Cruel Grace: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 5)

by Olivia Jaymes

  I thought I knew her, but I didn’t.

  At sunup she’d dragged herself out of bed and into a shower, before heading straight into the kitchen to make some coffee. She might not be able to cook an edible meal, but she knew how to make an excellent pot of coffee. The first sip of the day was magic. When she was younger she hadn’t even liked coffee but now she loved it. Who had made her try a fancy coffee and changed her mind?

  Kendra.

  She was halfway through her first cup when the doorbell began ringing insistingly. Charlie didn’t even have a chance to put down her coffee and walk over to the door before the bell was pressed over and over from whomever was outside. She didn’t have the foggiest as to who it could be, either. Very few people even knew she was in town. It had to be someone who had the wrong house.

  Pasting a smile on her face, Charlie opened the door and then wanted to throw it closed just as quickly. She didn’t get the chance. Two people she was very familiar with brushed past her and stomped into the living room, already talking at the top of their voices. Charlie immediately wanted to put her hands over her ears to block out the cacophony of sound.

  Bernard and Evelyn Taylor.

  Charlie had forgotten just how loud they were. She and Dana used to joke that their voices carried a good half mile in either direction. They didn’t know the difference between inside and outside voices. They were so busy talking to one another it took them a few moments to notice that Charlie was standing there.

  I am not an innocent young woman anymore. I won’t be abused or talked down to this time. No way.

  In truth, Charlie had done a great deal of growing up over the last twelve years. She cringed when she thought back to how she’d let this couple treat her. At the time, she’d excused them as being wracked with grief, but with a little hindsight Charlie could see that this was simply how they behaved.

  Not very well.

  “What do you have to say for yourself?” Bernard demanded when they finally spoke to her. “I’m waiting.”

  She was still holding her coffee cup so she took a moment to take a sip before replying. Before she would have jumped to attention and been all apologetic even if she didn’t know what she was apologizing for. Today was going to be different.

  “For what?”

  Bernard blinked, clearly taken aback by her complete nonchalance. “I beg your pardon?”

  “I’m asking what I should be explaining,” Charlie replied. “Although I think you might want to first explain why you’re here.”

  But Charlie already knew why they were here. The only question was how did they know?

  “You need to explain why you’re digging into our daughter’s murder,” Evelyn snapped. “I can’t believe you have the gall to do this. It’s your fault that she’s dead. You could have kept it from happening but you didn’t care. Now Kendra is gone. All because of you and your negligence.”

  “If you truly think that why didn’t you sue Charlie in court?”

  The question came from the direction of the hallway. Eli walked out, his expression carved in granite. Charlie had never seen him look so…cold. She definitely wouldn’t want to be around him when he was in this mood.

  Evelyn and Bernard both started speaking at once so Charlie couldn’t make heads or tails of what the hell they were saying. Clearly, Eli couldn’t either.

  “Enough,” he barked, and to Charlie’s shock the older couple actually shut up.

  Shit, I should have tried that years ago.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Eli asked in a hard tone. “It’s barely eight in the morning.”

  Evelyn, always the one in charge, answered first. “We’re here to stop this investigation.”

  “I assume that you are the parents?” Eli queried. “Bernard and Evelyn Taylor?”

  “We are,” Bernard spoke up. “And we’re not going to stand for this.”

  Charlie had a sneaking suspicion that Eli didn’t get talked to like this very often. And when he did, he didn’t like it very much. He’d told her a few stories about when he was a sheriff in a small town and there was a rich, powerful family there. He hadn’t taken any crap then, either. If his stories were to be believed.

  She believed them. He was a man that didn’t lie. He didn’t need to.

  “I assume you mean the investigation into your daughter’s death?” Eli asked, somehow placing himself slightly between Charlie and the older couple.

  “That’s exactly what we mean,” Evelyn said. “You’ll stop this right now. We won’t allow it. We didn’t consent to this.”

  “Frankly, Mrs. Taylor, we don’t need your consent. Anyone can investigate your daughter’s murder. Now they might not get the cooperation of the police or the witnesses, but anyone can look into a case. Even a closed one. However, your daughter’s case is officially open and unsolved.”

  Charlie was happy to let Eli deal with Bernard and Evelyn but it probably wasn’t fair to throw him to the wolves. She had to admit, however, that he was doing fine. It didn’t appear that they were getting to him at all.

  The Taylors, on the other hand, looked enraged, their faces red and purple. Evelyn was baring her teeth, looking like she might attack at any minute.

  “Then we will call the police,” Evelyn said, her finger waving in the air. “We’ll get you arrested.”

  “For what?” Eli said with a shrug. “We haven’t done anything illegal. If anyone should be calling the police, it’s us. You’re here uninvited, trespassing on private property and harassing us.”

  Eli’s declaration seemed to send the Taylors over the edge. They began arguing with each other and with Charlie and Eli, although they weren’t making any sense. They were simply furious.

  Glancing at Charlie, Eli raised his brows in question, probably wondering how long to let them go on. She watched as he rubbed his chin, and then gave her another look. This time she wasn’t sure what it meant.

  “Are you worried about what we might find?”

