If there were a diary in there, she would have found it. Since it was all a ruse, all she did was make a mess. And prove that she had something to hide in relation to Henderson.
The plan worked. Well, except for the part where he ordered Lexy to stay out of the way and she ignored him. Noah did not see Dex. He did see his wayward and stubborn fiancée. She did a not-so-great job of hiding at the opposite end of the row of apartment domes.
When he locked eyes on her, she stared right at him as if daring him to say something. She probably figured he’d stay quiet and accept her presence without question.
Wrong.
With one last look inside at Marie, who was ripping down the ceiling tiles one by one, Noah stalked over to Lexy. He stepped right in front of her. Had to put his hand over her mouth when it looked as if she was going to squeal.
“What’s with the screaming? You saw me coming to get you.”
“I didn’t expect you to be so angry.”
She had to be kidding. “I told you to wait in the room.”
“I ignored you.”
He took in a huge breath. It was either that or lose control completely. “Why are you here?”
“To help.”
“Are you trying to get killed?”
“Don’t be dramatic.” Her frown turned into a smile. “I was right about Marie, wasn’t I?”
The self-satisfied look meant trouble. If Lexy got the idea that running around causing trouble was a positive thing, he’d spend the rest of her life trying to protect her from herself.
“You’re missing the point.” And he assumed that was on purpose.
“What is she doing in there? Sounds like major reconstruction.”
Since Lexy was ignoring his fury and did not seem particularly in the mood for a lecture, he gave up. There would be time for yelling later.
He suspected she knew that his actions were limited at the moment. She had the upper hand and they both knew it. Kind of hard to tail someone and remain out of sight if you stood ten feet away screaming your head off.
“You’re leaving.” He did not waver.
“Why?”
She was going to be the death of him. He was convinced of that fact now. “Lexy, do not test me on this. It is not safe for you to be here.”
“Or for you.”
“That’s different.”
“Because you’re a man?” She snorted at the idea.
“Because…” He actually did not have a good reason why it was different. Probably did have something to do with his sex and superior ability to hide, but Lexy would discount those like she did everything else.
“That’s what I thought. Stop acting like a bully.” She did not bother to hide the satisfaction on her face.
“You are totally out of control.”
Lexy grabbed his arm and dragged him to the side of the building.
“What are you—”
“Shhhh.” She threw a hand over his mouth. He was so surprised, he stopped talking.
She took one last peek around the corner before she let go of him. “Marie has left the building.”
“What?” He watched Marie’s tight butt scurry back across the parking lot. “Where is she going?”
“Looks like she’s headed for the main resort buildings.”
“To her apartment.”
“Not much of a surprise that hers is a small room near the main conference center, huh? The only apartment near Tate’s house. How convenient.”
“I’m sure there’s some explanation about it being closer to the exercise facilities.”
“Sure.”
“One of the benefits of boffing the boss, I guess.”
“Let’s get going.”
Noah made sure they hung back. Him getting caught was one thing. Allowing Lexy to get picked off was a different story. Besides, they were out in the open again.
Instead of taking the right and heading back to the aerobics room, Marie took a left and headed for her apartment.
Talking to the detective earlier provided this lead. Noah never would have expected a married woman with a house in town to keep a separate apartment at the resort. Went to show how he kept underestimating Marie. Just when he thought she could not get any lower, she dug a hole and crawled right in.
Marie did not stop, either. Her legs whipped back and forth until she reached the hidden beige staircase that led to the second-floor area above the conference center. She took the steps two at a time to get to the top.
“How the hell are we supposed to follow her up there?” Lexy stood with her hands on her hips and stared up at the small window next to Marie’s front door.
Knowing Lexy, she planned to climb up on the roof and lower her body down to peek into Marie’s windows. He did not mention the possibility for fear she would try it.
“Good question.”
“You didn’t make a plan for this?”
“Like what, a hot-air balloon?”
Lexy took a step forward. “We could be quiet and go up—”
“No.” He held her arm just in case she decided to make a break for the stairs.
“You didn’t even know what I was going to say.”
“Yeah, I did. The answer is still no.”
“Now what?”
She sounded disappointed that there wouldn’t be a shootout or something more dramatic. “We’ve proven our point. Let’s find Gray and let him know what’s going on.”
“What point?”
Was he the only one who understood the plan? “That Marie had something to hide relating to Henderson.”
“Oh.”
When Lexy continued to look disappointed, he tried again. “Did you think we would catch her in the act of doing something criminal?”
“I was hoping for a confession.”
A little investigating and the woman went Special Ops on him. “The heat is making you insane.”
She ignored his observation. “I didn’t see Dex back at Henderson’s apartment.”
“Because he knows how to stay hidden.”
“I saved you from being smack in sight when Marie came out of the apartment.” Lexy hit the back of her hand against her other palm with a crack to prove her point. “You could be a little more grateful.”
