Confessions of the Heart

by Amanda Stevens

  “I wasn’t sure you were coming down for dinner,” she said as Anna approached her table. She looked especially pretty tonight in a sleeveless sweater the exact color of her eyes.

  She was young, not yet twenty-five, Anna was certain, but she spoke and acted much older. She possessed a rare combination of sophistication and innocence that added to her considerable charm.

  Anna glanced around. “Where did all these people come from? I thought we were the only guests registered at the hotel?”

  “We are, but a lot of people from town come here to eat.” Emily glanced around, as well. “All the tables seem to be full. Why don’t you join me?”

  “Oh, I couldn’t impose on your dinner,” Anna said quickly.

  “You wouldn’t be imposing. I’d enjoy the company. Please,” she insisted when Anna still hesitated. “I’m serious. I hate to eat alone.”

  “Well, in that case, I’d love to join you.” Anna pulled out a chair and sat down.

  Emily smiled. “You won’t be sorry. Margarete may be a little—well, actually, a lot—on the eccentric side, but she’s a fabulous cook. Well worth the small inconveniences you have to put up with when you stay here.”

  “Such as?”

  Emily gave a delicate shudder. “Like creaking floorboards in the middle of the night. Doors opening and closing at all hours. Took some getting used to, but now I don’t mind. I just tell myself that waking up in the middle of the night, half scared to death, is part of the charm of this place.”

  “I’ll try to keep that in mind,” Anna murmured. “But what’s with the name? You were right. I haven’t seen one cat since I’ve been here.”

  Emily grimaced. “That’s another of Margarete’s idiosyncrasies. From what I understand, there used to be half a dozen or more cats roaming the grounds, all descended from a huge calico belonging to the man who built this place in the early part of last century. A few years ago, Margarete joined a weird religious cult, and she got rid of all the cats because she thought they were inhabited by the souls of the dead.”

  Got rid of them how? Anna thought with a shiver. “What about her daughter? What’s she like?”

  “Acacia?” Emily said the name with a faint note of disapproval. “I don’t know anything about her religious beliefs, except that she claims to be descended from the Mayans who built the pyramid at Chichén Itzá. So I guess you’d have to say she’s a bit on the eccentric side, too, but she’s really nothing like her mother. You’ll see for yourself soon enough. She usually comes in around dinnertime to help out. Unless, of course, she’s giving a piano lesson.”

  Anna glanced up in surprise. “She gives lessons here at the hotel?”

  “Sometimes. There’s a music room at the back of the hotel in their private quarters. But the students who can afford them have private lessons in their homes.”

  Relief flooded through Anna. That must have been the source of the music she’d heard earlier. It had been nothing more diabolical than a piano lesson.

  But, of course, that still didn’t explain the phone calls she’d received in Houston….

  “Anna?”

  She glanced up to find Emily gazing at her in concern.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Why?”

  Emily shrugged. “I don’t know. You look a little pale. I thought you might not be feeling well.”

  Was she wondering about all those medicine bottles she’d seen earlier? Anna wondered. “I’m fine, really. I just need something to eat.”

  “Let’s order then.” Emily summoned one of the waitresses who brought Anna a glass of water and a menu. Before she could open it, however, Emily said, “Everything here is delicious, but I highly recommend the fish tacos. Margarete has a special sauce that is out of this world.”

  “Sounds good.” They both gave their orders to the waitress, and once she’d disappeared, Anna said, “You must have been here for a while if you’ve gone through the entire menu.”

  “A couple of weeks or so. I’m in town doing some research.”

  “Oh, are you a writer?” Anna asked curiously.

  A brief frown flickered across Emily’s brow. “Why would you think that?”

  Anna shrugged. “I met someone earlier who’d written a book. I guess it was still on my mind.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do write, but that’s not the kind of research I’m doing.” Emily toyed with her water glass. “Actually, I’m still in school. I’m a graduate student at UT.” She paused. “What do you do, Anna?”

