by T. L. Haddix
Suppressing her own curse, she headed back inside with the men following behind her. She loved her brother, but right now, she could strangle him. A few more seconds, and Ethan would have kissed her. She had the feeling the almost-kiss would haunt her for a long time to come.
~ * * * ~
After the door closed behind the trio, a woman stepped out from the shadows underneath the deck. She felt a deep rage shimmer to life inside her. She had gone outside to meet her lover, not expecting an interruption from above. When it became clear Ethan and Beth weren’t going to quickly move on, her lover had fled, unwilling to answer the questions that might arise if they were caught together.
As she made her way back up onto the deck of the Lighthouse, she thought about what she’d overheard, her fury growing with every step. All the carefully thought-out plans that had been made, the work that had been done, the time that had been spent working on the project – it could all be for naught if Ethan and Beth kept putting puzzle pieces together. Of all the people to be connecting the dots, it would have to be those two.
She slid back inside the reception unobserved, grabbing a glass of champagne from a passing server. As the crowd cheered the newlyweds and everyone raised their glasses in a toast, the watcher joined in, her anger replaced with satisfaction as the idea she had been toying with congealed into a plan. A sick thrill of arousal mixed with the anticipation coursing through her veins as she imagined the reactions of her victims when she implemented her ideas. If Beth and Ethan insisted on being nosy, they were going to have to accept the consequences of their actions.
Chapter Five
It was nearly midnight by the time Beth finally made it home. She stepped out of her parents’ car and waved as she headed into the renovated school building that housed her apartment. As soon as she was inside the lobby, she stepped out of the high heels she was wearing. She moaned in relief as her feet met the carpeted runner that ran through the foyer. Aside from the discussion with Ethan and one other small incident, the evening had gone well. Remembering her run-in with Chad Ormsby, she let an aggravated growl slip from her throat.
She had bumped into the arrogant doctor as she was leaving the Lighthouse. He’d tried to strike up a conversation, but Beth had brushed him off. Though she had gone on a couple of dates with the man when he first came to town, she’d completely lost what little interest she had in the man after discovering that he had been pursuing her while involved in a sexual relationship with another woman, Charity Vaughn.
After Charity was murdered, Jason, who had worked the investigation, had taken Beth aside and warned her about the doctor’s character. He’d cited confidential information that had come to light during the investigation, and after that revelation, Beth wanted no part of Ormsby’s courtship. She’d had told him so repeatedly, but he seemed to have trouble understanding that she was serious.
His attempts to gain her favor had fallen off in the past few weeks, much to Beth’s relief. However, after tonight’s encounter, she worried he would resume his pursuit. Just the thought of having to deal with his antics made her weary beyond belief. Hearing the lobby door open behind her, she turned and smiled as her neighbor, Raven Lynch, came in.
“Hey. You’re in early for a Saturday night.”
Walking beside her, he punched the call button for the elevator. “If I’m in early, so are you, missy. Nice dress. Wedding tonight?” She nodded, rubbing the back of her neck. “How’d it go?”
“It was beautiful,” she told him as they got in the elevator car. “The wedding itself was breathtaking, so simple and intimate, and the reception went really well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lauren so happy.”
“I’m glad. I wish I could have been there,” Raven said. As the doors opened, he waved Beth out ahead of him.
“Why weren’t you? You were invited to the reception.”
Raven walked with her to her door. “I was invited, yes, but I had what I thought was going to be a hot date, and I didn’t want to miss it.”
Unlocking the door, she pushed it open, but didn’t go in. “It’s awfully early for you to be home after that big of a date. Didn’t it go well?”
He shook his head and shrugged. “It wasn’t what I’d hoped for, let’s put it that way.” Raven was a bit of an outcast in Leroy, an openly gay man who had been grudgingly accepted by many people in town only after Charity Vaughn had hired him to work in her gallery. While there were still some members of the community who openly shunned Raven, these days most people didn’t care one way or another about his sexual preferences.
