Clues of the Heart: Baytown Boys Series

by Maryann Jordan

  Sandra Posten smiled as she waved them to two plush chairs in her office. “Please make yourselves comfortable.” As she settled behind her desk once more, she said, “William has filled me in and I’m so concerned about Walter. Do you have any new information?”

  “No, not now,” Gareth said smoothly. “We’re assisting the North Heron Sheriff’s Office, but since there’s no evidence of a crime at this point, we’re working for Mrs. Berry. What we’d like from you is your opinion of Walter Berry…his habits here at work, any social settings you may have seen him in, any conversations you might have had that would give us an idea of where he might be?”

  Wide-eyed, Sandra said, “Oh, I assure you that I have absolutely no idea where he might be. He’s always so prompt…very professional. In fact, I’m not sure he’s ever even been late to a meeting.”

  “You were hired last year I believe?” he prompted.

  Sandra’s face relaxed as she replied, “Yes…actually almost a year and a half now.”

  “And you’re happy here?” Katelyn asked.

  “Absolutely,” Sandra nodded. “My father is an accountant and, since I didn’t want to go work for Dad, this has been a wonderful place to work right out of college. Both Walter and William are easy-going and the business is extremely successful.” Leaning forward, she said, “That’s important, you know. I wouldn’t want to work for just any old run-of-the-mill firm.”

  With a glance around the office space, Katelyn easily recognized the expensive furniture and artwork on the walls. “This is your first accounting position?”

  A light blush stained Sandra’s cheeks as she licked her lips. “Yes…I actually traveled a bit in Europe right after college. I was married briefly but, that relationship ended badly, I’m afraid. So, I had not used my accounting degree but Walter was wonderful to take me on.”

  “Do you consider yourself close to the other members of this firm?”

  Chuckling delicately, she smoothed her hand over her hair and replied, “William is a father figure…a bit curmudgeon at times. And Walter? He’s been…” she paused as she gazed at her wall for a moment with a faraway smile playing about her lips, “he’s been very good to me.”

  Katelyn and Gareth shared a look before he asked, “And what about Beth and Carrie?”

  Immediately Sandra’s gaze shot back to his as her expression hardened momentarily before softening again. “Well, Carrie’s just a child, but Walter asked me to make sure she was welcome here and to take her under my wing. She’s...sweet.”

  “And Beth?” Katelyn prodded.

  Rolling her eyes as she lifted her shoulders slightly, Sandra quipped, “Adequate…for an office manager.”

  “Did Walter mention a trip to you last week?”

  “He said he would be gone on Friday and Monday…I just assumed it would be a long weekend trip. Mr. Maskey told us on Tuesday that Mrs. Berry called, concerned about Walter, but I didn’t have any way of contacting him. It was just one day, so I didn’t really know what to think. It’s so unusual for him not to contact anyone. Then yesterday, I was really sick so had to call in. I didn’t know he was still missing until today.”

  “And you have no idea where he might have gone or who he might be with?”

  Tapping her fingernail on the desk again, she gave a jerky shake of her head. “Walter was a very charming man and if you are asking me if he had a…lady friend other than his wife that he could be with, I can assure you that I don’t know.”

  “But it’s possible?” Katelyn asked, her voice soft.

  With a wince, Sandra replied, “Anything’s possible, Ms. MacFarlane.”

  Driving back over the bridge, Katelyn sat in silence as she turned the information about Walter Berry over and over in her mind. Finally, with a huff, she said, “You’re awfully quiet over there. What do you think?”

  Chuckling, Gareth said, “I could hear the wheels turning and was waiting for you to finish running through everything that we know so far.” Glancing to the side, he said, “I’m curious about what you’ve come up with.”

  Puffing her cheeks out with an exhale, she said, “Okay. One…we have a professional man who’s very socially active. So he meets a lot of people, used to involve his wife, but in the last several months has become more secretive and now we know was seeing a blonde woman with pink lipstick at a hotel. Two…his older partner is a bit baffled by the younger generation but has no reason to suspect Walter of any cavorting. Three…Walter’s been filling the office with younger women, all of whom seem to like Walter, but not each other very well.”

