Evidence of Desire

by Lexi Blake

  “They don’t know you. I want you to think about this. Do you gossip about celebrities?”

  Miranda shrugged. “Sure, everyone does.”

  “That’s all they’re doing,” she explained. “And they’ll turn their attention to the next scandal that comes along and forget all about this. Things will calm down. The people who know you, know what your family is like, will stand beside you, and you and Oscar and your dad are going to come out of this on the other side and you’ll be stronger. I know it doesn’t seem like you can be, but if you’ll make one decision right now you can get through this.”

  “What decision is that?”

  She looked down at Miranda. Even in heels, Miranda was petite. Which was why she almost always wore them. Something her mother had taught her. “Decide right now that they don’t get to break you. Decide that you’re stronger than they are and you will come out of this whole. They don’t get to break your spirit and take your light.”

  Miranda sniffled. “God, you sound like Mom.”

  “Your mom sounded a lot like my mom.” Another reason she’d loved working with Portia. “She always told me I made the decision about how I reacted to the things that happen to me. We don’t get to choose what happens, but we can stand tall and be strong when the bad things happen. When people are crappy to us, we don’t have to hand it back to them. We don’t have to let heartache turn us dark.”

  “But I want to,” Miranda said. “God, I want to fuck every one of them over.”

  “I assure you, life will do that.”

  Miranda’s shoulders squared, the light back in her eyes. “Okay. They don’t get to break me. I have to make sure they don’t break Oscar either. If we can get him out of jail, can he go to rehab?”

  “We can work something out.”

  “They think he killed Mom because of the will, but he didn’t know about it.” She moved around to the sofa and sank down. “I did though. I know I told you I was as shocked as Oscar, but I found out a few weeks ago.”

  That was news. “Your mom said she wasn’t going to mention it yet.”

  A familiar smile crossed Miranda’s face. “She caved pretty fast when it came to me. I started talking about when I could run some of the businesses, and she admitted what she’d done. I was so mad at her.”

  She could understand. “You didn’t like the fact that she’d placed me in charge.”

  Miranda reached over, setting a hand on hers. “I would have been mad about her putting anyone but me in charge. Please understand that.”

  “I do. I remember how mad I was that my parents had put my trust in someone else’s hands.” She’d been a high school student when her parents died in a crash. “My trust came into my hands at the age of twenty-five. It wasn’t anything like yours, but it was substantial. And I was angry that my mom and dad hadn’t trusted me. I know you won’t believe it, but I’m happy they did it now.”

  “Because you realized you didn’t need the stress at that point in your life? You weren’t ready to deal with all of the problems that came with the cash? Because that’s what I’ve figured out.”

  Isla breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, that’s what happened.”

  “I’m not ready yet, Isla,” she said. “Not even close. I need to be a student for a while and then I need to learn the business from the ground up. Can I take that time?”

  “You can, sweetie.” She’d always known Miranda would be the reasonable one.

  Tears welled in Miranda’s eyes. “I hate that some of my last words to her were in anger. It was so stupid. She would have changed it again if she’d lived.”

  “Yes, we discussed changing the will again in ten years,” she explained. “You would have been mature enough to handle things. You would have been your father’s power of attorney. You still will. I’m going to hand everything over to you when the time is right.”

  Miranda’s hand came out, covering hers again. “Thank you for being here for us. Please know that I’ll handle Oscar and Aunt Cressy. I’ll get them to drop the suit.”

  “And I’ll pay your aunt’s bills if she does. It’s what your mom wanted,” Isla promised.

  Miranda leaned over and let her head rest on Isla’s shoulder. “Mom understood the need for clothes and shoes.” She laughed and then sobered. “I think we should auction off her collection for charity.”

  “Now, that is something she would love.” One good thing had come out of this day. At least she wasn’t losing her family altogether. They had a lot to get through, but she was going to be the strong hand that helped to guide them.

  “And maybe we could take a memorial trip to Europe. She loved Paris so much.”

  The mention of Paris jogged something in her brain. “You went on the last Paris trip with your mom, didn’t you?”

  Miranda sat back up. She’d kicked off her shoes and curled her feet under her skirt. “Yes. I only went to Paris and London. Mom didn’t think I was old enough before this last year. After London, I’m pretty sure I won’t ever be old enough. It’s fine when they’re shopping, but I do not need to see old ladies flirt with men I should be dating. It’s weird and gross. And it’s not like they meant anything by it. Mom wouldn’t do that. Aunt Cressy wouldn’t wreck her makeup, but some of the others. Well, I walked in on things I can’t unsee.”

  “Like what?”

  Miranda shot her a surprised look. “I wouldn’t have suspected you would be the one I should gossip to.”

  Isla shook her head. “No. It’s not about that.” Where was that picture? She stood and started to go through the stacks she’d made on the coffee table. “You know how my apartment was broken into?”

  Miranda sat up. “I do.”

  “I think the man who attacked me might have hung around the group when you were in London.”

