Inherited Light_A Small-Town, California Romance Filled with Dogs, Deception, and Finding True Love Despite Our Imperfections

by Katie Mettner

  “Hello, Ms. Chávez. I would like to speak with you about the continuing investigation regarding Xavier Carellton. You’re not under arrest nor do you need a lawyer. What I need is information. Any information you might have about him could be helpful,” Noah said, shaking my hand as he spoke.

  I rested my hand on her shoulder. “She’s been worried since you called. Why now, Noah?”

  He motioned us into the room, so we followed him in. He swung a chair away from the table so Cat could sit next to me and he took the seat across from us.

  He set his notebook down and opened it to a blank page. “We’ve had a turn of events in the case. Ms. Chávez’s—”

  “Please, just call me Cat,” she said, breaking in.

  I had to work hard not to grin at the request. A few weeks ago, she introduced herself to everyone as Lina.

  “Of course,” Noah said. “As I mentioned, we’ve had a turn of events. Cat’s prints were found on the murder weapon.”

  Cat jumped backward and her chair tipped at a dangerous angle. I caught it right before she flipped. She hadn’t even righted herself before she spoke, her voice warbling. “I didn’t kill him! I didn’t. You have to believe me,” she said, her whole body shaking.

  I put my arms around her soothingly. “Shhh, he said you don’t need a lawyer, which means he doesn’t think you killed him. Hear him out. We’ll deal with whatever happens together.”

  Noah looked concerned. “Do you need some water, Cat?” he asked, but she shook her head.

  “No, I’m sorry. You took me by surprise. I didn’t think I would be accused of doing this.”

  Noah frowned. “You’re not being accused. While your fingerprints were on the hammer and the box, there’s no way you could have killed him from a wheelchair. You also wouldn’t have been able to get to his apartment when your van had been disabled.”

  She nodded almost continually as he spoke. “I don’t remember touching them, ever. Honestly.”

  “She never touched the box or the hammer, Noah, at least not while I was with her, and by the next morning it had already disappeared.”

  His lips were in a grim line. “I believe there are two lines of manipulation going on at the same time. The first applies to the van. I think the tire was most likely slashed by Xavier the way Lorenzo suggested. I think he planned to be the knight in shining armor and rescue you after you closed the gallery. However, Lorenzo thwarted his plan, so he fell back and planned to wait. The second applies to the attack at your home and the murder of Xavier. I believe the person who attacked you is the murderer. Once you were unconscious they put the hammer in your hand and your hand on the toolbox itself for good measure. Since you were unconscious neither of you would know it happened. It’s likely you were attacked just to get the fingerprints on the weapon, but the attacker had no idea your van had been disabled, and therefore killing Xavier would in no way implicate you.”

  I waved my hand. “Wait, so you’re saying whoever killed Xavier is trying to frame Cat? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  He sighed. “We’re still working on the logistics of why. Why would the suspect think Cat would be able to kill Xavier especially after being knocked out? None of it makes sense. The team is hoping you’ll be able to remember something to give us a lead. Something about Xavier or the people he hung out with.”

  Cat was concentrating as we spoke. “I haven’t hung out with Xavier in easily five years. Ren would likely know more about him than I do since they played ball together. I do know he made at least three enemies for every friend he made. He wasn’t well-liked in the baseball community and he had an ego big enough to take up the whole room. Anyone who dared tarnish the image of Xavier Carellton would end up on his list. Take Ren for example. Somehow it got back to Xavier we were going out and he immediately decided to threaten him.”

  “I don’t understand why,” Noah said. “If you really haven’t dated in years, why would he care who you date? Did you date for a long time?”

  She shrugged. “It was his personality, especially if he believed he’d been wronged. We dated for maybe two months and I’m talking a handful of dates I never classified as anything serious. After the first month, it was obvious I had to get rid of him, but it took another month to accomplish it. He never took no for an answer and it was starting to scare me. He didn’t like being shot down. He never gave up even after I got rid of him the first time. He called me all the time asking to take me out. It got to the point I avoided public places because I believed he had a stalking problem.”

