That seemed to make him laugh.
“I just bet he did,” Thom said derisively. “I saw how he was looking at you when you both were in here. He’s so far gone on you that he’d believe anything you said to him.”
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Dana jumped in. “Why would Charlie and I reopen an investigation into Kendra’s death if either of us did it? That would be crazy. We’d keep quiet and take it to our graves.”
Thom hopped to his feet. “So if you didn’t do it, it must be me? I didn’t kill Kendra!”
It felt like the entire restaurant came to an abrupt halt. No one was talking, only the chatty voices on the television breaking the silence. Every head was turned their way.
Jackson insinuated himself between Thom and Charlie. “I think it’s time for us to go.”
She couldn’t see around Jackson’s frame to where Thom was standing. He wasn’t saying anything, and she didn’t know what to do. She hadn’t expected this all to go so badly. He hadn’t acted like this last time.
I guess Eli was right about asking for a DNA sample. Don’t do it.
“I think it’s best if we table this conversation,” Dana said over the speaker. “Charlie, I’ll call Thom and we can talk about this more.”
“Okay,” she said, capitulating. She didn’t want to make the situation worse. “I guess we can go.”
The restaurant patrons were beginning to go back to their own business which was a relief. She didn’t need an audience for what she wanted to say to her longtime friend.
Tucking her phone into her purse, she stood and maneuvered around Jackson so she was looking into Thom’s eyes. He had the most hurt look on his face that she’d ever seen, and she simply couldn’t stop herself from throwing her arms around him and pulling him in for a hug. Tears burned the back of her eyes as he hugged her back, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
“I’m sorry, Char. I’m having a bad day. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I know you’re only doing what you need to do.”
She looked up at him, seeing her tears reflected there. “I know you loved her as much as we all did. I didn’t mean for any of this to upset you. You’re my friend, and I hope you know that.”
He pulled her in for another hug. “Friends forever.”
Eventually, Thom let her go and stepped back as Jackson placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you ready to go?”
Was she? She’d already ruined the day. She’d hurt her friend and she was going to feel shitty about that.
“Yes.” She turned back to Thom. “I’ll call you if we learn anything more.”
“Please do that. I’m sorry I got upset. I’m fine now.”
Except that he didn’t look fine. He looked like his world had been torn apart and taped back together.
She and Jackson exited the restaurant but she stopped and looked back as the doors swung shut behind her.
“I did that. I hurt him.”
Jackson shook his head. “I know you don’t want to hear this but I will say that a whole lot of people are probably going to get hurt before this case gets solved. Murder investigations are ugly as hell, and no one comes out unscathed. Even the innocent. It’s an unforgiving process that doesn’t care about anyone’s feelings.”
The old wounds had been torn open, and nothing was ever going to be the same. Had it been a mistake to bring all of this up again? So far they’d had no luck finding out what happened to Kendra.
It was a question she was going to be giving a great deal of thought after today.
Charlie wiped down the kitchen counter while Eli loaded the last of the plates into the dishwasher. They’d finished a delicious dinner, and she was already yawning. The last few days had been exhausting but she wasn’t sure she’d sleep tonight even though she was so tired. Her last encounter with Thom was weighing heavily on her mind.
She’d talked to Dana later, and her friend had said that Thom had calmed down and was fine. They’d talked about things and he understood that this was just part and parcel of a murder investigation. It wasn’t personal and none of them thought that he’d actually had anything to do with Kendra’s death. He’d told Dana that he’d call Charlie tomorrow so they could make up.
“You’re still thinking about Thom.”
“Yes,” she sighed, folding the dishtowel and placing it on the granite counter. “I handled today badly.”
“Jackson said that Thom flew off the handle.”
“That’s probably how it looked from his vantage point,” she conceded. “Thom was hurt and upset. He thought we were singling him out.”
“I warned him the first time we talked to him that this was going to get messy.”
“I don’t think any of us realized just how messy it could get.”
Eli leaned down, brushing his lips over her cheek. It was a whisper of a kiss, but it made her want to simply melt into him, leaning on his strength.
“Honey, I hate to break this to you, but this isn’t all that messy. I’ve seen far worse. Stuff that rips apart families and friendships forever. This stuff is just uncomfortable.”
“It’s bad enough. I hope it doesn’t get any worse.”
“Me too.”
He didn’t sound all that convincing. It didn’t bode well for the future.
“Why don’t I pour us some wine, and we’ll sit down and see where we are in the case?”
She wasn’t sure she could sleep…so a glass of wine wouldn’t hurt. Eli liked to do a quick review of where they stood and what was still outstanding each night. It usually didn’t take long, but it seemed to help him organize and prioritize his time the next day.
“Sounds good.”
The three of them settled into the living room, Jackson on the leather recliner and Charlie and Eli cuddled on the couch. It warmed her heart to see Jackson’s happy expression when Eli expressed any sort of affection for Charlie. His friends were rooting for them. She wanted to be liked by the people in Eli’s life.
They approve of me, and they approve of him being in a relationship.
