash, but it’s the least I can do.”
She nodded. “Well, I do have to eat and it would save me cooking when I get home.”
“Perfect,” he said as he placed a box in front of her on the table. “You can start here.”
Her eyes widened. “What exactly am I looking for?”
“His phone for starters, but anything incriminating, I guess. I have no intention of following in dear, old Dad’s footsteps. For all I care, Stella can have the business, but I am hoping to find something that will point us in the right direction to help find the real murderer.”
They sat in a comfortable silence, sifting through box after box, sorting each into one pile or another. Clair closed her eyes a moment and rolled her neck in a circle to work out the kink that had developed over the past hour.
Mason frowned. “Are you okay?”
“Sure,” she said as she placed another piece of paper on a pile.
His head turned toward the kitchen and a sharp gasp filled the room. “Oh, my goodness, it’s seven o’clock. I can’t believe how the time has flown by. I promised you dinner,” he said, shooting into the kitchen.
“Mason, it’s fine. I’m okay, really.”
“Nonsense,” he grumbled. “What sort of host would I be if I didn’t serve my guest dinner as promised?”
“A preoccupied one.” A giggle erupted from her belly at the sight of Mason flitting around the kitchen. “Do you have any idea how crazy you look right now?”
He paused, resting his hip against the kitchen bench, his soulful, apologetic eyes looking straight at her. “I guess I do look pretty silly, running around like a madman.”
Clair smiled. “It will only take twenty minutes to cook, so pop it in the oven. That will give us twenty more minutes to keep working and then we’ll take a well-earned dinner break. What do you say?”
His beaming smile ricocheted right through her body. “Smart and beautiful, how did I get so lucky.” Mason froze, clearly stunned by his own words.
What the? Confusion embedded itself in the base of her stomach. He is either really polite or she’d totally misread the incident in her office the other day. He was like a yo-yo, playing catch me if you can with her heart.
No distractions, no distractions. The drawn-out silence bumped up the tension between them a notch. She huffed and brushed her hand in a dismissive action. “I bet you say that to all the girls.” She quickly returned to sorting papers.
“Yeah, right, all the girls,” he said in a flippant tone.
Clair’s insides churned. She quickly changed the subject. “So, what’s it like living in Surfers Paradise?” she asked.
He shrugged and joined her at the table. “Okay, I guess.”
Okay, I guess? She paused, a frown marred her expression. “You guess? Isn’t it supposed to be this fast-paced, exciting city that never sleeps? Lots of parties, women, that sort of thing.”
He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and her chest clenched as the cutest blush covered the base of his neck. “I wouldn’t know, I’m not really into that sort of stuff.”
“What sort of stuff are you into?”
“My work, computer programming. It takes up pretty much most of my time. ” He paused picking up a handful of documents from a box on the floor. “And you. What are you into?”
“Me?” she said with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, you,” he said catching her focus. “Why are you so surprised?”
Clair found herself mesmerised by his inviting blue eyes. “Um...”
“I really like spending time with you. You’re easy to talk to and in my world that’s a rare find.”
He does like me. She wanted to jump up and do a happy dance.
He continued. “Most of the women in Surfers are just out for a good time, it’s g
reat to meet a nice woman who can hold a conversation that isn’t just focused on her looks or computers.”
Nice? Now I’m nice?
Clair’s stomach dropped. Her head was about to explode with his constant chopping and changing views. And they say women are hard to read. If only she could stay focused on proving her innocence, instead of being side-tracked by the gorgeous man sitting beside her. She sighed and picked up another document. Her eyes widened, and it was as if the words jumped right off the page and into her brain. She shot out of her chair, her heart pounding.
“I found something.” She looked up barely able to believe her luck. “Incriminating evidence, I think.”
Mason stood and was beside her in an instant. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s right here on this piece of paper,” she said as she handed it over. “A life insurance policy on your father.”
“What?”
“For three million dollars and look who’s the beneficiary,” she said pointing, to the name at the bottom of the page.