  “But you never talked to the police?” Noah asked.

  She shook her head. “Why would the police believe me? As if a guy would be obsessed with a woman in a wheelchair.”

  I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I don’t know, I’m a guy many years younger and I’m obsessed with a woman in a wheelchair.”

  Her cheeks turned bright red and she held out her hand for me to take. “I guess I didn’t think it had become a dangerous situation I couldn’t handle. Maybe I was wrong?”

  Noah leaned back in his seat. “I always tell women if some guy seems overly interested in you when you’ve shut down their advances over and over, chances are they’ve hit a level of obsession the police need to know about. Usually, our little speech is too late and there has already been an attack on either person or property. In this case, hindsight doesn’t matter, since he’s dead.”

  “I wish I could be of more help,” Cat said, twisting her hands. “I never hung out in the same circles. He gravitated to the muscle and I preferred the creative.”

  Noah addressed me. “Do you know of anyone who may have had a grudge against him? Did you run in the same circles?”

  I choked back a snort of laughter at the idea. “No, I avoided his circle on purpose. I know none of the other coaches from any of the other teams liked the guy either. Many hated him, in fact. If you have access to his social media accounts or his phone, you might want to check into the women in his life. While he had a fixation with Cat, he also liked to bed ‘em and leave ‘em. He probably slept with thirty women in the last year alone, and I’m not exaggerating.”

  “Do you think another coach could have done this?” Noah asked, scribbling in his book.

  “Half of Little Ivywood and Martindale could have done it, Noah. All it would take would be him messing with the wrong person. The way he was killed almost feels like a crime of passion, though.”

  Noah’s eyebrow rose up toward his hairline. “Care to elaborate?”

  “He died from a blow to his head with a hammer, right?” He nodded and I held my hand out. “He sleeps with a woman who isn’t mentally stable,” I explained shaking the hand, “and she takes a swing at him to make it appear like it was someone from a ball team.”

  He waved his hand. “Wait, you think whoever this is would have gone to all the trouble of setting you or Cat up to throw the blame off them?”

  I rubbed my chin. “It’s the most troubling part, to be honest. Whoever this is had to be watching me to know what I was doing and where I traveled. They had to see the opportunity to get the toolbox and then the opportunity to get her prints on it. It’s the reason I’ve been watching our backs for the last few weeks. For one reason or another, someone has become unhinged.”

  “I agree with you there. It’s all very disturbing for a town like Little Ivywood. I want to solve this case, but more than that I want the both of you safe. I think you should avoid spending any time alone, and always carry a weapon. I’m not condoning killing, but you should have something to defend yourself with, especially when at home.”

  “He’s staying with me for now,” Cat said shyly. “We keep the alarm set and have his baseball bat by us at all times. I hoped this would be over by now so we could go back to our normal lives. My business is going to start suffering.”

  I rubbed her back while I addressed Noah. “I’m almost done with the job at the shelter and then I don’t know what I’ll do. If I were you, I
would look closely at the women in his life. Maybe he bedded a married one without knowing it or, knowing Xavier, he slept with the girlfriend of an enemy.”

  Noah finished writing and laid his pen down. “Good idea. We asked about girlfriends and his roommate said he didn’t have one. He said he liked to play it fast and loose, never sticking with one woman too long. We’re getting there with the search, but his personal life is extensive.”

  “I’m not surprised,” I said. “Xavier had some problems of his own and the only way he could make sense of his own life was to continue to attract attention, even if it was the wrong kind.”

  Noah sighed and closed the notebook. “We’ve seen the same when going through his belongings. We found a book all about Cat, which I didn’t plan to tell you about, but I think it’s important to mention. If you ever think someone is harmless let the experts make the decision, okay?”

