CHAPTER SIX
“Did she say why?” Quest was asking Samuel Bloch two mornings later when the group met at Ramsey for its weekly meeting.
Sam’s light blue eyes reflected concern. “She said something came up and she just couldn’t be here. She sounded tired though. Too tired. I couldn’t get her to tell me there was anything wrong.”
Quest grunted in response, stroking his jaw as he listened. He too, was growing concerned.
“Anyway,” Sam sighed, glancing back at his crew. “It’s been two days, so we’re gonna head out to her mom’s place and check on her after we’re done here..”
“Good idea. Maybe you’ll get more out of her with a face to face meeting,” Quest figured.
Sam shrugged. “I hope so,” he sounded doubtful.
“Listen, keep me posted,” Quest slapped the side of Sam’s arm before nodding towards the breakfast buffet across the room. “You better get over there before they clean it out,” he teased.
Sam grinned and then shook hands with Quest and went to rejoin his team.
Quest turned and found his twin standing a short distance away. “What did you do?” he knew his brother had been listening in on the conversation with Sam.
Quay didn’t bother to play dumb. “I did what had to be done.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Quest snapped.
“Dammit Q, don’t you ever talk to your wife about this case?”
Squeezing his eyes shut tight, Quest hissed an obscenity. “Not this damn case again…sick of hearing about it.” he massaged the bridge of his nose.
“You and me both,” Quay folded his arms across the olive wool suitcoat he wore. “It’s keeping me away from Ty even after all these years, so how the hell do you think I feel?”
“It doesn’t have to be like that,” Quest argued.
Quay waved his hand. “As long as that fool’s runnin’ loose, this is exactly how it has to be.”
Quest stepped closer to his twin. “I can’t believe you of all people runnin’ scared.”
“Listen Q, the only thing that kept Ty safe back then was that Wake didn’t know I cared about her that way.”
“I’ll buy that,” Quest pushed his hands inside the deep pockets of his brown tweed trousers, “but do you really think he’s been out there killing all these years? Do you believe he’s even got any of us on his mind, let alone doing anything to hurt Ty and how do you explain Sera? You never made a play for her.”
Quay cleared his throat while slanting his brother a coy look. “Actually she approached me quite a few times. I told Wake about it.”
“You told Wake, but not me?” Quest fixed his spitting image with a wounded look.
Quay couldn’t resist smiling at his brother’s jealousy and shook his head. “Nothing personal, man. It just wasn’t somethin’ I wanted the family to know. Especially when Sera and De were such good friends,” he referred to their cousin Dena. “Hell Uncle Houston even walked in and almost caught us at their house once. I was this close to kissing her,” Quay shared, positioning his index finger above his thumb. “That made me think, Q. I knew if things didn’t work out between us- which they probably wouldn’t- I’d be in for it from the family since she and De were so close. Besides, I didn’t feel that way about her and Sera was a sweet girl. She deserved better than me. So does Tyke.”
“There’s just one problem,” Quest brought a hand to his brother’s shoulder. “Ty loves you, fool.”
“Hell Q, I love her!” Quay swore in a vicious whisper, his dark eyes sparkling with emotion. “I love her with everything in me, but that doesn’t matter now since two nights ago I did everything I could think of to make her hate me,” he took a deep breath his gaze faltering. “I’m positive I succeeded.”
“Quay-”
“Let’s get this meeting started, alright? I’m ready to get the hell out of here,” he grumbled and left Quest staring after him.
***
“Just a few moments, Ms. Red. He’s very weak,” the petite Asian nurse warned as she escorted Jill to Raymond Patillo’s room in the stately Savannah mansion he called home.
“I’ll be very brief,” Jill promised just as the nurse opened the door to the bedroom suite.
Raymond Patillo had served a lengthy term as County Medical Examiner in Savannah. Jill could detect the passion in the man’s voice when they’d spoken over the telephone. It was obvious he still missed his former position very much.
