Burning Seduction

by Vella Day

  “Good question. I spoke with Frank, too, but nothing seemed out of place. You said you talked with Jayson?”

  “Yes, no sooner had he said he had no idea who would want to harm his old boss, than he began talking about the night Mrs. Goddard’s brother spilled the beans about his company’s merger.” He leaned on his elbows. “What do you know about that Christmas party?”

  Trent shot to high alert. Did Jayson know something that he’d kept secret? After all, this was the infamous night when the insider information had been divulged. “I wasn’t there, but Harmon, of course, was. The FBI handled the case, but my brother claimed that Elaine Goddard’s brother, Richard Delaney, had gotten drunk at their annual festivity. Richard, Hepfield Electronics’ accountant, never would say what set him off that night, but he started bragging about how Hepfield Electronics was going to buy out another company, and that the merger was sure to drive up the price of their stock by at least ten percent.”

  Cade whistled. “And in theory, Harmon let that sensitive material leak to a client, and said client benefitted.”

  “Yes. Did Jayson have anything new to add?”

  “Not about that, but about something else that happened that night. Were you aware that Jayson walked in on Harmon and Mrs. Goddard doing the tongue tango?”

  Tongue tango? A wave of injustice slammed into him. “Harmon never said anything about that. My brother may or may not be guilty of trading company secrets, but he’d never do anything with a married woman.” His mom accused their dad of that very thing, and while Trent never believed it and Dad denied it, it was what started the divorce. “Harmon knew better than anyone how damaging that could be to a family.”

  Cade shrugged. “Perhaps he was too embarrassed to tell you, or was afraid that you’d judge him.”

  “I don’t buy it. Did Jayson tell Bill what he saw?”

  “He said he never mentioned it to his boss for obvious reasons, but that he did speak to Elaine’s brother.”

  “I bet that didn’t go over well. I’ll ask Harmon about it, and then I want to talk with Richard Delaney. Perhaps his memory has improved.”

  “I doubt it, but let me know what you find.”

  Trent pushed back his chair. Harmon wouldn’t be at work for another hour. It was time for a heart-to-heart conversation.

  After a short drive to his brother’s apartment, Trent grabbed the box of books for Harmon that Charlotte had given him, hiked up to his brother’s door, and knocked. “It’s me.”

  The door opened to a smiling Harmon, but the look of joy disappeared as soon as he saw Trent’s scowl. “What’s wrong?”

  Trent stepped in, set down the heavy box, and motioned they sit at the kitchen table. The hint of coffee beans in the air implied his brother had already made a pot. “Got some coffee to spare?”

  “Sure. What’s in the box?”

  “Just some old books.” Trent wanted to discuss something else first.

  “Oh, shit, did something happen to Dad?”

  “Stop, will ya. He’s fine. You should go see him.”

  “I will. Soon.” Harmon poured a cup, brought it over, and sat down across from Trent. “I’m listening.”

  “What can you tell me about the night Richard Delaney spilled his guts about Hepfield Electronics?”

  His brows pinched. “Why are you asking me about this now?”

  “Some new information has come to light.”

  Harmon straightened, a sparkle appearing in his eyes. “Really? I can’t tell you any more than what I’ve been touting for the last three years. Richard was drunk, spouting off about his company’s merger. I was there, along with Bill, Frank, and Jayson. Like I said before, a few of Bill’s clients had been invited to the party, but I can’t remember if they were in the living room at the time. If they were, any one of them could have leaked the information.”

  That was what Harmon had said before. Trent had spoken to Bill during the trial and learned the names of those clients, but none of them admitted they’d heard anything. “What do you remember about Elaine Goddard that night?”

  Harmon stared at Trent. “Oh fuck, what did she tell you?”

  “It’s what Jayson told Cade that has me worried. He saw her kissing you.”

  Harmon waved a hand. “She was even drunker than her brother and came on to me. She wished me a Merry Christmas then threw herself at me. Trust me, I did not return the affection. Do you really think that I would have an affair with a married woman?”

