“I might be volunteering prematurely. I haven’t spoken to them since they used me to break into houses.”
“They did what?” Now he had to know what happened.
“It’s a long story, but I used to moonlight at a property management company to help pay off my debt. My friends came to work with me when they were visiting, and while I wasn’t paying attention, they accessed the company computers to find out which homes were unoccupied. They, along with a couple of guys, would break in and steal electronic equipment and anything else they thought was of value.”
“Right. I remember reading about that in the paper. But I had no idea you were involved.”
“Only as their unsuspecting patsy.” She shook her head. “I’m still reeling over what they did, but I’m willing to ask them about the vandalism.”
“No. I don’t want to put you in that kind of position. The police will handle it.”
“That’s just it. I heard from Nicole and Bailey that the police had more pressing things to deal with.”
He ran a hand along the back of his neck. “True, but things have been quiet the past few days—not one problem at any of our work sites has been reported. Maybe they’ve found something else to occupy their time.”
“That’s doubtful. Those crimes were directed at Belafonte job sites for a reason, and people like that don’t stop until they get what they want.”
“What do you think they want?” He’d love to hear an outsider’s opinion. His brothers were convinced it was the job of a disgruntled past employee.
“Beats me.”
He sighed. “Yeah. Me too.” They had to be missing something or someone. The only two employees any of them could come up with accounted for their whereabouts during the time the vandalism was suspected to have happened. What were they missing? His phone rang. He checked the number—blocked. “Belafonte Construction. John speaking.”
Silence.
“Hello?”
Nothing.
He disconnected the call as unease gripped him.
Spencer sat in a closed-door meeting with Mark and the Belafonte brothers. Each of them had received phone calls with silence on the other end. Ordinarily he would think little of it, but considering everything that had happened, he and Mark decided to bring the brothers into the PD.
Mark flipped a pen back and forth between his fingers. “So all of the calls came from blocked numbers, and you couldn’t hear anything at all in the background?”
The men all nodded.
Spencer frowned. It would be more helpful if they’d heard typing, a train, voices in the distance, a horn honking—anything that would give them something to work with, but complete silence didn’t move their investigation forward. “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do with that. I suggest installing surveillance cameras around your construction sites, and as far as design jobs go, don’t tell anyone where you are working, and ask your clients and workers to stay quiet.”
Stephen shook his head. “How are we supposed to do that without scaring them away? And forget about keeping the contractors quiet. There’s no way we can enforce that.”
John sat up straighter. “What if we do a promotion of sorts? We take before and after photos and then put it on our website for people to vote on. The winner will get fifty percent off the cost of labor. But the homeowners must sign a confidentiality agreement to be eligible. I know it doesn’t address the problem of all the workers, but it would help, and it might even be good for business.”
“I like it,” Stephen said. “Will you work on that, John? In the meantime we’ll get security cameras set up at the site where Rick is currently building.”
Spencer liked how the men thought, but it didn’t change anything. They were no closer to knowing who was targeting the Belafontes. “Meanwhile, Mark and I will work on following any leads that come up.”
Rick stood. “Okay, then. If we’re done here, I have work to do.”
Spencer nodded. “We’ll be in touch.”
The brothers filed out the door.
Spencer looked to Mark. “What do you think?”
The other man blew out a long breath. “Either they angered the wrong person, or we have a series of coincidences.”
“I don’t believe in coincidence—at least not that many.”
Mark frowned. “Me either. Too bad we were unable to pull any usable evidence from the areas that were vandalized. It turned out the spray paint was already on site, so we couldn’t even track its purchase.”
“That in itself is a clue.” Spencer leaned forward. “They didn’t bring the paint, so either they hadn’t intended to leave a message, but they did it anyway, or they knew there’d be spray paint onsite, and it was all part of the bigger plan. They wanted the Belafontes to know they were being targeted and that the vandalism wasn’t random.”
Mark’s brow rose. “I suppose they could have brought their own method of displaying their message but when they saw the spray can used that instead.”
“It’s possible. At this point, we need to wait and see if they strike again in front of the surveillance cameras.”
“Agreed.” Spencer stood. “I’ll step up patrols near the houses they are working on here in Sunriver, but their Bend projects are out of our jurisdiction.”
Too bad the hotel job was in Bend. If Spencer were a betting man, he’d say that would be their most logical target. It was no secret that they’d won the contract, and if they kept their other jobs quiet, the hotel was a no-brainer. He’d alert the Bend police to what was going on, but first he’d give Bailey and Sierra a heads up.
Chapter Seventeen
Sierra strolled through the hotel they would be redecorating. The place was in dire need of an update. Worn green carpet lined the hall leading to the bank of rooms where they would begin. Fortunately, replacing the carpet in the entire hotel was on the to-do list.
Sierra would tape off and paint one room at a time then the carpet installers would do their magic. The rest would be easy by comparison. At least she wasn’t responsible for painting every room. John and Bailey promised professional painters would be hired, too.