“Ms. Red!” A large, imposing man greeted in a surprisingly warm and friendly manner. From his appearance, one would never tell how great a toll the lung cancer had taken on his well-being.
“Mr. Patillo, thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me,” Jill reached out to shake hands. “This is about the Sera Black case,” she recalled the nurse’s instructions to be brief.
The glow in Patillo’s eyes dimmed a little. “Sera Black,” he recited. “She seemed to have been a lovely girl. At the scene, I remembered thinking that she was a smart young woman,” he smiled in spite of himself. “I don’t know how I knew that, I just had the feeling there was great potential there.”
“You were the C.M.E. when the accident occurred,” Jill confirmed, taking a seat in the armchair near the bed.
“It was no accident,” Patillo confirmed quickly, his warm expression fading completely. “That poor girl was murdered and those people covered it up.”
“The Ramseys?” Jill probed, crossing her trouser clad legs. “Did you have any thoughts on who may’ve been responsible?”
Patillo’s smile was sour. “Someone in that family covered this up and I’m still certain that someone in that family was responsible. But not the boys,” he added.
Jill’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
Patillo rested his head back against one of the oversized pillows behind him. “I met them, spoke with them at length. They were confident, very sure of their appeal and their capabilities. But murder…I never saw them as murderers,” he shrugged. “A haunch Ms. Red, do you know what I mean?”
“I do,” Jill nodded, understanding those feelings quite well. “I’ve been a cop for many years. Forensics was my speciality,” she shared.
Patillo nodded slowly, his dark eyes gleaming with a deeper respect for her. Suddenly, the look grew troubled as his cough reasserted itself.
“I’m sorry,” Jill whispered, worry clouding her face as she moved from the chair.
Patillo grabbed her hand before she could get too far. “Check the body,” he said amidst the roaring cough.
Jill’s brows drew close. “Mr. Patillo? The body? I don’t-”
“The evidence will be there!” he struggled to smother his coughing. “Please, I’m an old man and I’ve prayed this girl’s killer would be brought to justice. I took the Ramsey’s payoff…first there was a phone call from someone saying he represented certain parties of the family. A few days later, a wad of cash was mailed to my office. I let the child’s killer get away scot-free. This is an injustice that must be corrected.”
Jill moved close to pat his back when the coughs roared to life once again. “Mr. Patillo, I- I don’t understand how- she’s been dead over fifteen years. Her body’s been embalmed how-”
“I’m sorry Ms. Red I’ll have to ask you to leave now,” Patillo’s nurse hurried in issuing the order.
Jill offered no argument. “Thank you both,” she patted Raymond Patillo’s hand before she moved back from the bed. She returned his wave and nodded at the determination in his eyes.
***
Construction on the rail for Holtz Enterprises began one month after Tykira and her crew finished the designs- a record everyone raved. The people at Holtz had already approved the final layouts via satellite conferencing. Still, valuing the importance of communication, the group decided to meet Ramsey’s team about a month and a half into construction.
The group of forty-something businessmen arrived one afternoon and toured the site. Then, it was off to Gabron’s
for an authentic French meal. During the entire affair, Louie Danoue CEO of Holtz, kept Tykira close to his side. He raved as boldly over her creativity, as he did over her beauty.
Quay had no intentions of attending the lunch, but knew he’d draw Quest’s wrath if he tried to back out. Additionally, once he’d discovered Ty would be in attendance he knew he wouldn’t want to be anyplace else. A clear wall had been erected between them. While a wall in some form had always existed where they were concerned, this one was different. Ty was openly cordial and responsive to everyone in attendance except Quay. She treated him as though he weren’t even there- directing her questions to Quest or any other member of Ramsey.
Still, Quay didn’t mind letting his agitation show over Louie Danoue’s interest in Ty. She certainly wouldn’t notice his mood, neither would any member of her crew. The five men appeared just as agitated by Danoue’s adoration as Quay was.
