by Leona Karr
Neil stiffened. “You don’t think he was waiting especially to hit mine?”
McGrady frowned. “It’s kind of a puzzle, isn’t it? Do you know anyone who might want to take a pot-shot at you, Neil?”
Neil didn’t answer right away. From the look on his face, he wasn’t at all that sure what his answer should be. “Every businessman makes a few enemies now and then,” he answered evasively.
“How about recently?” McGrady prodded in his quiet, dogged way.
Neil’s expression darkened, and Courtney remembered the heated telephone call she’d overheard. The angry conversation he’d had with someone still rang in her ears.
“Want to tell me about it, Neil?” McGrady asked casually.
His eyes narrowed as he took a deep breath. “I had an investment deal go sour. Some illegal activity came to light, I pulled my investors out of it. A couple of fellows who lost their shirts have been making threats.”
“Interesting.”
“I think it’s just hot air,” he said in a not-very-convincing tone.
“Names?” McGrady picked up his notebook.
“Jake Delaney and Steven Woodword. I can’t believe either of those fellows would be so stupid—”
“In my business, you’re never surprised at the stupidity of people,” he sighed. “Anybody in your life, Courtney, who might want to run you off the road?”
She shook her head and explained that she was new to Manitou and was spending the summer with a middle-aged aunt.
“Well, I guess there’s nothing much to be done until we see what the officers find up there on the mountain. I’ll look into alibis for these two suspects, and we’ll go from there.” He stood up. “In the meantime, Neil, I’d watch my back a little.”
When he came back to the den after seeing McGrady to the door, Neil said, “I still think it was a random act. I’m not about to go around looking over my shoulder all the time.”
“But what if it was one of those men?”
Neil saw the pallor on Courtney’s face. “Hey, don’t look like that. It’s over. Let’s make the best of the situation.” He smiled as he added, “I hope you won’t be in any hurry to leave. The Jacuzzi could do wonders for our battered bodies.”
She flushed. Minus a swimming suit?
As if reading her thoughts, he said, “You’ll find some extra swimming suits in the dressing room. Maribeth leaves some of her things here.”
Courtney suspected he was lying. It wasn’t only his sister who provided extra swimwear. Clearly, his bachelor pad was complete with all the amenities for entertaining.
“How about it? Nice, hot soothing water massaging every ache and pain? You’ll love it.”
Courtney knew she would. If every muscle in her body hadn’t been aching from the strenuous climb up the mountainside, she might have declined. She’d never had an occasion to get into a fancy whirlpool tub, but it sounded heaven blessed.
The choice of a swimming suit was limited to several bikinis hanging in a small bathroom off the terrace swimming pool and Jacuzzi. The scanty pieces of cloth did little to hide the bruises and scratches on her lightly tanned body.
He was already in the Jacuzzi when she came out with a towel snugly tied around her. “Come on in. The temperature is wonderful.”
As she hesitated, he could tell that she wasn’t used to this kind of experience, and his protective feelings surprised him. He made a pretense of looking at one of the jets while she dropped the towel and slipped into the water.
“Mmm,” she purred, as the water massage began to do wonderful things to her aching muscles.
“Nice, huh?” Smiling, he stayed a discreet distance from her for a while. Leaning his head back against the tub’s edge, he said, “When life gets a little bit too much, I just close my eyes and let the world float away.”
“Sounds like a wonderful way to cope with things,” she said with obvious envy. “I remember when I was a little girl, I had a little secondhand swimming pool. I used to spend hours in it. Then it sprung a leak, and my mother threw it away. She promised me a new one, but I never got it.” Courtney sighed. “Funny how some disappointments stay with you.”
“Yes, isn’t it.”
The thoughtful way he said it made her feel guilty. Here she was talking about the loss of a kiddie swimming pool, when he’d had to cope with the tragic death of someone he’d chosen to share his life. She wondered if he was as deeply lonely at heart as she was.