She stopped in the gift shop and bought a pack of M&M’s and a bottle of water then turned and nearly ran into a woman. “Excuse me.” Celia?
“Fancy meeting you here,” Celia said. A stiff smile lifted her lips.
“I was thinking the same thing. Are you a guest?” What a dumb question. Obviously she wasn’t since she lived in the area. Besides, they only had one wing of the hotel open right now due to the work being done.
“No. A friend is in town.”
Sierra nodded. “Have fun with your friend.”
“I will.” Celia sidestepped Sierra and rushed toward the registration desk.
Odd. She strolled down the hall toward the room she would be working in and stopped in the open doorway. John stood at the window looking out onto the parking lot. “Is everything okay?”
He turned. “I think so. Why do you ask?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” Spencer had called her yesterday warning her to be aware of her surroundings at all times while working at the hotel. He’d kind of freaked her out, but at the same time, he was probably only being cautious, considering all that had been going on at their jobsites. It was what he’d said to her later that evening that had kept her awake for half the night.
Spencer had asked her out and she’d accepted. She still couldn’t believe she’d said yes. They were going on a hike together this weekend. How would Trey react when he found out? Although he and Spencer seemed to have put the past behind them, she’d never dated anyone but Trey’s dad.
“Are you with me, Sierra?” John asked.
“Yes, sorry. My mind wandered. Will you repeat what you said?”
He grinned. “You had an odd look on your face. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were thinking about a man.”
“Ha! Why would I be doing that?”
He shrugged. “There’s no crime in daydreaming about Spencer.”
She gasped. “How’d you know?”
“I have eyes. Anyone paying attention can see the chemistry the two of you have.”
She sucked in her bottom lip. Did that mean Trey already knew too?
“What are you worried about?”
“Trey.”
He nodded. “Don’t stress your son’s reaction. He and I have met to jog regularly and—”
“You never said anything.”
“I didn’t realize I needed to. You asked me to talk with him, and I did. He reached out to me.”
“I had no idea. Are you the reason he’s okay with Spencer now?”
“It’s possible I had a little to do with it, but your son has a mind of his own.”
“That’s the truth!”
He chuckled. He motioned toward the M&Ms in her hand. “I picked you up a bag too.”
She placed the candy inside her purse. She hated that he was so observant. M&Ms were a vice she’d never been able to kick.
“Think fast.” He flicked a bag of M&Ms at her.
She snatched it from the air. “Thanks.”
He laughed.
“What?”
“Trey told me to do that. He said you never miss. I didn’t believe him.” He shrugged. “Looks like he may have been right.”
“It’s a gift. So he’s the one who told you about my M&M addiction.”
John only grinned. “I’ve alerted the hotel manager to be vigilant about security. Please keep your eyes open while you’re here. Watch for anyone acting suspiciously and report it to me immediately.”
Alarm bells went off inside her. “Is there something else I should know? Spencer warned me as well.” She’d been freaked out when Spencer alerted her to be aware of her surroundings and anything suspicious, but then calmed since he was a cop and probably was overly cautious because of all the stuff he’d seen. John, however, was a different story.
He glanced toward the open door. “Take a walk with me.”
She nodded and tore the top off her bag of candy. She poured several into her palm then tossed them into her mouth. She bit through the candy coating and let the chocolate melt in her mouth. Mmm. She strode beside John until they got to the parking lot. He moved to an area with nothing around where no one would be able to lurk unnoticed.
“We received a threat,” John said.
Sierra’s pulse kicked into double time. “Tell me about it.”
“It was in a note taped to the door at my mom’s house warning us to back off.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? What are we supposed to back off from?”
“We don’t know. But our case is now a priority for the police.”
Her thoughts flew to her son. “Is Trey in any danger?”
“I don’t think so, but who knows.” He rubbed the base of his neck. “I’m not in this person’s head. I can’t say for sure about anything.”
“I understand.” Worry nibbled at her mind. She needed to warn her son to be aware of his surroundings at all times and no more running alone. Although it sounded like he’d been running with John. “Why didn’t Spencer say anything to me about this?”
“At first we asked that this be kept on the down low, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wasn’t fair to stay quiet.”
“I appreciate you letting me know. I need to make a call, then get to work.” Her phone rang.
John nodded. “I’ll let you get to it.” He strode toward the hotel entrance.
She didn’t recognize the caller I.D. “Hello?”
“Sierra. This is Bailey.” A group of women congregated nearby laughing and talking loudly.
Sierra covered her other ear and strained to hear Bailey over the ruckus.
“Would you run to the house and pick up something for me? I need a few samples right away.”
“I’m kind of busy here. Can’t you get it yourself? You’re a lot closer to the house than I am.”
Silence.
“Bailey?” Okay, so maybe she shouldn’t have questioned her. She’d never thought her boss the kind of person to act like this, but maybe she was having a bad day. The group of women came closer. Sierra moved away, but it didn’t do any good.
“I can’t. I really need your help.”