Mason’s eyes widened. “His grieving widow.” Her hand shook as she handed the document to Mason. The corner of his lip turned up into a cheeky grin. “And taken out only two weeks before his death. Look who else’s signature is here,” he said pointing to the bottom of the page.
Clair’s jaw dropped. “Roland Trent. I guess now we know the connection between them. The empty file in his office was obviously connected to this policy and maybe their marriage.”
“Seems step-mother dear has a lot of explaining to do.”
“Surely that’s a motive for murder. Maybe Stella bumped him off for the money?” Clair asked, relief coursing through her system.
“It all comes down to money. Murder for money. From what you overheard in Mr Gorson’s office and now this. Both have a motive for murder, but the question is, which one actually did the deed?” Mason said.
“Either way, I think we should tell Detective Anderson. If this is a secret Stella has been keeping, goodness knows what else she’s hiding?”
His grin turned into an enormous smile that lit up the entire kitchen. “Definitely. You did it, Clair,” he said picking her up and swinging her around, her legs dangling above the floor.
Clair gasped, her heart pitching into her throat. She gripped his broad shoulders as her body melded to his muscular frame. Her heart wanted more than just his arms around her, but her head knew it was just his reaction to her find. The oven buzzer pierced the air. Saved by the bell.
Reality crashed through her moment of euphoria as Mason set her down. They stood staring at each other, a comfortable silence between them. Her pulse raced. “That would be the pizza,” she said with a smile.
“Yes, of course,” he said bolting into action.
Great. There I was, standing arm in arm with a gorgeous guy and I have to go and spoil it by mentioning food. Why couldn’t she have Charlotte’s get-up-and-go confidence when it came to men? Charlotte’s words rang out in her mind.
Maybe he has the disguise side worked out perfectly, but what if the real man underneath has never really ventured out of his comfort zone. I think there’s something there and I don’t think you should give up. I think you should take the first move and ask him to go to the Gala dinner with you tomorrow night. What harm could it do?
She watched him slice up the pizza, dividing it onto two plates. Clair ignored the butterfly chaos in her stomach, sucked in a deep breath and took a chance. “I don’t suppose you’re free tomorrow night?”
Mason paused, two plates held mid-air. “Tomorrow night?” he said, his eyebrows raised. “Isn’t tomorrow night the Gala dinner?” he asked placing a plate for her at the table.
She nodded. “Yes, I was wondering if you had nothing better to do, I thought maybe you might want to go with me.”
“Like a date?” he asked.
A date? I wish. “Well, like a business date. I figured most of Ashton Point will be in attendance, so it would be the perfect time to suss out Stella and also keep an eye on the town folk for any suspicious behaviour.”
“I see,” he said, taking a bite of his pizza.
You see what? She thought.
“You’re right, it would be perfect timing to confront Stella about the insurance policy. It will be hard for her to deny or lie about it in front of witnesses.” He paused as if contemplating her request. “On one condition?” he said.
Mason shuffled in his seat and she could have sworn she saw a trickle of sweat across his brow. Clair felt her stomach drop. “What condition?”
He bit his bottom lip. “You go out on a real date with me after this is all over.”
Her knees jellied up and her jaw nearly hit the floor. “You want to go out on a date…with me?” she said flabbergasted.
He sat back in his chair and sighed, his eyes focused on the pizza on his plate. “I know I’m not like the usual guys you probably have knocking down your door, but I’d really like to go out on a proper date with you.”
“You would?” Clair sat stunned. He nodded and the pain in his eyes crushed Clair’s heart.
“Dating doesn’t exactly come easy to me. I mean, I’ve had a few girlfriends but I’ve never felt as comfortable with them as I have with you. I enjoy your company, and you and I seem to be able to talk easily, which has never happened to me before. If I’m going to be honest, I really like you.”
Clair’s stomach felt like the butterflies had hatched inside as she sat, soaking up Mason’s words. “I thought you didn’t like me?”
