by Mary Stone
He was relieved when he stepped outside and breathed in the cool morning air. He wanted to shake himself like a dog, shaking off the feeling of apprehension that wanted to cling to him.
In his truck, he pulled out his phone and dialed her number. Voicemail. He sighed and rubbed his fingers over his eyes.
“You’ve reached Kylie Hatfield, what can I help you investigate today? Leave me a message and I’ll get back as quickly as I can.”
At the beep, he said, “Kylie, it’s Jacob. Listen…I’ve thought it through, and I can’t in good conscious keep what happened last night from Linc. I’ll give you until this afternoon to come clean or I’ll do it for you. I’m serious. Starting now.”
Noting the time, he headed to Nate Jennings’s apartment, where the forensic team was busy picking the place apart. He contacted the IT department to see if they had any luck breaking into the murdered man’s phone. Nope.
He spent the next several hours tracking down the pitiful number of leads he had.
By the afternoon, Jacob was both aggravated and worried that he hadn’t heard back from the fiery little private investigator in training. Maybe she was on the mountain with Linc. The day had been heavily overcast, which could mean some spotty signals. Plus, she’d had a terrible night. She could simply be sleeping.
Or…
Jacob shook his head. She was fine. He wasn’t going to borrow trouble and worry until there was something to worry about.
Pocketing the phone, he grabbed his keys. This conversation was better face to face. Plus, he was still worried about his friend too.
He drove by Starr Investigations first, looking for her car. She wasn’t there.
He drove by her apartment building. Nope.
He headed up the mountain, his dread growing with each mile he drove.
Linc’s headache was finally gone.
It had actually been gone the second he’d crawled into bed with Kylie, pulled her warm body against his, and breathed in her shampoo. He fell asleep…probably the second his head hit the pillow and didn’t stir once until the sun started to break through the blinds.
Thankfully, they hadn’t had time to “talk” this morning because they’d woken late and she had to get to work. She bounded from the bed, her pink underwear clad ass peeking out from underneath his t-shirt as she hurried for the door. As the shower turned on, he headed downstairs and started a pot of coffee, then let the dogs out before pulling out bacon and eggs.
“You’re the best!” Kylie said, taking the bagel sandwich and commuter’s mug of coffee from his hands, giving him a lingering kiss on the lips. “You’ll be okay?” Even though she was smiling, he could see the worry in her eyes.
He actually felt better than he had in weeks. Maybe the nightmare had been a good thing, letting out all the toxic memories that had been festering inside him for so long.
Maybe he didn’t even need the therapist now. The idea made him smile, and he realized he hadn’t been using those muscles often enough.
“Yeah. I’m good.”
He watched her bustle Vader into her car and drive away before heading outside to take care of all the animals.
Hours later, his phone rang. It was his primary care doctor. Probably one of those message systems to remind him that he was overdue for his yearly appointment. Way overdue. He answered, knowing that if he didn’t, they would just call again.
“Mr. Coulter, this is Christine from Dr. Sigler’s office.”
He was still waiting for the rest of the message to play when he realized he was on the phone with a real human being. “Oh, okay. How can I help you?”
“We received your emergency room report from your visit to Spartanburg Hospital yesterday, and Dr. Sigler wanted me to follow-up with you, make sure you’re okay.”
Nice customer service. Too bad he didn’t like the reminder about yesterday’s visit.
“I’m good, thanks.”
If he’d been hoping that was the end of it, he was sorely wrong. “I don’t see where you’ve made a follow-up appointment to see Dr. Sigler. Can I do that for you now?”
“No.”
“I see.” He could sense her disapproval. “What about the therapist the emergency room physician recommended?”
Linc gritted his teeth. “Not yet.”
“I’m happy to help you make that appointment, Mr. Coulter. What day of the week works best for you?”
Jesus. He felt like he was being chased by a human bulldozer.
“Um, I can make that appointment myself.”
