When she walked past the window in her room she raised her eyebrows and blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was.
Sawyer Hamilton’s truck, still parked in her driveway. Still watching out for her. Was the man planning to stay there all night?
And how could he keep being so kind to her when she kept pushing him away, and not very nicely, again and again?
* * *
Kelsey had slept fitfully all night, and had thought about trudging downstairs at a little after three in the morning to apologize to Sawyer. But she knew that doing so would be foolish when his purpose in being out there was to keep her safe. Leaving the house in the darkness was probably not doing her best to protect herself—and anyway, he was probably sleeping, and it would be rude to wake him.
In the morning she dressed with a little extra care, which was ridiculous, but Kelsey already felt insecure about the way she’d treated Sawyer yesterday and somehow it made her feel better to think that she’d be looking her best. After that, she headed for the kitchen and made coffee, drinking it while she worked on breakfast—scrambled eggs, leftover biscuits from last night and bacon.
She set out two plates, put the food on the table, then took a deep breath and headed outside.
With the way the new day was beginning, the nearly cloudless sky, and the warmth of the Georgia summer, it didn’t feel like anything could go wrong today. It was the sort of day when she wished she were the sort of person who didn’t take work so seriously so that she could play hooky and take a beach day.
But Kelsey wouldn’t do that. She shook off the idea before it could plant itself in her mind.
Instead she lifted her hand to knock lightly on Sawyer’s window. He was asleep, head leaned back against the headrest, his hair looking a little more rumpled than usual, the same with his shirt.
It only took a couple of knocks for him to sit up straight, shake his head and roll down the window. “I must have nodded off just as the sun was coming up. I tried to stay awake.”
Nothing in his tone gave away that he was harboring any kind of grudge from their argument the night before. Had he forgotten? Kelsey was pretty sure she hadn’t exagerated how awful she’d been in her mind. He deserved an apology.
“Listen, Sawyer, I can’t believe you stayed out here all night.”
“It was nothing. Someone needed to, Kelsey.”
The way he said her name, the particular way his masculine Southern drawl stretched it out, warmed her inside. Still, though, the longer she was out here, the more uncomfortable she got. Being out in the open like this couldn’t be a good idea, could it?
“I have more to say...” She hesitated, then rushed out her words. “Can you come inside for a minute?”
“Yeah, I’d love to stretch my legs.”
Kelsey didn’t wait for him to say anything else, just hurried back inside. By the time she’d made it past the front door her heart was pounding in her ears, but nothing had happened. She was safe. Treasure Point had never been her favorite place. She didn’t hold the same nostalgia for it that a lot of townspeople seemed to, but the place had never given her a reason to feel scared, even when she was a police officer. That had all changed now and it felt oddly like a betrayal, although Kelsey didn’t know why. For one thing, the town itself didn’t have thoughts or feelings to make betrayal possible, obviously. And for another, hadn’t Kelsey betrayed the town first by leaving, without a single look back, as soon as she was able?
For all the good that had done her. Maybe the naysayers had been right, after all—maybe a small-town girl like her never would amount to much. Maybe coming from a small town meant she was destined for small things.
“Is that bacon?” Sawyer sniffed as he stepped inside and locked the door behind him. She appreciated his concern for her safety.
“I fixed breakfast. As a thank-you...and an apology. I was out of line last night and I’m sorry.”
Sawyer met her eyes, something that Kelsey found surprisingly comforting. “It’s okay. It’s been a rough few days for you.”
“It’s still no excuse.”
“Well, it’s fine. No hard feelings.”
“Let’s eat, then. I need to get to the museum before it gets too late and I’m sure you must have places to be...” She hadn’t realized until then that she didn’t know exactly what Sawyer was doing in Treasure Point. “What, um...” As they sat down at the table, she searched for a way to ask the question that wouldn’t come across as “Why are you here?” but had trouble finding one. She finally settled on, “What brings you back to town?”
“The museum reopening. Aunt Mary’s health isn’t doing the best, and while my parents are in town they have a lot of other engagements, so since someone from the family needed to be present for the ceremonies and everything, and it was a bigger commitment than my parents could handle, they asked me to do it.”
“So you’re literally here because you’re a Hamilton.”
“I thought you were sorry about—”
“No, I’m not saying it that way.” Kelsey’s cheeks flushed. “I just think it’s amazing that you’re back in town for that reason, and yet you...you’re here right when I guess I needed someone.”
Sawyer set his fork down. His eyes met her eyes as he lifted his coffee mug and took a long sip of coffee. “Speaking of which, I have a proposition for you.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve been thinking about whoever is after you. And I think it has to do with the museum.”
“I agree.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” She nodded. “If I’d witnessed some random person’s murder, it would be obvious the killer was after me just because I was a witness, but it isn’t like that.”