His brow creased and his gaze caught hers. “What on earth gave you that idea?”
A crimson blush warmed her cheeks and she shrugged. “The other day when I got a little overexcited at the shop and threw my arms around your neck, it looked like you couldn’t get away from me fast enough, so I figured I’d overstepped the mark.” She frowned as he chuckled at her words.
“Are you serious? I wanted to keep my arms tight around you and tell you how I was feeling, but I wasn’t sure if that was appropriate or not and the last thing you need right now is a distraction.”
A distraction like Mason was exactly what she didn’t need at the moment, but also what she desperately wanted. Charlotte was right. I should learn to trust my sister’s instincts.
“Mason, listen—”
Before she could finish, Mason snapped up her empty plate and began scraping her pizza crusts into the bin. “It okay, Clair, I totally understand. I was way out of line.”
“Mason?”
He continued. “I did say that I wasn’t very good at this dating thing.”
Mason?” she said louder in an effort to cut through the barrier he’d erected.
He continued stacking the dishwasher, oblivious to her voice. “I understand, I do. It’s okay. I shouldn’t have said anything. I promise once I help prove your innocence, I’ll be out of your hair for good.”
Frustration seeped through her entire body. “Mason,” she yelled and he spun, jolted by her high-pitched voice. “Stop talking.”
Mason’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped, obviously stunned by her outburst.
Her heartrate kicked into overdrive but she couldn’t hold back the giggle that smouldered in her belly. “I’d love to go on a real date with you, in fact, I wouldn’t have minded your arms holding me tight the other day.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Mason asked in a stunned tone.
Clair’s mouth was too dry to speak, so she simply nodded. They stood in silence, their eyes locked on each other’s while the electric tension between them soared. Two little words repeated in her head like clanging church bells. No distractions.
Clair felt a tug in her gut. “I like you, Mason, but I have to focus on finding the killer before I can think about dating anyone.”
“I totally agree and you have my complete assistance,” he said as he moved closer.
Clair fought the urge to throw her arms around him and kiss his lush lips.
She knew if she got one taste of him she’d never want to stop. “So, is that a yes for tomorrow night?”
He brushed the stray strands of her tousled hair away from her face and smiled. “You’ve got yourself a date, and I guarantee I’ll be the envy of every man in the room.”
Chapter Eleven
NERVOUS ENERGY HAD Clair on her toes most of the morning. The day had been choc-a-block full of errands to complete before tonight’s big event. Thankfully, they were closing the shop early, hoping to avoid any drama getting the cupcakes finished and over to the Ashton Point Resort in time to get back home and get dolled up for the evening.
“Are you okay delivering the last of the cupcakes?” Clair asked Charlotte as she flicked the sign on CC’s Simply Cupcakes to closed and locked the door behind her.
“As long as you pick up my dress from Kelly at Snip ’n’ Sew, I’ll be fine.” Charlotte said heading toward her car.
“Will do. Now go and I’ll see you at home.” Clair smiled and waved as Charlotte took off down the street.
She chuckled to herself. “Who doesn’t decide what dress they’re wearing to a formal dinner ’til the day before?” Charlotte, that’s who. Clair shook her head, she couldn’t believe how accommodating Kelly had been when Charlotte rushed her dress in to have it altered at the last minute.
Covered in a sheer line of plastic, Clair hung Charlotte’s pristine cobalt-blue, sequined strapless dress over her arm as she exited Snip ’n’ Sew. Her sister always liked to add a little sparkle to her outfits, and this evening was no exception. Whereas Clair had high hopes for Mason’s approval with the fitted sleeveless, floor-length black-velvet gown she’d chosen for the night. It was plain, but elegant with a slit to the thigh on one side and accentuated with pearls, it was sure to get a reaction.
“Where are you, keys? I know you’re in here somewhere,” she muttered, searching her bag for her car keys, oblivious to the growing excitement around her.
