by Diane Darcy
At nine-fifteen Lena looked out the window to see the Maserati sitting outside.
She grinned, and hurried down the stairs.
Her grandmother looked up and waved her over, her large gold cross swinging with the movement. “What has you looking so chipper this morning? Are you going to tell me about your date last night?”
“Sorry, Gran, I can’t. I have another date this morning.”
“Oooh. What time? There’s an expensive car parked outside of our building. It would be nice for the driver to come inside and spend some money!” She rubbed the thumb and fingers of one hand together as if rubbing a coin.
Lena said, “Sorry, that’s my date.”
Grandma’s eyes widened and she chuckled. “Oh, really? Things went well last night, did they?”
Lena grabbed a banana and slipped it in her purse just in case. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”
“You’d better!”
Lena knew as soon as the door to the shop closed behind her, her grandmother would be on the phone with her mother, her sister, and probably distant relatives.
Maybe she should have dated more, so a second date wasn’t such a newsworthy event.
She shook her head. The implication being that this was the guy she was going to end up with?
That had yet to be determined.
As she walked out of the building, William jumped out of the car with such enthusiasm, that she gave him a big smile.
Weren’t guys supposed to play it cool? That’s what she’d heard, and experienced, but apparently, William hadn’t received the Guy Code Memo.
“Did ye sleep well?”
“Well enough,” she said noncommittally. Like she’d admit she’d laid awake far too long thinking about William, and also about the murder.
“Mayhap ye dreamed of me?” The corner of his mouth lifted and mischief sparkled in his dark eyes.
She snorted “Conceited much?”
He laughed, helped her in the car, and they were quickly on their way.
“Where are we going this morning?” Lena felt a bit short of breath, her chest tight with excitement and anticipation.
“That’s up to ye. There’s been a development. And we can follow through on it if ye’d like, or I can turn it over to my men so I can take ye out to a meal at a place of yer choosing. Anywhere. We could fly to California for brunch at Perch in Los Angeles. Their smoked salmon benedict is exquisite.”
She scoffed. “We’re not flying anywhere in the middle of a murder investigation. Tell me what the new development is?”
“The cake decorator from last night? Georgina? She’s dead this morning.”
“What?” Lena gaped at him in disbelief. “That’s horrifying.”
“I know.”
“But, why?” Lena was trying to wrap her head around it. She’d been in the crowd last night and Lena easily pictured her blonde hair and pretty eyes. “She must have seen something. Known something.”
“After we’ve eaten, we’ll stop by the cake shop if that’s to yer liking.”
“Let’s go there now.” She slipped the banana out of her purse. “We’re covered. I’ll split this with you.”
He eyed the fruit with disapproval. “Ye’re no’ one of those girls who misses meals on account of trying to lose weight, are ye?”
“Are you kidding me?” All she could think about was the dead baker. This case was beyond anything she’d experienced, and she wanted back in the middle of it.
“Ye hardly ate last night at the restaurant.”
“Compared to you. To me it was a feast.”
“Implying that ye don’t need much, so I’ll no’ be having ye miss a meal.”
Exasperated with the whole topic and the delay in getting back to the investigation, Lena waved her hand dismissively. “Let’s just swing through a drive-through and grab something. We’ve got to get over there. What if there’s evidence? This has to be related to the groom’s murder last night.”
“I’ve got men there now, waiting on us. They’ll let no one in or out of the building until I say so.”
She decided to take him at his word. “Okay, but let’s get over there. I don’t want to stop anywhere. So, fast food.”
“As ye will.” His tone implied utter disgust, but within five minutes they were swinging into a local restaurant. She’d always wanted to go through a drive-through in a limousine, but a Maserati worked as well, and the wide-eyed teen leaning halfway out the window apparently thought so, too.
William ordered an obscene amount of food, a couple of juices, and they were on their way again. She opened a sandwich and handed it to him, and then opened one for herself.
It took them twenty minutes to get to the bakery. William helped her out of the car and then grabbed up the bags of leftovers and headed out to talk to his men, handing the food over as he did so.
“No one’s been in or out?” William asked Quinn in a low tone.
The man scowled. “O’ course no’!”
He opened the bakery door, and she went inside to see the glass cases full of fresh donuts and pastries. William led the way back into the kitchen.
The dead woman was lying on the floor, a bakers cloth covering her face.
Lena gasped and took a step back, the reality of the situation hitting her hard. “Haven’t the police been here yet?”
William shot her a strange look, and then said, “This is my territory. My word is law here and I make the decisions.”
She pressed a hand to her heart, Lena tried to catch her breath. Perhaps he was the law in the hotel, but here as well?
The way William’s brows were furrowed as he looked at her prompted her to hold her questions.
She’d just have to wait and see what happened next.
Chapter 16
William went in first this time, as he didn’t wish to startle Lena again, but, as it turned out, she was shocked, anyway. In retrospect, mayhap he should have told her the body was still there. He’d figured she knew. Stupid!