“No, it’s not.”
“I think Michael Wingate was killed because of his job, so I think I would have been in danger because of mine, since I’d be in the best position to uncover whatever it is he was killed for.”
“I completely agree. Thought about it last night in my truck.”
“So I want to do my job today at the museum while trying to learn what Michael could have known or seen that would have made him a target. There’s one exhibit in particular I have suspicions about, but I could be wrong. In any case, I feel like if I can figure that out, maybe I can pass it on to Clay or someone else at the police department, and maybe it’ll give them a lead to follow.”
“You do know you don’t have to do this investigation yourself.”
“You said that last night,” she said in a dry tone.
“But, really, you trust these guys. Let them do their jobs.”
Kelsey shook her head. “Working at the museum and examining the exhibits is my job. I’ll just be keeping an eye out for anything that might have a dangerous connection. And anyway, something about the way the chief was talking last night makes me think they don’t have much yet. They need all the help they can get.”
“If you’re determined to do this, then here’s my proposition.” He looked at her for a long minute, not saying anything, and once again she was a little disconcerted by how comfortable she felt under his gaze and how much it unsettled her at the same time—but in a nice way. A butterflies-in-her-stomach sort of way, oddly enough.
“I’m ready.”
SEVEN
“If it has something to do with the museum, you’ll need to do more research into whatever it is to make sense of it,” Sawyer began, leading into his semibrilliant—code for “potentially crazy”—plan. “If whatever set the killer off has to do with the museum, there’s probably a specific reason he chose to attack and you’ll need to do more research to see what could have triggered him.”
“True. I agree.”
“I happen to have access to part of Aunt Mary’s l
ibrary. Most of it was destroyed in the fire there a few years ago, but some had been stored in boxes at my parents’ house—a lot of it duplicates to what my aunt had in her house already. It’s all in boxes in my parents’ attic right now, but still, it’s probably the most complete in this area as far as historical records, especially as they relate to Treasure Point. You let me come with you to the museum while you work, help make sure you stay alive, give you an unofficial partner in your very unofficial investigation, and I’ll let you use the library as a resource.”
He’d won her over with the books. Sawyer could see it on her face even as she pretended to keep considering it. He managed to keep his smile from becoming a broad grin, but just barely.
Finally she verbalized what he’d already seen. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Great.” He looked at his watch. “Now we need to hurry or you’ll be late.”
“I set my own hours, actually, so I don’t have to be there at the same time every day.”
“That must be nice.”
She shrugged. “It has pros and cons. I appreciate the flexibility, but the nature of the job sometimes means I’m working all day long with no breaks and staying past five because that’s just how it works out.”
“And did you tell me you’re working this job and another?”
The look on her face said something, but Sawyer wasn’t sure what.
“Yes. An estate on St. Simons.”
“Swanky?”
Kelsey laughed. “I’m pretty sure no one has used that word this side of the year 2000.”
“Hey, I don’t see any good reason to give up a perfectly functional word.”
“Whatever. But yes, it’s quite swanky. Their antiques collection is almost unfathomable for a private collector.”
“I don’t know how you usually do research to estimate insurance values, but my aunt has quite a few antiques books you’re welcome to look through, too, if you think any of those could help you out.”
“I’d love that.” She took another sip of coffee. “But why are you helping me so much? I should have asked you this earlier. What’s in it for you?”
“Knowing I got to help out and keep a former classmate alive isn’t good enough?”
She shook her head. “You slept in your truck. That’s above and beyond. What else is there?”
So much more. Not the least of which was the fact that he’d pieced together what she hadn’t said last night in that explosive conversation. His suspicions last night had been correct about that scholarship—the one that had given him the chance to double major in business and marine biology. The Hamiltons might have had plenty of money, but his father had made it clear that business was what Sawyer was supposed to focus on, and that was what the money would be going toward.
The man hadn’t realized his son would figure out another way to pay for the additional major, but Sawyer was nothing if not resourceful. His dad still hadn’t been thrilled, not seeing the point and sure that his business studies would suffer, but Sawyer had managed to keep above a 3.0 GPA and hang on to that scholarship all four years, and had come out with one degree that kept him from alienating his family, and one that gave him the skills to do something meaningful and personally rewarding.
Would he change anything if he could go back? Sawyer couldn’t honestly say, even after being confronted with the reality last night of all it had cost Kelsey, the years she’d had to wait to pursue her own dreams. But he had guilt—a nice, large helping—and doing something like this for her helped to alleviate some of it.
Besides, the only other thing he had going on in town were family obligations, which weren’t his favorite. Spending time with a woman who was his match in so many ways—not romantically, but her intellect, her sense of humor. He could think of worse things to do than finally build a friendship with her, the way he’d wanted to years ago.