Beth laid a hand on his arm and squeezed it in sympathy. “Why don’t you come in, and I’ll see if I can rustle us up some mint chocolate chip ice cream?”
Raven smiled. “That sounds yummy. How about I meet you in five minutes? I want to get out of this suit.”
“It’s a date.” She flipped the light on in her apartment, then gasped. “Oh, my God.”
Raven hurried back to her side. “What is it?” Beth pointed, and he looked inside the apartment. A path of destruction led down the hall from the front door to the living room, and beyond. He cursed. “You need to call the police.”
She turned to look at him, and realized she was shaking. With effort, she tried to pull herself together as she dug through her purse for her phone. Once she had it, she stared at it blankly, not sure who to call first.
“Is Jason on duty tonight?” Raven asked.
She shook her head. “He’s at the Lighthouse, or he was. I’ll still call him, though.” When Jason answered, she told him about the apartment. “Can you come?”
“Of course. Stay outside. I’ll be there in three minutes.”
“He’s on his way. Who would do this?” She walked back to the door. From where they stood, they had a clear line of sight all the way through to the hall that led into her bedroom. Paintings and posters that had been on the walls were now on the floor, their frames broken. The hand-spun glass bowl that had taken her months to find had been smashed on the floor, shattered into a thousand pieces. The sofa table in the hall had huge gouges running down its surface, and a trail of papers led from the office into the living room, where it looked as though a cushion bomb had exploded. The trio of bar stools from under the kitchen island had been tossed on top of all of it, and even from the door, she could see that one had been smashed.
Time seemed to crawl as they waited for Jason. When the elevator bell pinged, she and Raven both jumped. Jason got off the car, followed by Ethan.
“We need to make sure the apartment is empty,” Ethan told them, motioning them closer to Raven’s apartment. “You both stay here, away from the door. Hear me?”
Raven grabbed Beth’s hand and held it as the two men went inside her apartment, guns drawn. She felt a sharp jolt at the sight, not used to seeing her brother and Ethan in tactical mode, ready for trouble. After what felt like hours but was only a few minutes, they reemerged, guns holstered. They both wore grim expressions, and Jason came over and hugged Beth.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Just shaken up. How bad is it?”
“How far inside did you get?” Ethan asked, drawing her gaze.
“Not far. Is it that bad?”
“It isn’t pretty,” he replied. “Put your shoes back on, and we’ll go in. There’s broken glass everywhere, so you’ll need to be careful where you walk.”
She leaned against Jason for balance and eased her feet back into the high heels. With dread pooling in the pit of her stomach, she hurried inside. The office was her first destination, and she rushed to the desk, pushing the office chair back. “Thank you, God. My briefcase seems to be untouched.”
Jason’s voice stopped her before she could touch it. “Not until it’s been fingerprinted, sis. I’ll call dispatch and have them send someone out from the CSU.”
She wrapped her arms around her middle as she went into the living room. All the bookshelves were turned over except one, their conten
ts spilled across the floor. The couch cushions had indeed been slashed open and were strewn around the room, their innards coating everything with a layer of fluffy batting. Trembling, she turned and looked at the kitchen where the counters were cleared, the canisters and jars smashed and broken with their contents in a large pile on the floor.
Raven whistled as he and Ethan walked into the room behind her. “God Almighty, somebody was pissed off.”
“I suppose it’s a good thing I don’t cook,” Beth choked out. Feeling a hysterical laugh crawl up her throat, she clapped her hand over her mouth and went into the small bathroom, wanting to see the rest before her nerve ran out. Ethan, who had followed behind her, reached out and gently squeezed her shoulders as she perused the room. She lifted a hand to one of his and held on, needing the contact.