  “I’m an attorney.”

  “Oh, really.” For some reason, Anna’s profession seemed to interest her a great deal. “Where do you practice?”

  “I’m with a firm in Houston. Or I was. I’ve been on leave for the past few months, and I may not go back. But I won’t bore you with the details.”

  Emily took a sip of her water, but her gaze remained on Anna. “So what brings you to San Miguel? Business or pleasure?”

  Anna shrugged. “Neither, really.”

  “You’re here because of Katherine Sprague, aren’t you?”

  Anna stared at her in shock. “How did you know that?”

  “I was in the sitting room off the lobby earlier when you came in. I heard you talking to Margarete. I wasn’t deliberately eavesdropping,” she quickly explained. “But the hotel is always so quiet. Voices carry.”

  When Anna didn’t respond, Emily added unexpectedly, “It might surprise you to know that I came to San Miguel because of Katherine, too.”

  “You knew her?”

  She nodded. “I did my undergraduate work at the University of St. Agnes in San Antonio. Katherine was one of my professors. She was the most fascinating woman I ever met. I still can’t believe she’s gone.” Her expression turned sorrowful. “Every year she’d pick one or two of her students to attend her retreat here in San Miguel. I was lucky enough to be chosen a few years ago, and it was the most exciting summer of my life.”

  Their food arrived then, and they made polite small talk as they ate. But when the meal was over and the table had been cleared, Emily seemed anxious to return to their previous discussion.

  “So how well did you know Katherine?”

  Anna gave her the stock response. “Not all that well. But she made a very big impact on my life.”

  “In what way?”

  Anna hesitated. “It’s a private matter. I don’t feel comfortable discussing it.”

  “I understand, and believe me, I’m not trying to pry.” Emily hesitated. “But it just occurred to me that you might be the perfect person to help me.”

  “Help you with what?”

  An emotion Anna couldn’t define flashed across the younger woman’s features, making her look anything but winsome. Her mouth hardened, and the dark gleam in her eyes caused Anna to suddenly shiver.

  She leaned across the table and lowered her voice. “Help me prove Katherine was murdered.”

  Chapter Six

  Ben could tell something was still bothering Gabby, and he suspected it was more than Anna Sebastian’s unexpected visit that afternoon. The anniversary of Katherine’s death was coming up, and the memories of the day were bound to weigh heavily on the poor kid.

  What she needed was a diversion, he decided. Maybe they both did. “Why don’t we drive into town and rent a couple of videos? You get to pick. I’ll even throw in some popcorn.”

  Gabby shrugged, disinterested. “I can’t. I’m waiting for Acacia.”

  “At this hour?” He glanced at his watch. “It’s after nine. That’s a little late for a piano lesson, isn’t it?”

  Her shoulders lifted again. “She couldn’t make it this afternoon so she called and asked if she could come over tonight.”

  “Why didn’t you just postpone it until tomorrow? Or better yet, why not take a break from the lessons until school starts back? I’d like to see you have some fun this summer, Gabby. You don’t need to be tied down to the same rigid schedule.”


  She gave him a reproachful look. “Mother wouldn’t have liked that. You know what she used to say. I need all the practice I can get.”

  That sounded like Katherine. She’d never cut Gabby any slack. In fact, at times, she seemed to enjoy twisting the knife in the kid, and that from a woman who could have afforded a little compassion, considering her own natural assets had been an embarrassment of riches.

  Everything had come too easy for her. She’d been a novelist and teacher by profession, but she was equally gifted as a poet, artist and pianist. And she’d been gorgeous, the kind of woman who could make good men do very bad things.

  Like marry her in the heat of the moment, Ben thought grimly.

  The impetuous trip to Las Vegas just two weeks after he and Katherine had met in Houston wasn’t exactly a testament to his own good sense, let alone his self-restraint. Waking up cold sober the next morning, he’d known immediately the marriage was a terrible mistake, but Katherine had ways of making him forget his bad judgment. At least temporarily.

