Chapter Twenty-One
Three nights and eighteen hours of searching computer files revealed no secrets that seemed worth killing to keep hidden. Jake’s investigation seemed to be turning up just as few leads. When he stopped by the shop Thursday to tell her there’d been no fingerprints on the frame or photo and that a man they’d identified as the owner of the PO box had gone to ground and couldn’t be located, Chloe was ready to lock up the shop and go home.
If it hadn’t been just a little past nine in the morning, she might have.
The day seemed to stretch on for an eternity, and by the time she was ready to close Blooming Baskets for the evening, Chloe wanted nothing more than a hot bath to sooth her aching leg and a warm bed to hide in. That’s exactly what she planned to have. After she did the exercises the orthopedic specialist had recommended during Chloe’s appointment the previous day and after she fed Opal’s demon cat and checked her mail.
Unfortunately, doing the last meant making the fifteen-minute drive to Opal’s house in the dark, getting out of the Mustang in the dark, walking into a dark house in the dark.
“I’ve got to stop this kind of negative thinking, Abel. Dark, dark, dark, dark. Obsessing on it is only making me more nervous. I need to refocus my thoughts. Try to look at the bright side of things.” Chloe stopped at the head of Opal’s driveway, reaching out her window to pull mail out of the box, then following the winding path toward the ranch-style house her friend owned. Built in the seventies, the house wasn’t nearly as fancy as some of its neighbors, but the three-acre lakefront lot was a premium and Opal loved it.
Chloe loved it, too. Her fondest childhood memories centered around Opal and her family, their house, the lake and the small cottage next door where Chloe had spent seven summers of her life.
She pulled up in front of the house and turned off the engine, the headlights dying and leaving the area shadowed and foreboding.
As fond as her memories of the place were, Chloe wasn’t sure she wanted to get out of the car and go into the house. It looked different at night, the windows gaping wounds that bled darkness, the front door an ebony slash against the pale siding. Abandoned. Lonely. The kind of place where bad things might happen and probably would.
“But it’s just a house, right? There’s no one lurking in the shadows, waiting for me to get out of the car.”
Abel snored in response, his head resting on his paws as he snoozed on the back seat. “You know you’re supposed to be a companion, a watchdog, a fierce defender of your human, don’t you?”
Abel opened one eye and closed it again.
“Obviously, I’m on my own on this one. Which is okay, because I can handle it.” She took a deep breath, pulled Opal’s keys from her purse and started to open the car door. Headlights shone in the rearview mirror, the unexpected brightness nearly blinding Chloe. She jumped, jamming her car keys back into the ignition, fear squeezing the breath from her lungs. No one should be coming down the driveway while Opal was away. She needed to put the car in reverse and drive away while she still could, but the oncoming car blocked her retreat, the blue spruce that lined the driveway prevented her from pulling around it.
She was trapped.
No. Not trapped. All she had to do was use her cell phone and call for help. Of course, by the time help arrived it might be too late. She’d be lying dead on the pavement.
Get out of the car. Go in the house. Call for help.
She grabbed her purse, Opal’s keys still in her hand, and jumped from the car, racing toward the house, headlights pinning her against the gray-black night.
An easy target to see.
An easy one to take out with a gun.
Or to ram with a car.
There were a million ways Chloe could be killed here in the dark in front of Opal’s house, but not if she could get inside the house first.
A door slammed, someone shouted, but Chloe’s focus was on the door and safety. She shoved the keys into the lock, opened the door, jerked it closed again.
The doorbell rang before she could even turn the lock, the sound so jarring Chloe stumbled forward, knocking into the door, her cell phone tumbling from her hand. She landed hard on her knees, her pulse echoing hollowly in her ears as the doorbell chimed again and the door swung open.
A dark figure loomed in the threshold, then crouched beside her, the scent of pine and man enveloping Chloe as he leaned close. “You run pretty fast for a woman with one bad leg.”
Ben.
She didn’t know whether to hug him or hit him and settled for accepting the hand he offered and allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. “I wasn’t expecting company.”
“Neither was I. Are you okay?”
“Besides my wounded pride, I’m fine. I need to go out and get Abel, though. He might not be doing as well out alone in a strange place.”
“He’s fine. I grabbed him and put him back in your car before he could get too far.”
“Thanks. Should I ask why you’re here?”
“Opal called me this morning and asked me to stop by to feed her cat. Apparently he likes to be fed at six o’clock on the dot.”
“Not a minute sooner.”
“Or later.”
“It sounds like she told you the exact same thing she told me.”
“That her cat is finicky and refuses to eat if the food is put in his bowl at any other time of the day and that when Opal’s daughter took care of Checkers he didn’t eat the entire time, because she fed him in the morning.”
“Verbatim.” Chloe raked a hand through her hair and shook her head. Amused. Irritated. Happy that Ben was there with her, but not sure she was happy to be feeling that way.
