by Nancy Bush
The place was empty and the laminate floor was dusty. There were footsteps in the dust and a line where something had been dragged—bags maybe?—to the door.
He stood outside looking in for several moments, then slowly reclosed the door. If Teresa had been there, she hadn’t in a while. Was it a fake address? Dorcas had said she’d recently changed it.
Shooting another look around the premises to see if anyone had noticed him, he headed back to the Explorer. Inside, he placed another call to Dorcas, but only got his partner’s voice mail.
“Pete, you said Teresa Laughlin recently changed her address. Can you get me her old one? The studio doesn’t look lived in.”
He’d just turned the ignition when his phone rang back. Thinking it was Dorcas, he was pleased to see it was Callie’s number on the screen. “Just thinking about you,” he answered lightly.
“West, your grandmother was just taken to a hospital, I think in Coalinga?” she said in a strained voice. “She was run down in the parking lot of her lawyer’s office. Cal is on his way there.”
Shocked, West asked, “Run down?”
“Maya was hit too,” Callie said soberly. “They’re both in the hospital.”
He was already putting the SUV in gear. “I’m on my way,” he said grimly.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Well, well, well. The old bitch might actually die. That’ll sure throw a wrench into Andre’s plans, not to mention what it’ll do to the Laughlins. Ha! Andre doesn’t know that I’m following his every move. The man’s nuttier than a PayDay bar but thinks he’s in total control. Just you wait, Messiah . . . when you’ve outlived your relevance, your name’ll be on the list too.
But for now, just keep doing what you’re doing. Besides, there are others that need to be removed too. Luckily, Teresa’s already gone, and Victoria could check out at any moment. Once she’s dead, everything’ll change. Sure, there are a few more heirs to knock out of the way, but I’m counting on you to help me out. Just don’t have an aneurysm or something before you get the job done. I don’t want to have to do it all myself.
Her mind on Victoria and Maya and West, too, Callie finished preparing the green salad that Maya had begun to make before she drove Victoria to her lawyer’s just as the oven timer announced the beef roast was done. Tucker was watching television in the small den off the great room. She pulled out the roast and while it rested, she called to Tucker. She wasn’t about to serve him up until she knew what he liked to eat beyond peanut butter sandwiches and pastries. When he didn’t respond, she went in search of him. “Tucker, I’ve got roast beef and a salad ready.”
He shook his head. “Non . . .”
“Another peanut butter sandwich?” she asked. Today wasn’t the day to get him to change his ways.
“Not hungry.”
“Okay.” She left him and returned to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of ice water. A knock on the back door made her nearly jump from her skin. “Who is it?” she asked, aware her heart was racing. She’d only been at the house a few hours and suddenly she was temporarily in charge.
“It’s Teddy,” he called from the other side of the door. He rattled the knob. “You locked it.”
She turned the lock and opened the door. “Is it usually left unlocked?”
“Well, yeah.” He exhaled as he entered, dropping down at the kitchen table across from where Callie had set a place for herself. “I just talked to my dad. Guess Maya has a broken leg and arm, and God knows what else. Victoria’s unconscious. Pretty beaten up, sounds like.”
Callie felt ill inside. “That’s terrible.”
“Yeah, bummer, huh.” He shook his head.
“Would you like something to eat?” she asked when he eyed the roast.
“Sure. Looks good.”
“Maya made everything. I just finished putting it together.” She went to the cupboard to pull down a plate and then sliced into the roast, putting a healthy slab on Teddy’s plate and adding a portion of the dressed salad.
Teddy tucked in like he was starved. “Good stuff,” he said.
Callie’s cell phone rang and she leapt up to snatch it off the counter. Seeing it was West, she said, “Excuse me,” then headed through the butler’s pantry and dining room to the great room.
“Hey, no problem,” he called after her.
“Hello,” she answered her cell.
“How are you doing?” West asked, and the sound of his voice made her feel weak.
She sat down heavily in one of the leather chairs. “Don’t worry about me. Where are you? Are you at the hospital yet?”
