by Alexa Verde
“Good night, Julia.” He lingered as if he wanted to say something else.
“Good night, Ivan.” She stared in his eyes.
After a long moment, he left for the connecting room.
Julia said her bedtime prayers. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she drifted off to sleep.
The next day, they left the hotel bright and early. On the way to Rowena McDougal’s place, Ivan and Julia stopped for breakfast at a waffle house.
Julia said grace.
“Amen,” Ivan whispered.
While Julia munched on warm waffles with a generous serving of butter and syrup, she apologized to Ivan and sent a group text to all the Danger Girls.
Good morning. Still alive and kicking.
Responses started pouring in quickly.
Wonderful! Soledad.
Great. Lydia.
Awesome! River.
You woke me up! Mari.
Julia had a twinge of guilt. Then her phone beeped with another text.
Kidding. Keep up the good work, i.e. staying alive. Mari.
Julia drained her coffee and caught Ivan glancing around. Obviously, he was always aware of his surroundings. Always on high alert. She studied his handsome profile as she polished off the last piece of her waffle.
Ivan pushed away his empty plate.
Julia did the same. “Let’s go.”
He paid for the meal, and they were on the road once again.
She was blessed to have him by her side.
But once all this was over, would he walk away?
Chapter Thirteen
It wasn’t difficult to find Rowena McDougal’s house. Ivan and Julia entered through an arched gate and pulled up to a large white stone house with an attached garage. Julia took a look around. Water sparkled in the bird bath in the front yard, and a bird feeder was hanging from an oak. Judging by the sparrows’ chirping coming from them both, they were well utilized.
A curtain on one of the windows shifted, and Julia got the feeling they were expected. Ivan and Julia got out of the rental and headed to the front door.
As soon as Ivan pressed on the doorbell, the door opened. Julia’s eyes widened.
No matter what her age, Rowena McDougal was a sight to see. Her blonde hair was up in an elegant style while her outfit consisted of a silver-toned long skirt and a black blouse accentuated with sparkly gray buttons. The clothes were complemented by high-heeled metallic shoes and diamond earrings that shone beautifully when they caught the sunlight. However, none of that sunlight seemed to be caught in her eyes, which looked at them with antipathy and suspicion.
Ivan showed his badge and introduced them. Instead of melting ice in her eyes, his words seemed to deepen it. Julia tensed.
“May I ask the reason for your visit?” Ms. McDougal’s voice was polite.
But Julia listened closely enough to catch coldness in it, too.
“We’re investigating the death of Seth Vargas. We’re also looking into death of Hank Gallagher.”
McDougal’s eyes widened, and she stepped back. However, she seemed to recover from her shock quickly. “I’ve never met Seth Vargas. As for Hank Gallagher, I haven’t seen him for many years. I haven’t heard from him for many years, either. I don’t think I can be of any help to you.”
“On the contrary. I’m sure you can be a great help,” Ivan said. “I’d like to know more about the stolen recipes.”
Ms. McDougal stared at them for a long moment.
Julia held her breath. McDougal seemed a smart woman, so she probably guessed Ivan was off duty and she didn’t have to answer his questions.
Then Rowena stepped aside. “Come in.”
Ivan and Julia entered the house and followed Rowena to the living room. Gigantic mirrors made the room seem larger than it probably was. The interior consisted of white, beige, and gray hues with metallic accents here and there. Julia wondered how difficult it was to keep the snow-white sofa spotless and had an urge to take off her shoes before stepping on the marble tile. She had a strange feeling that in her youth Rowena used to surround herself with bright colors instead of this winter land.
Rowena gestured for them to take a seat, and they obliged. The hostess claimed an armchair that matched the sofa in color and cleanliness. Her face was as blank as the furniture, void of any emotion, but her fingers trembled ever so slightly. The news about Gallagher’s death seemed to affect her, though she obviously tried not to show it. Or was there another reason she was nervous?
“How did he die?” Now, her voice seemed to be filled with a myriad of different emotions that probably even Rowena herself didn’t want to identify.
Ivan didn’t ask whom she meant. “Until recently, Hank Gallagher’s death was considered an accident. He fell into a swimming pool and drowned. He seemed to have taken a double dose of his medication before that.”
“You said until recently. What changed?” Rowena clasped her hands as if she wanted to stop them from trembling.
“Hank Gallagher’s successor and close friend Seth Vargas died. At first, his death was ruled a suicide, but now we have reasons to believe the suicide was staged. I hope you’ll be as generous in sharing information with me as I was in sharing information with you.” Ivan leaned forward. “Were the chocolate recipes Gallagher used to build his company on stolen from you?”
“Yes.” Not a muscle moved on Ms. McDougal’s face. Most likely, the theft had angered her decades ago, but she seemed to have put it behind her. Either that or she was an excellent actress. Or she was lying about the recipes altogether.
Julia had an idea. “May I use your restroom?”
A trace of suspicion flashed in Ms. McDougal’s eyes, but she nodded. “Sure. Down the hall, the last door to the right.”
