Abandoned (The Beckett Series Book 6)

by Mary Martinez

  She went to the door to greet them. They both nodded at her and stepped through into her living room. She could tell they weren’t happy with Patrick’s presence.

  “Agent, what would you like us to do?” Beckworth’s rude tone was almost on the verge of insubordination. Good thing Patrick wasn’t their supervisor.

  Chapter Five

  Patrick eyed the two officers, their stances suggested they’d rather be waiting for the guillotine then help a federal agent. Some officers were grateful for the extra help, others resented it. Typically, the smaller the town the more resentment. Instead of taking the help, thankful for the extra manpower, they choose to take it as an insult as if they couldn’t solve the crime on their own.

  Most the time that was not the case. Patrick opted to hold his judgement until he determined if this was the case here or not.

  Ignoring their disgruntlement he brought them up to speed. As Glenna led the two to her bedroom, the thought of an intruder in her private domain, made his blood boil.

  “Watch that, officer. Ms. Beckett has some antiques in here.”

  “Oh we’ll be careful with the princess’s toys.” Jones grinned at his partner.

  “Jones, be respectful.” Beckworth admonished the other man as if he were a child.

  Patrick took Glenna to wait in her small kitchen while her bedroom was thoroughly dusted. He was beginning to think, this is one of those case where the town department needed someone else to solve the crime, because the idiot Jones couldn’t solve anything.

  By the time they were finished with the room, Patrick was reluctant to let Jones into the other areas of the house because they’d made such a mess. He’d seen worse of course, but there was no excuse for tossing Glenna’s room. It was one of his pet peeves when officers left such a mess.

  “Are you going to clean up your mess before you leave?” Patrick asked, even though he knew the answer.

  “Sorry Agent, we have other assignments more important.” Jones answered before Beckworth had a chance. The older man gave Jones a frown.

  Beckworth turned to Patrick. “Where else do you need dusted?”

  “The only place we know for certain was her room, though there is no evidence the intruder spent any time in any of the other rooms. It’s anyone’s guess. What is your recommendation?”

  Beckworth’s brow shot up in surprise. Patrick had learned if you ignore their rudeness and answer it professionally with a request for their opinion it usually defused the situation.

  “I don’t think there is any way to know unless we dust the rest of the rooms.” He tossed a glance at his partner, Jones looked far from happy. “Let’s finish up, and be as careful as you can.”

  Now that he knew Beckworth would watch Jones, he would take Glenna outside where she wouldn’t have to see the cops make more of a mess. He could tell she found the situation disturbing on top of everything else.

  “Come on,” he said to her as he walked to the door and held it. She seemed reluctant to leave her home at the mercy of the two officers, but she finally followed.

  “I’d like to ask some more questions about Gordon, but it’s getting late. I would like to do a little research. Can you write everything you do know about your fiancé? Also, if you have any idea why he seemed to be looking for something at your shop.”

  She bit her lip and gazed toward her little cottage. She swallowed and then turned her attention to him. “I’ve been trying to figure that out ever since Alex told me he seemed to be searching through the antiques, and that was before the non-wedding.”

  “Non-wedding?”

  “I can hardly call it my wedding day. Do you know how humiliating it is to watch friends and family, all gather only to be told, whoops sorry groom was a no-show?”

  “I can only imagine, but you seem to be recovering just fine.”

  “Well, only because I came to the realization that I wasn’t really in love with him. And it was my non-wedding day I discovered that little fact.”

  “And how did you discover that little fact?” Patrick figured being in love with the man you were going to marry should have been a big fact.

  “I realized I was more worried about the trouble the Elders and the little generals had gone to. And that’s not even counting all the food. It was almost as an afterthought I wondered if Lance could be hurt. When I found he hadn’t even made a reservation at the hotel nor was he on any of the flights, I was just mad and humiliated. The hurt from being jilted wasn’t even more than a small pinch.” She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him. “I think that’s a bit telling about my feelings for the man.”

  He’d heard everything she had said, and he was appalled at the fact he was so relieved to hear she wasn’t still in love with the bastard. He buried the feeling to pull out later and examine. He tapped on the note app he used on his smart phone and handed it to her. She bent her head over his phone and entered in what she knew about Lance.

  He wasn’t sure how he felt about Glenna Beckett. He’d been ready to dismiss her as a carbon copy of Joyce. But during the day, she’d been knocking down his preconceived notions. One by One. Dammit. It was a lot easier to disregard his fascination with the woman when he thought the worst of her.

  The screen opened and the two officer’s stepped out, they did not address her. Jones looked sullen and avoided eye contact with Patrick. He must have been reprimanded.

  Officer Beckworth came toward him, flipping off his latex gloves at the same time. “Agent McGinnis, we have all we need. We’ll be on our way now. We’ve cleaned the best we could. Probably need a cleaner to do a better job.”

  And with that they climbed into the car and left. Glenna’s gaze followed their progress to the corner where they turned and were out of sight. She turned to look at her little house, with a frown creasing her brow.

