“Today is the first day I have to keep Monty locked in my room while I go to work. Vic’s been grumbling about him being in the office, and I’m afraid to let him prowl the town. I don’t want anything to happen to him but he’s going to hate being locked up,” I murmured.
“He can stay with me while I paint. I’d love the company.”
My face brightened. “Really? That’d be all right with you?”
“Absolutely. We’ll take you to work now, and we’ll be back to pick you up this afternoon.”
I threw my arms around Frankie’s neck and gave him a huge hug. He wrapped his around me and held me tight. I never wanted him to let me go. After several moments, he whispered in my ear, “We better get you to The Gazette.”
I nodded as I slipped from his grasp. He took my hand in his again and led me down the sidewalk toward the newspaper. Once there, he kissed me goodbye then whistled for Monty to follow him home.
I set my purse on the floor as I settled happily at my desk. When I looked up from my instant daydream of kissing Frankie, I found Vic hovering over me.
“What are you doing tomorrow night?” he demanded.
I shrugged. It was my day off. “Nothing.”
“Well, now you have plans. You, Chuck, and Sally have been invited to Vivian Goodrich’s soiree tomorrow night. Just you. No date. Buy a dress. You’re going.”
Frankie was certainly not happy that I was attending. He growled the very moment I told him. I was puzzled. I understood his distrust of Vivian. She had accused him of murder and had him arrested. However, his temper didn’t seem to peak until I mentioned I was attending with Chuck. He asked about the other guests, demanding to know how many were men. Was the sinfully handsome Frankie O’Carney jealous?
His displeasure faded when I modeled the first dress I tried on at the department store across the street from the Montrose. His ice blue eyes grew wide. He went a little slack jawed. “Livvy, you’re beautiful.” His slight brogue was soft.
I felt my cheeks flame hot. No man had ever looked at me like that, much less called me beautiful. I didn’t want to take the dress off. Ever. After a couple minutes, I did slip back into the dressing room to try on the others. None were quite like the first. With a grumpy Frankie at my side, I gave the salesgirl my money and nearly skipped from the shop.
I spent the rest of the day until the soiree with my sourpuss companion, only separating from him long enough to kick him out of my room so that I could slip on my gown again. He frowned as he watched me curl my hair and dab on a little makeup and perfume.
As I turned to tell him it was time to go, I was caught in his arms. His lips not so gently parted mine. I sank into his kiss as I slid my arms around his broad shoulders. As we parted, he stared into my eyes. “Don’t forget tonight who loves you. Understand?”
My eyes grew wide. Did Frankie just tell me he loved me? I could only nod.
He escorted me to the front door of the hotel, where Chuck and Sally were waiting in Chuck’s sedan. He kissed me once more then helped me inside. I turned and watched him from the rear window as the car sped away.
The banquet hall was packed with the elite of Cedar Rapids dressed in their finest. I walked with Chuck and Sally as they talked with those they knew. I knew no one. It seemed pointless for me to be there.
I spun around as I heard a familiar voice.
“Oh, look. It’s ace reporter, Olivia Randall,” Vivian Goodrich crooned. She sashayed up to me in a tight-fitting, burgundy gown that accented her curves in all the wrong ways.
“Good evening, Vivian. Thank you for inviting me.” My voice was as polite as could be. Inside, I was snarling.
“How’s the murder investigation going?”
“It’s going fine.”
“Really? I understand that you’ve spent most of your time here in Cedar Rapids wrapped around Frankie O’Carney, not proving his innocence. You’re a foolish girl to get involved with him.”
This time my snarl escaped. “Thanks for the advice,” I barked.
Vivian smirked. “You seem put out. Here.” She stopped a waiter and retrieved a glass of champagne from his tray. Her long, gloved fingers skimmed the rim as she handed it to me. “Drink this. It will loosen you up.”
I watched as she disappeared into the crowd. I gazed into the golden, bubbly liquid. It wasn’t appealing. Actually, I was craving Irish whiskey.
“Is that champagne?” Chuck ripped the flute from my hand and downed the contents in one gulp.