  Miranda’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

  The bell chimed, indicating someone was coming up. It was either the booze or the food, or maybe even David. She hoped it was David. This might be the break they’d been looking for. She hadn’t thought about the fact that Miranda had gone on the trips with her mom. She’d been focused on Portia’s friends. The truth was she’d spent the last week trying to give Miranda some space, and that might have been a mistake. “Yes. His name is Kristoff Paloma. I think I have a picture of him somewhere.”

  Miranda stood up, frowning. “There was a guy named Kris, though I didn’t know him personally. He was this hot guy who was staying at the same hotel we were at in Paris. I thought he was like eye candy for some of the other women, but I doubt my mom would even remember him past the fact that he looked like a male model.”

  “But someone got to know him very well,” she prompted. God, she’d wasted time by not talking to Miranda. “Someone started an affair with him.”

  Miranda’s jaw went tense, her eyes sliding away. “I think so. I should have told you. I know how close you are to her husband.”

  Her brain found the name even as the elevator doors opened and the woman herself walked through. Amber Kendrick was wearing all black, right down to her shoes.

  And she wasn’t alone.

  A tall man with sandy-blond hair walked behind her, and Isla reached for Miranda’s hand, squeezing it.

  “Hey, I’m so happy you’re here,” Amber said with a big smile that disappeared briefly when she saw Miranda. “I came for those pictures. Carey told me you canceled on me tonight, you silly you. Well, it’s like they say, if you can’t go to the mountain, the mountain’s going to show up on your doorstep.”

  Isla finally knew who had killed her friend. She only prayed she and Miranda weren’t about to become the next victims.

  FIFTEEN

  “I’m so sorry,” Isla began, her voice surprisingly smooth despite the fact that inside she was shaking like a leaf. “I haven’t picked up the family photos yet. I told Carey I wasn’
t going to be able to come over tonight. I know you’re on a time crunch. We’ll go over everything together tomorrow.”

  Miranda seemed to pick up on her plan. She nodded her head vigorously. “Yes, I’ll come, too. Have I thanked you for doing this for us? It’s so nice of you to think of my mom.”

  Amber looked from one to the other, as though trying to figure out if she was being played. “I loved your mom. She was a wonderful woman.”

  Isla squeezed Miranda’s hand, a reminder to not say what they both had to be thinking. If you loved her so much, why would you kill her?

  Because she knew about you and Kristoff?

  “We were sitting here talking about her while we waited on dinner.” She needed to let them know they wouldn’t be alone for long. Even if it was still a bit on the early side for the deliveries. David was going to kill her for taking the security lock off the elevator.

  And for telling Carey where she was. It had to be how Amber had known to come here.

  Amber stood in the great room, glancing around. “Nice place.” She seemed to remember she hadn’t come alone. “Oh, this is my new bodyguard, Kris. After everything that’s happened Carey insisted I have one if I’m going into the city. He doesn’t want to lose me.”

  She nodded the man’s way. “Carey’s a good man. Kris, it’s nice to meet you.”

  Miranda wouldn’t look at him. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Well, Miranda was about to go,” Isla said. “She’s running late for a study group.”

  The least she could do was to get Miranda out of here. She could go for the doorman, who would call the police.

  Miranda’s eyes came up, shock and then recognition settling in. She went to grab her purse. “Yeah, all that stuff about professors giving you a pass for family tragedies is made up. Mine couldn’t care less. I’ll see you tomorrow, Amber.”

  Let her go. Let her go. Please let her go.

  Miranda made it almost to the elevator when Paloma stepped in front of her. “I don’t think so. I think you recognize me. You think I didn’t know you were watching Amber and me? She might have forgotten, but I have not.”

  “Forgotten?” Miranda stared up at him. “I’ve never seen you before.”

  “You’re a liar.” Paloma’s voice held a silky threat.

  “Miranda, come here.” Isla waved her back. It wasn’t going to work.

  Miranda shuffled toward her, not taking her eyes off the snake in front of her.

  Amber frowned. “What are you doing, Kris?”

  He shook his head. “That one saw us last year. I remember her watching us. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think she would mention it to anyone, but she knows. And so does Ms. Shayne. Her hands are shaking. She knows it was me in her apartment that day.”

  Amber shook her head. “Damn it. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I never meant to hurt Portia. I loved her. She was nice to me, but then she found . . .”

  “You didn’t want Carey to know about the affair.”

  “No, of course not,” Amber replied, but she wouldn’t look at her. Her eyes were on the ground. “I love my husband, but I need to feel young sometimes, too. He can’t . . . you know. He can’t satisfy me in that way. Kris is an old friend. We met a long time ago when I tried to model in Europe.”

  Miranda’s hand was suddenly in hers, but there was something in it. Something cylindrical and metallic. Isla could feel a chain as though it attached to keys.

  And there was a button. She knew the feel of that item well. Mace. Or something like it. Either that or Miranda had an inhaler and wanted her to breathe better.

  “I can’t believe this.” Paloma was pacing behind Amber, his irritation clear. “You went insane on the first one, and now we’ve got to kill these two as well. They’re not the ones we should have killed. Your husband is the one who can get us the money.”

  “I told you I’m not killing him. He’s already sick. He’s going to die soon anyway.” Amber’s eyes shone with tears. “And Portia wasn’t my fault. She was going to tell everyone. She was going to ruin it all.”

