Hell, the sad truth was, none of them could trust her either. She was keeping secrets too.
She suddenly itched to get out of the room. It was too warm, and the air felt stale. She needed to step outside. “Can we go?” she asked.
Mr. Webber’s face flattened into a look of disappointment. “I’d hoped you’d all be more forthcoming in your investigation efforts. However, I suppose you don’t want to reveal your hand in front of everyone—yet. This won’t suffice for long, however.”
“I got the police report,” Andrew said. “I went to the station and got a copy, since it’s public record.”
Mr. Webber’s face lightened a bit, and he gave him a satisfied nod.
“Me too,” Robert said.
Bethany looked up and gave a curt nod. Maggie did the same.
“Well, at least you’re all starting somewhere,” he said. “And that’s a good place to start. Might I also recommend looking through old newspaper clippings? You may be surprised what you find in there.”
Maggie had already planned to, but the public nudge in that direction reminded her to step that up, quickly. Before the others found something she missed.
They all stood. Mr. Webber thanked them for coming and said he’d see them next week, then made his way to the door, opening it for them. Robert breezed out, followed by a stiff Bethany, whose nose was thrust high and face was etched from ice.
Andrew went to leave, but Maggie grabbed his arm. “Hey, I wanted to tell you about Bethany but I didn’t get a chance beforehand.”
He looked at her, no warmth evident on his face. “Okay.”
He didn’t trust her. Remorse flared her cheeks hot, but she tried to bite back the emotion. After all, she didn’t fully trust him either. While they were working together, they needed to remember that ultimately, the rules stated that only one of them could win. The time would come when they’d stop being partners and become adversaries again.
She dropped his arm with a sigh. “Look, I’m trying to work and fit this investigation in, just like you are. Plus I’m dealing with my parents being dragged back into their darkest moment. Please cut me a little slack here.”
The edges of his mouth softened. “You’re right,” he said. He wasn’t overly warm, but he wasn’t frosty anymore either. “Hey, wanna meet for dinner tonight? Maybe we can discuss some case strategy.”
“Oh, I can’t,” she said, her face burning. Yeah, it wasn’t an official “date” with David, but she suddenly felt awkward. “I have plans.”
One eyebrow rose, but he didn’t press her about it. “Ah. Well, tomorrow, then. If you want.”
“Tomorrow would be great,” she rushed to say.
They moved out of the building. The sun was dipping to the west, and stripes of pink and orange covered the bitter-cold sky. Now that the sun’s direct heat was nearly gone, the air was freezing. Tonight would be uncomfortable at the beach, to say the least.
Andrew gave her a casual wave in parting and used his remote to unlock his silver Beamer. The alarm chirped off, and he slipped inside, backing out of the parking lot without looking back.
Maybe he was more irritated than he was letting on.
As she got into her own car, she had to face a small thought that niggled in the back of her mind. They were all keeping secrets from each other, that much was obvious. But what was Andrew’s secret?
Was he the one who’d broken into her parents’ house? If so, why would he do that? Had he figured that she’d have more research done than he did? No, it didn’t make sense—he was the one who’d suggested they pair up.
He was also the one dodging the money question when she’d asked how it was going to end.
A headache started at the back of her skull. She dug through her purse, grabbed two naproxen, and popped them with the can of soda she’d left in her car earlier this afternoon. Time to head home, freshen up and meet David for dinner. A chance to shake off this stress and unwind a bit before meeting Joel tonight.
***
David held Maggie’s chair out, giving her a big smile as she slipped in and took her coat off, draping it over the back of the chair. He took the seat across from her. “You look lovely,” he said, his appreciative eye roaming over her.
Maggie had on a pair of black pants and a dark pink off-the-shoulder top, her hair pulled into a casual updo. She grinned at his compliment. “And you do too. Uh, look nice, I mean. Haven’t seen you out of uniform yet.” David wore a white dress shirt and black slacks, the shirt rolled up his forearms to show off thick arm muscles sprinkled with a smattering of golden brown hair.
One of his eyebrows arched, and she realized how her comment might sound.
“Oh, wait—”
He gave a deep laugh. “Let’s order some wine.”
Maggie peeked around the restaurant. David had picked her up and taken her to a nice Italian place in Rocky River, a city nestled between Bay Village and downtown Cleveland. There were thick, dripping candles everywhere in the room, casting a gentle glow on all the tables. Soft music was piped in, and intimate tables were scattered across the floor. It was a restaurant built for a romantic night.
Not exactly what she’d been expecting.
She was equal parts flattered and nervous. Why would David bring her to such a romantic spot? She was definitely getting a vibe from him.
“The veal Parmesan is fantastic,” he said as he scrutinized the menu, seemingly unaware of her inner turmoil. “I also like their pumpkin ravioli. But really, you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.”
“I see you’ve been here before,” she said.
He glanced up, winking. “My partner lives down the road from here and brings his wife at least once a month. He and I have come a few times after a long shift. Nice way to end a workday.”
Some of the tension in her muscles loosened. David was a great guy, and she had a feeling dinner would be entertaining and informative. Suddenly she was glad she wasn’t meeting Joel until later. This was a good way to release some of her stress from earlier, before their talk. Though she couldn’t help but wonder what the man would say.