“Sorry about that. How did she die?” William asked.
Caleb looked up from where he was kneeling by the body. “Looks like she was strangled with an iron chain.”
Lena shuddered and turned away.
William moved to place a hand on the small of her back. “Are ye all right, lass?”
She shrugged. “It’s just difficult to wrap my head around. I was in the same room with this woman yesterday. And now she’s dead on the floor.”
William glanced back, glad Caleb had placed the cloth over Georgina’s face. Lena didn’t need to see the results of a strangling victim. It was never pretty and the iron would have blistered.
“Ye interviewed her?”
Caleb nodded. “Aye. I got nothing off her and let her leave. Sorry, Boss.”
“No’ your fault.”
William started to look around, and was glad when Lena did the same.
The bakery was decorated in whites and yellows, very feminine looking, with an L-shaped glass cabinet displaying wares out front. There were plenty of donuts for sale, and it made him wonder when the woman made them? Yesterday? Or had she come in early this morning?
William glanced at Caleb. “Do ye know what time Georgina died?”
“At a guess, between four and five,” Caleb said.
“So she baked all of these goodies in the cabinet today?” Lena asked, rubbing the heel of her palm against her chest.
Caleb nodded. “Her assistant found her. She said Georgina usually arrived around two a.m. to start baking.” He glanced up at Willian. “We cleared her as she was with her husband and children.”
Lena stood by the backdoor. “Did she leave the door unlocked? Or do you think she let the murderer in?”
William shot her a look of approval. “Is there any damage to the doors?”
Caleb shook his head. “Neither door shows signs of forced entry.”
“Has anyone checked her pockets for keys?” William asked.
Quinn emerged from the back room. “Naught has been disturbed since we found her like this.”
William bent down and checked the dead woman’s apron pocket. He pulled out the keys and held them up. “Is her car out back?”
“Aye.”
“Quinn, check her car and home. But with her keys here, they’re probably undisturbed.”
With the edge of her thumb, Lena opened the slim laptop computer on the desk and it lit up. “It looks like it’s password-protected.”
William opened the cupboard above the desk and found several notebooks. He opened one to see handwritten notes listing customers. Another notebook was for bills and that one included a name and password on the inside cover. William took a pencil from the desk and carefully typed Michael.
The computer screen opened to what looked like the victim’s email, and William checked the inbox. When he didn’t find anything of interest, he selected the sent messages.
He opened the last sent email.
“I know what ye did, and if ye doonae want me to tell the wolf, ye’ll come up with $20,000 and deposit the money in this account—”
Lena frowned, puzzling over the addressee. “Who did she send it to?”
“A Gmail address, very generic. I’ll know who owns it within a couple of hours.”
He sent a quick text message to Alastair with Georgina’s email address and password.
Lena looked up at William with wide eyes. “She was blackmailing somebody. It must have gotten her killed.”
“Aye. She’d have been better off admitting to what she knew.” He studied Lena’s strained features. “Is this too much for ye?”
She gulped, but shook her head.
He took her at her word. Because he was selfish? Because he didn’t want to be separated from her? It was something to think about.
The email was dated the evening before. “Look at the time stamp.”
Lena’s eyes widened. “She must have sent this email right after the interviews.”
“I think ye’re right. I think she was still at the casino when she sent it,” William said. “She probably came here right afterward.”
“What do you think she saw?”
William shrugged. “Probably the murder, or something that proved who murdered Cameron. No way tae tell.”
He looked around for a while, but really, there weren’t any X marks the spot clues. A nice business card would come in handy, and might impress Lena.
William looked around one last time. He looked at his men. “Finish up here then transport the body to the morgue. We’ll wait on this email address.”
“Sure thing, Boss. It’s a real shame, isn’t it? I was planning to order yer birthday cake from her.”
“That’s enough.” William escorted Lena out of the building.
“Birthday cake?”
“Ignore them. They’re being inappropriate and juvenile. Tis often how they deal with death.”
“What do we do now?”
William led her out the door. “We’ve some time while we wait. Would ye like to take a walk?”
Lena’s head cocked to one side. “How about a short drive? I know just the place.”
“Lead the way.”
Chapter 17
Back in the car, Lena directed William without telling him where they were going and every street they turned down left her questioning her decision.
Hadn’t she learned her lesson where men were concerned? Nothing ever lasted long-term, so did she really want to take him to her favorite place in Vegas?
What if he ended up loving it? If things didn’t work out between them, she could run into him there.
Maybe even with another date.
Awkward.
She shoved away her pessimistic thoughts and continued to direct him until they ended up at The Oasis. It was like her favorite place in the world. Her grandmother had brought her mother to this very pond, her mother had brought her and Olivia here, and she and Olivia loved to bring Tabitha. It really was magical, especially in a desert city like Las Vegas.