“That’s terrific. Do you have a therapist in mind that I can jot down in your file?”
Linc rubbed at his eye, trying to remember the name of the therapist he’d researched the other day.
“Teresa Watts,” he blurted, hoping it was right.
“Wonderful. Do you have her number?”
Geez. The woman was like a mosquito buzzing in his ear.
“Yes, I do.”
“And you’ll be calling to make an appointment today?”
He was very close to tossing his phone into the pond.
“Yes,” he gritted out.
“That’s perfect. Dr. Sigler will be glad to hear that. He’s been very concerned.”
Dr. Sigler can kiss my ass.
“Please tell John that I appreciate the concern.”
“I’ll do that. Have a nice day.”
He shot his phone the bird and disconnected the call.
Then he stared at the thing for a good five minutes.
“Dammit.”
Dr. John Sigler would just have the pesky nurse call back, he knew. He’d been friends with the man for years and had trained four of his dogs.
Googling the number for Dr. Watts, Linc placed the call before he could change his mind. A couple minutes later, he had an appointment for later that week.
It hadn’t even been that bad. Nobody laughed, asked intrusive questions, or accused him of being weak. After he hung up, he felt the opposite of how he thought he’d feel. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was finally taking control.
Linc went to his office and whipped out the rest of the website he’d been struggling to put together, and went back to his regular, daily chores around the farm. As he did, a strength he hadn’t had in a long time pulse through him, and his brain cleared.
He even managed not to jump out of his skin as two of his SAR buddies brought his truck back and stayed long enough to enjoy a couple sandwiches before heading back to Spartanburg. They talked about the garage collapse, but they’d all avoided mentioning anything about Linc’s little breakdown.
Which was good.
Of course, both men were former military too. Brothers who intuitively understood.
After they left, he was just finishing repairing the back door in the barn, something he’d been putting off for months, when he heard the gravel crunching—another truck coming up the driveway. It was Jacob.
Linc slid his toolbox onto the porch, wiped his hands on his jeans, and waved at him, wondering if he’d heard about the snafu in Spartanburg.
Jacob hopped out of his truck and said, “Well, you look better.”
“I feel better. Must’ve been coming down with something before.”
“You were down south, right? At that garage collapse?”
“Yeah. But not for long. I was run down. Got sick pretty early in and had to leave,” Linc said as vaguely as possible.
“Shit, really?” Jacob knew it wasn’t like Linc to turn away from a disaster scene, especially one as big and high-profile as Spartanburg. He could be coughing up a lung, and he’d still go in. But this time, he’d had no choice. “Heard they rescued a few survivors.”
He’d purposely been avoiding news of the collapse. Linc shrugged. “Wasn’t my doing.” Unfortunately. He let out a breath and sat down on the porch steps. “Want to come in? Or are you here to drag me to another rescue?”
Jacob smirked. “No rescue. All’s quiet on that f
ront, fortunately.” He kicked the bottom stair and scratched at his cinnamon stubble-covered jaw. It looked like there was something he was wrestling with how to put into words.
“Annnnd?” Linc prompted, leaning back on his elbows. Now, he was worried. Linc knew Jacob too well. There was something clearly on his mind.
Jacob took off his hat and dropped it on the post, then ran his hand through his scrubby hair. “Well. Remember when Kylie was on the trail of that killer and she was getting her nose stuck in a lot of places where it didn’t technically belong?”
Kylie. Shit. Somehow, Linc should have known that she was at the bottom of this. “What did she do now?”
“She told me not to tell you because she knew you were going through some shit and didn’t want to upset you, but…”
She did, did she? What the hell.
“What. Did. She. Do?” Linc asked, digging his hands into the stairs at his sides, so hard he splinters stung his palms.
“It’s that new case she’s on.”
“The embezzlement case?” Or was it a robbery case? Both? He couldn’t completely remember.
“Yeah. That one. Started out that way, but it’s grown teeth and fangs. There’s been a murder.”