Andrew’s crooked smile and bold blue eyes popped into her mind. She shoved the thought right back out again. She’d already determined as she’d changed clothes earlier that she wasn’t going to think about Andrew tonight. Maggie needed a little bit of distance from him to gain better perspective. Because every time she got close, her senses got all mixed up and she couldn’t think straight.
Plus, she owed David the courtesy of her full attention.
The waitress came by, a buxom brunette who brought over two glasses of red wine. When she left, David held up his glass. “A toast.”
She held hers in return. “To?”
“To unexpected reunions.”
“I’ll drink to that.” They clinked and sipped.
David put his glass down and said, “You probably have a million questions to ask me about police procedure. We can talk first, then eat, or whatever works best for you.”
Grateful for his thoughtfulness, Maggie dug into her purse to get a small notebook and a pen. “I went ahead and jotted down some questions so I’d be ready.”
His grin widened. “I should have assumed. Okay, shoot.”
For the next twenty minutes, while they waited for dinner, Maggie grilled David on everything. She learned that a missing child case was considered open until it was resolved, one way or another. That David had assisted the detectives on a few missing persons cases—in the case of teens, it was usually someone running away.
He interjected with stories about a couple of teens who had run away at least two dozen times over the last couple of years, their overburdened mothers calling the police to report it in a wearied voice. “Those are hard,” he said, a frown marring his brow, “because you want to shake the kid and say, ‘What are you doing?’”
She nibbled on the end of her pen, scrutinizing her notes. “That does sound frustrating. I don’t know if
I’d have the patience to deal with that. So, have you guys ever had another case like my sister’s?” She heard a deep sigh and looked up.
“None since I’ve been working there,” he said quietly. He scrubbed a hand across his face. “I remember your sister and how the news had spread like wildfire. Everyone wanted the truth to be found. I know it feels like you’re fighting the odds, but the pieces are here, Maggie. I’m happy to help you in any way I can. She was a wonderful person.”
She put her pen down and reached across the table to take his hand, squeezing it tightly and fighting back the tears in her eyes. “I’m so grateful,” she whispered. It was good to have more people on her side, willing to assist. The support was priceless.
David’s gaze became hooded, and he flipped her hand, thumb brushing the inside of her palm. “You’re a wonderful person too,” he said.
Her breath hitched in her throat as his caress became slower, more deliberate. A flush crawled up her cheeks. “Thank you.”
David leaned a bit toward her, still holding her hand. His eyes danced in the candlelight and his skin glowed. “Maggie, I know you’re only in town for a bit, but I’d like to see you more.”
Chapter 12
Maggie’s skin grew warm. She swallowed. What should she say? David was definitely handsome, thoughtful, kind, and it would be no hardship to see him. If she were honest with herself, she couldn’t ignore or deny that zing she had for Andrew, the way her entire body lit up and responded to him. But that chemistry was probably more due to their history than anything else.
It could be different with David if she gave it a chance.
David squeezed her hand once, then released. “Don’t answer right now,” he said. “Let’s enjoy our dinner and get caught up again. I want to hear all about what you’ve been up to for the last several years.”
The pressure of the moment relieved, Maggie took a sip of wine and filled him in on college. She’d rushed a sorority her freshman year, needing a distraction from her home life, but quickly realized she hadn’t belonged. While all the girls were partying and hooking up night after night, she spent her time serving as DD and getting their sloppy-drunk asses back to the house. “Needless to say, I said good-bye to the house after freshman year and moved back into the dorms.”
“Yeah, I can’t really see you as a sorority girl.”
“School went much smoother after I left the house,” she admitted. “And then I joined a web-design firm in an entry-level position and grew from there. I work from home most days, so I get to wear yoga pants and T-shirts. You?”
“I went right into the academy after finishing my bachelor's in criminal justice.”
“What made you want to be an officer?” And why had he stayed in Bay Village? She wanted to ask that question but didn’t want to seem rude or dismissive.
But David apparently heard her unspoken question, anyway. He chuckled. “I’ve always loved this town, so when I decided I wanted to go into law enforcement, I wasn’t going to settle for working anywhere else. Despite how small the town is, there’s a wide variety of cases, which appeals to me. Plus, my family has lived here for a long time. I like being near them.”
She took a sip of her wine, staying silent and fighting back the tightness in her chest. Whereas David had kept close to his parents, she’d run away from hers. Only now was she starting to think that hadn’t been the best idea—for them or for her. She’d missed being home more than she’d realized.
Dinner came, giving her a chance to take her mind off her ever-present guilt. David proved to be a thoughtful companion, asking her light questions about movies she’d seen, books she’d read. It was a great diversion from the worry starting to edge in on the fringe of her mind.
Her pending conversation with Joel tonight.
If she seemed a bit distracted, David was too polite to mention it. They kept the casual conversation flowing.
After they polished off the last of their cassata cake slices, the waitress brought the check. David instantly grabbed it. Maggie took out her wallet.
“Don’t you dare,” David said firmly.
She stopped. “Um, I need to pay for my half.”