“I wouldn’t have been out of position and in the open if I hadn’t seen you standing there where you were not supposed to be.”
“I don’t see it that way at all.”
“Of course you don’t.”
“I didn’t agree to stay hidden. You’ve got the wrong woman if blind devotion is what you want.”
“What I want is for you to exercise some common sense.”
She rolled her eyes, a gesture she knew he hated. “Are we going to fight all day?”
“Apparently.”
She pointed past him. “There’s Gray.”
He turned around and followed her gaze. “And there’s Sommerville, Lindsay, and four other officers.”
“That’s bad.”
“Well, it’s not good.”
Detective Sommerville stopped right in front of them. “Mr. Paxton. Ms. Stuart. I see you both ignored my directions. Again.”
“We’re just taking a walk.”
“Right.”
“We’re going up.” Detective Lindsay called out his plans, then headed up the stairs to Marie’s apartment with the other officers.
“What’s going on?” Lexy asked.
Gray answered her. “They’re here to arrest Marie and search her apartment. The detective dragged me out from behind that building over here.”
“I was afraid we’d accidentally shoot him.”
“Would that really be an accident?” Noah asked.
Lexy saw the entire situation differently. “So you did listen to us.”
“We were investigating Marie before you came to me with your theories.”
“Sure,” Lexy mumbled.
“We decided to move this afternoon instead of waiting as we wanted
to do.” The detective aimed her comments at Noah. “We figured you two would do something dangerous and potentially ruin our chances of catching Marie before she could destroy any more evidence. Our timetable shifted to prevent a full-scale disaster.”
“More evidence?” Gray asked.
“Seems Tate is not so trusting of his employees. He has security cameras stationed outside their residences. Those cameras caught Marie cleaning out Henderson’s apartment yesterday.”
Gray looked impressed with Tate’s business ingenuity. “Score one for Tate.”
“The guy’s a pig.”
Noah agreed with Lexy’s assessment. “Why didn’t any of those cameras catch the murderer going into Lexy’s room?”
“Apparently Tate is less concerned about the guests and their security. There are cameras on the grounds, but not as many and not as prominently placed.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Lexy said.
“He said seeing the cameras scare the guests. If they see the security, they think they aren’t safe.”
“As opposed to having a murder on the grounds?” Gray asked.
Noah understood Tate’s philosophy. Didn’t like him one bit, but got where the man was coming from. The guy wasn’t all that deep. He had one worry: money.
“He’s always worried about his bottom line. Upset guests mean fewer bookings and less money coming in,” Noah added when Lexy remained unconvinced.
“Well, the camera near Ms. Stuart’s room caught a figure entering her room. A small figure, but that’s all we could make out.” No notepad this time. The detective knew this information without help.
“You thought it was me,” Lexy said.
“It was a logical conclusion to check into your background and see.”
The apartment door opened and Detective Lindsay marched Marie down the steps. He grinned like a fool until he saw the small crowd gathered at the bottom of the steps. Probably figured it was time to act like a serious professional and put on his police face.
Marie had no compunctions about making a little noise. She was complaining and swearing. She blamed Tate and Lexy. Called them both some choice names. By the time she reached the bottom of the staircase, a few guests and employees stood around watching the scene. None seemed concerned about Marie being in trouble.
Noah did not see Tate arrive until he walked up behind Lexy and started talking. “She killed Henderson.”
They all turned and stared at him. The man looked terrible. Messed-up hair and a stain on his shirt. Not at all Tate’s usual look. From the dark circles under his eyes, the poor bastard looked as if he had not slept in a month.
Detective Sommerville took a step to the left to block Tate’s view of his girlfriend being dragged off in handcuffs. “Tate has been very helpful. He made the security tapes available. Provided some background information and cleared up Marie’s alibi. Marie’s fingerprints in Ms. Stuart’s room did the rest. She tried to wipe off the lamp, but she missed others.”
The next hour moved by in a haze. There were questions. Reporters arrived at the resort. Lexy tried to comfort Tate, and Gray went to bring Dex back from Henderson’s apartment.
Just before she left, Detective Sommerville pulled Noah aside.
“Good detective work,” he said.
“I told you we know how to solve crime here.”
“You do. Sorry if I made that harder.” As an apology, it sucked, but he did have to admit that the police were on top of this one.
“What’s next for you?”
The personal question struck Noah as odd. “A few more days here to wrap up and make sure everything’s been handled, then back to work.”
She nodded in understanding. Noah thought she would walk off, but she seemed to be coming to a decision in her head.
“Is there something you want to say to me, detective?”
“No.” This time she turned away.
“Okay.”
“Actually.” She faced him again with a look more serious than before. “What are you going to do about your other problem?”
He figured she meant his engagement to Lexy. “I’m making progress.”
“You shouldn’t fool around with blackmail. Get someone in law enforcement to help you.”