Lunch was a lively affair. The executives of Holtz had the opportunity to review color layouts of the project first hand. They also enjoyed a video presentation featuring a computer animated replica of the finished rail making its way up the majestic mountainside to the towering sky village in Banff.
“Exquisite!” Louie Danoue raved while his colleagues applauded. “We are greatly anticipating your arrival at the resort. It will be quite the celebration.” He boasted, and then favored Ty with a meaningful smile. “I look forward to showing you the village firsthand,” he said.
“It sounds wonderful,” Ty graced Louie with a dazzling smile before she cleared her throat. “If you gentlemen would excuse me for a moment,” she pushed her chair away from the table and smiled as every man stood.
Quay’s onyx stare followed her until she left the dining room. That stare narrowed with murderous intent when Louie Danoue excused himself less than a minute later.
Tykira and Louie had only been gone a short time. It was far too long for Quay, who went after them without so much as a word to anyone who remained at the table.
Ty was on her way back then; having stopped to speak with one of her mother’s church friends. She was inspecting the chic pin-striped skirt she wore and literally slammed right into Quay just outside the main dining room’s entrance.
“Sorry,” she whispered before realizing who she’d run into. Rolling her eyes, she went to move past him but felt his hand on her forearm.
“What?” She kept her eyes on his hand.
Quay’s features were drawn into a closed mask. “Just wanted to see where you and Lou disappeared to,” he admitted.
“Why?” her voice was a rasp and she looked up at him.
Quay shrugged. “You’ve been gone a while.”
Ty had the strongest urge to connect the tip of her spike heeled black leather boot to his shin. “What are you getting at?”
His hand flexed on her forearm. “I think you know,” he tugged her just a bit closer.
“What do you want?”
Quay’s smile was devilment personified in response to her question. “I think I already got it,” he appraised her breasts outlined so prominently against the black turtleneck she wore.
The blow she set against his cheek turned the hearts of the servers who whisked along the corridor. Quay barely felt the sting to his face, but in his heart the blow vibrated a thousand times.
Quest had witnessed the scene, but waited for Ty to storm off before making his presence known. Quay turned when he heard the ‘tsking’ sound across his shoulder.
“Don’t start, Q,” Quay prepared to walk away.
“Not so fast,” Quest drew his twin towards a quiet corner of the corridor.
“What?” Agitated, Quay tugged at the cuffs of his merlot colored suit coat.
“I can’t afford to have her distracted by this drama, Quay.”
Quay hissed a foul curse. “There’s nothin’ goin’ on.”
Quest hooked his thumbs around the burgundy suspenders he wore over a hunter green shirt. He almost laughed. “Nothin’s goin’ on? Then why the hell are you always up under her?” Quest walked away when he saw that his brother had no comeback.
***
“I honestly don’t have a clue,” Mick was telling Jillian who had just told her about the meeting with Raymond Patillo. “None of my research turned up any other evidence, but then I’m not privy to every bit of legal documentation,” she noted.
“Check the body, check the body,” Jill repeated, hoping it would force some sort of clarification. She heard Mick gasp. “What?” she called.
Mick hesitated only a moment. “Do you think…could he have been telling you to check her body- that the evidence was buried with her body- actually buried with it?”
“Impossible,” Jill breathed. “Are you serious?”
“It’s a possibility, Jill.”
“But why would Patillo risk his career that way?”
“Jill you have no idea the kind of power the Ramseys wield down there,” Mick crossed her legs at the ankles where she relaxed on her bed. “I got a healthy dose of it when I was in Savannah trying to connect pieces to this damned puzzle. Money is a powerful temptation and Patillo pretty much admitted he'd been approached by them right after the murder.”
“Murder,” Jill massaged her forehead. “So you’re certain that’s what it was too?”
“That’s what I believe and I think after what Mr. Patillo said, it’s safe to say it’s been confirmed.”
