When they reached the diner, the parking lot was full. Adam parked the SUV beside two other Staunton police cars and turned it off. “I figure this gives us another layer of cover. Anyone comes driving by, they will just see three police vehicles.”
“Good idea.” Emma grabbed the handle and started to open the truck.
“Wait,” Adam said. “Let me come around and clear the area first. I want to be able to cover you if he suddenly shows up.”
Emma pulled the door closed and waited as Adam checked the parking lot and the road that ran in front of the diner. He walked around the SUV and positioned himself between her and the road as he pulled the door open.
“You ready?”
His smile had returned, and that made Emma smile too.
“I’ve been ready for hours.” Her stomach let out a loud growl, making them both laugh.
Adam stayed beside her on their way into the diner, one hand pressed lightly to her lower back and the other resting on the pistol slung at his hip. When they entered the restaurant, he kept her in front of him.
“Emma!” An older man wearing a stained apron appeared in the entry from the kitchen.
“Uncle Marlon!” She rushed forward to give the man a hug and a peck on the cheek, forgetting that Adam was trying to block her from view outside the diner.
“It’s so good to see you, little one!” He placed his hands on her cheeks briefly, then moved them to her shoulders. “You’ve been gone too long. You’re much too thin! Don’t they have food in Richmond?”
Emma let the laughter flow. Her uncle’s joy in life had always been infectious, and this time was no exception. “Of course they do, Uncle! But they also have twenty-four-hour-a-day gyms.”
Uncle Marlon shook his head. “You need to eat. I’ll feed you. And your friend.” He motioned to Adam.
“Don’t you remember Adam Marshall?” Emma asked.
“Of course I do! He and the other policemen eat here regularly. It’s just been a really long time since you two have been in here together.”
Adam stepped forward and shook the older man’s hand. “It’s good to see you again, sir. Emma here is actually helping me out with a little police business. But she just had to see her favorite uncle too.”
Marlon smiled, a broad, toothy grin. “Excellent! You can sit anywhere you like.”
“Thank you, sir.” Adam started to direct her toward a table in the rear of the space with no close windows.
“No salad!” Marlon called after them. “You eat a cheeseburger! And double fries. You’re too skinny!”
“Yes, Uncle Marlon! You keep saying that,” Emma called back.
“Because it’s true!”
“Your uncle always thinks everyone is too thin.” Clara James, a longtime resident of Staunton, touched Emma on the arm as they passed. “He gave me a cheeseburger and double fries also.”
“Ms. Clara! It’s so nice to see you!” Emma stopped and gave the older woman a hug. “You look wonderful. How’s that new little grandbaby of yours?”
“Looks just like his daddy, Logan.” Clara picked up her cell phone and pulled up a photo of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed cherub. “Poor Angie, it’s like she didn’t even contribute. Not a sign of her beautiful Italian heritage anywhere in this boy.”
“How are the twins?” Adam asked, shifting their positions so he blocked Emma from view of the window. Clara’s sons Kaiden and Keegan had graduated with Adam and Emma. They’d gone into federal law enforcement.
“Oh, you know. Doing their lawman thing out at the beach. It’s still my hope they will one day move closer to home.”
“I’m sure they will.” Emma patted the woman on the arm. “Please tell them we said hello, and our congratulations to Logan and his wife.”
“I will, dear. Thank you so much. It was wonderful to see you again. Together, like the old days.”
When they reached the back booth, Emma slid into the seat that faced the rest of the diner, expecting Adam to sit across from her. Instead, he settled in beside her, grinning. “Don’t you remember? A cop never has his back to the door.”
His denim-clad thigh brushed against hers, sending a little rush of warmth through her. She wondered if he felt it too. Adam scanned the diner twice before leaning back against the booth. He let his arm lie casually along the back of the vinyl seat. They’d sat that way a hundred times as teenagers, but this time Emma was hyperaware of how close he was.
“I guess it’s been a while since I’ve had to think about it.”
“Your uncle is a good man.” Adam picked up his fork and twirled it in his fingers slowly. “He always supports the department and our officers.”
“His father, Marlon senior, was chief of police here once upon a time.”
“Really?” The surprise in his expression was genuine. “I had no idea. Marlon never mentioned it.”
“He was killed in the line of duty. Mom says he rarely talks about it, since he was just a toddler when it happened.”
“He’s your mother’s brother?” Adam asked. “I didn’t realize that.”
“No. He married Mom’s oldest sister, Hillary. Remember, Mom is the youngest of ten.” Emma laughed.
Marlon appeared then, followed by a young girl in a black apron. He placed plates of burgers and fries in front of Emma and Adam. The girl gave them each a chocolate milkshake. Marlon grinned. “I didn’t wait for you to order. You need to eat, little girl.”
“Thanks, Uncle Marlon. This is exactly what I’ve been dreaming about all morning.” Emma gave the older man a big smile. His already ruddy cheeks darkened with her compliment.
Adam removed his arm from behind her, and Emma felt the absence of his nearness immediately. She pushed away the urge to move in closer to him and focused instead on her uncle and the tantalizing food he’d placed in front of her.
“Eat!” Marlon waved a hand and walked away with the young waitress in tow.