Jackson had an open notebook on his lap. “So far, we still need to talk to Barbara and her daughter Sofie. Kendra’s therapist. Julian’s work colleague. And Thom’s ex-girlfriend. Jared’s working on the therapist so that’s out of our hands.”
“I left messages again yesterday,” Eli said. “With Sofie, Valerie, and Julian’s co-worker Allen. I couldn’t find any number for Barbara. At this point, I have to wonder if they’re avoiding us. If they don’t call us today, would you be comfortable calling them, Charlie? They might talk to you instead of a stranger.”
“Yes, I can do that with Val and Sofie. I don’t know Allen, though.”
Hopefully, they’d return her calls. If the situation was reversed, she’d call back. She’d be curious, of course, but she would want to help. Barbara, Sofie, and Valerie had all really liked Kendra.
“If Allen won’t call me back, I may ask Logan or Jared to try. They might have better luck. Talking to Valerie is our priority so we can rule Thom out, especially after today. Based on her previous statements to the police, I don’t really think he’s a suspect but I just would like confirmation. A significant other isn’t always the most believable person when it comes to alibis, and I like to double-check. Especially after all of these years.”
They chatted for awhile longer, making plans for the next day. Charlie yawned widely, trying to hide it from the two men, but it was far too obvious.
“I think it’s getting late,” Eli said with a grin. “We should probably turn in and get some sleep. We have a busy day coming up.”
They all went to bed but Charlie slept fitfully, her mind unable to quiet after all that had happened. Eventually, she fell asleep about midnight but found herself jerking awake just three hours later. She could hear the rain softly falling on the roof and against the windows, but it was a soothing sound. It wasn’t something that would wake her from a dead sleep. She stayed very still, listen
ing closely but didn’t hear anything.
I must have been dreaming.
After a crappy night’s sleep, Charlie was up just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. She shuffled into the kitchen half-asleep and started the coffeemaker, yawning and stretching as the heady aroma began to wake her up. She needed her coffee in an IV bag today.
Jackson and Eli both joined her, the latter heading straight to the refrigerator to start breakfast.
“You started the coffee. Excellent,” Jackson said. “I could drink a gallon of it.”
“You’ll have to wrestle me for it,” Charlie warned him. “I had a terrible night’s sleep. At one point I woke up because I thought I heard something. But I must have been dreaming because I waited and didn’t hear anything else. Now I’m dragging this morning.”
Eli closed the fridge and exchanged a look with Jackson. Their smiles were gone, and she had a feeling it was because of something she said.
“Uh guys, what’s going on?”
“You stay here,” Eli commanded. “Jackson and I are going to check around the house.”
They thought that someone had been here in the middle of the night.
Shit.
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “I think I dreamed it. I waited for almost ten minutes before turning over and going back to sleep. I didn’t hear anything. I just woke up really abruptly. I probably just heard thunder or a branch. It was raining last night.”
“Then we won’t find anything when we check around the house,” Jackson said. “Just let me get my shoes.”
Eli went to follow him but Charlie reached out for his arm, holding him back for a moment.
“It’s nothing. I heard the rain. That’s it.”
“I just want to check.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers briefly. “Job number one is keeping you safe.”
The two men went outside and Charlie poured herself a cup of coffee, sinking down into a chair at the kitchen table. She didn’t have to wait long though as Eli and Jackson returned in a few minutes.
Both of them wearing grim expressions.
“There were footprints in the mud around the house,” Eli growled. “Someone was definitely walking out there last night during the rain.”
A cold shiver ran up Charlie’s spine at the thought of a person lurking outside the house.
“Was he looking for a way in?” she asked, already not wanting the answer.
“Maybe. Or maybe he was just checking on us. Either way, I’m not too fucking happy about it.”
“I’m going to take some photos of the prints,” Jackson said. “I’ll send them to Jared. See if we can get a shoe size and manufacturer from the database.”
He didn’t wait for a reply, quickly exiting the kitchen and heading outside, leaving Eli and Charlie alone. She stood and walked over to the coffeemaker, pouring him a cup.
“You’re angry.”
He accepted the mug and took a sip before answering. “I’m furious.”
She’d come to know him quickly on this trip, beginning to read the telltale signs that others might miss. A stranger walking by them wouldn’t have a clue that Eli was mad.
“I’m not furious with you,” he said, scraping his fingers through his hair. “I’m furious at myself. Jackson and I should have set up a night watch. Shit, I fucked this up.”
“You couldn’t have known—“
“I should have known,” he growled. “Someone tried to get into our hotel room. Then someone burned down our last rental. I was an idiot to think that they wouldn’t find us here. I just thought it might take a day or two. Fuck.”
That was three fucks in the last five minutes. Eli wasn’t a happy man.
“Nothing happened. They walked around the house. That’s it. Now we know we need to take precautions.”
Eli slammed his cup down on the counter. “If anything happened to you—“
“Nothing happened,” she repeated. “Everyone is fine.”