“It’s on me.”
Her cheeks grew a bit flushed. “That’s not . . . Well, you don’t need to—”
“I’m not making assumptions or anything,” he said lightly, his eyes fanned with laugh lines. “Just taking an old friend out for dinner. Right?”
She studied him for a moment, took out a few bills and put her wallet back in her purse. “That’s lovely of you. Thank you. But I insist on paying the tip.”
He gave a nod, and they paid, donning their coats and heading out the door. When they got to his dark blue, well-used Dodge Ram, he opened the door to let her in, then whipped around to his side and took off back toward Bay Village.
The drive home was quiet. She could tell he was waiting for her to say something about his request to date her. It was a fun, entertaining dinner with him, and he had been a perfect gentleman. Her heart was pumping wildly from nervousness; she just didn’t know what the right thing to do was.
She gave him a big smile when he pulled into her parents’ driveway. “Thank you again. I had a great time. And the food was delicious. I think I gained ten pounds.”
He came over and opened her door, walking her to the side door. “I had a great time too. And I know with all this stuff involving your sister that your mind is probably running in fifteen different directions, but think about what I said earlier and let me know.” He paused, looking down at her. The light over the side door cast a glow around his hair. “Regardless, I’ll still help you with the case. I’m a man of my word.”
She squeezed his upper arm. “I appreciate it. Thank you again.”
He brushed his lips across her cheek, gave her a parting smile and headed back to his truck. She waved at him as he drove off, then darted inside to grab her computer and rewritten notes, which she’d left in her room since her parents were home. Then she tugged her keys out of her purse and drove for Huntington Beach, trying to keep her hands from trembling and her breath steady.
***
Maggie plopped down on a large rock right by Huntington Beach’s parking lot, peering at the black waves lapping the shore. Moonlight danced along the water’s surface. She tugged her thick coat closer to her body to ward off the icy lake breezes sliding right up the cliff face into the parking lot. With a sigh, she glanced at her phone for the hundredth time in the last half hour.
Joel hadn’t shown up. No yellow car anywhere in sight.
Irritation warred with frustration. Once again, she dialed the number he’d called her from, getting no answer, and hung up before leaving yet another message asking where he was. He’d called her. He’d set up this meeting. And now he was ditching her?
Yeah, she was pissed.
Her breath huffed in small clouds around her face. It was absurdly cold out here, and she’d been waiting for forty-five minutes now. Time to admit that he wasn’t going to show. She shoved off the rock and stepped into her car, cranking up the heat to warm her frozen fingers.
After another minute of lingering, she jerked the car in reverse and left. The road was nearly empty, with only two cars passing by—apparently she was one of the only crazies out on such a freezing cold night.
Why had she hoped this part would go easily for her? Nothing else about this damned case had so far. Sure, her grandfather’s PI’s scant notes—securely stashed away in a safe in Mr. Webber’s office—were accessible to her, but there wasn’t anything in there that she hadn’t already uncovered by visiting the police station. She still hadn’t found any trace of Scott Macomber, despite scouring the Internet, and had decided while waiting for Joel that she’d need to hire a private investigator for help. Maybe the person could help her find other case information as well.
Getting assistance from a neutral party who wasn’t involved would give her fresh perspective, and he could dig into the ba
ckgrounds of everyone who was at the party—a massive job she just didn’t have time for. Plus, since no one else knew she was hiring a PI, she didn’t have to worry about his case information being sabotaged like hers had.
About a hundred feet away, she saw headlights off the side of the road, tilted at a strange angle and barely visible. Like one side of the car was in a ditch or something. She slowed her car down, heart strumming madly, then did a quick U-turn and pulled over on the shoulder. When her headlights hit the smashed-up back and driver’s side of the car, her heart stopped altogether.
A bright yellow Fiat.
Stomach pinched painfully, Maggie grabbed her phone and pressed 911, waiting to hit send until she got to the driver’s side of the car to evaluate the situation. There was a man buckled in his seat, head lolled to face away from her. Blood streamed across his brow from a wound on the side of his face and also ran down the interior of his window. He was motionless, arms draped toward the lower side of the car.
“Hey!” she yelled, banging on the window with a tight fist. “Are you okay? Joel?”
He didn’t respond or move.
Oh, God. She prayed he was still alive.
Her breath sawed in and out of her lungs, and her clumsy fingers fumbled with the door handle. Despite her best efforts to jerk it open one-handed, it was smashed shut.
Shit!
She glanced around to see if anyone was there, but this strip of road was empty of homes or businesses, and only one car had passed—without stopping. Just a stretch of wild grasses, whipping nearly sideways from the stiff October air.
Then the breath fled her lungs when she realized the full implications of the accident. Someone had hit Joel’s car and taken off.
Left him for dead on the side of a ditch.
She pressed send and, with the phone nestled between her ear and her shoulder, quickly explained to the operator where she was and what had happened, trying to tug on his door with both hands this time. Immovable.
Frustration welled in her. “I can’t get the door open,” she said into her cell phone, her voice frantic. The man was going to die, and she couldn’t save him.
The Inheritance Part II Page 5