  “No.” Harmon had a lot of women after him and didn’t need to chase anyone. Besides, he was the better looking of the two. “Did you see Jayson in the room during this display of affection?”

  “I wasn’t looking around. I was trying to be polite and get away from Elaine without making a scene.”

  Trent drank his coffee. The rich aroma and bold taste really hit the spot. “I forgot you always did buy the best blend.”

  “It’s one of my few indulgences.”

  Trent leaned forward on his elbows. “Suppose Bill saw you kiss Elaine or found out about you making out with her. In order to put a stop to it, maybe he framed you to get you out of the picture.” Bill Goddard was a rich and powerful man but wasn’t particularly attractive.

  “It’s possible, but why wouldn’t he have just confronted me? He could have threatened to fire me if I ever saw his wife again, when in fact, he never acted as if I was a threat for the few months afterwards.”

  “Maybe he didn’t want to let you know he was upset. If no one knew he was angry with you, when your client benefitted from the stock trade, they wouldn’t glance his way.”

  “It’s a great theory, but with Bill dead, you’ll never be able to prove it.”

  “I’m not so sure. Remember I mentioned that Mrs. Goddard hired Charlotte to redecorate Bill’s office?”

  “Yes. Did she learn something?” The lines around Harmon’s eye tightened.

  “I don’t know yet, but Mrs. Goddard gave away all of Bill’s possessions.” He nodded to the box. “Charlotte packed up some of his books. She asked me to bring these to you. She thought you might know of someone who could use them.”

  “Tell her thank you. I’ll check the dates on these books to see if our library would want them.”

  He finished off the delicious brew. “I find it rather odd that someone would be in such a hurry to throw everything away, especially after all their years of marriage.”

  Harmon dropped back against his seat. “I don’t know. If my spouse had died tragically, I might not want to have her things around.”

  Trent didn’t buy it. “You wouldn’t keep a favorite painting of hers, or her most cherished book?”

  Harmon smiled. “I see your point.”

  “Besides the books, she gave away Bill’s computer to Charlotte, claiming she deleted all the files, but I’m hoping our tech gurus can find something of interest.”

  “I can’t imagine Bill would keep any damning information on his computer. He was smarter than that.”

  “You’d be surprised what we’ve found on home computers. Remember, people don’t expect to die. I don’t know what we’ll find, but I want to look.” He wrapped his hands around his empty cup. “What can you tell me about Elaine Goddard?”

  Harmon’s chin tucked under as if he was at a loss for words. “I can’t say I knew her very well, but I did know Bill, and he wasn’t a very emotional man. It’s hard to be in the kind of business we were in and give out hugs and kisses. If I had to speculate, I’d say theirs was a rather loveless marriage.”

  “Did he tell you that? Or did she?” Trent didn’t like to act on pure guesswork.

  “Neither one said anything. Since Bill is a dead end, pun intended, you might want to find out what the neighbors thought about their relationship. Maybe Elaine was only staying around for the money. If he was being a jerk, maybe she offed him.”

  Trent didn’t think she’d killed her husband. “Women don’t usually stab their victim. It takes
a lot of force.”

  “Maybe she drugged him first.”

  That was a possibility. “The coroner is checking for drugs, and then I’ll know, but let’s say she did kill Bill. What’s her motive? Her source of income would stop.”

  “True, unless he had a huge life insurance policy. That, or she couldn’t take it anymore. Some women just snap. If she knew the cops would be looking in my direction, she might have decided to take her chances. I bet Bill had quite the nest egg saved up, too.”

  “I’ll see what I can find, but do you believe Elaine Goddard is capable of killing her husband? Divorce is much simpler.”

  “Perhaps she had a pre-nup, though after all of the stories I’ve heard in prison, nothing would surprise me about what people are capable of.”

  This whole line of thought had just made Trent’s job harder. “Thanks for letting me talk this out.”

  “You bet.”