  “Ruin what?” She was starting to understand. “Ruin your plan to walk away with all of Carey’s wealth even though you cheated on him? I happen to know what was in your prenup.”

  After all, she’d written it herself.

  Amber frowned. “I haven’t put up with that old man for as long as I have only to watch one mistake take everything away from me.”

  “So you picked up a knife and killed her?” Isla asked. Now she understood the game. Somehow Portia must have figured out the affair.

  “When Portia wouldn’t agree to our demands, Amber went utterly insane. She chased Portia through the apartment and . . . well, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Paloma replied. He sighed. “Well, the doorman saw us walking in. And there’s security cameras. I didn’t take them out this time.”

  The security lock might be off, but there would still be video.

  Paloma shook his head. “But perhaps we can make this work. I read something about the daughter being upset about the will. It could be a plausible reason for her to kill the lawyer.”

  One chance. They would have one chance to run. One chance to hide. But first she had to get closer.

  “What are you talking about?” Amber’s hands were fists at her sides.

  “I’m talking about the fact that you admitted to a lawyer that you committed murder, and now you can go to jail or we can fix the situation,” Paloma explained. “The investigators believe that Miranda’s brother killed their mother over the will. Why wouldn’t the sister be in on it? At some point they’ll figure out there were two people there that night, a man and a woman. It could have been them.”

  “Why would the police believe that?” Amber asked.

  “Because we’ll make them believe it.” He reached behind his back and pulled out a gun. Miranda gasped.

  “They certainly won’t believe that some random person walked in and shot us both in the head,” Isla pointed out. She had to stay calm.

  “I thought it would be a better story if the daughter kills you and then herself,” Paloma corrected.

  Amber looked up, still crying. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I just wanted to make sure I have it all. I can’t let someone else get it. I have to do this for Carey’s sake. I know you won’t believe this but I care about him. I’m doing this for him. Portia was going to tell.”

  “I believe you,” Isla said, willing to say anything. “I know you love him.”

  “I know you won’t believe me, but this is about more than money. Yes, I want the money, but his legacy is important, too.” Amber wouldn’t look her in the eyes. “Being a part of his family, having that name has meant something to me.”

  “Me, too. That’s why I’ll help you protect him.”

  “You will?” Amber asked.

  “Of course.” Again, she would agree to anything as long as she and Miranda came out of this alive.

  Paloma raised the gun. “Don’t be ridiculous. She’ll say anything because she knows she’s about to die.”

  Isla couldn’t let that happen. “And you need to think about the forensics of the situation. Right now, if you’re correct, you haven’t killed anyone, Mr. Paloma. I understand you were careful that night you went to see Portia. You went up the service entrance and made sure the cameras were down. Today, you marched through the lobby and the cameras and the doorman will have seen you.” She had to get through to him. “All you’ve done so far is not tell the police what you know. If you walk away now and tell the police what you know, hell, they might cut a deal with you.”

  “Or they will cut a deal with France or Italy or Portugal. Any one of those countries where I’ve run one of my little games.” Paloma strode forward. “This is the biggest con of my career. Once the old man passes on, Amber and I
will have more than enough to last a lifetime. There’s no going back for me.”

  He was close now, pushing past Amber. But he would have to make it look good if he was going to have a shot at getting out of this with his freedom. He had his gun, but the safety was on. He would need them in the right positions to make his plan work.

  She wasn’t about to go along with any plan. She brought the mace up and pressed down, spraying the chemical all over Paloma’s face and eyes.

  He screamed and fell back. It was the moment she needed.

  She took Miranda’s hand and started for the elevator. It should still be at the top. It was a private elevator and wouldn’t go back down until someone called for it. Something grabbed at her ankle and she fell face-first, the breath knocked from her body as she hit the marble floor hard.

  Miranda was standing over her, helping her up.

  “Go, run.”

  “Not without you.” Miranda swung her bag out, catching Paloma’s hand and shoving him back.

  She got to her feet and realized Amber was standing in front of the elevators. Paloma would be on her in an instant if she went that way. They had to get somewhere and call the police. Isla took Miranda’s hand and ran toward the west wing. Thank god Drew Lawless was wealthy and needed a mansion on top of a building. It gave her room to run.

  And the last few days had given her time to explore.

  “Do you have your phone?” Isla asked.

  “It’s in my purse. He’s coming,” Miranda said, fear plain in her voice.

  “Come on.” She ducked into the first of the three connected bedrooms. She slammed the door and locked it.

  This room was painted a vibrant pink, the space dominated with a princess canopy bed. “The kids’ rooms are connected to the nanny’s room by doors in the back. I think there’s a space where I can stash you.”

  “I don’t think I should be stashed anywhere,” Miranda said.

  “You have to call the police.” She dragged Miranda back to the door and into the second bedroom. It was painted a deep blue and stars covered the ceiling. There was a set of bunk beds, the bottom one sitting on top of a pair of large drawers. Noah had joked about only one being full and the other empty because his brother was trying not to spoil his kids. “Get in.”