She’d never seem him this…intense. His entire body was stiff and unyielding, his features carved from cold granite. She reached out but to her surprise he turned away, stomping out of the kitchen.
Her initial reaction was to follow him and make him talk about it, but she stopped herself after only a few steps. Sometimes a person simply needed a little time to themselves. She couldn’t say for sure, and she might be making a huge mistake, but she had a feeling that Eli might be one of those people. She’d give him some space.
And then she’d wrap him in her arms. Later.
I can be patient.
Finishing off her coffee, she went into the bedroom to change out of her pajamas and into clothes for the day. She took a quick shower and pulled on a pair of jeans and a bright fuchsia t-shirt. She could only hope that the fun color brightened her current mood. She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her purse, slinging it over her shoulder. She wasn’t sure when Eli wanted to get going this morning, but she also needed to grab a few things at the grocery store.
The day outside was supposed to be clear and warm so she walked over to the big window and pushed open the curtains so the sun could shine in. Her heart stopped cold in her chest and her hands began to shake.
There were a set of muddy handprints on the window, and she was sure they hadn’t been there yesterday.
Eli didn’t remember the last time he was this pissed off. Nothing was going right, and if he didn’t get his head in the damn game he was going to get them all killed. He’d already snapped at Jackson this morning, and he’d been a jerk to Charlie when all she wanted to do was make things better.
I’m an asshole.
“I’m sending you the photos of the footprints,” Jackson said when they were back inside. “I’m also sending you copies of the handprints as well. Do you think he was trying to get into the house or just snooping around?”
Charlie had asked basically the same question earlier. He still didn’t have a sure answer. What he was sure of was that someone wanted to at least scare the hell out of them. They wanted the investigation to stop.
Screw that. Not happening.
“If he was trying to get in, then he’s lucky that he didn’t succeed,” Eli ground out. “Because he would have ended up face to face with me and that might have gone very badly for him.”
“He might have been armed.”
“And it still wouldn’t have gone his way. There is no way I’m going to let anything hurt Charlie. I couldn’t stop it last time—“
Eli broke off, not wanting to put into words what his brain was screaming. Over and over.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Jackson gave him a rueful look. “Shit, I heard about your wife passing away. I’m so sorry. That must have been hell.”
Yes, it had been.
He wasn’t going to lose another person he loved. It wasn’t in his control last time, but now it was.
And yes, I love her. I didn’t expect to, but I do.
“Until the killer is found, we need to keep an eye on her,” Eli replied briskly. “We don’t leave her alone. One of us is always with her.”
If they were being hunted, Eli was determined to turn the tables. If they were watching, he was going to watch right back.
His phone buzzed and he checked the incoming message. It was from Jared. The Taylors’ original alibi checked out. They had been in Cancun on vacation. Neither one of them had killed their daughter.
Now they were down to Cagney. Or a stranger.
Eli opened his mouth to tell Jackson the news but his attention was pulled away by the sound of crying. He headed down the hallway but the bedroom door opened before he could get there. Charlie wasn’t just crying. She was sobbing, her eyes red and swollen. She was holding her phone in her trembling hands, and she collapsed against him, her wet cheek pressed to his chest. Instinctively his arms closed around her, holding her tightly. He didn’t have a clue why she was upset but it didn’t matter. His only thought was to comfort this woman who was crying
as if she’d lost her best friend.
Smoothing back her hair, he tried to whisper soothing words in her ear to calm her down. Her entire body was shaking and she clung to him like a life preserver in the turbulent ocean, although eventually the sobs died down to sniffles. She tried to catch her breath, scrubbing at her cheeks with the back of her hand.
“Honey, what’s going on? What happened?”
Charlie hiccuped, the tears beginning to fall again.
“Julian called me. It’s Thom. He’s dead. He wrote a note saying that he killed Kendra.”
Chapter Twenty
Charlie tossed her phone aside on the coffee table and took a large gulp of the hot black coffee that Eli had brought her. It should have burned the back of her throat but she felt nothing. She was numb inside.
She’d just told Dana about Thom.
About Thom.
Those words echoed over and over in her brain. He was gone. Forever. She hadn’t expected this when she and Dana had decided to reopen the case.
Thom killed Kendra.
According to Julian, Thom had admitted to it in a suicide note before he’d closed his garage door and started up his car. He’d written that it was a tragic accident. They’d argued and she’d hit her head. He simply couldn’t live with the guilt anymore.
It didn’t seem real. She kept expecting to hear Thom’s voice on her phone, cheerfully asking her how she was doing. But he was never going to do that again.
Thom killed Kendra.
How had he kept this a secret? And how had she never known? He’d cried at the news about Kendra. He’d been distraught. Truly sad. She’d never seen any sign of his guilt.
“I can get you something stronger if you want it,” Jackson offered. “I think you’re still in shock, Charlie.”
Shock. Yes, she was shocked.
“I’m just trying to process it all. I never had any idea.” She looked up at Eli who was standing off to the side, his expression unreadable. “What do we do now?”
Cruel Grace: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 5) Page 18