Julia rose to her feet and headed to the hall. On the way to the bathroom, she studied photos on the walls. Most of them were of Rowena, taken at different stages in her life. About a couple of decades younger, she looked spectacular in gorgeous evening gowns. Then Julia stopped near the photo that showed Ms. McDougal in a hunter’s outfit with a rifle behind her back.
This was interesting. Ms. McDougal was a hunter. A person who liked to hunt should be comfortable with weapons and shoot well.
The next pictures were of even more interest to Julia. She zeroed in on the ones that depicted Ms. McDougal presumably with her son, Blake, first a teenager, then a young man. Julia’s eyes narrowed when she stopped near a photo of Blake with a super-short haircut and in a military uniform. The army.
Huh.
Blake was military trained.
Okay.
Julia could find more information from the Internet.
Without lingering any longer, Julia rushed to the bathroom. Once there, she turned on the water and searched the medicine cabinet. She found an EpiPen there, similar to her own. Julia raised an eyebrow. Ms. McDougal seemed to have allergies. And she also had knowledge of how the lack of an EpiPen could affect a person who needed it.
Filing that information in her mind, Julia headed back to the living room.
Glimpsing a cell phone on a chair in one of the rooms on the way, Julia stopped in her tracks. Of course, she had no right whatsoever to check it. But after a moment’s hesitation, she headed toward the phone and snatched it from the chair. To Julia’s surprise, it wasn’t pin protected. With a little pang of consciousness, she glanced through the most recent calls and texts. Most of them for today were to Blake, and almost all of those were unanswered.
Where are you?
Give me a call as soon as you can.
What’s happening?
There was only one text from Blake, about two hours ago.
I’m fine. I’m taking care of some things. Don’t worry.
Julia put Blake’s phone number into her cell phone, ready to rush out of the room. Most likely, Ms. McDougal had already suspected that Julia had intended to snoop around. Now those suspicions surely strengthened with Julia’s lengthy absence.
Without any time to ponder it, Julia shot back to the living room.
She smiled politely as she sat down. “Sorry for taking so long.”
Ms. McDougal nodded, as if accepting her apology, but her icy-blue eyes narrowed.
“How can we find your son, Blake McDougal?” Ivan said.
“Do you suspect him of something?” Rowena’s fingers fisted, but she uncurled them quickly, as if she made an effort to calm down.
Julia couldn’t blame Ms. McDougal for protecting her son. But to what lengths would Rowena go to do that?
“We just want to ask him several questions,” Ivan said carefully.
“I can’t help you. I’ve been trying to reach him lately to no avail. I’ll keep trying and if he answers, I’ll let him know you want to talk to him.”
“Please do so. Thank you for your cooperation.” Ivan handed Ms. McDougal his business card. “Please call me if you recall anything, even if it seems insignificant.”
“I will.” Rowena rose to her feet, as if signaling it was time for them to leave.
Ivan and Julia followed her to the door. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of Julia’s stomach. Blake’s disappearance bugged her, but even more so the teardrop earring.
Just thinking of that sparkling earring filled her with a sense of utter horror.
Why?
After saying farewell to Ms. McDougal, Ivan and Julia were on the way back to Rios Azules.
“Let’s stop somewhere for a quick lunch.” Ivan guided the car to the outskirts of San Antonio through heavy traffic. He seemed to pay close attention to the rearview mirror.
Julia did the same. To her relief, so far they didn’t seem to have a tail. “Okay.” She pointed at one of the billboards. “That restaurant seems to have great barbecue.”
Ivan changed lanes, then took the nearest exit and parked near the restaurant.
He scanned the street, then exited the vehicle, opened the door for her, and stayed close as they walked to the restaurant, as if shielding her. Once inside, she noted he opted for a table from which he had a clear view of the exits, then pulled out the chair for her, and took a seat near the wall.
His features seemed relaxed, but Julia sensed he was on high alert. His gaze roamed over the room, as if taking in every detail.
Once the waitress brought menus, Julia ordered honey barbecue chicken wings that came with a baked potato and a side salad while Ivan opted for ribs. Their food arrived soon.
Julia bowed her head and said grace.
“Amen,” Ivan whispered.
Munching on the garden salad and the wings, Julia told him about her discoveries, including Blake’s apparent military training, Rowena’s possible shooting skills, and the terrifying effect a simple earring had on Julia.
“I have only one explanation for the latter.” Ivan took several bites of ribs and flushed them down with iced tea. “You’ve seen the same or a similar earring when something horrible happened to you.”
A shiver ran down her back. She’d gone through different hardships in her life, but there was only one event that filled every cell in her body with fear.
Her father’s suicide.
Her delicious lunch fell like a stone into her stomach. Her throat went dry, and she hurried to take a sip of her cold soda.
“Do you think I saw it when I found my dad’s dead body?” She forced herself to say the words past the tightening in her throat.
“That is the most logical explanation.” He polished off the rest of his ribs.
Julia took three deep breaths to calm her nerves. “I might be wrong, but I don’t remember my mother wearing that type of earrings. She always preferred hoops.” She pushed away her empty plate.