Her verbal bomb exploded in his head. “What did you just say?”
“We reviewed your phone records. Saw your e-mails. You didn’t erase the more objectionable ones.”
It never dawned on him that they would pick through his private life. One of the reasons he wanted to turn this thing around and take the spotlight off Lexy was to make sure his private life stayed private.
“How do you—”
“Our experts agree that someone is trying to frame you from the inside. Someone with computer access and a grudge.”
“Did you tie the blackmail to Henderson?”
“No. We weren’t looking to fix your situation. I’m just saying that something bigger is happening to you. I’d watch my back.”
Computers. Access. Very few people fell into that group. That feeling of dread from his old life settled in his stomach. It had been years since the churning stole over him. But it was back in full force.
“Do you still have the papers you took from Lexy’s room on the night of the murder?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“Can I come to the station get them.”
“I don’t think they’ll tell you anything.”
Lexy said Henderson’s initial paperwork was in that stack in the police’s possession. He gave biographical information and took some initial aptitude tests. Noah wanted to see them. He had a bad, bad feeling. He needed to disprove it before it settled in his head and refused to get out.
“I’ll be there in a few hours.”
The detective stayed quiet for a few seconds. “I’ll be there. And Mr. Paxton?”
“Yeah?”
“Come alone.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
L exy, Dex, and Gray sat around one of the resort dining room tables waiting for Noah to return with a late dinner. He went off to find some pizza or any other food they could eat without choking. They had invited Tate to join them, but he declined.
The activity had died down, but adrenaline still flowed through the room. Most guests had retired to their rooms or were in the main lounge gossiping about everything that had happened that day.
Detective Lindsay came back after the initial arrest and confirmed that Marie had confessed. He had since gone again. It appeared that Marie saw Charlie Henderson, one of her boyfriends, go into Lexy’s room and got jealous. The combination of Henderson being away in San Diego where Lexy lived and his skulking around Lexy’s room sent her anger at potentially being jilted running.
“I still say that detective is hot,” Gray said as he lounged back in his plastic chair.
Dex laughed off Gray’s boast. “She wanted to shoot you. I picked up on her intolerance for you the second I got there.”
“You missed the good parts.”
“There were very few good parts about today,” Lexy said.
Noah walked in the empty room. “You can say that again.”
His angry frown seemed out of place in their big celebration. And he didn’t have any food.
“What happened to dinner?” Gray asked.
Dex agreed. “I’m starving.”
Lexy knew something was wrong. Noah was not giving any of them eye contact. When Detective Sommerville slipped into the room behind Noah, Lexy knew she was right.
“What’s wrong?” She got up from her chair and went to Noah’s side.
“Noah? What’s going on?” Dex sounded as concerned as Lexy felt.
She turned her fury on the detective. “You can’t possibly still think we had something to do with the murder.”
“Lexy,” Noah placed a gentle hand on her arm. “It’s okay.”
Gray nodded at the folder in Noah’s hand. “What’s that?”
Noah stared down
at the paperwork. The stare was so vacant. So lost.
“This is the evidence that shows Dex was behind the Scanlon theft. How Dex used Henderson.”
Gray returned his chair legs to flat ground. “What?”
Lexy was as stunned as Gray. “Noah, you can’t be serious.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Dex’s chair slammed to the floor as he rushed to stand up.
Noah dropped the file on the desk. “Henderson came to us to learn advanced combat skills and try out some computer work. He never got to me. Dex, here, got to him first. Put him to work on what Henderson thought were simulated tests.”
“You’re insane.” Dex swore under his breath and did not stop until the detective took a step forward with her hand on that gun.
Noah started pointing. Anger spewed in every direction.
“You used the guy. You showed him how to get information and infiltrate systems. The fingerprints eventually lead back to him, but they belong to you.”
Dex put up his hands in a defensive gesture. “Look, you’ve had a rough few days. Hell, you’ve had a rough time since Lexy dumped you, but don’t lash out at me.”
Lexy wanted to get to the truth before the situation got any more confusing. “Noah, what is going on?”
“Dex has been blackmailing me.”
“What?” Gray and Lexy yelled the word at the same time.
How could that be possible? She and Noah agreed to be open. He talked about his past. Blackmail was not one of those things a guy forgot to mention. If someone had been threatening Noah, she would know. He would not continue to pretend a piece of his life did not exist even when she asked him directly.
But he did. The truth was on his face. He was not doing anything to hide his emotions. He unleashed them all on Dex.
The realization was one more blow. To go from being so euphoric and relieved one minute to being knocked over with shock the next wreaked havoc on her body. Her stomach kept spinning until she thought it would fly out of her body, and her heart throbbed with pain.
“Was the idea to get me out of the way so I wouldn’t find out about the theft, or did you actually intend to set me up all along?” Noah did not try to hide the hurt and fury in his voice.
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