  After the initial attraction had worn away, they’d both realized there wasn’t much left worth salvaging. When Ben had finally taken a long, hard look at the woman he’d married, he’d been astounded by the depth of her deception and by his own sheer stupidity.

  He was a classic example of a man who hadn’t been thinking with his brain or his heart, but with the part of his anatomy that had never been a very good judge of character. There had never been anything between him and Katherine except mind-blowing sex.

  And, of course, the terrible suspicions he’d begun to harbor before she died.

  He’d never thought of Katherine as the type of woman who’d commit suicide, but the selfishness of the act was just like her. After all, she wouldn’t have wanted to wait for a debilitating disease to sap her energy or old age to ravage her looks. She would have wanted to pick the time and manner of her own demise, leaving behind questions, suspicions and those dark secrets that Ben feared now might never be revealed.

  It was those secrets that kept him in San Miguel. Those secrets and Gabby. He couldn’t leave her with Gwen. Not when his sister-in-law was starting to remind him more and more of Katherine.

  And now with this latest murder…

  “You know the real reason Acacia wants to come over tonight, don’t you?” Gabby asked. “She’s coming to see you.”

  “Oh, I doubt that.” He punched Gabby’s arm playfully. “In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t exactly look like Brad Pitt these days. Not that I ever did.”

  “You think those scars make you ugly, but they don’t. Mother didn’t think so, either. She always said they made you look mysterious. She loved them.”

  Ben flexed his right hand. Katherine had told him the same thing that first night they’d met, but he hadn’t understood then that she really meant it. Or why. He thought she was being kind. What a joke.

  He and Gabby watched silently as a car pulled into the driveway and the engine was shut off. After a moment, the lights went out, a door slammed and footsteps sounded on the stone stairs.

  Acacia Cortina paused when she saw Ben and Gabby on the veranda, and her hand flew to her heart. “Dios mío! I wasn’t expecting to see anyone out here.” She gave a breathless laugh. “You startled me!”

  She was in her late-twenties, slender, elegant and exotically attractive with long, black hair and wide-set brown eyes fringed with lashes heavily coated with mascara. Her red lipstick matched the tint on her nails and the sleek sundress that left very little to the imagination.

  “Why aren’t you doing your warm-up exercises?” she admonished Gabby. “Go on in, and I’ll join you in a moment. I’d like to have a word with Benjamin. Privately,” she added, when Gabby hesitated.

  Gabby cast Ben an I-told-you-so look before she turned and disappeared inside the house.

  Acacia laughed again as she adjusted one of the straps on her sundress. The action drew Ben’s gaze to her impressive cleavage, which, he supposed, was the whole point.

  Contrary to what he’d told Gabby, he’d been aware for sometime of Acacia Cortina’s none too subtle come-ons, but he didn’t delude himself into thinking she was interested in him because of his looks. He had an idea his bank account might have something to do with her attraction. Katherine’s will had made him a wealthy man.

  “I know what you must be thinking.” She smiled provocatively. “A piano lesson at this time of night is a bit unusual. I had to help Mama at her church today, but I didn’t want to cancel Gabby’s lesson altogether.”

  “It wouldn’t have been a problem if you had,” Ben said with a shrug. “Missing one lesson isn’t going to hurt her.”

  “I know what you mean.” Acacia sighed wearily. “I’ve never tried to teach a child with such a tin ear.”

  That wasn’t what Ben had meant at all. “Look, maybe what she really needs is a break from her routine. I’m thinking of canceling her lessons until the end of the summer.”

  Acacia glanced at him in alarm. “No puedes! Please don’t do that!”

  Her response took him by surprise. “Why not?”

  She took a moment to collect herself. “Forgive me, Benjamin, but I don’t think that would be a good idea. What Gabriella needs right now is her routine. She needs to know there are some things in her life she can always count on.”

  “I don’t see how skipping a few piano lessons can do her any harm,” Ben argued.