“Just got here. Had enough caffeine to keep me going. Haven’t seen Victoria yet. They operated to stop a brain bleed and she’s not in a room yet.”
“Oh, no.”
“Talia got here ahead of me, but now she’s on her way to you. I’m gonna hang around a while and see if I can talk to a doctor. Maya’s being released. Her daughter’s here.”
“Good.”
Callie heard an engine approaching and glanced toward the front window. An SUV had just broken free of the oak-shaded drive and was pulling to a stop beside her car.
“I think I see the doc now. I’ll call you as soon as I know something,” West said hurriedly. “Bye.”
“Bye,” she responded, dragging her gaze from the window.
A few seconds later the front bell rang and Callie walked to the door, expecting Talia. Teddy Stutz must’ve already been on his feet because he was suddenly beside her as she reached for the door handle. “I don’t know who it is,” she said.
“Here.” He moved in front of her and threw open the door. Callie had been cautious about answering. She’d wanted to make sure it was Talia first but Teddy clearly had no such compunction.
A man stood on the other side. He was handsome with a strong jaw and dark hair pulled back to a ponytail at his nape, held by a thong of leather. His body was lean and in the porch light she thought his eyes were blue. He wore a loose white shirt and tan slacks, and she realized distantly that he looked something like West.
His gaze moved instantly past Teddy to land on her. “Who are you?” he asked.
“Hey, pal, I think that’s what we should be asking,” Teddy said, then gave him a hard look. “I know who you are. You’re Andrew, right?”
His gaze swung back to Teddy. “Andre,” he stated coldly.
Teddy said in an aside to Callie, “My dad told me he came by earlier. Says he’s Victoria’s grandson.”
Callie absorbed that. Since Stephen’s death, she’d thought West was Victoria’s only grandson.
Reading her like a book, Teddy explained, “He claims to be Benjamin Jr.’s son.”
“I am Benjamin’s son,” Andre said. “I came to speak to Victoria,” he added, clearly annoyed at Teddy’s breezy manner.
Teddy said, “Well, sorry. She’s in the hospital. You’ll have to wait.”
“Hospital?” He turned to Callie again. “What happened? Is she all right?”
“We’re waiting to hear,” she said.
“Well, I guess you should come on in,” Teddy said grudgingly, waving Andre across the threshold. “We’re just finishing dinner.”
“Um . . .” Callie said, unsure. She kinda thought Teddy was overstepping his bounds, though she didn’t see how she could stop him.
Andre strode past her and looked around, his eyes assessing everything in a way that made Callie uncomfortable. “Don’t look so worried,” he told her coolly. “I’m not going to steal anything. I’ll just wait in here.” He gestured to the great room.
Teddy said, “Victoria’s not gonna be back tonight. What is it you want to talk to her about?”
“I just want to get reacquainted with my family.” He flicked a look to Callie. “You’re the nanny?”
“Yes. I’m Callie Cantrell. Can I get you anything? A glass of water?” There was something about his face that was pinched, as if he were in pain.
“No, thanks.�
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Teddy made a motion for them to return to the kitchen, though Callie was reluctant to leave Andre alone. Nevertheless, she followed Teddy back and once they were in the kitchen, she demanded, “Why did you let him in?”
“’Cause Dad said he looked enough like a Laughlin to be believable, and since Victoria’s not here . . .” He shrugged. “We should be having a drink. Bet there’s some bourbon somewhere.”
“Let’s just finish this.” She sliced off a thin piece of roast beef, added salad to her plate, then sat down at the kitchen table across from Teddy. She ate a few bites of salad, but in the end was unable to face the slightly bloody slice of meat. Teddy was eating with relish, but Callie had had enough of his company. She also didn’t like Tucker being in the den with Andre waiting nearby.
Sweeping up her plate, she left it by the sink, then headed back toward the great room.
“Hey,” Teddy protested, but Callie ignored him.
Andre was nowhere in sight and with her heart clutching, she practically ran for the den.