Linc stared at him. Holy shit. Kylie was a danger magnet. “What murder?”
“This witness that she was looking into. She was going to meet with him last night at this coffee shop downtown. She’s inside waiting for him, he never shows. Then she goes outside and finds him in his car. Bullet in the brain.”
Linc pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “You’re serious?”
Jacob nodded. “I’m guessing she never told you any of this.”
“Not a thing.”
“Well. It just happened last night. When did you last talk to her?”
Linc shot to his feet and climbed to the porch and started to pace. “This morning. She was here all night. She…” He stopped. He’d been too far gone last night to notice if she’d been agitated, and she’d kept the focus on him. He clenched his fists. “Damnation. She didn’t tell me anything.”
“She’s been worried about you. That’s why.”
Linc stared at his friend, feeling annoyed. “How is it that you know so much? Why is she telling you everything, and not me?” He slammed his chest. “She’s my girl, not yours.”
“Whoa.” Jacob took a step back. “I know that. We both know that, Linc. Jesus. We’re both worried about you.”
We. He didn’t like there being a “we” between Jacob and Kylie. It rubbed him the wrong way. Linc closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to ward off the dangerous urge building inside to punch his best friend in the world.
Linc raked both hands through his hair. “All right.”
“I came up here because I wanted to let you know what was going on, Linc. She means a lot to you, and—”
“Yeah. Got it.”
Go the hell away.
He didn’t. Jacob stood there, and Linc could almost hear the wheels turning in his head, trying to think of what to say. Finally, Jacob threw up a hand. “See you.”
He got into his truck as Linc stalked inside, slamming the door behind him. His life had been calm, relaxed even, before Kylie. But she upended every little thing in his head. She may have been responsible for calming his head last night, but more and more, he had the feeling that she’d been the one who brought the nightmares to the forefront to begin with. She was constantly in close scrapes. And maybe that was what had been stirring up his dangerous but mercifully forgotten past.
But Linc sure as hell wasn’t willing to let her go now. She was a tornado, but she was also the calm after the storm. Somehow, she was slowly becoming everything to him.
She couldn’t tell him about last night because she’d been walking on eggshells with him. But she’d told Jacob. She had to have been scared. What kind of asshole was he not to notice that? To make it all about him?
He went out to the yard to play with the dogs, feeling like an asshole again. The only reason he didn’t trust the two of them now was because he felt shit-poor about himself. But Jacob had been a stand-out best friend for most of his life, and Kylie had always been there for him.
Linc needed to get his head out of his ass and concentrate on what really mattered.
Namely, keeping Kylie safe.
29
Kylie was exhausted.
She’d just left the police department where she’d given her statement again, after waiting for an eternity in the smelly place. In fact, she’d waited so long that the battery on her phone died just as she was finally beating the bitch level of Candy Crush that had kept her stuck for days.
Truth be told, she’d rather be locked up herself than pushing the doorbell of Emma Jennings’s home.
When Emma came to the door, she looked even smaller than before. Her body was hunched, her eyes red-rimmed from crying. Kylie hugged her at once, and her small body felt like it was made of twigs. Meanwhile, Coco yipped at their ankles, wanting a pet.
“I’m so sorry, Emma,” Kylie said into her ear as she glanced around the house. Her servants seemed busy, scurrying quietly about. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Oh, thank you for asking, but no,” Emma said as Coco continued her ear-splitting yapping. “Shush, Coco. It’s a friend. Remember Kylie? I’m afraid it’s a bit of a zoo around here. I’m having them clean the house top to bottom because I expect I’ll be getting a lot of visitors.”
Kylie nodded. “I’m sure. It’s a shame that it takes a tragedy to bring people together.”
Emma led Kylie into the same room where they’d originally discussed the case. As they sat down, Sloane came with tea, almost as if he’d been expecting company.