All her cosmetics had been dumped into the sink, the jars and tubes emptied out to cover the marble, the lipsticks smeared across the wall around the sink and toilet. Her perfumes had been thrown into the tub, the glass bottles shattered, and the shower gels, lotions, and shampoos had been upended and emptied out on top of the broken glass. The shower curtain itself had been ripped from the rod, which now hung drunkenly from its moorings. The combined scents were overpowering in the small room, and as she turned to leave, she stumbled. Ethan caught her, steadying her, and for a moment she allowed herself to be held.
When she heard Jason heading toward them, she moved back and went into the bedroom. All the dresser drawers had been emptied onto the floor, the linens pulled off the mattress and strewn around the room. Lamps were knocked over, and all her clothes had been pulled out of the closet, piled in the middle of the room with the rest of her belongings. As the men came into the room, she turned to face them. The bedroom was an unholy mess, a strike that felt very personal.
“What now?”
“Bert’s on his way over to take pictures and fingerprints,” Jason told her. “Hopefully he’ll find something we can use.”
Ethan was frowning. “Does anything look like it’s missing?”
“Not as far as I can see. TV’s still here, stereo, jewelry, my laptop. I haven’t noticed anything so far that should be here, but isn’t.” She glanced up in time to see them exchange a grim look. Her mouth tightened. “That’s not a good sign, is it?”
Jason’s phone beeped, and he answered. “That’s Bert,” he said, heading for the door. “I’ll go let him in.”
As he left, Ethan stepped closer to her. “You okay?” She nodded and they studied each other without speaking in the quiet. His gaze dropped to her mouth and lingered there for a long moment. “You should probably stay somewhere else tonight.”
She agreed, exhausted at just the thought of the cleanup that would be required to get the apartment livable again. “Are you offering your couch?” As a stunned look spread over his face, she gave a wan smile. She reached out and touched his arm lightly. “You made that too easy, Ethan.” He gave her a mock scowl, but his lips twitched. She raised her eyebrows.
“Wow, that’s twice in one night you’ve almost smiled. Better be careful, or you’ll lose your tough guy reputation, and then the bad guys won’t be afraid of you anymore.”
Taking a step closer to her, he reached a hand up to touch her face just as they heard Jason’s voice in the hall outside. He let his hand drop and stepped away from her. Beth cursed roundly under her breath. Frustrated, she walked around him and greeted Bert.
The crime scene tech whistled and shook his head. “Damn, Beth, this sucks. Sorry.”
She acknowledged his comment and looked at Jason. “I’m probably going to head out to the farm and spend the night. When can I get back in here to get some clothes?”
Jason looked at Ethan, then shrugged. “You can grab some things tonight if you want. Are you okay to drive, or do you need me to take you?”
“I’m okay. I didn’t have that much to drink at the reception.” She walked into the bedroom and pointed at the pile of clothing. “Can I just take what I need from here?”
“As long as you don’t disturb anything that might be evidence,” Ethan told her from the door.
Stooping down, she grabbed a t-shirt and pair of jeans that were near the top of the pile, then walked over to the closet for a pair of running shoes. She clutched the clothing to her chest and headed back to the living room.
“I’m going over to Raven’s to change while you guys process this.” She waved her hand at the living room where Bert was dusting for fingerprints. “Holler if you need me.”
In the hall, as she waited for Raven to let her in, she tried to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach that screamed this break-in was more than just a routine burglary, but she wasn’t successful. The attack just felt too personal.
~ * * * ~
Back inside the apartment, Ethan and Jason were quiet as they studied the widespread destruction.
“I don’t like this,” Jason said. “Why didn’t they take anything?”
Ethan didn’t have a ready answer. “Who has Beth pissed off lately?”
Jason raised an eyebrow. “You mean besides you? I don’t know, but I don’t think I’d put the question to her quite like that, if I were you. Not unless you want your eye blackened. Don’t blame the victim, Ethan.”
He held his hands up, apologetic. “I didn’t mean it like that. Seems like all I’ve done this evening is apologize to one Hudson or another.” At Jason’s questioning look, he shook his head. “Never mind. It’s not important.”