  “But it isn’t just the lessons,” Acacia rushed to assure him. “I want her to know she can count on me, too. A teacher can have a powerful influence on a student. I like to think that I can make a positive difference in Gabriella’s life.”

  She moved up beside him before he could object and placed her hand on his arm. “I think I can help you, too, Benjamin, if you’d allow me to.”

  “Look, Acacia—”

  “Shush.” She reached up and put a finger to his lips. “Katherine’s been gone a long time. You’re still a young man. You must have needs.” She leaned toward him, parting her full red lips in invitation.

  He cleared his throat. “I, uh, think you may have the wrong idea—”

  She cut him off again. “No. I think you have the wrong idea about me. You can’t imagine what goes on inside my head, Benjamin. The thoughts I have.” She gave him a seductive smile. “I have needs, too, you know.”

  Someone laughed behind them, and Acacia spun. “Who’s there?”

  A set of French doors opened from the library onto the veranda, and Ben could see Gwen standing just inside.

  Acacia saw her, too, and her features tightened in fury. “How dare you eavesdrop on a private conversation?”

  “How dare you put the moves on a man whose wife is barely cold in her grave?”

  Acacia gasped in outrage. “Katherine’s been dead for almost a year!”

  “Yes, and you must have waited a whole ten minutes after hearing the news before you made a beeline over here.”

  “That’s not true!”

  “It most certainly is.”

  Acacia stamped her high-heel sandal in outrage. “You haven’t changed a bit since we were in high school. You were always una canalla. Evil.” She spat the word as she made the sign of the cross.

  “Oh, cut the dramatics,” Gwen said in a bored tone. “Sprinkling a few Spanish phrases into your vocabulary doesn’t make you exotic any more than claiming to be a reincarnated Mayan princess makes you some kind of royalty.” She turned to Ben. “She’s peddled that story for years, but everyone in town knows it’s as phony as her mother’s religion. But at least Margarete honestly believes she sees demons lurking behind every bush. Acacia’s just out to catch herself a rich husband.”

  “Una canalla,” Acacia muttered darkly.

  Gwen laughed which further infuriated the other woman. In another second, they’d likely be at each other’s throats, which didn’t particularly worry Ben, but he didn’t care to be caught in the middle.

  “Ladies, if you’l
l excuse me—”

  “No, don’t go!” Acacia reached for his arm, curling her bloodred nails around his wrist. “I’m sorry she had to misconstrue my offer of friendship.”

  “Misconstrue, my ass,” Gwen said bluntly.

  “Perhaps we can talk later,” Acacia murmured to Ben. “Somewhere more private.” Then tossing her hair, she flounced inside, leaving a cloud of some heavy perfume in her wake.

  Gwen laughed again as she stepped out onto the veranda. “Offer of friendship. That’s a good one. A word to the wise, Ben, that little tramp’s ‘befriended’ half the men in this county.”

  “She used to be your friend,” Ben reminded her. “Don’t you think you were a little hard on her?”

  Gwen snorted. “Acacia Cortina and I were never friends. Whatever gave you that idea?”

  “Katherine mentioned it once.”

  Gwen straightened her shoulders. She wore a white shirt tied at the waist and trim khaki slacks that made her look about the size of a pencil. She was in great shape, worked out obsessively, but there was something almost masculine about her toned body. “My sister was not the be-all and end-all authority on me. She was the one who used to let Acacia follow her around like some lost puppy. But that was Katherine. Always looking for new strays to worship and adore her.” She cut Ben a sidelong glance. “Present company excluded, of course.”

  He said nothing as she came to stand beside him on the veranda. “What are you doing out here anyway? I’ve seen you out here every night for the past week or so, just staring off into the darkness.”

  He shrugged. “I like fresh air.”

  “Liar. You’re looking for something. Or someone.” Her smile turned cunning. “Did it never occur to you, Benjamin, that you just might be looking in the wrong place?”