“You know she’s matchmaking, right?” Ben flicked on the light, spreading a warm glow through the small living room and illuminating his tan face and sandy hair, his vivid eyes, the hard angle of his jaw and the soft curve of his lips.
“Yeah, and I cannot believe that the same woman who told her kids to keep their noses out of other people’s business is sticking hers into ours.”
“She probably figured she was killing two birds with one stone. She gets us together for a few minutes and makes sure you’re safe.”
“You’re probably right. What happened Sunday really shook her. I think she was hoping I’d be safer here than I’d been in D.C.”
“You will be soon.”
“I hope you’re right, but to be honest, I’m not so sure. I’ve been researching my old case files for the past three nights and I can’t find anything even remotely suspicious.”
“Have you heard from Jake?”
“Yeah, he’s coming up empty, too. The biggest lead he has is the PO box, but the owner has disappeared.”
“How about the phone records?”
“Jake hasn’t mentioned them, probably for fear of embarrassing me. No doubt there were thousands of calls, most of them from women.”
“That’s Adam’s embarrassment, not yours.”
“Is it? Because it doesn’t feel that way.” She moved through the house, not wanting to continue the conversation.
The living room opened into a modern kitchen, the white cupboards, tile floor and granite counters much different than the dark wood and linoleum of past years. Despite the changes, the room had the same homey feel as it had when Chloe was a girl, the taupe walls, white wainscoting, and deep blue chair rail inviting all who visited to stay awhile.
Checkers, however, wasn’t as welcoming.
He stood in one corner of the room, guarding two porcelain bowls, his tubby black-and-white body stiff with irritation.
“All right, cat. We can do this the hard way, or the easy way.”
“I take it you’ve had run-ins with him
before?” Ben moved into the kitchen, his hand wrapping around her arm as he moved between her and the cat.
“Yes. At our very first meeting. The one and only time I’ve been here since I’ve been back in Lakeview.”
“Bite or scratch?”
“Scratch.”
“Then he doesn’t completely despise you. Last time I was here, he nearly chewed through my thumb.”
“Then I guess you’d better keep your distance. Your congregation won’t be happy with me if you show up Sunday with a digit missing.”
“Are you kidding me? I consider this a personal challenge. Do you know where Opal keeps the cat food?”
“In the cupboard under the sink.”
“Okay. So, here’s the plan. I’ll distract him. You grab the food and pour it into the bowl.”
Chloe pulled a plastic container filled with cat food out from under the cupboard and turned toward Checkers.
He hissed, his tail fluffing, his golden eyes glittering.
“Is there a plan B?”
“I’m afraid not.” Ben smiled and grabbed a dish towel that hung from the refrigerator door handle. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
He stepped forward, trailing the towel on the floor in front of the cat. “Come on, kitty, out of the way.”
Checkers leaped past him, yowling wildly as he raced from the room.
“I thought maybe he’d play, but I guess scare tactics work just as well.”
“He’ll be back.” Chloe poured the food and refilled the water dish. “But our mission is accomplished.”
“With no casualties.” Ben took the food container from her hand and returned it. “We make a good team.”
They did. That was the problem. They seemed to complement each other almost too much, fitting into each other’s lives with almost frightening ease, as if they’d known each other years rather than days. If the circumstances had been different, if Chloe were different, her heart would probably flutter with anticipation every time she saw him, her mind jumping forward weeks and months and imagining the relationship lasting far into the future.
Who was she kidding? Her mind already did.
“Hey.” His hands framed her face, forcing her to look up and into his eyes before they smoothed back into the loose strands of her hair. “Whatever you’re worrying about, don’t.”
“I’m not worrying.” She spoke lightly and leaned away from his touch, but he didn’t release his hold, his hands dropping to her shoulders, his thumbs caressing the skin over her collarbones.
“You are worrying. Maybe about the case. Maybe about us.”
Us. He spoke the word with confidence. As if they weren’t just a team, but a couple. “Ben—”
“But you don’t need to worry, Chloe. Between you, me and Jake, we’ll find the person who’s after you.” He paused. “As for us, we’re friends. There’s nothing to worry about there.”
Friends? He’d claimed that twice now and she hadn’t believed him either time. As much as she didn’t want it, the truth was in her mind, in her heart. What was between them now might be friendship, but it was something more, too. “You keep saying we’re friends, Ben, but I get the feeling you might be interested in something more.”
His eyes blazed into hers. Then, as if he’d banked whatever fire was inside, they cooled. “What I’m interested in is entirely up to you. Come on, we need to finish up here. I’ve got a business meeting at the church in half an hour. And you need to get home and rest up for tomorrow night when we tackle the Reed kids together.”
The end to the conversation was purposeful and Chloe didn’t see any reason to try to continue it. What would she say? What could she say? If things were up to her, she’d…
What?
Be content with friendship?
Try for something more?
