by Jill Sanders
He woke when he heard Raven scream. His body instantly went on full alert. He jumped up from the sofa and tripped when his legs got tangled in the blanket.
It took him longer to get to her than he liked. Seeing her asleep and fidgeting in the bed, he relaxed slightly. By the time he gently shook her awake from the nightmare, he’d settled his racing heart.
“Raven?” He pulled her up into his arms. “Shh,” he said, stroking her now dry hair. “I’m here. You’re safe.”
“Blood and fire,” she mumbled. “So much of it.”
“I’ve got you,” he murmured against her hair as he held onto her. He felt the moment she relaxed back into sleep.
Leaning his head back, he tried to get comfortable as he followed her into sleep.
The next time he woke, it was to the feeling of Raven tensing in his arms. He smiled slightly when she tried to pull away slowly, so as to not wake him up.
“Too late,” he said, opening his eyes. “I’m awake.” He looked down at her.
Her crystal eyes looked up at him, and he could tell she had a million questions.
Chuckling, he answered the unspoken first one.
“I only came in her a few hours ago when you were having a nightmare.” He felt her instantly relax.
“I wasn’t concerned,” she said with a slight nod. “I was just trying to determine if last night really happened. But since you’re here…” She sighed.
“Yeah,” he sighed, “you really did find your murdered CPA’s body in an elevator,” he said before really thinking it through.
The moment her body tensed and her eyes grew wide, he groaned.
“Shit, that wasn’t how I was going to tell you.” He took her shoulders and sat up a little. “I’m not really fully awake. It usually takes a long shower or two cups of coffee.”
“Murdered? Joe was murdered?” She wrapped her arms around herself as she leaned against the headboard. “Why? How?”
“I don’t know the details yet; we’re supposed to meet my uncle in the lobby at nine.” He glanced down at his phone. “We have some time, if you want to get ready. We can grab something to eat while we wait.”
A look crossed her face, and he could tell she was going to turn the offer of food down.
“You skipped dinner last night and something tells me you missed lunch yesterday as well,” he jumped in.
Her shoulders sagged, and then she nodded. “I’ll get dressed.” She rolled out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom.
Heading back into the other room, he realized the television was still on and paused when a picture of Joseph Ramsey flashed on the screen.
After finding the remote, he turned on the sound to hear the last part of the story from the local Redding news station. He switched it off quickly when they offered no more updates. Raven wasn’t going to like the negative publicity of someone being murdered at her resort before she could reopen the doors.
It broke his heart a little seeing her step out with red eyes. She’d tried to cover her distress with makeup, but he could see right through it.
She’d dressed in a pair of dark dress pants, a dark grey button-up blouse, and matching low-heeled boots. She had slicked her hair back into a low ponytail. The outfit was meant to project confidence and power. Her eyes, however, gave her away. At least to him.
“Ready?” he asked, taking her hand in his.
She nodded. “Thank you for staying with me last night.”
He opened his mouth to explain that his uncle had requested he stick around, then thought better of it. After all, he didn’t want it to sound like she had been a burden. She hadn’t been. He only wished that the circumstances of his overnight stay had been different.
“I’m glad I did,” he said instead. He walked with her to the elevator.
“How about we take the stairs?” she asked, pulling him to a stop.
He turned and looked at her.
“It’s not… it has nothing to do with last night. I normally take the stairs in the morning for exercise. Once I sit down, some days I don’t get back up for hours.”
He shrugged and nodded, then followed her to the staircase.
“Of course,” she said as they headed down, “I should be climbing these at the end of the day. Going downstairs isn’t as good of a workout as going up.”
“Still, it’s something. Don’t you guys have a gym around here?” he asked once they reached the bottom floor.
“Not yet.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I have plans to put one in, though. It’s going to have state-of-the-art equipment. I plan on putting in a few walking paths outside as well, for summer guests.” She turned to him, and he saw a slight smile on her lips. “And those bike paths you mentioned. I had a talk with Jake about it, and he sounded very excited about the possibility of using the paths himself.”
Cade chuckled. “Jake’s one of the guys I went to Colorado with that summer. Trust me, he’d be first in line to test the runs out.”
She turned, and he noticed the moment she remembered yesterday. The slight spark in her eyes disappeared quickly, and her gaze darted to the large plastic sheeting hiding the view of the area where she’d found Joseph.
“Hey.” He squeezed her hand. “I’m here.” He nodded towards the bar area. “Let’s order some breakfast, shall we?”
The moment after they ordered their food, his uncle strolled in with Blue by his side. The dog paused at the doors and looked up at Sean, as if to make sure it was okay to come inside. God, he had such a good dog.
“Oh!” Raven smiled. “Blue’s here.”
“Yeah, I had my uncle bring him. He watched him last night. I thought he could help you get through today.”
“Thank you.” She got out of her chair and gave his dog a warm greeting while he greeted his uncle.
“Morning,” Sean said. He took the seat Cade offered.
“We just ordered food, if you want something,” Raven said, sitting again.
“No, Blue and I stopped for baked goods in town before heading out here,” Sean answered.