I slugged him. “That was mine!” I near shrieked.
“You weren’t drinking—” Suddenly, Chuck went pale. His eyes rolled up into his head. His knees buckled as he crumpled to the floor. I felt for his breath. I felt for his heartbeat.
Horrified, I scrambled away from his body.
Chuck was dead.
* * * *
Vivian Goodrich’s soiree erupted into chaos. I wasn’t the only one screaming. The police were quickly summoned. Some of the guests fled in terror. It was obvious that some of these rich folks hadn’t seen a dead person other than in a casket.
For that matter, neither had I, except for H.M. Goodrich. I had certainly never seen a man die right in front of me, especially after stealing my drink and downing it. I shuddered violently. I glanced around the room, feeling the eyes of the other terrified guests on me, watching me like I was one of the circus freaks from the nearby carnival. I closed my eyes to shut them out. Even doing that, I couldn’t shake the feeling
Two of the officers interrogated me as two others examined Chuck’s body along with the coroner. They weren’t very polite about it. I explained what had happened before Chuck had died several times. They all but accused me of murder. I offered my clutch for them to examine, which they did vigorously. Most of my belongings ended up on the ballroom floor.
After a good hour of questioning, Chuck’s body was taken away to the morgue. Other than a faint odor of almond on his lips, there was no sign of foul play. Everyone knew Chuck and his bachelor life. They just assumed it had finally killed him.
Except for me. The faint scent of almond told me only one thing—cyanide. Chuck had been poisoned by my champagne flute. I was the one meant to die tonight. I searched around the floor for the glass. It was gone, and I knew the police hadn’t taken it. H.M. Goodrich’s murderer was near. And they had almost killed me, too. Again. It was all too much. I needed Frankie.
I slipped from the ballroom out to the street before realizing that I was in an unfamiliar part of town and that Chuck had brought me here. I fought tears of fear and hopelessness, but I lost the battle quickly. There I stood on the side of the road, sobbing, my long auburn, curls sticking to my tear-stained cheeks, just wishing for the strong, safe arms of my man who was miles away.
“Hey, miss. What’s your trouble?”
My head snapped up. Edgar sat behind the wheel of his truck watching me. I could only manage to gasp out one word, “Frankie.”
He frowned as he reached across the seat and popped open the passenger door. “Hop in, miss. I’ll take you to him.”
Edgar’s truck bumped dangerously down the road as he sped toward the river. It didn’t help my nerves any. I trembled like a leaf as I curled up in the seat. I looked up at Edgar. Could he be the next to die because of me? Could someone run him off the road because I rode in his truck? I sighed. Maybe I needed to get out of Cedar Rapids for everyone else’s well-being.
Finally, Edgar pulled up to the curb in front of Frankie’s house and helped me from the vehicle. I jumped at the sound of a loud bang. A second later, I was smothered in a pair of strong arms. I glanced over Frankie’s shoulder to see the front porch door hanging by a hinge. For the first time that night I felt safe. Frankie’s arms had a way of doing that for me. I could be trapped in the most vicious tornado and I would find sanctuary in his arms. It was the only place I wanted to be.
I struggled out my story as I cried into his chest. He held me tight as he listened to every word.
When I grew quiet, his voice rumbled out dangerously, “Livvy, they got too close this time. I won’t let them take you from me. You aren’t going anywhere without me from now on. If they want you, they’ll have to get me first. And I promise you that they’ll regret it.”
I looked up into his stern face and smiled. After a moment, he smiled, too. He pressed a soft, tender kiss to my forehead then wrapped his arm around me to shepherd me into the house. As he reached for the screen door, it fell off in his hand. He tossed it to the ground and winked at me. “Guess I’m fixing that tomorrow, or Auntie will have my hide.”
Despite the horrifying events of the night, I giggled at him. He squeezed me closer for a moment then ushered me inside.