Emma picked up her burger and took a huge bite. “Mmm… this is so good.”
Adam did the same and nodded his agreement. “Best burger in the entire Blue Ridge Mountains.”
Picking up a few fries and dipping them in ketchup, Emma casually said, “Speaking of the mountains—”
Adam raised a hand to stop her. “I need to get you to the cabin, Emma. I have to try and figure out who wants you dead so I can stop them.”
She leaned back against the booth. “I could just stay with you.”
“It would be too distracting.”
Emma frowned and slid away from Adam. “Gee, thanks.”
Turning in his seat, Adam took her hand in his. He ran his thumb lightly across the inside of her wrist, sending little shock waves through her. “I didn’t mean it like that. I can’t focus on finding the man who wants you dead if I am more worried about keeping you safe. At least out at the cabin, I know you will be okay. Especially if I can talk one or more of my brothers into staying there with you.”
Emma looked down at their joined hands. He’d held her hand so many times over the years, and she’d never thought twice about it. But now, it looked like their hands were always meant to be together. If she died, or worse, if something happened to Adam trying to protect her… She couldn’t even finish that thought.
She sighed. “Fine. I’ll go to the cabin, but promise me you will be back tonight?”
Adam grinned. “I promise. Now let’s eat before all this deliciousness gets cold.”
Smiling back at him, Emma nodded. “I am half starved.”
As they sat and ate, side by side like they’d done so many times before, Emma almost forgot about Miranda, the man that wanted her dead, and everything else that had happened since the last time they’d eaten a burger together.
Twelve
An hour later, they pulled up in front of the little cabin hidden deep in the woods. It had a small covered front porch with an old ro
cking chair in one corner. Next to the door sat a faded red cooler. On top of that, a dented bait can lay on its side. Propped in a corner were three or four fishing poles. A giant, mounted fish of some sort hung over the door.
Emma pointed to the fish. “You weren’t kidding. This really is a fishing cabin.”
Adam chuckled. “Yeah. It really is. Let’s go inside, and I’ll show you around.”
“Please tell me it has running water? I’m not much of an outhouse kinda gal.”
He pulled her bags from the back of the SUV and led her to the porch. “Yes, it has running water. But it’s a well, so you have to conserve. No hour-long showers or anything like that.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I can handle the short shower in exchange for the flushing toilet.”
“I guess camping probably isn’t your thing.” Adam set her things down and reached up to the giant fish over the door, pulling a key out of its mouth. After unlocking the door, he replaced the key, pushed the door open, and motioned for her to enter.
She laughed. “Not really. Unless you mean in an RV or a hotel room. I can work with either of those.”
Emma wasn’t sure what she had expected but it wasn’t what she saw. Hardwood floors polished to a high shine greeted her first. As she glanced around the space, taking in the muted earth tones of the décor, granite counters, sink in the kitchenette, and a large flat-screen television hanging on the far wall, she sucked in a breath. “Wow. Not at all what I thought.”
“Uncle Walt likes things a certain way, even when he’s escaping Aunt Jane for the weekend.”
“This is amazing. From outside it looks worn out and dusty. On the inside, it’s practically professionally decorated.”
“It is professionally decorated, actually.” Adam crossed the room to where two closed doors stood, side by side. He stopped at the first door. “This is the bathroom.”
Emma pushed the door open and walked into the small space. A completely tiled walk-in shower was the first thing she saw, followed by the granite sink with its gorgeous fixtures. “Wow. This is beautiful. I know I keep saying it, but—wow.”
She looked back at Adam to see him smiling at her, still standing in the doorway. There was an unfamiliar look in his eyes as he watched her walk around the bathroom, admiring all the details. “Wait until you see the bedroom.” He motioned toward the other closed door.
“Okay.” She walked out of the bathroom and over to the bedroom door. Opening it, her mouth literally fell open in surprise. “This is phenomenal.”
The queen-sized four-poster bed was wrapped in layers of white mesh, forming a curtain around it. A comforter on the bed was a blend of blues and grays and lavenders, unlike the earth tones she’d seen in the rest of the house. Soft gray paint covered the walls. A long dresser with a simple mirror ran down one wall, and a nightstand stood by one side of the bed, a small lamp and a digital clock resting on it.
Emma walked into the room and turned in a slow circle. “I don’t even know what to say. I don’t understand how this can be so beautiful on the inside and so—old on the outside.”
Adam set her bags on the dresser. “You can have this room. I’ll bunk on the sofa.”
She shook her head. “Oh, no! I couldn’t do that. You sleep in the bed. I can sleep out there.”
“It’s fine. Really. I’ve fallen asleep on that sofa so many times it’s like a second bed to me. Plus, I can watch Sports Center until I pass out.”
“Still the world’s biggest football fan, I see.” Emma set her purse on the dresser with her other things.
“You can take the man out of the game but you can never fully take the game out of the man.”
Emma turned and found herself locked in between the dresser and Adam’s broad chest. She reached up and fiddled with one of the buttons on his henley. “This is the first time we’ve ever been in a bedroom together without one of us having to sneak in through a window.”