She didn’t know. Couldn’t know until after all the other problems in her life were solved. If they were ever solved. And right now, she wasn’t sure they would be.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Friday night came much more quickly than Chloe was happy with. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to babysit for Tiffany and Jake’s kids, it was simply that she hadn’t done any babysitting in years. The closest she’d been to a child under five was at church, and even then she hadn’t been hands-on, preferring to stay away from nursery duty in favor of working with teens.
The tiny infant Tiffany placed in her arms was nothing like the teenagers Chloe had worked with. As a matter of fact, he looked way too delicate for her peace of mind. She glanced at the clock over the Reeds’ fireplace mantel. Six-oh-five.
Ben had better hurry up. There was no way she wanted to be left alone with two kids under the age of three.
“Did Ben say how long he’d be?” Jake’s voice was gruff.
“Actually, he promised to be here before you left. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” She hoped. He’d left as soon as they’d finished feeding Checkers, handing her scribbled directions to Jake’s house and telling Chloe there was an emergency he had to deal with before meeting her there.
That was forty minutes ago.
Not that she was counting.
“Maybe we should stick around until he gets here.” Tiffany touched her son’s downy cheek, smiling a little as the baby turned toward her hand.
“We’ve got reservations, hon. If we’re late, we might not get a table.”
“Then we’ll make new reservations for another night.”
“Not on your birthday.” He met Chloe’s eyes. “Will it be a problem if we leave?”
“No, go ahead. I wouldn’t want you to lose your table.”
“Isaac’s already been fed. Just lay him down in his bassinet and he should drop right off to sleep.” Tiffany smoothed a hand over her son’s dark hair, the softness in her face, the love in her eyes so obvious it almost hurt to look at.
Chloe glanced down at the baby’s smooth skin and deep blue eyes. He looked like his father. The little redheaded girl standing close to Jake, a pint-size version of her mother. “Will I need to feed him again before you get back?”
“Nope. We should be home before his next feeding. Right, honey?”
“Three hours tops.” Jake speared Chloe with a look that left no doubt about what he was thinking. “You have done this before haven’t you?”
“I used to babysit all the time.”
“Infants?”
“Yes.”
“Toddlers?”
“Yes.”
“Then you know how quickly a kid Honor’s age can get into trouble.”
“I do.” She just hoped she was still up to the task of keeping them out of it.
“She needs to be watched at all times. Don’t—”
“Honey.” Tiffany placed a hand on Jake’s arms. “You just said you didn’t want to be late. Shouldn’t we be going?”
“Right. We won’t be far. Just at the clubhouse. If anything happens call me on my cell.”
“I will.”
Tiffany leaned down to kiss her daughter. “Be good for Ms. Chloe.” She straightened and turned back to Chloe. “She can stay up for another half hour. Then she needs to get in bed. Though she might not be as easy to get settled as Isaac.”
“I’ll do my best. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“It better be.” Jake grumbled the words as he leaned over to kiss his daughter, waiting until his wife opened the front door and stepped outside before he speared Chloe with a dark look. “An off-duty friend of mine is going to be here in five minutes. He’ll be doing stakeout until Ben shows up. If anything happens, just flick the lights. He’ll come in and help until we get back.”
“That isn�
��t—” The hard look in his eyes kept her from finishing the thought. “Okay. Great. Have fun.”
“You, too.” He stepped outside and shut the door, leaving Chloe with a sleepy infant, a bouncy toddler and absolutely no idea what she was going to do with either.
* * *
Ben’s cell phone rang as he pulled up in front of Jake’s house. Forty minutes late. He grimaced, grabbing the phone as he stepped out of the car. “Ben Avery.”
“You done with that emergency, yet?” Jake’s voice was gritty and soft. Obviously, he’d snuck away from his wife to make the call.
“I just pulled up in front of your house.”
“Martin’s still there?”
Ben glanced at the small blue pickup parked on the street in front of the house and waved at the off-duty deputy. “Yeah. He’s here.”
“Good. Do me a favor and tell him he’s free to go home, but if he mentions a word of this to my wife, he’s fired.”
Ben laughed, striding toward the vehicle. “You didn’t tell her?”
“And have her lecture me all night about my lack of faith in humankind? I don’t think so.”
“She’s right. You don’t have much faith in people.”
“Sure I do. It just depends on the people.” He paused. “I’ve got to get back to the table before Tiffany catches on to what I’m doing. Take care of my kids.”
“You know I will.”
“See you.”
Ben sent Martin home and strode toward the restored Queen Ann that Jake and Tiffany lived in. Hopefully, Chloe hadn’t had it too hard while he was MIA.
He knocked on the door, bracing himself for utter chaos.
“Who’s there?” Chloe’s voice sounded through the door, muted, but firm and calm. Maybe things inside the house weren’t quite as bad as he’d expected.
“Ben.”
“And I should let you in why?”
“Because you can’t manage without me?”
“Try again.”
“Because I realize the error of my ways and want to apologize?”
“Still not working.”
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