Cade snapped his fingers, and Blue sat beside him. He bent down to give his dog a little love while Sean talked with Raven.
“I’m not sure if Cade filled you in yet. We have confirmed that it was Joseph Ramsey you found yesterday,” Sean said.
“Yes.” Raven sighed and looked towards Cade. “He mentioned something about murder?”
“We found scratch marks on his hands and arms. His associate claims they weren’t there before they parted ways in the lobby shortly after their meeting with you,” Sean said. “I know you’ve been through a lot in the past twenty-four hours, but if you could answer a few more questions?”
“Of course.” Raven nodded.
Sean continued, “Yesterday, I didn’t get a chance to ask you why you hired Mr. Ramsey. His office is in Redding, not to mention he’s retired.”
“Joe was a good friend of my parents.” Raven shifted and crossed her legs. Cade noticed instantly that she was trying to reclaim some form of control by being professional. “He used to live in Cannon Falls, before the fire.” Raven’s eyes changed slightly. “Then he moved his office to Redding and, a few years back, retired. When I returned, I noticed a few discrepancies on the books and called him to help out.”
His uncle had been writing in his notebook and glanced up. “Discrepancies?” Sean’s eyes moved to his quickly, then returned to Raven’s.
“Joe and his assistant, Ruth, informed me yesterday that over the past ten years, more than three million dollars has gone missing out of the general fund.” She paused and took a sip of her water.
Sean whistled. “Wow, that’s a lot of change.”
“Yes. Ruth was going to get me the details later so I could call you and file an official report,” Raven added.
“Any idea who would have taken the money?” Sean asked.
“Yes,” Raven answered, her chin rising slightly. “My uncle. I officially fired him the other day
and requested he move off of the resort property after a…” She stopped suddenly and looked over at him.
“I walked in on Colin strong-arming Raven the other morning in her office,” Cade supplied.
Sean’s eyebrows rose. “Physically?”
Raven nodded and released a slow breath. “Yes. I wouldn’t have had the courage to kick him to the curb if…” Her eyes moved to Cade’s, and he nodded with encouragement. “If Cade hadn’t interjected. As it was, I requested he move out immediately and insured that he no longer has access to any of the resort’s accounts.”
“What day and time was this?” Sean asked.
Raven answered him after looking down at the cracked screen on her phone.
“And he moved out?” Sean asked.
“Yes. My aunt and cousins are still on the premises.” She frowned. “Well, Cal has since moved out.”
“Do you know if he’s been back?” Sean asked.
“Here?” She frowned. “No. I’m sure Cemal would know if he had. I’ve been tucked in my office most of the time.”
Sean wrote more notes. “Have you met with Morgan Roche?”
“She showed up the other morning with my uncle. I turned her away,” Raven answered.
“Time and date?” Sean asked. Again, Raven looked at her phone before answering.
“You seem very organized,” Sean commented, motioning towards her phone.
“Business school one-oh-one. I’ve even marked down our meeting.” She turned the phone and showed his uncle the screen.
Sure enough, there in a calendar app she had the meeting marked with date and time.
“I fully intend to turn the resort around. I can’t do that if I don’t follow the basic rules of business.” Raven set her phone down.
He noticed her reaching down and stroking Blue’s head, which was resting on her lap. His dog had a knack for comforting the unsteady.
Sean glanced around. “The construction crew? What time do they normally leave?”
Raven narrowed her eyes. “Normally?” She shrugged. “If you can get David Green and his men to work normal hours, let me know. I have no issues with their work ethics and have given them free rein just as long as the work gets done. They’ve done a wonderful job so far. I determined within the first few days not to babysit them. If you want to know what time the crew left yesterday, you’ll have to ask them.”
Sean wrote down more notes. “Cemal…” Sean started flipping through his notes.
“Rahim,” Raven supplied.
“Yes.” He nodded and looked back up. “She works the front desk alone?”
“She does for now. When we officially reopen, I’ll hire a few more employees to help her out.”
“Her hours?” Sean asked.
“Currently, seven days a week, six in the morning to six in the evening,” Raven answered.
“Is that allowed?” Sean tilted his head.
Raven shook her head. “Normally, no. But since it’s slow here and I’m allowing her to take her online classes while she sits behind the desk”—Raven leaned closer— “she’s agreed to only clock eight hours a day officially. Considering my uncle had her working those hours and refused to let her study, I’d say it’s a step up.”
Sean smiled and leaned back slightly. “I’ve heard good things about you since your return.”
Raven glanced down at Blue, and Cade could see that she felt more relaxed than when his uncle had first arrived.
Just then their food was delivered by the kitchen staff.
“Thank you, Tim.” Raven smiled up at the extremely good-looking man, who was roughly her age.
“Thank you.” The man winked back at Raven before turning and leaving. Cade couldn’t stop the wave of jealousy that washed over him as he watched the man walk away.
“Is there something wrong with your food?” Raven asked him, gaining his attention again.
“No.” He turned back to the table and glanced down at his meal. “It’s fine.”
Raven turned back to his uncle and asked, “Do you have any other questions for me?”
“Currently, no. I’ll let the two of you eat in peace.” Sean stood up.