* * * *
I woke up the next morning to a knock at my hotel door. A note from Vic told me to take a day or two off. The messenger he sent told me Sally had the same orders. Our gruff editor seemed to have a soft side. I slid out of bed, dressed, and opened the door to take Monty for a walk. I was still shaken from the events of the night before. But without me, there was no one to write the news. I was going into work, and my first story would be about Chuck’s murder.
I stepped out into the warm morning sunshine and turned to weave our normal route through the downtown streets. A hand grabbed mine from behind. Luckily, I didn’t spin around and slap the one who stole it. Frankie gazed down at me with exhausted blue eyes. I reached up to caress his cheek. He gently placed a kiss in the middle of my palm.
“You look so tired,” I breathed. “Didn’t you sleep?”
“No, lass,” he yawned. “I was trying to figure out who would want you dead.” He smiled. “You don’t look much better yourself.”
“I kept replaying Chuck’s death over and over in my mind.”
Monty’s yip turned our attention from each other. We followed the mutt down the sidewalk hand-in-hand. I took a deep breath. “I think I’m going to go home to Nebraska.”
Frankie stopped dead in his tracks. “Why would you do that?”
“Because maybe the murderer will stop if I’m gone. What if Chuck’s death won’t be the first? What if someone else becomes their victim?” A lump formed in my throat. “What if the next one is you?”
He tugged me into his arms. I buried myself against his broad chest. “Livvy, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not dying anytime soon. Please, don’t go. I promise you I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re safe in my arms. And I’ll help you find whoever is doing this.”
I squeezed tighter, hugging him close to me. I soaked in the moment. He was right. I felt so safe with him.
It wasn’t long before Monty was rubbing against us both to start us walking again.
Once we arrived back at the Montrose, I quickly changed my clothes and walked with Frankie and Monty to The Gazette. After a long, sweet, sensual kiss, I told Frankie goodbye before stepping into the newspaper office. I watched him and Monty stroll away before I headed to my desk.
A morose cloud hung over the newsroom. As I settled into my chair, I stared at Chuck’s empty place. He had no family. He had no real friends. No one had boxed his things. They still sat silently in their places, waiting for him to arrive. But he never would. My eyes burned with tears as I bit my lip to keep from sobbing. I heard footsteps behind me.
“I thought I told you to stay home, Livvy,” Vic reprimanded quietly.
“Who else is going to write the news?” I countered.
He nodded with a gentle smile before retreating to his desk. I took out my pad and pencil to jot down notes. It was time to gather what we knew. It was time to stop this killer.
Later that day, Frankie met me outside the door as I left The Gazette. But Monty wasn’t by his side. I frowned. “Where’s my dog?” I demanded.
Frankie chuckled. “He’s with my ma, my aunt, and Poppy at my house. When I left, he was being spoiled completely rotten. They were filling him full of table scraps, and Sis was chasing him around the backyard.”
“Why did you leave him there?”
He lifted his arm to show me the two pads of paper he cradled in his large hand. “I’m taking you to dinner at Butterfly Café. We can eat as we brainstorm who has been trying to kill you.”
I smiled as I took his free hand in mine. A date with Frankie O’Carney. It didn’t matter to me that it was to do research. My heart fluttered excitedly as we walked down the sidewalk to the restaurant.
The waitress showed us to our table and took our drink orders. Frankie set a notepad before me then handed me a pen. “Jot down anything you think is important. List anyone who seems suspicious.”
I picked up the pen as I chewed on my lower lip. I started with my suspects. There were a couple hotel staff that seemed shady to me. And there was the guy down the hall who had been there as long as me. He wasn’t a trustworthy character, either. I lifted my eyes.
And there was Frankie. Sure, I was head-over-heels in love with him. His kisses and caresses were pure heaven. But he had been at every one of the attacks on my life except the soiree. Even then, there had been plenty of time to reach the ballroom, poison my glass, and get home before I arrived there. Most importantly, he had been standing over H.M. Goodrich’s dead body with a gun.
Which led to a nagging question I couldn’t let go. One I didn’t want the answer to, but knew I wouldn’t stop obsessing about until I had it. I set my pen down on the table.
“What is it, Livvy?” Frankie sounded concerned.