  “And his wife?”

  “Eleanor? Oh, geez…I guess four would be that he’s married to a nice woman who has been clueless about her husband’s extra-curricular activities.”

  “And next step?” he pushed.

  Pressing her lips together, Katelyn plotted. “Uh…I think we need to check out his finances and check into some of his other social outlets, such as the country club in Virginia Beach and our own local Dunes Resort, since he played golf there as well.” Turning back to him, she asked, “So how am I doing?”

  Laughing, Gareth nodded. “Good, you’re doing good. But you must remain objective and see Eleanor as our client and not our friend. Assumptions can give you a direction to investigate but don’t jump to conclusions. Now, since there are just the two of us, we will need to split up some of the tasks and, while you’re probably going to protest, I’ll check out the organizations in Virginia Beach and you work on compiling some of his finances. Since you’re used to the bookkeeping from the pub, you’ll have a good understanding of what to look for.”

  “Hmph. So I get some of the grunge work,” she joked. “It’s all good. I know a lot of what we do is office work anyway.”

  “Then we can both check out The Dunes Golf Club. You’ll know more people there and can set them at ease talking to us.” He thought for a moment and then added, “I think I’ll have you also go back and visit with Eleanor at her home. Sometimes when people are in their personal environment, they think of things that fly out of their minds when they are in a strange place, such as our office.”

  Silence filled the SUV again for a few minutes before Katelyn turned back to him and said, “Thank you, Gareth.”

  Looking at her, he smiled. With her dark hair, the rich waves pulled back from her face showcasing her classic, Irish, porcelain complexion and startling, blue eyes, the words caught in his throat. His brain screamed, You’re beautiful. You’re so smart. And I want to be with you—

  “Are you all right?” she asked, her forehead scrunched as she stared at him.

  “Yeah, yeah,” he said in haste. “I was just thinking that…uh…you don’t need to thank me. You’re helping me out and…uh…you’re really good at this.”

  The praise washed over Katelyn, causing her to grin. Nodding, she replied, “Good.”

  Blinking rapidly, he realized that while his cock was always at half-mast when in her presence, this time, it was his chest that twinged. As he watched the delicate blush creep over her cheeks he felt a jolt straight to his heart.

  “We still on for dinner tonight?” she asked, her voice uncharacteristically uncertain.

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he replied, his smile widening as he observed her lips curving up as well.

  Gareth sat at the conference room table in the Baytown Police Station, looking at his friends, Mitch and Colt. “I wanted to keep you up on what I’m finding since we are now on day four of Walter Berry missing…well, day seven if you go all the way back to last Friday.”

  The two lawmen nodded, both looking over the notes Gareth had provided.

  “I don’t have much, other than the evidence points to him having an affair with at least one woman, whom he saw more than once, according to the hotel receipts and the statement by the hotel receptionist. The only thing his accounting firm has given us is that the three women who work there, another accountant, the office manager, and the receptio
nist, are all young, pretty, and appear to be somewhat jealous of the attention that Walter gives to the others.”

  Mitch’s eyebrow rose at that statement and he glanced back down at the picture of Walter and Eleanor Berry.

  Chuckling, Gareth said, “I know. It’s not that he’s young or particularly handsome, but he apparently has a certain charm that turns the ladies’ heads.”

  “I’ve got my deputies talking to the wife and checking the county, but nothing so far,” Colt said. “I also talked to the State Police and had Mrs. Berry file a report with them. Since he works and lives in two different jurisdictions, I knew they would need to be involved.”

  “What do you need from me?” Mitch asked.

  “Nothing, right now. I know you’re stretched in personnel, but since he golfed at The Dunes Golf Club, I’m also heading over there to see what I can find out. Since that’s in town, I wanted you to be aware that I’m asking questions.”

  Nodding, Mitch said, “No problem. Just keep me up on whatever you find or whatever you need.”