  Trent stood. “I need to get back, but if you think of anything that Elaine said, or Bill for that matter, about the relationship, let me know.”

  “You can count on it.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Charlotte had just enough time to put the finishing touches of paint on Mrs. Goddard’s new room, rush home to shower, and then head to the airport to pick up her parents.

  No sooner had she pulled up to the arrival door than her parents walked out hand-in-hand, each dragging a suitcase behind them. Charlotte was thrilled they looked so happy.

  She jumped out of her car and opened her trunk. “Did you have a good time?”

  “Yes,” they said in unison then smiled at each other.

  From the lustful look they exchanged, perhaps it would be wise not to ask for too many details about their second honeymoon. She hugged her mom first since her dad was busy loading the suitcases. Once he finished, he embraced her.

  “Is Rock Hard still in one piece?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She’d tell them about Bill Goddard’s murder after they had time to unwind.

  Knowing Dad, he’d want every gory detail, and then try to tell her how Trent should run the investigation. Sometimes having a father as a private investigator and an ex-FBI agent wasn’t always the best thing.

  Charlotte couldn’t wait to get her mom alone so she could tell her about her budding relationship. The entire strip poker event, however, definitely needed to stay private.

  On the way home, they called in a to-go order at Italiano’s since her mom said there was nothing edible in the house.

  “I’m sorry,” Charlotte said. “I didn’t even think to stock up the fridge for you.” Once she’d moved out, she hadn’t looked back.

  “That’s okay, hon, I’m too tired to cook anyway.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Charlotte pulled in front of the restaurant in a slot designated for take-out. “Be right back,” her dad said as he pushed open the door.

  As soon as her father disappeared inside, Charlotte faced her mom. “Trent and I have been seeing each other.” The bubble of excitement had been building for too long to stay quiet.

  Her mother’s face remained unreadable, though Charlotte understood why her mom would worry. A cop’s life was fraught with danger. “How’s that going?”

  Charlotte was a bit disappointed that her mom didn’t act thrilled, but she’d expected that reaction. “He’s like Dad in some ways, and quite unlike him in others. For the most part, Trent’s able to express his emotions.”

  “Your father’s a changed man now.” A knowing smile filled her face. “He can be quite expressive when properly motivated.”

  “Mo-om!” She so didn’t need to hear that. The divorce, coupled with him leaving the FBI, had forced him to see the light.

  “Just be careful,” Mom said.

  “Of what? That Trent might hurt me emotionally, or that someone who wanted revenge against him could come after me, just like they did against us?”

  Her mother’s shoulders sagged. “I was thinking of both, but you’re a grown woman. I shouldn’t be telling you what you already know. Just do what feels right for you. If you’re happy, I’m happy. No matter who you’re with, you could be hurt, I suppose.” Her mom leaned back against the seat. “For the longest time, I was too cautious with your dad, mostly because I had you to take care of. Perhaps if I’d been more understanding, things might have turned out differently.”

  “But you had a second chance. You two seem to have figured things out now.”

  Light returned to her eyes. “Yes, we have indeed.”

  Her dad returned with three large bags and slid into the back seat. “It’s cold out there. Two weeks in Hawaii spoiled me.”

  “I imagine it would.” The aroma made her stomach rumble. “Smells divine.”

  Before she broached the subject of Bill Goddard’s murder, Charlotte wanted to have a peaceful dinner, though she saw no reason not to share her good news about the job. For all she knew, Sharon had already texted her dad about it. “While you were gone, I landed a new client!”

  “That’s fantastic, hon,” her dad said. “How’s it going?”

  Charlotte detailed how the woman’s husband had died, and that she wanted to toss all of his furniture. “She let me keep several awesome pieces. She seems really pleased with what I’ve done so far, and since she’s wealthier than sin, I’m hoping she’ll recommend me to her friends.”

  Her mom reached out and squeezed Charlotte’s thigh. “I can’t tell you how happy I am. It means you’ll stay in Rock Hard.”