Lena walked to the duck feed machine, took out a quarter, and bought some food for the ducks.
“Have you been here before?” Lena asked as she led the way to the bridge.
“I have, but tis been many a year.”
Lena grinned. “I thought this place was a well-kept secret.”
“I knew the lady who designed the park.”
“Oh, yeah?” Fifty years ago? She really didn’t know how to take him when he made comments like that, so she just bumped her shoulder into his arm. She supposed she’d get used to his sense of humor if she kept spending time with him.
“I used to come here all the time as a kid. And I still come here with my niece, Tabitha.”
“Ye’ve a niece?”
“I do. She’s one of the most important people in my life.”
“Ye like kids, do ye?”
It was a simple question, but she could feel heat rising into her cheeks. It was foolish, but she felt he was asking on behalf of their future relationship, or even their future family together. How ridiculous. They’d known each other for a single day!
The silence lengthened until she ducked her head and said, “Yes.”
“I do, too.”
Now things were really awkward. She was quick to change the subject. “So, what do you think? Do you like this place?”
He finally took his gaze off her and looked around at the pond, trees, cacti and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief. “I do. Especially now I know that ye like it so well.”
If possible, her cheeks grew hotter. His flattering words made her feel special. The guy was going to her head. Or maybe straight to her ego.
How could she have met him less than twenty-four hours ago? It was starting to feel like maybe he really was her boyfriend as he’d claimed the night before.
Nothing like a good murder or two to move a relationship to the next level.
They crossed the bridge and sat on a bench in the shade where he took up two-thirds of the space. She gave him half of the duck food and they both tossed pellets out as the ducks came scurrying over, flapping with their wings.
She smiled. “My niece, Tabitha, absolutely adores these ducks. She names them every time she comes, and then renames them again the next time.”
“When do I get to meet her?”
Lena’s throat thickened with emotion. William’s question was phrased as an assumption — that he would surely meet Tabitha and it was just a matter of when, not if.
Was she just going to go along with this? Or should she try and slow things down between them? He seemed to be in a hurry to get serious and she wasn’t anywhere near ready for him to meet her family.
She didn’t know what to say, so she shrugged.
He finished feeding the ducks, brushed off his hands, and when she threw the last of her pellets, he took her hand in his. They both stared out at the water, the small island in the middle, the trees, and the multitude of cacti in all their different varieties.
His phone beeped and he picked it up. “It looks like they located the maid of honor. But no hurry. She’ll wait on us. I’ll sit here with ye for as long as ye like.”
Oh, this guy needed to stop saying things like that. His words were darts piercing her heart. It wasn’t fair that he was able to get around her defenses so easily.
Sitting next to him in her special place suddenly didn’t seem wise at all. If things didn’t work out, her poor heart couldn’t take it.
She stood up and smiled brightly. “Ready to go.”
Chapter 18
Back at The Hemlock Hotel, they parked underneath the overhang out front. A valet quickly appeared and took the car.
“You’re awfully trusting with your Maserati, aren’t you?”
He laughed. “They all know me, and I know where they live.”
“Still, if it was me, I might just take a joyride.”
As they walked through th
e doors he smiled. “Would ye like to drive my car?”
“Not if you let me, but I might lift your keys one of these days. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
William was laughing as they crossed the foyer, and he took her hand once more, and for the first time it felt comfortable. Familiar.
Apparently, despite her anxiety, she’d acquired a boyfriend.
He was big, bad, and dangerous to know, but, for now, anyway, he was hers.
Once again she noticed she was the focus of curious eyes. “Is it just me, or is everyone who works here staring?”
William glanced around. “They cannae help it. They’ve known me for a long while, and this is the first time I’ve fallen for a woman.”
“I doubt that.” She refused to believe it, and refused to blush again.
“Doubt me or no’, lass, tis the truth.”
They took the now-familiar route up through the casino and up the stairs to the security office, past the wall of cameras and the desks that were now all manned, unlike the night before.
“It looks busy in here.”
As she said the words, everyone looked up.
She ignored the gazes and whispers and walked past them with her head held high, her hand still in William’s. In her job she was used to oglers and she ignored them all.
The interrogation room looked just as it had the night before, other than the presence of a voluptuous red-haired woman who instantly put Lena off. She was Lena’s opposite in every way. Lena was the slim, dark gypsy to the other woman’s petite, redheaded prom queen.
Lena claimed the chair she’d occupied the night before as the redhead jumped up and moved toward William with her hand extended.
William did not accept the other woman’s hand, and Lena felt a rush of affection for him.
“Sit down. I’ve some questions to ask. Ye are Lindsay Edgington, the maid of honor for the Cameron/Tuckerman wedding?”
Lindsay wasn’t even fazed by William’s rudeness. She took her seat again, using great care as she crossed one slim leg over the other. She presented the picture of confidence and glamour.
“I am.”