Impulsively, she moved closer to him in the water. He seemed a little surprised, but reached out and found her hand under the water. As the buoyancy of the water eliminated the distance between them, his hands slipped to the inviting span of her waist and she turned to him. Without hesitation, he drew her close.
The shared terrifying experience had bonded them in a strange way. His lips found hers, and they clung together until their physical contact changed from one of reassurance to one of demanding passionate desire.
His hands found the tie string on her halter, then he cupped the smooth, pliable softness of her breasts. As he kissed and caressed her, his legs moved purposefully in the water to capture hers. He knew that this lovemaking water ritual was new to her. As he began to lead her, he felt a flicker of guilt. She was literally out of her depth in this situation, and he knew it.
He gently pulled away, moving his lips to her forehead. They needed a time-out. If they ended up making love, he wanted to be damn sure there would be no regrets on her part.
“Now, it’s time to relax with a drink,” he said huskily. As he pulled away from her, she looked startled and questioning. How could he explain that there was no rejection of her in his behavior—just the opposite? She appealed to him in ways he wouldn’t have thought possible, and he needed some assurance from her that she was ready for a sexual commitment.
“We need to talk,” he said simply as he eased out of the tub.
Courtney watched Neil’s glistening body move away in a strong, purposeful stride, and her chest tightened with an undefined ache. What had happened? Had she been too forward? Or not aggressive enough? Obviously, he’d found her wanting in some way.
She moved like someone in a state of limbo as she dressed again, and made her way to the den. Her mind searched for a way to escape the humiliation of what had occurred in the Jacuzzi. How could she pretend nothing had happened? A minute more and they would have been naked and clinging together. She’d never been filled with that kind of fiery desire.
He had changed into tan slacks and a matching cotton shirt. His damp hair fell in waves on his forehead as he smiled and held out a drink.
“Try my specialty.”
She shook her head. “No, thanks. I think it’s time I went and checked on my little one. I’ll call a taxi.”
“Not until we talk.” He set the glass down with a punctuating bang.
She moved back as he tried to put his hands on her arms. “I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”
“Maybe you don’t, but I do,” he said firmly. “Something wonderful almost happened between us. You know it, and I know it.”
“But why…?”
“Why did I stop? I wasn’t about to take advantage of the situation. After what you’ve been through today, you might not be thinking straight. I wasn’t sure that’s what you really wanted.” His voice thickened. “I’m aching to take you to bed, now, this moment.”
His words released the heavy pain of rejection she’d been feeling. Her eyes were suddenly moist as she whispered, “Yes. Take me to bed.”
They were halfway up the stairs to his bedroom when the doorbell stopped them.
“Damn,” Neil swore.
“You’d better see who it is. McGrady may have come back with some news.”
She lingered on the steps while Neil crossed the foyer and opened the front door to an attractive, fashionably dressed and very, very angry young woman.
“You low-down, lying scum,” she lashed out in a wild tirade. “How
could you just drop me cold like that? I thought everything was great between us.” She accused him of deceit and demanded to know why he had led her to believe he cared for her.
“What are you talking about, Lisa? We had some good times, yes,” he countered in an even tone. “That’s all there was, and you know it. I never led you to believe anything else. We had that understanding from the very beginning.”
“Maybe you did, but I didn’t.”
“You’re trying to make some heartrending love affair out of a few dates. I’m sorry, Lisa, but you’re way off base.”
As Courtney listened to their raised voices, a cold question hit her like a chill. Was she about to allow herself to be drawn into the same kind of heartache as this woman? Neil had been honest with her from the beginning. Obviously, becoming sexually involved with him would be a momentary affair. Even as she asked herself if she was willing to settle for only that, she knew the answer. She wanted more for herself, and her child.
Neil closed the door as Lisa flung one last oath at him and stomped away. He turned toward the stairs and was surprised when Courtney came down to meet him.