  “It feels like such an invasion,” she said.

  He nodded at the list she was making. “Are you finished?”

  She handed his phone back and then turned to go into the house.

  “Wait, let me help clean up. Then I better go home and fix dinner.”

  He followed her inside. They’d done a credible job, it wasn’t anywhere as bad as usual. He helped her tidy up until her home was back in order. “You really love this place?”

  She regarded him for a moment and then let her gaze wander around the room, pausing on certain items. Her expression said it all. She more than loved this place, this was something she was building for herself piece by piece. And she felt violated because someone had broken in when she wasn’t home and touched her things. He suspected it would be awhile before she felt safe again.

  “I really do, it still has a long way before it meets my vision. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Before I go, I need to do a sweep. Are you going to be all right alone here?”

  “Yes. Maybe I should invest in an alarm system.”

  “That might be a good idea.” He left to do the sweep before he did something dumb, like kiss her.

  Unless there was new technology out on the Dark web he didn’t find anything, and he hadn’t heard about any new listening software. It appeared whoever it was wanted something. The disturbing part was that he or she had wanted Glenna to know, did they?

  “Glenna, did Lance like Agnes?”

  She barked out a short laugh. “He hated Agnes, and the feeling was mutual.”

  There was no message left other than putting Agnes in a cage. It could have been Lance. Or it could have been they had put the cat in the kennel to keep her out of the way.

  “Your house appears to be clean of listening devices. Meaning, I didn’t find anything. The problem is the fact whoever did this, put the cat in that cage to get your attention, or simply keep her out of the way.”

  He made one last walk through. As he did so he noticed all the attention she’d paid to the colors, the furnishings. Some weren’t new, but they were all in good condition.

  “You really do love this h
ome.”

  “Yes I do.” She placed her hands on her hips. “You sound so surprised.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m just thinking of my ex.”

  “Joyce?”

  So she’d figured out Joyce was Finn’s mother. She wouldn’t be flattered if she found out he’d compared her to be the same type of woman.

  “Yes. She would have hated this house. She had to have everything on a grand scale. I could never keep up with her tastes.”

  “Why did you marry her then?”

  “Finn. She was pregnant, and though I wasn’t finished with my degree, I was thrilled to be a father.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Last I heard she was on a yacht with her current husband heading to Monaco.”

  “But why is Finn with you?” Her eyes widened and for a moment she looked horrified. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way. If she’s in another country, is he with you while she is gone on her trip?”

  “Finn has never met his mother, well that is, since she gave birth.”

  “What?” She almost shouted. “How on earth could she just leave her child?”

  “She had no problem what so ever. She had expected me to keep her in the way she felt she was entitled. What I don’t understand was how she expected me to pay for her tastes. She knew I was going into criminal justice to be in law enforcement. She stuck around with us until Finn was about three months old. As soon as she had her figure back she snagged a rich husband and that was the last I saw her.”

  She reached over and laid a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry. Have you had any help with your son? Is your sister able to help at all?”

  He felt the warmth run up his arm. “My parents live close by, without my mom’s help I would never have been able to do it. Margaret Kathleen has a couple of kids of her own. Our kids are close. I imagine from what I’d gathered from Tyler, my family is much smaller than yours, but just as close.”

  “I’m glad you have that support. Drive safe, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Dismissed.

  “Lock up after I leave.”

  “I plan on it.”

  As he left, he noticed the old neighbor next door. He took a detour on the way to the car. The man regarded him with distrust.

  “What do you want?” The gruffness of the older man’s voice was rusty from lack of use.

  “I wanted to ask you a few questions.” Patrick tried to sound as friendly as he could. “Someone broke into Ms. Beckett’s house. I was hoping you had seen something?”

  Barlow’s gaze landed on Glenna’s house. For a moment Patrick didn’t think he’d get an answer.

  “Only person snooping around was that young fop that’s always coming and going.”

  Fop? Patrick wasn’t sure what that meant. But he caught the reference. It could only be Lance. “Can you give me a description of the vehicle he drove?”

  The old man deepened his scowl, which hadn’t seemed possible. “The young scallywag came on foot, if he drove he didn’t park anywhere I could see.”

  Frustrating, he’d hoped to have some type of car or partial license plate. He pulled out a card. “If you see him around here again, would you please call me immediately?”

  “How you expect me to call? Ain’t got no phone, nobody to call.”

  Well that was inconvenient. “Do you mind keeping a look out? And the next time you see me, let me know?”

  “You planning to hang around now?”

  “I’m a Federal Agent on a case.”

  “Case for what? I didn’t think it was against federal law for young folks to go cavorting around.”

  Cavorting? How old was this guy? He peered closer at him in the waning light. He did look old. He may have even been in his 90’s.

  “A young woman was murdered at Ms. Beckett’s antique shop while she was out of town.”

  “Yeah, I watched that damn cat for her. Thought she went and got herself hitched to that young fella, the one snooping around here earlier today.”

  Bingo!

  “If you see him again, will you borrow someone’s phone and call me?”