  She nodded mutely while he and I stood. I shook his hand and he shook hers one last time. “Thanks for coming in. I know the direction we need to go now and with any luck we’ll have a suspect and an arrest in the next few days. Hang in there a little longer, okay?”

  We agreed and followed him out of the interrogation room. When we got to the end of the hall, he stopped and motioned at the both of us. “Never alone, got it?”

  “Yeah, man, we got it,” I said, holding her to me. “I’m stuck to her like glue.”

  “Good,” he said, saluted, spun around, and trotted away.

  I gazed into her eyes, which now held fear instead of love, and caressed her cheek. “I’ll keep you safe,” I promised.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Cat had stayed up later than usual drawing, which made it hard for me to stash the pillows I bought earlier in the afternoon. When she took a shower, I turned on all the exterior lights, grabbed my Maglite, and dashed to the truck to get the items from the bed. I didn’t have plans to use them tonight, but considering how expensive they were, I didn’t want them stolen.

  I was rather unsure about the whole thing by the time I drove home, so I decided to put them under the bed. She would never know they were there until I decided what I wanted to do. My gut told me I should have a conversation with her about it, but it had to be at a time when our worlds weren’t upside down. I was waiting in the bedroom when she finished. I lifted her, holding her around the waist, while she wrapped her arms around my neck, so I could sway with her. It had become a nightly routine. Sometimes we turned on music and sometimes we enjoyed the silence of the space. Tonight, I chose silence, and kissed her temple as I rocked her back and forth. She told me it felt good to be upright, even if it wasn’t under her own power.

  “I love this time we spend together,” I whispered as we danced. “And I love you.”

  She laid her head on my chest. “I’m going to miss you when you leave.”

  “Who said I was leaving?” I asked, resting my chin on her head.

  “You did, if not in so many words. You told Noah when the job was over you didn’t know what you were going to do.”

  I tightened my arms around her waist. “No, sweetheart. What I meant was I didn’t know what I would do to keep you safe. Once I’m not at the shelter every day it’s hard to squirrel you away upstairs. Tabitha has asked me to help her with new display cases and remodel work on the store she’s opening, which is great, but doesn’t make it easy to protect you.”

  “I don’t want to be squirreled away. I want to get back to my business before I don’t have one.”

  I kissed her temple again. “I know. I decided if they don’t have a suspect in custody by next week, I’ll hire a bodyguard so you can go back to the gallery during the day. Tabitha’s shop is only about a block from there, so I’ll be close by and could be there in an instant.”

  I fell silent for a few moments as I held her. It would be okay. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep you safe. Even if it means being your bodyguard and not working until this is settled. I can’t lose you,” I said emphatically.

  “Why do I have such a hard time believing you?” she asked quietly. “I want to believe you, but I can’t. I can’t believe I’m the one you want.”

  “Then I’ll have to show you,” I said matter of fact. “I’m trying to find someone to take over the lease on my apartment, so I can live here. If I don’t, I’ll lose my security deposit and owe three months’ rent, but I’m sure I’ll find someone who needs a place with the added perk of free meals.” I bent and hooked my arm under her knees, carrying her to the bed. I found if I held her too long with her legs hanging down it would start to hurt her back.

  I lowered the lights and jogged around to the other side of the bed. “How does the ankle and back feel after therapy?” I asked as I situated her pillows. Cinn and Foster had been taking turns with me driving her to therapy the last couple of weeks. If I had an appointment with a contractor, they made sure she got to therapy. The sprain had healed well, but she wasn’t improving with her back.

  “Ankle is great. The therapist said there’s only so much we can do considering I don’t walk on it. I won’t be hurting it by not wearing the brace now, but I can’t wear tight stockings or tight shoes. The back is coming along. It will never be perfect, but if I can get away without surgery then I think I’ll be happy to live with what little pain I have.”

  “You don’t have to live with any pain if you have the surgery, honey. It sounded to me like the new laser procedure wouldn’t require a long recovery and would keep the disc from pinching the nerve.”