Adam rested his hands on the dresser on either side of her. “Those nights were some of the best of my life. Lying next to you, talking about our hopes and dreams. I miss those days. I was so lonely when you left for college.”
Surprising herself, Emma wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her ear against his chest. She felt the beat of his heart as it fell in sync with her own. “I couldn’t stay here, Adam. Miranda’s death—it was all too much.” Not that things had been any better in Richmond the last few months or so.
He kissed the top of her hair. “I know. I have some things to say about that too. Later. After I take care of the case.”
Emma nodded. “Okay.”
Adam stepped back and turned away from her. She caught him adjusting his jeans as he walked from the room. That secretly pleased her as she followed him to the main living area.
“I’m going to head out now. There’s a fully stocked pantry and fridge. Should have everything you need. I’ll be back by dinnertime.” He strode toward the door, car keys in hand.
Emma followed him. “That’s it? You’re just going to leave right now.”
Adam turned around, his expression serious. “You don’t want to be stuck out here forever, do you?”
Emma looked around the small, lush cabin. “I don’t know, it might not be so bad after all. Is there Wi-Fi?”
He raised an eyebrow and gave her half a smile. “Of course. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. I’m going to work on setting up surveillance on the cabin for the next couple of nights. That takes some arranging to make happen.”
“I want to go with you for that.”
“No, Emma. It could be dangerous if someone shows up.”
She stepped back, forcing Adam to let her go. “I want to be there. Please?”
“Can we talk about it tonight? I really need to get back to the precinct.”
“Nice move, Adam Marshall. Deflection and postponement.” Emma narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t forget to come back here.”
He reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, letting his fingertips trail the line of her chin lightly. His eyes had become dark, swirling pools of emotion that drew her in and held her gaze. “How could I forget now that you are finally here again?”
Without another word, Adam turned and walked out of the cabin. She barely heard the latch click over the sound of her heart beating in her chest. Adam’s last words lingered in the air around her. His eyes and his words had just said so much. Running her own fingers along the same path Adam’s had followed, she swallowed hard against the rage of emotion threatening to break free.
He’d missed her. He’d thought about her over the years. He’d wanted her to be here in Staunton with him.
Adam forced his mind to focus on the mission at hand. If he didn’t get out of those woods and back to the station soon, he’d forget what needed to be done and go back to Emma. He hated leaving her alone when there was so much he wanted—no, needed to tell her. So many words left unsaid for so long. And now, under the pressure of her life being in danger and running on pure adrenaline just didn’t seem like the right time to pour out all his emotions to her.
He’d spent what felt like a lifetime regretting that night; not forgiving himself for his part in the tragedy of Miranda’s death. Emma leaving Staunton had made it easy for him to ignore it most days. Except when he passed the church he’d attended as a youth and guilt sucker-punched him in the gut. That he regretted even more than his part in their friend’s death—not going after Emma and telling her how he felt. If he had, maybe none of the stuff with Leslie would have happened. She’d be alive, her parents wouldn’t hate him, and he wouldn’t carry the guilt of the deaths of two women in his life.
Once he solved this case and found her wannabe killer, he and Emma could have a long overdue talk about all those feelings he’d kept locked away for over a decade.
For now, though, his only concern had to be Emma’s safety.
/> As he passed the turn for the Blue Ridge Turnpike, he decided not to go to the station after all. Pulling an illegal U-turn in the middle of the street, he hit the gas and headed back to the mountain and the cabin that sat at the center of everything. His case. The murder Emma had witnessed. And the man who wanted her dead.
He considered looking for the access road and driving up the mountain, but on the off chance someone else might be there, he opted to hike back up. Parking his SUV in the same lot as usual, he locked the police vehicle and began the climb up the mountain. Alone, he moved quickly, pushing through brush and brambles along the path that he and Emma had forged over the last couple of days.
When he reached the clearing, he’d already broken out in a sweat over every inch of his body despite the cool fall air. Ignoring the salty water running down his forehead, he crossed the clearing to the cabin and peeked in the side window. The place looked as empty as it had earlier. Following the wall of the cabin to the small covered porch, he pulled on some gloves he’d had in his pocket and turned the knob of the front door.
He had no idea what he expected to find that he hadn’t already seen that morning. His gut told him there was something he’d missed, and his gut instincts rarely steered him wrong.
It didn’t look like anyone else had been there since he and Emma and the two men had. Starting to the right of the door and moving slowly, he searched every inch of wall, floor, and ceiling for something that would help him. It wasn’t until he reached an old shelf along the north-facing wall that he hit the jackpot. A couple of dusty books, an empty flower vase, and a small statue of a grizzly bear sat on the shelf. The books hadn’t been touched in years, and the vase was filled with cobwebs. The bear statue, however, had no dust or grime and seemed almost brand-new. In fact, when he picked it up, he found a price tag still attached to the bottom from a local shop. Turning it around, he inspected the bear from all angles until he found exactly what he had been looking for.
A tiny camera, fitted into one of the eyes, and a small switch that sat beneath its tail. When he pushed on it, a tiny little memory card sprung out of the statue’s bottom.
Murder on the Mountain: A Marshall Brothers Novel Page 11