  That question shut up the Taylors immediately. Whatever they’d been babbling about before was apparently not important compared to this one query.

  “What are you implying?” Evelyn asked, her eyes narrowed.

  “I’m not implying anything. I’m asking straight out. Are you afraid of what this investigation might uncover? Like how your parents skipped you and left their fortune to Kendra instead?”

  Charlie’s head whipped around at that news. Eli appeared to be perfectly serious. She hadn’t known that either, although at least this time she could confidently say that it was none of her damn business. She and Kendra had never talked much about money, and Charlie had grown up in a house that thought financial questions were rude.

  The Taylors appeared shocked at the question, their eyes round with surprise. They sputtered for a few moments before Bernard was able to answer.

  “We always knew they were going to do that. We didn’t need it anyway. I told my mother to leave it to Kendra.”

  “And then she left it all to charity,” Eli went on. “Did that surprise you?”

  Evelyn was nodding yes, although her answer was the opposite.

  “No, we knew she was going to do that. As we said, we didn’t need it.” Evelyn stepped forward but then Eli did the same, sending the older woman back to her original position. “We just want you to stop this investigation. Now. Or you’ll be sorry.”

  “Is that a threat, Mrs. Taylor?” Eli asked politely.

  “It’s a promise,” Bernard said, heat in his tone. “And you can take that to the bank.”

  Eli walked over to the door that was still open from when the couple had barged in. “I don’t think this conversation is productive. I’d like you to leave now.”

  “This is not over,” Evelyn warned as they moved toward the doorway. “We’re not going to give up.”

  “I never thought you would. Have a good day.”

  With that, Eli shut the door as soon as Bernard and Evelyn were over the thr
eshold, and then locked it. He walked over to the front window and watched as the Taylors climbed into an expensive sedan and drove away.

  “I haven’t even had a cup of coffee yet,” Eli said, pointing to Charlie’s mug. “How much of the conversation did I miss before I got there?”

  “Blessedly, very little,” Charlie replied with a sigh. “And I need a refill. I’ll pour you one, too.”

  “Thanks. I could use it. After I have a cup, I’ll start some breakfast. Unless the Taylors ruined your appetite.”

  “I can always eat.”

  “Good. I’m starved, too.”

  “I have questions, Eli Hammond. Lots of question. Like…how did you know that stuff about the inheritance?”

  Eli accepted the coffee cup from Charlie. “Jared called last night with some research. I was going to tell you about it this morning. I didn’t want to wake you last night. It was late.”

  “You could have. I wouldn’t say that I slept all that well. What else did you find out?”

  He settled at the table and she sat across from him. “I know that Kendra told you that she and her parents were very close but Jared found out that they sent her to boarding school when she turned eleven. She didn’t even go home for holidays except the summer. Maybe they were close, though. I admit that I don’t understand the whole boarding school thing.”

  “She never mentioned boarding school,” Charlie admitted. “She said that they traveled all the time together. That she spent all her time with her parents.”

  “They traveled but rarely with her.”

  “And she inherited from her grandmother?”

  “She did. She didn’t need to work at all. According to Jared, Kendra gave away pretty much everything she earned from modeling to charity. Mostly for kids and animals. She was incredibly philanthropic. When she died, all her money went to charity.”

  Charlie had had no idea but it explained a few things.

  “Kendra was always getting invited to charity functions,” Charlie said. “I used to joke that she must have got herself onto some kind of list because she’d get tons of them all the time. I knew she was giving money to some animal shelters and to the local schools. She bought the computer lab all new equipment one year, but I had no idea just how much she was giving. It’s amazing, but to be honest, it sounds like Kendra. She was generous to a fault. She’d let anyone borrow her clothes, or her car. She’d hand out twenty-dollar bills if we came across a homeless person. She was just like that.”

  Eli’s expression softened. “She sounds like a good friend.”

  “She was. A very good friend. You know, I’ve been so upset about what she didn’t tell me that I haven’t focused on the good things. She was a great friend. She was always there when someone needed her. She usually had good advice, too. She was kind of…wise, even though we were both young. All that other stuff…it wasn’t even my business so who cares if she didn’t tell me. She was my friend and I loved her. I still miss her even now.”

  So many times Charlie had turned to tell Kendra something wonderful and then realized that her friend was gone. It wasn’t fair.

  “She thought she’d be slut-shamed,” Charlie said sadly. “I wouldn’t have done that. Never.”

  “But other people might have. I guess she thought she couldn’t take the chance.”

  “What do we do now?” Charlie asked. “I know the Taylors and they aren’t going to give up. They’re going to make our lives miserable.”

  “I’m not all that upset and I think they’ll be miserable long before we are,” Eli predicted. “As for what we do, we keep working. We aren’t doing anything wrong. Today we’re going to talk to Detective Stands, and then hopefully Cagney as well.”

  “Do you mind if I skip the meeting with the detective? I don’t have great memories of my time in his company.”

  “Not at all. It’s probably better if it’s just cop to cop anyway. I have a question for him that I know he’s not going to like.”

  “Which is?”