“I’ll call that taxi now,” she said as she brushed by him.
“Wait a minute. You don’t understand. Let me explain the situation.”
“There’s no need.”
“I think there is.” He reached for her.
“Don’t!” She drew back. “Don’t embarrass me any further. I want to leave.”
“I get it. Don’t confuse the situation with the truth, is that it?”
“Call me a taxi.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out some keys. “No need for a taxi. We can take my Jeep.”
As they drove in silence to Maribeth’s house, Neil cursed the timing of Lisa’s emotional harangue. She’d dated him on the rebound in the first place, and when their relationship had petered off about three months ago, Neil suspected she’d gone back to her former sweetheart. Why she’d suddenly appeared, filled with revengeful fury, he didn’t know, but she’d picked a hell of a time to do it.
Glancing at Courtney’s rigid profile, he silently groaned. Total disaster. How could he explain that she stirred deep emotions that had lain dormant for a long time? He had slowed things down earlier because he wanted to respect her feelings—and look what happened!
“Courtney, please, let me—”
“No, don’t…don’t say anything. Just let it go, okay?” There was a finality in her tone that kept him from insisting.
When they picked up Jamie, Maribeth was full of questions about the shooting, and Courtney was grateful that the conversation covered up the real reason for her emotional drain.
“Your aunt called a few minutes ago. I told her about the shooting, and assured her that both of you were okay. I guess she was wondering why the funeral had taken so long.”
Courtney was puzzled and irritated. Was Devanna checking up on her by calling Maribeth? Was she thinking about picking up Jamie on her own?
After they left his sister’s house, Neil did his best to try to breach the emotional chasm between them, but his efforts were in vain.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Courtney said firmly as she told him goodbye at the door of the houseboat and went inside to face a stormy greeting from her aunt.
“Well, aren’t you a sight! Clothes torn. Scratched and bruised. You don’t look in any condition to take care of a baby.”
“I’m banged up a little—but alive. Maribeth told you what happened?”
“Oh, she told me all right. She said the car stopped before it crashed at the bottom.”
Courtney was surprised at her aunt’s reaction. She must have been terribly worried when Maribeth told her about the shooting. Her face was flushed with anger and Courtney had never seen her so emotional. If the baby had been with them, her aunt probably would have had a heart attack by now.
“I’m fine, really I am,” Courtney insisted. “And Detective McGrady is optimistic about finding the shooter.”
Devanna stared at her with a blank, unreadable stare. Without another word, she stomped to her room and slammed the door.
Chapter Six
She held Buzz’s photo inches from her face and swore angrily, “I did what you said! Just the way you planned. Picked out the right spot. Waited until the car came around the curve. Fired and took out three tires.”
Her eyes lit up with a fiery gloating. “You should have seen it, Buzz! The car skidded all over the road. Went up on two wheels and over the edge. I could hear it crashing down the mountain, but I had to get out of there quick. I waited a couple of hours and then called Maribeth to hear the sad news and pick up the baby.”
She swore again. “The whole thing was for nothing. Just a few scratches, that’s all. Now, I’ve got to do the whole thing again.”
She stared at the photo as if listening. “No, she doesn’t suspect anything. Keeps trying to make all sweet with me. She’s convinced I’m her aunt, all right. That Neil fellow looks at me funny sometimes, but don’t worry, everything’s under control. You’ll see. I’ve got a different plan.”
COURTNEY WAS SURPRISED when Detective McGrady stopped by the next day to see her. “Just checking to see how you’re feeling.”
“I’m a little stiff and sore,” she admitted. “But I’m not complaining. Won’t you come in?” She turned to her aunt who was sitting on one of the counter stools. “Aunt Devanna, this is Detective McGrady.”
Her aunt’s expression wavered for a moment. Her eyes quickly took in his unassuming, good-old-boy appearance, then one of her rare smiles lifted the corners of her mouth. “My goodness, I’d never take you for a policeman.”