Ivan waved to the waitress for a bill. “Somebody else might’ve been in your house shortly before your father died.” He reached for her hand as if giving her his quiet support.
Julia drew strength from his touch. “It might be somebody close to my family. I’ll look through family photos after we return to Rios Azules.”
He shifted away when the waitress brought the bill. He paid for the meal, and soon they were back on the road.
After navigating through heavier traffic, they reached the outskirts and the traffic slowed down.
Ivan’s gaze darted to the rearview mirror, then back at the road. “We can also stop by the local library and look through the newspapers from the month and the year when he died. Looking through old papers is a shot in the dark. But who knows, we might come across a photo of a woman wearing such earrings.”
Julia shuddered. She couldn’t think about that day, couldn’t relive all those emotions. But she had to know the truth. She needed to have closure.
“Julia…” Ivan’s gentle voice reached the corners of her soul she’d kept hidden. “I know it must be difficult for you. I want you to know that I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
She sent him a grateful glance. “Thank you.”
Their gazes met and held for a brief second. Then Ivan returned his attention to the road, but not before she glimpsed a mixture of tenderness, sadness, and wistfulness in his eyes.
“You have no idea how much you mean to me.” His voice thickened with emotion.
“I still do?” She looked out the window as her heartbeat increased.
“You always did. You always will.” His fingers stroked hers.
Butterflies fluttered their wings in her stomach. “You, too.”
She ached to say more, but she had to hold herself back. She’d learned a long time ago that the concepts of always and forever didn’t exist. At least not for her. She barely remembered her father, and then her mother had walked away from her, trading Julia for new families. Yes, her mother had sent checks regularly, had called sometimes, but it wasn’t the same as physical presence. Even her grandparents, who’d loved her dearly, had died seven years ago…
Tears burned the backs of Julia’s eyes. She missed them. She missed them all badly.
“Are you okay?” Ivan’s voice reached through her mental haze.
“Yes,” she whispered.
There was one exception to the rule.
The Danger Girls had stood by her no matter what, and she was grateful for that. Even when she’d tried to distance herself from her friends, afraid they’d walk away from her like everybody else had done, the Danger Girls hadn’t left her alone until she’d surrendered.
But relationships with guys had puzzled Julia. They’d never worked out for her. Was it because the only relationship she’d truly wanted was with Ivan?
You’ll never be able to make my son happy. After all, you’re your mother’s daughter.
Julia sighed. She’d let Ivan’s father’s words crawl under her skin. After repeating them many times in her mind, she’d believed them. But why had she let somebody else judge her and determine her life?
She stifled resentment against Ivan’s parents and silently prayed for them again and again.
Then for some time she kept quiet.
“Don’t you think human relations are extremely difficult? Numbers are so much easier. One and one always equals two. Two and two always equals four,” she said at last.
Ivan chuckled as he slowed down around a curve. “But in relationships, one and one often equals lots of complex emotions and misunderstandings.”
Julia nodded. “Numbers are exact, with clear results. That’s one of the reasons I chose accounting as my profession.”
“Besides that, you were great at math. Better than I ever was. You were always super-smart.” He changed lanes and passed a couple of cars.
She smiled, pleased by his praise. “I’m book smart. I wish I was more street smart.” Then she’d
be able to read people better. She’d figure out much sooner that most guys only wanted her as a trophy. She’d understand why her own mother hadn’t loved her. She’d know how to make things work between Ivan and her. She’d find a way to earn Ivan’s parents’ love and respect.
But she’d never been good with relationships. It was easier to avoid them altogether.
The problem was, she didn’t want to avoid a relationship with Ivan. Even after all this was over, she wanted to keep seeing him. Those terrifying seconds while she was trying to cut his seat belt had told her how much he mattered to her.
She was losing her heart to Ivan for the second time, and there was nothing she could do about it.
He let her hand go but then reached out to her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her heartbeat went into overdrive. Even after all the promises to herself to forget about Ivan, he affected her strongly. Much stronger than she wanted.
He gripped the steering wheel again. “You were always lovely. But now you’re a beauty.”
“I take after my mother,” Julia said bitterly.
“You say it like it’s something bad.” His voice rose, as if he were surprised. “Don’t all women want to be beautiful?”
“I found out early on that guys were only interested in me because of my looks. While still in school, I heard through the grapevine that the guys with real substance were afraid to approach me, intimidated by my looks and reputation. The only ones who dared to approach me were self-assured, ultra-confident guys who never cared who I really was. When I refused to go on dates with such boys or broke up with them after being treated like a trophy, I only added to the reputation of being arrogant and spoiled.”
“That was an unfair reputation. I’m sorry you had to go through that. But I’m glad you refused to settle for being treated as anything less than what you deserve.”
Julia smiled. “My grandma taught me well, including giving me a sense of self-worth based not on fleeting beauty but on what I could become as a person. The Danger Girls gave some good advice, too. By the way, you were the exception from that crowd. You have a great character but were never intimidated by my looks.”