They walked over to talk to Bert, who was finishing up with the fingerprinting kit. As he was showing them what he had so far, Beth came back in, talking on her cell phone. She had changed out of the dress and into the casual clothes, her hair pulled into a ponytail.
“No, Mom, I’m okay. The apartment’s a mess and I don’t feel like cleaning it up now. I just need some place to sleep tonight, that’s all.” She fell silent, listening to her mother’s response. After telling Jackie she would call her if it was going to be much longer, she hung up and rubbed her forehead. “Mom’s ready to come down here and stand guard tonight. She’ll be calling you before long, Jason. What else do we need to do to finish up here tonight?”
“Not much more. As a matter of fact, if you want to head on out to the farm, I can lock up here when we’re finished.”
Ethan took a couple of steps closer to her. “I’ll walk you downstairs, and take your statement. Once we get that taken care of, I’ll follow you out to the farm. I’m ready to head home, anyhow.” He owned a small house on a few acres of land just a couple of miles down the road from her parents’ farm.
“That works for me,” Jason said. “I can catch a ride back to the Lighthouse with Bert when he’s done.”
“Sounds like a plan, then. You sure you don’t mind locking up?” Beth asked as Jason’s cell phone rang. She shot him a tired smile. “Right on time.”
“Hi, Mom, hang on a sec.” He held the phone away from his mouth and told Beth to go on ahead. “What time you think you’ll be over in the morning to clean up? I’ll grab Chase, and we’ll come help.”
“Probably around nine or ten.” She gave him a quick hug and turned, going into the office. Ethan trailed close behind, his eyes following her movements as she bent down to pull her briefcase out from under the desk.
“Need anything else before we go?”
“Just this. Bert’s already dusted it.” She glanced inside the briefcase to check its contents.
“Don’t you need your purse?”
She shook her head. “I’ve got my phone, keys, and ID in my pockets. All the rest can wait. I left the dress at Raven’s, and I’ll pick it up tomorrow.”
He gestured for her to lead the way out of the apartment. At the elevator, she pushed the button, and as they stood there waiting for the car, he took in her tired posture.
“The statement won’t take long, but you probably know that already,” he said as the doors opened. They went over her movements that evening af
ter she left the Lighthouse, and he made notes in the small notebook he always carried. By the time they reached the ground floor and were walking out into the parking lot, she had filled him in on everything up until the point where he and Jason had arrived.
“And that’s pretty much that. What else do you need?”
They walked toward the Beast, and Ethan carefully asked about recent issues that might have arisen.
“You mean who all have I ticked off lately, right?” The question startled him, and he stared at her, his mouth slightly agape.
She shot him a funny look. “What?”
He chuckled at the irony of her choice of words. “Nothing,” he muttered. “Yeah, if you want to put it that way, I guess that’s what I’m asking.”
Opening the driver’s door, she leaned in to set the briefcase down. Before she answered his question, she gave him a measured look. “This is off the record, right?” He just raised an eyebrow and waited. Giving in, she explained. “This isn’t privileged info, but I don’t want it shouted from the rooftops, either. That article I wrote about the animal shelter? The Grayson camp is not happy about that. They called Marshall and got pretty heated with him.”
“After reading it, I can’t imagine why,” he remarked dryly. Beth rolled her eyes at him. “Anyone else?”
She tilted her head and placed her hand on her hip with pretend outrage. “Isn’t that enough?” She moved her shoulders in a small shrug. “There are always folks out there who don’t like what I write or what the paper prints, or even what the weather was like today. Who knows? I suppose it’s possible that anyone who thinks they have a beef with me, real or imagined, could have done this. The Graysons are the only ones I can think of who might be inflamed enough to pull something so vicious right now, and I really can’t even see them doing this. This was personal.”
She slid in behind the steering wheel and closed the door as she rolled the window down. “I don’t know, Ethan. I really have no clue who would do this or why.”