  “Maybe, or maybe it makes the whole thing worse. I want to give therapy a chance,” she said defensively.

  “Okay,” I soothed. “I’ll support you no matter what you choose to do.” I rubbed her belly, being careful of the tube taped to the side.

  She sighed and shook her head on the pillow. “What are we going to do? The cops need to find this person soon. I feel like such a burden and I promised myself I would never be a burden to anyone, ever.”

  I sat up and swung around, shifting her legs over mine and sitting so her pelvis rested against mine. “You’re not a burden. Don’t ever let me hear you say that again,” I scolded, my tone angry and frustrated.

  She threw her arms out to the side. “But I am! I can’t take care of myself when push comes to shove, Ren. I’m about as vulnerable as they come.”

  I grabbed her hands and lowered them to the bed. “Just because you’re in danger doesn’t make you a burden. I’m in danger, too. If the right person decides they have it out for me, they could take me down just as easily as they could take you down. It’s not about being a burden, Cat, not at all.”

  “What is it about then, oh great wise one,” she asked sarcastically.

  “It’s about fear of the unknown. Fear of giving yourself over to someone who might throw a monkey wrench in how you live. Someone who might decide they want to stick around, whether you’re testing them or because they actually want to.”

  “What do you mean testing them?” she asked, but I could see it written all over her face. She had been testing me and I called her bluff.

  “If you think I don’t know the invitation to move in here was a test then you don’t give me much credit. The thing is, I would move in here in a heartbeat, if you weren’t asking me as a test. I would have my bags packed and in the truck faster than you could have a house key made.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I, we, but…”

  I laughed softly and unfolded her arms, so she couldn’t retain the anger it allowed her to harbor. “I had a talk with Cinn today, and she told me you aren’t happy I’ve decided to wait until we’re married to be intimate.”

  She looked away instantly, which told me Cinn had been right on the money. “Not what I said.”

  “In some way, you must have for Cinn to ask me why I wouldn’t make love to you until we were married. Interestingly, the reason I didn’t want to make love to you was the reason you started to worry at all. I hoped marrying you
first would make you worry less about me leaving, until Cinn pointed out a few things.”

  “Like what?” she asked, finally making eye contact again.

  “She gave me the perspective of a woman with a medical condition. She explained by making you wait until our wedding night I would cause more anxiety than exploring our sexuality beforehand, so our wedding night wasn’t something to dread, but to anticipate. I didn’t think about it until she said it, but then it became obvious you were both right. I would never want you to be so anxious about the wedding night it consumed your thoughts on your wedding day.”

  “Now we’re getting married?” she asked, a little smirk on her face.

  “Tomorrow, if you’d do it, but I know it’s going to take a few more weeks and a lot more convincing before it happens.”

  She didn’t answer while she stared down at the bed. “I’ve never been intimate with a man. I guess what I mean is I’m a thirty-year-old virgin who can only get off by using a vibrator. At least I think. Is this putting you off at all?” she asked ashamed.

  I shook my head. “Not in the least, sweetheart. Yesterday I would have argued for you to remain a virgin until our wedding, but after today, I see it’s not what you want, is it?”

  She shook her head. “Maybe if I was a normal woman—”

  “You are a normal woman,” I said, shaking her hands a little bit.

  She swallowed and tried again. “Maybe if I didn’t have needs the average woman doesn’t have, I would happily wait until I was married, but honestly, all I feel is anxiety, Ren. You’re young and so damn handsome. I’m barely five feet tall and a hundred pounds. I can’t hold myself up and I don’t know how to do some of the basic things women my age know how to do.”

  I lifted her legs to the left side of me and leaned over her, kissing her lips. I let my lips tug at hers until gravity broke us apart.

  “What if I told you, I did something today to make our first time easier on both of us? Easier for you, so you don’t have to worry about the things you can’t do, and easier on me so I don’t have to worry about hurting you.”