  “Whether he told the Taylors that the investigation was reopened. I just kind of have a feeling it was him.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past him. He seemed to really like the Taylors back then.”

  “It’s only a theory. I could be wrong.”

  So far, Eli hadn’t been wrong about much.

  “If he did, what can we do?”

  “Not a damn thing, but then I’ll know who I’m dealing with.”

  “He may not tell you the truth.”

  “I’d like to think that I could tell if he was lying. If I can’t, then I’m not doing a good job.”

  “Then we go see Cagney?”

  “Yes, he’s in Chicago. Feel like a road trip?”

  Chicago was about a three-hour drive. “I’m up for it if you are.”

  “We can get a hotel and stay the night. Since I’m going to talk to Stands first, we’re not going to get an early start to Chicago. There’s also an old friend of Kendra’s there that we could speak with as well. Leesa Bailey? She was Kendra’s assistant, I believe.”

  “She was. Leesa is a really sweet girl. Smart, efficient. Kendra always said she was a godsend because she kept Kendra on a schedule and on time.”

  “I was thinking we could talk to her too since we’re going to be in the city.”

  “While you’re meeting with the detective, I can make reservations at a hotel for us. All I need are their addresses, and I’ll try to find something not too far if possible.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Eli stood and held up his now empty coffee cup. “I’m going to get a refill and then I’ll start breakfast. I want to talk to Stands as soon as possible.”

  “Can I help? I’ll probably just be in the way, but I feel a little guilty that you’re doing all the cooking.”

  “I don’t mind a second set of hands. I’m sure you’re better than you say you are.”

  For once, Eli Hammond would be wrong.

  Chapter Twelve

  Charlie had helped Eli make breakfast, although she was clearly not too comfortable in the kitchen. She didn’t do anything wrong, but she held the spatula as if it were a poisonous snake. He didn’t say anything because he could remember a time when he did much the same.

  “Before we go, I really need to talk to Dana,” Charlie said. “Do we have time?”

  “Sure, go ahead. I’ll take care of these dishes while you do that.”

  “That’s not fair to you,” Charlie protested, quickly sweeping the dirty dishes from the table. “You cooked. I should clean up.”

  “Normally, I would be all about that but there aren’t that many dishes, and you said you need to talk to Dana. I can handle this. That way we’ll be on the way that much sooner.”

  She looked like she wanted to argue but Eli held firm, simply beginning to clean up by scraping the plates and running hot, soapy water in the sink.

  “You’re going to do this whether I want you to or not, aren’t you?”

  “Yes. Go call your friend.”

  This time Charlie did give in, exiting the kitchen and leaving Eli to quickly do the dishes and wipe up the countertops and table. It was clean and tidy when he joined her less than ten minutes later in the living room. She was doing a video call with her friend, the laptop on the coffee table while Charlie sat on the floor. When she saw him she beckoned him over, patting the spot next to her.

  “Dana would really like to meet you. I’ve told her everything we’ve learned so far.”

  Eli lowered himself to the floor. “Did you tell her we had some uninvited visitors this morning?”

  “I’m not surprised,” Dana said, an attractive woman with her long auburn hair and classic features. She had a tiny dog sitting next to her that was wearing a plaid vest. “They were out of control way back when. Both of them have a high opinion of themselves. I know Kendra always said how great they were, but I heard her arguing with them on the phone once and it wasn’t a friendly call at all. She was clearly pissed-o
ff and frustrated. I did ask her about it but she said it wasn’t a big deal. She said her parents were a tad eccentric. But I saw her face when she was talking to them. It was a big deal. She’d always say how close she was to them but looking back she didn’t spend much time with them. Not alone, anyway. She’d always have Cagney or a friend with her.”

  “Do you remember what they were arguing about during that phone call?” Eli asked.

  “No, I just heard Kendra tell them that she made her own decisions and that they couldn’t tell her what to do anymore. She wasn’t controlled by them. She had to say it over and over as if they weren’t listening.”

  “They didn’t listen worth a damn this morning,” Charlie declared. “I think they like talking more.”

  Eli had the same feeling. Evelyn and Bernard liked the sound of their own voices.

  “I didn’t know that Kendra was swinging or anything,” Dana went on. “I mean…I knew that there were men. A lot of them. We all liked to party in the old days. But that stuff? It was a surprise to me, but I have to say that Kendra never talked much about her romantic life outside of Cagney. She kept that pretty quiet. She knew that we knew there were guys always around, but we didn’t discuss it.”

  “Did you know that she and Cagney had broken up?”

  “I didn’t,” Dana replied with a shake of her head, cuddling the dog close to her chest. “Neither of them said anything, and of course, with their schedules it wasn’t uncommon for them not to see each other for a few months. I didn’t think anything about it. I did know that Kendra gave a lot of money to charity, though. She mentioned once that she was taking a particular modeling assignment because the money was going to help build a kids’ club. I thought it was pretty cool.”

  Eli didn’t pretend to know much about women. He’d dated a few and been married to one, but he still didn’t understand how their minds worked most of the time.

  “I guess I’m confused,” he confessed to the two women. “You never talked about men, or money, or family? What did you talk about?”