As soon as she entered she saw Andre standing to one side of Tucker, just watching the boy, who was deep into some afternoon kids’ program she didn’t recognize.
A shiver slipped down her spine at the intent look in his eyes. She had no idea what he was thinking, but every maternal instinct she possessed went into overdrive. Andre moved his gaze from Tucker to Callie. She felt his eyes following her as she took a seat on the den couch next to Tucker and placed a protective arm around him.
Talia Laughlin breezed in with a loud sigh and dropped her bag with a clunk on the floor. She shook off her coat—the October day had grown gloomy and colder as it progressed—and said, “God, I could use a drink. Has Victoria got anything? Probably not. She’s a teetotaler from way back.”
Callie had answered the door, glad that Teddy had apparently left the way he’d come. Andre had eventually wandered back to the great room, so when the doorbell rang, Callie felt comfortable leaving Tucker for a few minutes to answer it.
“How’s Victoria?” Callie asked, conscious of Andre somewhere behind her left shoulder.
“I’ve got a bottle of wine in my car,” Talia said. “Let me go get it and we can sit down and talk.” She glanced past Callie to Andre. “Oh, God, you must be Andrew. I’m Talia, Stephen’s mother.” She moved past Callie and held out her hand.
“It’s Andre,” he told her.
“Oh, sure. I heard that, too. Andrew, Andre . . .” She shrugged. “Whenever Ben’s name came up, which wasn’t often, believe me, and his son was mentioned, the name was Andrew. I’ll try to remember, but don’t hold me to it. I’ll be right back.” She let herself out and Callie stayed by the open door. When she returned she was carrying two bottles of cabernet.
“Whew,” she said, carrying the bottles into the kitchen and placing them on the counter. Callie followed after her and searched through three drawers before she found a corkscrew. Talia fell on the bottle and twisted out the cork like an expert. “Come on in here, Andre,” she called.
Callie had been just about to go make sure he was still in the great room when he appeared in the dining room doorway. By that time Talia had found the wineglasses and had poured one for herself and one for Callie.
“No, thank you,” Andre said when she waved the bottle at him.
“Okay,” she said in a voice that suggested he was making a big mistake. “So, Victoria . . . it’s not looking good. Maya’s a wreck. Blames herself, but it sounds like a car just blasted through the back parking lot and clipped them as they were walking toward the door. Maya was actually hit harder by the car, but Victoria’s head smacked into the pavement.”
“Do they know what kind of car it was?” Andre asked.
“A brown sedan. Maya didn’t notice whether it was foreign or domestic. God, this wine is good. Are you going to even try it?”
She was looking at Callie, who dutifully brought her glass to her lips. She wished she could talk to West. She wanted to ask him about his cousin Andrew/Andre.
Talia went on, “It’s kind of a wait-and-see game now. I hope she makes it. How ironic that she was at her lawyer’s. I thought she got that new will taken care of. I don’t know.”
“New will?” Andre asked carefully.
Callie slid him a look. His eyes were practically boring through the back of Talia’s skull as she tipped back her glass while she walked toward the bottle for a refill.
“Oh, I got it,” she said suddenly, holding the bottle up but not pouring yet. To Andre she said, “It wasn’t about the will. She went to see him because of you! She needs to vet you. Doesn’t believe you’re who you say you are, but you look just like Ben before he took off to find his bliss in the South Pacific, so I figure it’s true. Were you there the whole time? We got the message that he died, but no one ever knew what happened to you or your mom.”
Andre wasn’t enjoying Talia’s casual twenty questions. “My mother’s gone too.”
“Oh. Sorry.” She said the words but Callie saw they were nothing more than a polite, expected response.
“My father was disinherited,” Andre said.
“He sure was. By his father. Ben Sr. Victoria might’ve loosened up but once Ben Sr. was deceased, I don’t know. Let’s all hope she survives or we’re at the mercy of her last choices, right? I thought she was going to give most of the ranch to Cal, but now my grandson’s back.” She lifted her shoulders and smiled, a silent “what’re you gonna do?”