Sierra sighed. “Are you feeling okay? Your voice sounds funny.” Or maybe it was the combination of the loud women and her phone acting up. It wouldn’t be the first time voices had sounded distorted in her phone.
Bailey cleared her throat. “I’m catching a cold.”
“Oh.” She listened as Bailey asked her to bring the carpet samples sitting by the file cabinet in her office. Funny, she didn’t recall seeing any carpet. “I’ll get it to you ASAP.” She disconnected the call, then shot a text to John explaining she had to run an errand for Bailey at his mom’s house, then she’d be back to paint.
Traffic moved along at a nice clip, and in under forty minutes Sierra pulled up to Mona’s house. She slid out of her SUV. A hint of smoke tickled her nose. Someone must have lit the fireplace.
She jogged to the door and thrust it open.
Smoke! Her pulse kicked into double time. She waved a hand in front of her face and blinked her stinging eyes.
“Help! Someone help me!”
“Mona!” The older woman stood at the top of the stairs. “Stay there. I’ll be right up.” Sierra ducked low and took the stairs as fast as her legs would move. Her throat burned from the smoke. She coughed as she reached the top landing. “I’m here. It’s going to be okay.” She coughed again.
Terror covered Mona’s face. She clung to Sierra’s arm.
“Easy now.” She blinked as if that would clear the smoke from her burning eyes. Not for the first time in her life, she wished she were bigger and stronger. Mona would take forever walking down these stairs, and there was no way she could carry the woman who stood taller than she did.
Together they eased down one step and then the next. She reached into her pocket for her cell phone to call 911—empty. It must be in her SUV. A large form entered through the front door. “Up here. Help!” Was that a firefighter? Visibility had diminished as they continued down one step at a time. Halfway to the bottom a man who was now clearly a firefighter swooped Mona into his arms and motioned her ahead of him.
Sierra stooped low and rushed down the stairs. She swept through the front entrance and kept going until another firefighter stopped her.
“Is anyone else inside?” he asked.
“I don’t think so. Mona should have been the only one home. How did you know about the fire? I left my phone in my car and didn’t have time to call 911.”
“Someone else must have called. Excuse me.” He strode away.
She looked around for Mona and found her at the ambulance. On shaky legs, Sierra made her way over to the matriarch of the Belafonte family. “How are you, Mrs. Belafonte?”
“Considering my house is on fire. I’m doing quite well. It’s a good thing my nose still works.” She coughed. “I guess the smoke detectors need new batteries.”
That was right . . . she hadn’t heard even one going off—odd. “I’ll call your family and let them know what happened.” She hustled to her SUV and phoned John, then Bailey.
“Bailey, there was a fire at Mona’s. It’s a good thing you sent me here, or I don’t think she would have made it out before she was overcome with smoke.”
“There’s a fire? And what do you mean I sent you there? We haven’t spoken since yesterday.”
John raced to his mother’s house. Why had she been alone? When one of the family members couldn’t be there, they made arrangements for her nurse’s assistant to be there. How had the house caught fire? He pressed the gas harder, exceeding the speed limit. He’d phoned Rick before leaving the hotel. Hopefully his brother would be able to get there faster than him. He hated the idea of his mom being without one of them.
He took the Sunriver exit and eased up on the gas. His mind raced with questions that couldn’t be answered. Sierra said she’d call Bailey who was with Stephen. They were the closest, so hopefully they’d already be with his mom.
His mother’s driveway finally came into sight. He slowed for the turn then eased up the driveway only making it three quarters of the way because of fire trucks and a police car blocking it. He pulled over to the side so they would be able to get out.
He killed the engine then ran toward his family and Sierra gathered near her SUV.
Stephen waved. “Take it easy, John. Everyone is okay. They took Mom to St. Charles hospital as a precaution. Rick and Gail will meet her there.”
“If Mom is there, why are we here?” Relief washed over him. At least his older brother and his wife were with his mom, but why hadn’t anyone let him know she was being taken there? He could have been waiting for her since the hotel wasn’t far from the hospital.
“Spencer needed one of us to stay here. Since you were already on your way, and I know how fast you drive, I decided not to call.”
John frowned. He had a reputation for speeding but still wished they’d called. “What’s wrong with Mom? And why was she alone?”
“The medics felt like she should see a doctor to make sure she was okay.”
“Given her medical history, that was a good idea,” John said.
“That’s exactly what I thought,” Stephen agreed. “As to why she was alone, I have no idea. I didn’t think of it until you asked.”
John yanked his phone from his pocket and pulled up the number for the woman who was supposed to be with his mother.
“Hello?”
“This is John Belafonte.”
“Hi! How’s the outing going with Mona?”
“What outing?”
“Sierra called last night and said you would be taking her on a family outing today and that you might be a little late arriving. She said I didn’t need to wait.”
He shook his head. That made no sense.
“Is there a problem?” Concern edged the woman’s voice.
“None other than your services are no longer required.” He did his best to not raise his voice, but suddenly his family’s attention had shifted to him.
Designing Love: An Inspirational Romance (Sunriver Dreams Book 3) Page 12