  “None of my business.”

  As he started to turn away, Patrick decided to play a hunch. “Ms. Beckett is in danger.”

  The old man whipped around, as fast as any old person could whip around that is, and stared at him.

  “That young poppycock means that girl harm?”

  Poppycock? God, had he stepped back in time?

  “We can only assume he’s looking for something he believes she has. He may harm her in order to get his hands on it.”

  “Well what is it? Seems to me the problem would be solved if you got rid of whatever he’s looking for.”

  “You’re right, but we need to figure out what it is.”

  He huffed and again turned toward his house. “I’ll keep an eye on the young gal, don’t you worry.”

  He wasn’t sure if he felt reassured or not. One thing he did know, Lance Gordon was alive and well, snooping around Calistoga. He glanced toward the little cottage. If he was the murderer, Glenna wasn’t safe.

  He looked at the time, after five in the evening. Not that late in New York. He went to his SUV and climbed in. He didn’t start the engine, instead he punched in Tyler’s number. As it was against the law to drive in California while talking on the phone, he automatically set the call to Bluetooth, even if he was just idling. If he remembered correctly, Glenna’s twin lived in San Francisco. Maybe Glenna could stay with her. It would be inconvenient but better than being dead.

  “Tyler, sorry it’s so late.”

  “Is something wrong with Glenna?”

  “Could be. Someone broke in to her home. Actually there was no sign of a break in, thought Glenna had locked her door.”

  “Was anything missing?”

  “Nothing that Glenna could see, they were looking for something. But I’m pretty sure it was Gordon.”

  “There in Calistoga?”

  “I spoke to the neighbor and he said that the young ‘fop’ that’s been coming and going for a while was at her house today.”

  “Oh you’ve been talking to old Mr. Barlow.”

  “Yeah, how old is the guy?”

  “Not sure, but I think he reads historical novels or something because I swear whatever comes out of his mouth sounds like it’s from a couple of centuries ago.” There was silence on the line. “Glenna can’t stay there alone.”

  “Didn’t you say her twin lives around San Fran?” Patrick asked.

  “She did, but she now lives in D.C. with her husband and daughter.”

  “I’ll see if she can stay with her friend Effie.”

  “Aw, so you’ve met the pink elf.” Tyler ended in a chuckle.

  “Yes, Glenna thinks she was Tinkerbell in another life.”

  “She could have been. That’s a good idea.”

  “If that isn’t going to work, does your family have anyone else out this way? She can’t stay alone, I’d ask her to go home to Brooklyn if I thought she would.” Patrick ran his free hand through his hair, glancing over to the small cottage.

  “No, I’m sure that’s out. Glenna is a strong woman, she’ll want to see this through, not turn tail and run.”

  “I was afraid you’d say that. Finn and I may end up with a roommate for a few days. I have a spare bedroom for when my sister’s kids stay over.”

  “Won’t cramp your style with the ladies?”

  “There are no ladies to worry about. I’ll keep you updated on any developments.”

  After Patrick thumbed the phone off, with his attention still on Glenna’s home he let his thoughts wander a moment. That morning when he’d met her, he wouldn’t have entertained the thought of her staying with him. However, even though he hardly knew her, he’d learned enough that other than having physical attributes similar to his ex, that’s as far as the similarities went. Glenna cared about more than herself. She wasn’t a snob.

  He might as well go back inside a
nd give her the news and wait for her to pack her bags. Hopefully, Effie had a place for her person to stay.

  At the door he knocked, it swung open immediately. She didn’t seem surprised that he hadn’t left. But then she could see the drive from her window.

  “What did Mr. Barlow have to say?”

  She’d been watching.

  “He said Lance was here.”

  “He knew his name?”

  “No, he called him a young fop.”

  “A what?”

  “I don’t know, I’m going to Google it tonight. But the thing is, if he’s the murderer you can’t stay here.”

  “He may be a lot of things, but he’s not a murderer.”

  “Are you willing to stake your life on that?”

  She was quiet for a few moments. Then she went to the couch and dropped down onto the brown cushion.

  “Do you think you could stay with Effie for a few days?”

  “Ordinarily yes, but…”

  “But? Is she going somewhere?”

  “She’s staying at her parents’ home. She had some plumbing issues and it’s going to be another few days before she can move home.”

  For a moment, he was tempted to ask if she couldn’t stay there. If he took her home he could see all kinds of complications in his future. Not to mention he always tried to keep his home life separate from his work life.

  “A hotel stay would be prudent for a few days.”

  It took Glenna a moment before she answered, she seemed to be avoiding his gaze. “I will be extra careful. There’s really no need. First thing in the morning I’ll change the locks.”

  “Locks won’t keep someone determined out. You’re not staying here. Tell me what hotel. We’ll get you settled before I head home.”

  Another pause. “I don’t think my bank account can handle the added expense after my disaster of a non-wedding.”

  Damn. He hadn’t considered that. So much for keeping his home life and work life separate.

  The two were about to collide with a vengeance.