  “What about a money trail?” Colt asked.

  “Katelyn’s working on it,” Gareth replied. He noted Mitch and Colt shared a look before turning back to him. “It makes sense right now,” he hastily replied. “She’s got the bookkeeping background to do a preliminary check for me.”

  Throwing up his hands in defense, Mitch said, “Hey, you’ve got no problem from me. I’ve thought Katelyn would be a good fit for you…and your business.”

  Colt laughed at Mitch’s double meaning as Gareth blushed. “She’s good, I have to admit. Not just a good receptionist, but she’s got good instincts for the business.”

  “And…” Colt threw out.

  “Jesus, we’re not a bunch of women,” Gareth grumbled. Seeing the two stalwart men staring at him, uncharacteristically grinning, he added, “Okay, okay. She and I are friends who are willing to see what else might happen. There. Are you happy?”

  Scraping their chairs back across the tile floor, they grinned as they stood. “I don’t need to be happy,” Mitch quipped. “But it’s nice to see that you are.”

  Gareth placed his hand on Katelyn’s lower back as he escorted her into the Sunset View Restaurant that evening. Her hair hung in dark, silken waves, the ends tickling his fingers and he fought the urge to wrap the ebony strands around his hand. Her lush curves were displayed to perfection in an emerald-green, jersey wrap dress. As they followed the hostess to the corner window booth, he noticed the other patrons eyeing them with a few nods and smiles. Suddenly nervous, he realized he was out with one of the town’s iconic darlings.

  Approaching the booth, Katelyn turned, her smile slipping as she noticed his expression, and cocked her head in silent question. He assisted her into her seat before sliding in on the opposite side. His gaze shifted to their perfect view of the setting sun.

  “You had a funny look on your face when we walked over here,” she prompted after the waitress took their drink order.

  “I was just thinking about how you know everyone here. Growing up in this town…working here for all these years.” Pulling on his shirt collar, he looked discomfited. “It suddenly seemed like a lot of eyes were on us.”

  Her gaze roamed around the beautifully decorated restaurant and she nodded slowly. “Yeah, I guess I do know most everyone.” Looking back at him, she admitted, “It can be nice but also very restricting.”

  Cocking his head to the side, he said, “Restricting?”

  “It’s like everyone is pigeonholed in a small town. We get accustomed to how everyone acts and thinks.” Fiddling with her napkin, she admitted, “I think that’s why I stayed a waitress for so long…it was simple, comfortable. No one expected anything different.”

  Placing his hand over hers, stilling her nervous movements, he confessed, “Well, I, for one, am very glad you took a chance on working for me.”

  Her lips curved into a slow smile as she lifted her eyes to his, blue eyes twinkling. “Just working?”

  A chuckle erupted from deep inside his chest as he shook his head. “No, no. I should say that I’m glad you took a chance on me.” With a quick finger squeeze, he reluctantly let her hand go as their drinks were delivered.

  “Do you know what you’d like to order?” the waitress asked, after repeating the specials.

  Katelyn, without looking at the menu, stated, “I’ll have the scallops with butternut risotto and green beans.”

  “I thought about the prime rib—”

  “Gareth!” Katelyn interrupted. “Why would you want to come here and get something besides seafood?”

  Eyebrows lifted, he grinned at her exuberant interruption. “Because I love steak—” Seeing the incredulous expression on her face, he turned to the waitress and said, “I’ll take the She-crab bisque and we’ll have the crab-cake popsicles for an appetizer…then I’ll have the steak.”

  Giggling, Katelyn nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll have the soup as well,” she agreed. After the waitress left, she turned back to see Gareth staring at her.

  “Beautiful,” he breathed.

  She shifted her gaze to the multicolored, setting sun through their window. “It is,” she agreed.

  “I was talking about you,” he said, his voice raspy as his eyes pierced hers.

  Blushing, she looked down at the wine glass stem she was fingering. She lifted her gaze and said, “It’s been a really long time since I’ve done this.”