My voice was weak, “Why were you standing over H.M. Goodrich in only your trousers?”
He exhaled slowly as he set his pen down too. “Livvy…”
“I want to know, Frankie.”
He sighed again. “Vivian Goodrich asked me to come to her room to help her with something. I agreed. I felt bad for her and her husband losing everything they had when their house burnt down. Doesn’t matter if they’re rich.
“Anyway, when I got there, I found her alone in her nightdress. I asked what she needed. She closed her door, pulled me to her, tore my shirt off, and said she needed me. She’s a handsome woman, and I’m no innocent, but I won’t sleep with another man’s wife. I ran from the room, but realized I’d left my shirt. When I went back upstairs, I found him dead and Vivian gone. The gun was lying next to his body. I don’t know why I picked it up. Wish I hadn’t.”
I stifled my shudder as I stared at him. This was the last thing I wanted to hear. He may have run, but if he found Vivian beautiful would he have killed for her? Instead of the misunderstanding I was hoping for, Frankie now had motive.
I knotted my fingers together as tears burned my eyes. I wanted to believe it was because Frankie had a reason to kill H.M. Goodrich. But it wasn’t. It was that he had motive because of Vivian Goodrich. He had been in her hotel room nearly naked with her. That deep down in his heart where I couldn’t see, he wanted to be in her bed as much as she wanted him there. That was, until her husband had arrived.
I looked up as Frankie’s hand brushed mine. By the flicker in his crystal blue eyes, I could tell he had seen my tears. “Livvy, baby. You have to believe me. I’m innocent.”
I looked across the dining room of the Butterfly Café to avoid the pain etched in his face. “You said you thought Vivian was attractive. You’d have a reason to kill her husband.”
“I acknowledged her beauty. That’s it. She certainly wasn’t the woman on my mind that night, believe me.”
I rolled my eyes as I continued to stare at the kitchen door. All I needed to hear about was another woman. Why in the world was he with me? Oh yes, I reminded myself. Because I had promised to clear his name.
Frankie took a deep breath and continued, “That afternoon, Edgar and I got in some fight. I don’t even remember what about. What I do remember is this redheaded angel at the check-in desk. Seemed her train had broken down, and she needed a room overnight. I haven’t been able to forget her since. I took my sister to lunch that same day, and she was there again.
“
All I did after was work up the courage to talk to her. To you. I had never been so humiliated than to have you watch me be hauled away. I figured it was all over. I’d never get to talk to you, to get to know you. Then, the next morning, there you were, bravely defending me in court. You didn’t even know me. I never fell so hard in my life. I didn’t even know your name, and I was desperately in love with you.”
I looked at him weakly. “You say you’re no innocent. Yet, you haven’t even made a move to bed me.”
“What everyone says is true—I’m a tramp. But you’re not like the other girls I’ve been with. You’re extremely smart. You don’t let anything stand in your way. And you’re the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. You, Livvy Randall, are a true lady. You’re more of a lady than Vivian Goodrich, even with all her money. Being with you makes me want to be a better man. I do want you. But for the first time in my life, I don’t want a one-time fling. I want more with you. Maybe a lifetime more.”
I gazed at him as I felt my cheeks burn from his words. I still wasn’t sure whether to believe him, but my heart was taking control over my common sense. All of my thoughts fluttered away as he leaned across the table to kiss me. I melted against him, my arm knocking the pad of paper to the floor on its way to wrap around his shoulders.
Chapter Five
Dinner with Frankie was incredible, yet neither of us had come up with a suspect by the end. I didn’t care. Holding his hand, laughing with him, kissing him, made me forget momentarily about my life being in danger. With him, I felt safe.
As we stepped out onto the sidewalk, he took my hand tight in his large, strong one. We strolled down Third Avenue across the bridge to his house. I was greeted at the door by Monty for a brief moment before he scampered off to play with Poppy. I frowned. For the first time since had I brought him to my hotel room, the dog would rather spend time with someone other than me.
Innocent 'til Proven Guilty Page 5