“Sherriff,” Raven said quickly, getting his uncle’s attention, “when possible, I’d like more details about Joe’s death.”
Sean nodded. “I’ll get you what I can. For now, if I have any more questions, I’ll be in contact.”
“Thank you,” Raven replied as his uncle walked away.
He saw her look at the plastic and then back to her food. When Blue whined, she glanced down at him.
“If you let him, he’ll eat the entire meal himself,” Cade joked, trying to get her mind off her dark mood.
Raven smiled and petted Blue. “He’s probably hungrier than I am.”
“You have to eat.” He motioned to her food with his fork. “Tell me all about the other improvements you’re going to do around here.”
For the next hour, he listened to Raven talk about her plans for the resort. For the first five minutes, she picked at her food, but after she lost herself in the conversation, she finished everything on her plate, with the exception of a dry piece of toast she’d given to Blue.
“Gosh, I can’t believe it’s this late,” she said when her phone chimed. “You must have to get to work yourself.”
He smiled. “It’s Saturday. I have weekends off. I thought I’d stick around here today. That is if you want me to.”
“You’ll be bored in five minutes,” she warned.
He shrugged. “Blue and I can always take a walk.” His dog’s ears perked up and he had to add, “Later.” Blue sat back down with a little whine.
The smile on Raven’s face told him that she was feeling a little better.
As they stood up to head to her office, they both saw her aunt marching across the lobby, heading towards them.
He hadn’t been prepared for the woman’s first move. As if in slow motion, her hand rose and struck out. The sound of the slap across Raven’s face echoed in the lobby area.
However, he was ready for her second move and easily blocked the next strike, pinning her arms to her side as she yelled and screamed profanities at Raven.
Chapter Thirteen
Water from far away is no good for a fire close by. ~ Chinese Proverb
Raven’s left cheek burned as she watched Cade hold back her aunt.
“You bitch,” her aunt screamed. “You did this. It’s all your fault. Everything was fine until you came back. You ruined everything.” Roslyn was screaming.
“Blue. Sit,” Cade said firmly.
“What’s going on?” Cade’s uncle rushed back to their side. His eyes traveled between the three of them and landed on Raven’s red cheek, which she was still holding.
Raven hadn’t realized the man had stuck around the resort. When her aunt quieted down, she heard a low growl emitting from the dog sitting directly on her feet, as if protecting her. The dog’s eyes were glued to her aunt.
“Roslyn?” Sean turned to her aunt. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes.” Her aunt jerked her hands free from Cade’s hold, and she appeared calmer now. Cade released her and moved over to take hold of Blue’s collar. Roslyn turned to Sean. “Is it true that you’ve placed my husband under arrest for murder?”
“We’ve taken your husband in for questioning,” Sean said with a slight nod. “I’ll be heading into the station now to question him myself.”
“That girl”—her aunt pointed at Raven— “is responsible. You should be questioning her.”
“I have,” Sean said easily, “which is why I’m standing here right now.”
“Why isn’t she under arrest?” Roslyn crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at Raven.
“Your husband”—Sean emphasized the word— “is not under arrest, yet. As I said, he’s been brought in for questioning.”
“Why haven’t you brought her in?” She pointed at Raven again.
; “Because she has answered all of our questions willingly. Your husband has refused to answer any questions, up to this point,” Sean explained.
“He wouldn’t have to answer any questions if she hadn’t returned and screwed everything up. She’s the one who lured that poor man to his death. She’s the one who kicked my husband out of his home. She took everything, all of this”—she motioned around them— “away from him. It’s all he’s known, all he’s worked on for the past ten years. Now he has nothing. Nothing!” she screamed.
Raven watched her aunt’s face turn red again as she screamed.
Instantly, Cade moved to step between them again, to protect Raven once more.
Sean moved at the same time, taking Roslyn’s arm and pulling her back a few steps.
“What do you say I drive you into town so you can see your husband?” he said easily. “That way you can rest assured that he’s not under arrest. Just yet,” he added again.
“Let go of me.” Roslyn jerked her arm free. “She’s the one who did this.” She glared over at Raven. “She’s destroyed everything.”
Sean’s hold on her never wavered as he started walking towards the front door. The whole time, her aunt continued to scream out accusations.
“Are you okay?” Cade asked her, releasing his hold on Blue and stepping closer to examine her face. His hand moved up and gently brushed her burning cheek.
“I’m fine,” she said automatically.
“We should get some ice on it,” he suggested.
“There’s an ice machine by my office.” She looked down at the dog. “You were going to protect me, weren’t you?” She bent down and gave Blue a scratch and a hug. “You deserve a bigger treat than dry toast. I’ll have the kitchen bring something up for him.”
“He likes bacon,” Cade said. He chuckled when his dog’s ears perked up.
“Bacon it is then.” She smiled when Blue licked her cheek.
She opened her office and waited with Blue while Cade disappeared to grab some ice for her cheek.
She hadn’t expected her aunt’s actions and words to sting so much, but by the time Cade returned with a clear bag of ice, tears were rolling down her cheeks again.