  “This?”

  Nodding, she explained, “Go on a date…a nice date. With someone I…uh…you know…”

  Saying nothing, he simply waited her out. After swallowing deeply, she said, “With someone I want to get to know.”

  Interrupted by the soup being placed on their table, they shared a smile before digging into their dinner, stopping only to watch the sun’s final drop into the orange sea.

  The full moon hung over the bay, illuminating the stark, blank walls of Gareth’s apartment. Sleep eluded him as memories of the evening filtered through his mind. Katelyn’s beauty…her full belly laugh that always made him chuckle as well…her attentive kindness to the wait-staff…her pleasant greeting of the other patrons who were more used to seeing her in the diner or behind the bar. The memory of the kiss on her front porch ignited his blood as he replayed the way her body felt against his. His hands finally fisting her silky hair. Her breasts crushed against his chest. Her lips, red and plump from their fiery kisses.

  Tossing to his back, he flung his arm over his forehead as his legs kicked off the offending covers. Letting the cool breeze from his open window blow across his body, he thought of standing under her porch light at the end of the evening. She looked up at me, her eyes full with an open invitation. All I had to do was walk in…to her house and probably her bed. Jerking up, he swung his legs over the side of the mattress and stood quickly. Stalking into the kitchen, he poured a glass of filtered water from the pitcher and drank it thirstily. Setting the glass into the sink, he walked through the living room and stared out of the large window. The full moon was visible as he viewed the quiet town.

  Why did I hesitate? I could see the disappointment in Katelyn’s eyes when I turned her down. Sighing, he dropped his chin to his chest and knew the answer. Uncertainty. What happens to our relationship if she decides she can’t move past Philip’s memory?

  Chapter Twelve

  Driving through the security gates of The Dunes Resort, Katelyn smiled at the perfectly manicured landscapes. Several neighborhoods split off the winding entrance road, leading to modest houses in some, while others contained multi-million dollar homes backing to the golf courses. Two nationally known courses drew in visitors from the area, as well as all across the east coast.

  Gareth had visited several times in his investigations, as well as eating at the Dunes Clubhouse Restaurant.

  “You play?”

  Katelyn’s question cut into his thoughts and he jerked his gaze to the side. More casual today, she was in nice
jeans and a simple navy sweater, her hair pulled away from her face. Following her gaze over the course, he realized what she was asking. “Yeah,” he responded before adding with a chuckle, “But not well. What about you?”

  Laughing, she replied, “I’ve played a couple of times but, honestly, golf was never my thing.” She looked at the restaurant as they pulled into a parking spot and said, “I thought of working here at one time, but then I couldn’t stand the thought of one more waitressing job. I knew that while the tips might be better on the weekends when they had golf tournaments, the restaurant really is kind of seasonal. And…” she added with a shrug, “I hated the idea of all the out-of-towners.” Seeing his lifted eyebrow, she explained, “The diner is just more homey.”

  Nodding, he said, “Yeah, at the diner you didn’t have to worry too much about strangers hitting on you.”

  “Exactly,” she agreed as they alighted from his vehicle. Looking over at him, she asked, “How do you want to work this?”

  Standing for a moment with his hands on his hips, his gaze drifting over the clubhouse, he said, “How about you go into the bar and start some questioning of the staff and I’ll head to the pro-shop. I’ll meet you in the restaurant as soon as I’m finished.”

  With a nod, Katelyn set out, Gareth watching her as she moved into the building, a smile playing about his lips as he realized how seamlessly she fit into his business…and life.

  A few minutes later, he stood at the counter in the pro-shop, glad to see someone he knew at the register. The fact that the shop was not busy was also in his favor.

  “Gareth, my man! How’s it going?”

  Nodding, he smiled at the young man. “Slow day, Bob?”

  “Oh, yeah. Boring as hell in here when no one’s playing golf. You thinkin’ of playing?”

  “Sorry, no, not today. But I do have some questions, if you don’t mind.”