Jill sighed, grateful to have someone to bounce ideas off. Almost the entire station had deemed her a pariah for delving into the old case. “We’ll have to contact her family to get an order to have the body exhumed. After such a long time, they may not be willing to have her grave disturbed. It could be quite a burden.”
“It may not be as big of a burden as you think.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“I think it’s time to give Johnelle Black another call.”
***
At Gabron’s restaurant, the meeting was nearing its end. The members of Holtz Enterprises; who had flown down from Canada, were a surprisingly sociable bunch. Ty was very much pleased since she needed something laid back and easy going to keep her mind off Quay who unfortunately had decided to rejoin the meeting following their latest dramatic episode.
“How long do you all plan to stay?” Jeffrey Naven, one of Ramseys chief architects was asking.
“We didn’t decide before leaving,” Louie Danoue said, “but now I think maybe a longer stay might be a nice idea,” he added focusing an appraising look toward Tykira.
Quest slanted his twin a warning look when he heard the heavy sigh Quay uttered.
“We hope to take another tour of the train before its completion,” Louie announced.
The Ramsey Group team was delighted and plans were discussed to nail down a date and time.
“This is fantastic,” Ty was saying especially pleased by the plans. “We really want to get your input on every phase of the project, but right now at the beginning is the most critical stage. I really want to be sure you get exactly what you’re looking for.”
“That sounds nice and I’m sure we will,” Louie replied.
Quay could tell by the way the man’s eyes traveled over Ty’s upswept hair and exquisite face that he wasn’t just referring to the train. He felt Quest’s hand close over his knee and gritted his teeth while praying for an end to the meeting. His prayers were answered when everyone began pushing their chairs away from the table. His cellular chimed and he smiled when he saw the number on the face plate.
“Mick, Mick, Mick,” he drawled, chuckling when he heard her voice. He shot Quest a devilish grin when the man heard his wife’s name. “For me,” he informed his brother in a wicked tone. “Yeah Mick?” he tuned into her voice. “Yeah, he’s here…what?... Do I have to?” Quay groaned, rolling his eyes as he looked over at Quest. “She says she loves you and can’t wait for you to come to bed.”
Quest’s hearty rumble of a laugh roared to life. He clapped h
is brother’s shoulder then joined in on a conversation with a few of their people and the Holtz executives.
“Listen, my contact in Savannah just had a meeting with a man named Raymond Patillo. He was County Medical Examiner when Sera was killed,” Mick shared.
“Mmm hmm,” Quay leaned back in his chair as Mick told him about the call. “What did you say? With her body? Dammit.”
“Now calm down,” Mick urged, “This is really great news. We may be on our way to catching a murderer.”
“Until we hit another brick wall and the bastard continues to enjoy his freedom.”
“Sweetie cut yourself some slack, please? You’re giving this guy too much power. Try to make things right between you and Ty, okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, smirking over the suggestion. “Thanks Mick,” he said before their call ended. Remaining seated, he simply watched Ty as she laughed off one of Louie’s remarks and gathered her things to leave. She caught Quay staring and, for a few moments, their gazes held. Then, she shook her head and walked away.
Quay clenched his fists, fighting the urge to go after her. He was glad when Quest called him over to speak with one of the Holtz VPs.
~~~
Ty didn’t allow the mask she wore to slip until she’d driven out of the Gabron’s parking lot and had taken the ramp to the expressway. She cursed herself for being a fool- a weak kneed, emotional woman, swooning for a man’s attention.
But Quay wasn’t just any man, he was the only man she’d ever loved- her first lover. She cursed herself again and asked why she loved him. She was a smart woman in virtually every other aspect of her life. Why couldn’t she pull herself- her heart away from this man- the only man who had ever truly hurt her? If anything, the scene a month prior should have changed her opinion of him. But the encounter had only made her want him more. She could admit that to herself. Quaysar Ramsey wasn’t simply the only man she’d ever loved, he was the only man she’d ever made love with. Knowing that it was only for gratification on his part was killing something inside her.
The Ramseys Boxed Set Page 33