“I’ve been through death before. First my lovely daughters, then my Arnold. Now, Nate. It makes no sense. He was in the prime of his life. So young and vibrant. My only grandchild. Who could do such a thing?” Emma reached into her pocket, pulled out a handkerchief, and swabbed at her eyes. It pulled on Kylie’s heartstrings.
“I don’t know yet, Emma,” Kylie said, patting her knee gently. “But I plan to do whatever I can to find out.”
Emma had started to pour the tea, but her eyes widened, and she missed the cup. “Oh, no! Oh, no no no! You should let the police handle it.”
Kylie took the delicate-looking teapot from the woman’s trembling hands. “Nate called me yesterday, saying there was something important he needed to discuss with me regarding the missing paintings. The police aren’t sure if that is why he was…attacked or if…”
Kylie froze. She didn’t really want to go into what Jacob had told her, about Nate’s gambling debts. The woman had enough worries on her mind.
Emma sniffed. “If what, dear?”
Pouring the tea, Kylie cleared her throat. “If it could have been random. But I think he might have been…harmed because of what he was about to tell me. Someone found out that he was suspicious and decided to silence him.”
Emma shuddered, lifting her fingers to her lips. “Oh, dear. Then it’s far too dangerous for you, Kylie, dear. In fact, I believe we should call off the whole investigation. I’ll pay you for your services thus far, of course, but I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
Kylie shook her head. “Emma, with all due respect, I can’t just sit by and let this happen. It’s obvious someone has done something very wrong, and I personally can’t sit still and let it continue. Please don’t think you’re forcing me into it. I’m compelled to do it. For myself. I want to see this creep behind bars.”
“All right,” Emma said doubtfully, taking a sip of her tea. “I’m awfully worried. Are you sure you want to get involved in that?”
Kylie forced herself to speak with a confidence she didn’t feel. “I’m already involved, Emma. I wish I didn’t have to ask you this now, but can you think of anyone who would want to hurt Nate?”
Emma shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. I…I hadn’t seen
Nate for a couple of weeks.”
“Are you certain it’s been that soon? Nate seemed to think it had been several months, at least.”
She didn’t want to bring up the stool incident again.
Emma frowned, and Kylie watched her eyes move, like she was attempting to scan a calendar that only she could see. “I’m not sure.” Her lower lip trembled at the admission.
Kylie had printed off the picture of the painting in the Coulter’s dining room earlier that day, and she pulled the copy out of her folder and handed it to Emma. “Does this look like one of your missing art pieces?”
She squinted at it, then lifted a pair of reading glasses from the pocket of her pink blazer and slipped them on. “Well, it’s certainly one of Arnold’s. I can tell by the style.”
“You said one of the missing paintings was called Autumn Sunrise? I thought it could be this one,” Kylie suggested gently.
She wanted a yes. A yes would’ve told her she was getting somewhere. Or a no would’ve been good too, because then maybe she could cross Linc’s father off her suspect list.
But she got what she didn’t want. What she’d gotten so much of during this case.
Emma simply pressed her lips together and shrugged. “I honestly can’t tell. He did so many paintings, they all seemed to run together. It could be one that was sent for reframing. Did you show it to…to Nate?” Her face fell as she said her grandson’s name again.
Could be wasn’t good enough.
“No. I didn’t have a chance. Besides, he told me that he never sent any artwork from your house for reframing. Sloane seemed to think he had, but Nate denied it.”
Emma tapped on her chin. “Oh, my. This is awfully strange.” She set her cup down on the coffee table, and Coco jumped excitedly onto her lap. She fed him a cookie. “What about my lawyer? Have you spoken to him about the missing funds?”
Kylie shook her head. “I’d been so focused on the missing paintings that I haven’t had the chance,” she lied. She’d put it off enough. She probably needed to bite the bullet and talk to Jonathan Coulter as much as she dreaded it. “I’m planning to go over there after this. It’s on my way home. I’m sure he can shed some light on things.”