“I get that quite a lot, ma’am.” He smiled back, slightly twirling his hat in his hand. “I hope I’m not intruding, dropping by like this.”
“Oh, not at all. Won’t you sit down?” Devanna eagerly motioned toward the couch. “Can you tell us what you’ve learned about yesterday’s horrible accident?”
“No accident, ma’am,” McGrady corrected. “Someone took deliberate aim at the car.” He turned to Courtney as she sat down beside him. “I was hoping you might have noticed a vehicle parked off the road somewhere close to that curve. Neil says he didn’t see anything, but he was driving. Sometimes a passenger looking out the window will notice something.”
She searched her memory. The only thing she recalled was how much she was enjoying the lovely mountain view when the horror began. Her stomach tightened as remembered terror assaulted her again. “I’m sorry. If there was a car anywhere close, I didn’t see it.”
“The shooter had to have transportation. Knowing what kind might help.” He patted her hand. “It’s all right. If something comes to mind, let me know.”
Devanna leaned forward in her chair. “Do you have any idea who did the shooting?”
“We have some suspects,” he said as he massaged his chin in a thoughtful way.
“The men Neil told you about?” Courtney asked anxiously. “Delaney and Woodword?”
He nodded. “Neither of them have confirmed alibis. We have witnesses who overheard the men threatening to pay Neil back for sabotaging their real estate scheme.”
“Thank goodness,” breathed Courtney.
“Just talk, and not enough evidence for the D.A. to bring any kind of charges.”
Courtney’s chest tightened. “That means that Neil may still be in danger, doesn’t it?”
“Could be,” McGrady admitted regretfully.
Until that moment, Courtney hadn’t realized the failed attempt might not be the end of the danger. Neil’s life could still be in jeopardy every minute of every day. A hurricane of emotions suddenly assaulted her. All doubts about how she felt about him were swept away.
“You have to do something,” she pleaded. “You have to keep him safe.”
“We’re moving as fast as we can on the investigation,” McGrady assured her.
“Sounds to me like those
men mean business,” Devanna warned.
“We’ll do our best to make sure your niece isn’t put through that kind of trauma again,” McGrady said. “Neil agrees with me.”
“Looks like this Neil fellow has set himself up as a prize target,” Devanna commented briskly. “If she keeps running around with him, no telling what might happen.”
“It’s true. Someone may want to get even with Neil through her.” He turned to Courtney. “Might be a good idea to watch your back.”
“Yes, she should be careful,” Devanna agreed. Reaching over, she patted Courtney’s hand. “We have to keep Jamie’s mommy safe, don’t we?”
“It’s Neil who’s in danger,” Courtney insisted, drawing her hand away. “I want to help. What can I do?”
“Stay alert,” McGrady answered readily. “If you remember something that doesn’t add up, let me know. Sometimes the missing piece to a puzzle shows up where we least expect it.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Devanna agreed. “You just have to be open to suggestion. Sometimes the answer is right in front of you.”
Courtney was in no mood to follow her aunt’s meandering logic. The situation seemed clear enough. McGrady needed to find some hard evidence against the gunman who had tried to send her and Neil to their deaths.
“Maybe Neil should have a bodyguard.”
McGrady chuckled. “I can’t see a strong-minded guy like Neil taking to having a nursemaid, can you? We’ll keep enough heat on Delaney and Woodword to make sure they don’t try it again.” He got up to take his leave. “Oh, by the way. The officers that checked out the wrecked car found your purse. I gave it to Neil and he said he would see that you got it.”
A wave of relief swept over her.
After talking a few more minutes, McGrady took his leave, promising to keep them informed. Devanna seemed in an especially good mood after he left, but his visit had stirred up a myriad of emotions in Courtney.
“I’m going to take a walk,” she told her aunt when the baby woke up. She needed to get away somewhere to think and come to terms with the churning inside her.