“Cal . . .” Andre repeated scornfully, as if he couldn’t hold himself back. He was so transparent it was painful.
“Ted Stutz, the ranch manager,” Talia said. “Everybody calls him Cal. He’s a great guy and my mother-in-law loves him to pieces.”
Callie thought of Teddy’s comments about Talia “jonesin’” for Cal. Were they in some kind of relationship? And was that why she seemed to feel so powerful about her place in the Laughlin hierarchy?
“She wouldn’t leave everything to someone outside the family,” Andre said, biting off each word.
“And you know her so well,” Talia said, her eyes sparkling. “But you’re probably right. The bulk of the estate will be Tucker’s. God, how ghoulish we sound. Talking about money when she may not live through the night.” She yawned and heaved a sigh. “Okay, I’m going to take this glass with me. Third bedroom, right?” she asked Callie. “Tucker’s in the first and you’re in the second.”
Callie nodded.
“I’ll turn on the alarm after Andre leaves,” Talia said, stressing his name with a faint smile. “Cal said Victoria’s taken to locking the back door, too. About time. This place was like a robber’s dream.”
Callie took another sip of wine, specifically to hide anything that might show on her face after witnessing the growing rigidity of Andre’s jaw. Talia seemed to be specifically goading him, which, in Callie’s opinion, was pretty much like poking a snake.
West showed up close to eleven o’clock. Callie had managed to get Tucker into bed, though the strangeness of his surroundings finally penetrated and he clung to her and cried out when she tried to leave. She rocked him and whispered gently to him, going over the highlights of the day so he would remember the good things and get himself to sleep.
“Furrall cats bite,” he said sleepily as he finally wound down.
“That’s right, and scratch. You have to be careful.”
“Careful,” he mumbled.
He slipped into slumber a few minutes later and Callie eased herself out of the bed and back downstairs. Andre had taken Talia’s broad hint to leave with ill grace, but had reluctantly headed back outside. As soon as he was gone, Talia checked all the doors and set the alarm. “The code’s ‘bullbbq,’” she’d said as she headed up to her room. “You should take Tucker to Laughlin BBQ tomorrow. Hell, maybe I’ll still be here and we’ll all go.”
Soon after she was gone Callie saw the splash of West’s headlights across the front of the house and she punched in the
code to release the alarm, opened the back door, and stepped into a cool, starless evening. West shut his driver’s door, spied Callie, and strode her way quickly.
Before she could say anything, he pulled her close and kissed her. Then he buried his face in her hair and said, “God, I’ve missed you.”
“Back at cha,” she said lightly, inhaling his male scent, which she was beginning to crave like a drug. “How’s Victoria?”
“Hanging in there . . . just. I talked to her doctor and he didn’t want to say too much. Her lawyer showed up too. He was in shock and felt responsible since it happened at his offices. He gave me his card.”
“You think she’s going to be okay?”
“God, I hope so.” He half-laughed. “Didn’t know I cared so much about her until this happened.”
He ran his lips over her face and to her mouth again, and she kissed him desperately. They were like teenagers in their secret, all-consuming need to touch, caress, and rediscover each other. She was pressed hard against the side of the building and his body lay urgently against hers but it wasn’t enough. Realizing how much she wanted him felt so absurd that she started soundlessly laughing.
“What?” he asked, his mouth against the skin of her neck.
“I almost want to make love to you out here.”
“I’m game.”
“But what if someone comes back, like Cal, or Teddy, or even your cousin?”
She hadn’t meant to curl her lip on “your cousin,” but she did and West reluctantly pulled himself back from her, peering at her through the darkness. “What cousin?”
“A guy who claims to be Andre Laughlin came by today. Teddy said his dad told him that he met with Victoria earlier, then he came back again when Teddy and I were having dinner. It was Talia who actually got him to leave.”
“There is no Andre Laughlin,” West said.
“Sorry. He goes by Andre now, but his real name is Andrew. He says he’s Ben Jr.’s son.”