“It’s worth it to me. Just know that.”
Kelsey didn’t ask any more questions out loud. But her eyes were still full of them as she cleared the table and they both loaded into Sawyer’s truck and headed for the museum—he didn’t like the idea of her driving when she could so easily be forced off the road in her small SUV. His truck would be better protection.
“So, where do we start?” Kelsey asked, after they pulled in. Sawyer was surprised she’d asked him, but then she continued talking. Apparently it had been a general question, not directed at him specifically. “Maybe they’ll let me into the room where the murder took place...”
“What?”
She’d already climbed out of the truck by then, so Sawyer followed her, looking around for anything that could have been a threat. He didn’t have any training in situational awareness, but it didn’t hurt to be conscious of his surroundings.
Clay Hitchcock was posted by the front door of the museum. “Morning, Clay,” Kelsey said as she approached.
“Good morning.”
“There are more officers here than yesterday,” Kelsey commented, a slight frown on her face. “Do you know why?”
Clay looked around, like he was trying to see if anyone was listening. “The alarm system was triggered last night.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “They didn’t get all the way in. We had an officer here all night, so as soon as the alarm was triggered, he went around to the back of the building and announced himself, and whoever it was got away.”
“But they’ll be back.”
“Maybe, maybe not—now that they know we’ve bumped up police presence here.”
“I wonder what they were after...”
“It’s related to the murder, though?” Sawyer asked. “Is that what y’all think, or could it be pure coincidence?”
“It’s not something I can discuss with either of you, since you’re not officers.” Clay smiled apologetically. “Sorry, you know how it goes, Kelsey.”
She nodded, surprising Sawyer. He’d expected her to put up more of a fight to be kept in the loop, even though it wasn’t really protocol. But Clay was a good guy, one with real integrity, which was probably why Kelsey didn’t bother to press with any more questions. Clay wouldn’t answer them, and it would just create tension for him to have to keep telling them no.
But Sawyer did smile a little as they went inside and Clay muttered under his breath. “Let me just say that I’ve never been one to believe in coincidences.”
* * *
“So, what were they after?”
Kelsey turned to Sawyer, who’d just voiced the question that had been on her mind.
“Whatever it is, they didn’t get it. Not if they left immediately after hearing there were police here.”
“So how do we figure out what it is? Where do we start?”
It was somewhat odd to have confident Sawyer Hamilton asking her for direction, but Kelsey couldn’t say she minded much. Actually, she appreciated the fact that he seemed to be perfectly willing to let her call the shots and be her sidekick in this...whatever she was doing.
Whether she should be doing it or not.
“Let’s stick with my original plan, before we heard about the break-in. I want to go in the room where the murder took place and make sure there’s nothing suspicious in there.”
“You were there, though, so you’d have seen if anything was left or taken.”
“True,” Kelsey agreed as she started down the hallway in the direction of that room. “But I want to walk through it anyway, go through what might have happened. There are a still a lot of things that room could tell us. While the location of the murder might have been coincidental, there’s a chance that something triggered it, something in that room. Know what I mean?”
“I do.” She heard the respect in his voice, and it meant a lot to her. It might not have been her dream career, but she’d
done her best to be a good law enforcement officer, had tried hard every day and had felt like she’d done a good job right up until the last case she’d worked.
But she didn’t want to think about that right now. Right now she was doing two things she was good at, dealing with the antiques in this museum that needed to be properly insured, and investigating this case that had turned personal. Better to focus on those things, on her successes, than the negatives.
“Let me know what you see. I’m afraid my specialty is more marine animals and their habitats,” Sawyer said with a laugh.
Kelsey stopped walking, and turned around. “Wait. I thought you were in business?”
He shook his head.
“But you were, right?” She didn’t finish the thought, but it didn’t really need finishing, it was so predictable—but you’re a Hamilton. The Hamilton family was known for its business successes and, in the younger generations, for its pride and arrogance about them. Mary Hamilton had never been pretentious. Old South proper, and a bit like royalty, yes, but she was also down-to-earth and caring. Kelsey couldn’t say the same thing about her nephew, Sawyer’s dad. The man had always struck her as one of the coldest people she’d ever met, but with a great head for business, as was evidenced by the success he’d had with his investments over the years.
“I was working with my dad until recently.”
“Kelsey, is that you?” Lieutenant Davies walked out of the room she’d been heading into, and nodded when he saw her. “I thought so. What are you up to this morning?”
“I’m finishing up the first pass of my assessment. I have this room and then one more,” she said smoothly. It was the truth. Not all of it, but she didn’t need to elaborate to anyone, especially anyone at the police department, that she was running her own unsanctioned investigation.
Perilous Homecoming Page 7