  “I’m not leaving any time soon, that’s for sure.” She planned to stay for more than just her job, however.

  * * *

  It might be from a lack of sleep, or his guilty conscience was working overtime, but Trent wanted to believe nothing had happened between his brother and Mrs. Goddard during that fateful Christmas party. What a travesty it would have been if Bill Goddard thought Harmon was a threat to his marriage and then followed through with setting him up as the fall guy for the insider trading scam. Jumping to conclusions, though, wasn’t Trent’s style, despite wanting Harmon to be innocent.

  After he’d spoken to his brother yesterday about Elaine Goddard, Trent had returned to the office because he’d been unable to get a hold of her brother, Richard, to confirm Jayson’s story. Before he approached Vic about doing some surveillance, Trent wanted to learn as much as he could about both John Samuels—the man who’d replaced Bill—and Richard Delaney.

  Trent had debated calling Charlotte last night just to hear her voice, but she’d told him she was picking up her parents from the airport after work. As much as he wanted to know how things had gone, if he spoke with her on the phone, she’d have convinced him to stop over, and then they’d end up making love again. Probably any thirty-one year old male would have jumped at the chance to delve into luscious Charlotte’s body again, but for both of their sakes, he needed to take things slow. Right now, his life was in flux, and he didn’t trust himself to make good judgments where she was concerned.

  Besides Cade and one other detective he could think of, too many of the men in his department had issues with their marriages because of the stresses of their jobs. If they didn’t, it often meant they weren’t doing their job to the fullest.

  A few hours later, he’d gathered all he could about John Samuels and Richard Delaney. It was time to head over to Vic’s office for his appointment and hire him to tail Samuels.

  As soon as Trent arrived, Sharon looked up and grinned. “There he is! Charlotte’s protector.”

  “Former protector.” Sharon always seemed to focus on what he’d done during that one fateful week. Unless something happened to Charlotte again then he’d protect her just as fiercely as before.

  “How are you and Charlotte doing?”

  Trent inwardly groaned. “You tell me. Has Charlotte been telling tales?”

  Her cheeks pinkened, matching the streaks in her hair—hair that had been blue just a week ago.

  “No, but Vic mention
ed you were seeing his daughter.”

  “Did he now?” Charlotte must have spilled the beans. In truth, he’d be a little disappointed if she hadn’t told her parents they’d seen each other a few times.

  “Go on in and see the man. He’s waiting for you,” Sharon said, the grin still taking up residence on her face.

  Trent headed down the hallway, knocked on Vic’s office door, and stepped in. His friend slipped off his glasses and smiled. He was tanner and looked like he’d put on a few pounds, weight Trent thought he could use. “How was Hawaii?”

  “Beautiful, but a little busy for my tastes. Reminded me too much of Washington DC during rush hour.”

  “Ouch. And the beaches?” Someday he’d like to go there, but he doubted he’d have the patience just to sit on the sand and listen to the surf. Then the image of having Charlotte with him surfaced, and he imagined what he’d like to do with her on the hot sand.

  “Fantastic, but I would’ve liked it if the water had been warmer. The waves were terrific though, but I bet you didn’t come here to ask about my honeymoon. Charlotte mentioned the night your brother returned to town, his former boss was murdered. Want to tell me what happened?”

  Since Vic understood confidentiality better than anyone, and Trent wanted to hire him to do some surveillance work, he had no problem sharing the intel. For the next hour he detailed everything he knew.

  Vic leaned back in his seat and tapped his fingers on the desk. “You want me to watch John Samuels or Richard Delaney?”

  “Samuels. I’ll interview Delaney and then see what Frank Hamilton is up to.”

  “What do you expect to find?”

  “I have absolutely no idea.”

  * * *

  Charlotte had spent all day Thursday going store to store locating the perfect furniture and the best artwork for her new project. In the end, she was thrilled with her choices. Every piece seemed to match Mrs. Goddard’s sophistication and her vulnerability. The greens, blues, and peaches all blended to make a soothing room.