My pulse quickened. Pictures were good. “Let’s take a look.”
Rafe appeared in most of the photographs, as if someone else had taken them and given copies to him. “Who are these people?”
Jonette sorted through a handful on her lap. “I don’t know, but that tall blonde, she’s an Ice Queen if I’ve ever seen one. This young man now, he’s certifiably hot. If not for Dean, I’d go after this guy if I had half a chance. Uh-oh.”
When she stuffed the picture back in the pile, I reached for it. “Let me see.”
“Nope. You don’t need to see this one.”
“Gimme.”
When she didn’t move, I reached over and grabbed the entire stack. Seconds later, I had the picture in hand. Rafe had his arm around a tawny-haired woman. The photographer had captured a telling moment with this photo, one of Rafe gazing at this woman with so much love, it burst out of the two-dimensional image.
“Uh-oh is right. Who is she?” I turned the picture over. It was dated seven years ago, but there were no names, no anything.
“Don’t know.” Jonette dove into the box again, this time finding a picture with a woman wearing a metallic name tag. “Here’s another looker. Ashley Webber. This is a fancy design place, like that ritzy center down in Bethesda.”
“Must be his decorator. She’s attractive, too,” I glumly observed.
“We knew he had a life before he moved to Hogan’s Glen. He knew plenty of attractive women. Big deal. The pictures aren’t important to him, or he wouldn’t have hidden them away.”
I saw a flash of red outside the window. Rafe’s car. My lungs froze. It was one thing to snoop, but it was quite another to get caught. I had to act fast or there’d be hell to pay.
I grabbed up the pictures and shoved them back in the box. “God. Rafe’s here. Put these back, and flush the nearest toilet before you join me in the living room. I’ll tell him we stopped by to see him, and you had to pee.”
CHAPTER 7
* * *
My stomach burned.
It churned.
It wanted to find a new home.
I understood completely because I’d rather be anywhere but in Rafe’s house at the moment. Would my rash actions irrevocably harm my relationship with Rafe? Would he view my intrusion as a breach of trust?
I didn’t know, but I wouldn’t cower in fear either. I opened the door before he inserted the key in the lock. “Welcome home.”
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
My plan was to welcome him with a kiss, but he brushed past me, eyeing his place furtively. His negative reaction worried me. Did he have something to hide?
How odd. Doubts crowded my head. How well did I know this man?
“You weren’t answering my calls, so Jonette and I rode over here to see you.”
“Jonette’s here?”
I winced at the strain in his normally resonant voice. A toilet flushed on cue. “She is. She had to pee and couldn’t wait. I hope you don’t mind that we came in.”
“This is my place.”
“Yes, it is.” My explanation would test the bounds of our relationship. I fortified myself with a deep breath. “But I’m not a stranger. We’re involved. You gave me a key, remember?”
“I don’t like being caught off guard like this.”
No kidding.
Granted, my motive for being here wasn’t pure, but his edgy reaction to my presence put me on notice. It seemed I wasn’t as welcome as I thought. “I apologize for the intrusion. Usually I would call first, but I have been calling and calling, and you don’t pick up. I’m worried about you. Really worried. I feel there’s distance between us that wasn’t there before. What’s going on? Why won’t you take my calls?”
“It’s personal.”
Jonette appeared in the hallway, glanced at our faces, and continued toward the front door. “Hi, Rafe. I’ll wait outside for you, Clee.”
Silently, I thanked her for her perception. It was bad enough having this conversation with Rafe, but these things couldn’t go unsaid any longer. I didn’t need an audience to witness Rafe dumping me.
Which I was pretty sure would happen in the next sixty seconds.
He stood ten feet away and hadn’t touched me once, which was uncharacteristic for him. I wanted to touch him, but I feared being physically rebuffed. I had my pride, too. “I’m sorry if I overreached, but I want to help you. It makes me crazy knowing you’ve shut me out. I care about you.”
“I don’t want you involved in my problems.”
“That’s the point I’m trying to make. You say they’re your problems, but they’re our problems. I thought we were building something special together. I thought we were a couple. I thought you had feelings for me.”
His unsmiling face tightened into a hard mask. “Drop it, Cleo.”
Like a person standing in the receding surf, I felt as if grains of sand were washing from underneath my feet. Even though I held firm against the tide, I lost valuable ground. “I can’t.”
Neither of us moved, and the gulf between us widened. I shivered. I’d tried to be supportive and that hadn’t worked. I’d tried to snoop and that hadn’t turned out so well either. Might as well lay all my cards on the table.
“Detective Britt Radcliff told me about the homicide at the Catoctin View Motel,” I said. “According to him, witnesses placed your car there the night Starr Jeffries was murdered.”
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Don’t help you? I love you, Rafe. I want to help. Why do you keep shutting me out?”
“Because . . .”
“Because what?”
“Because I don’t want you to get hurt. I want to keep you out of harm’s way.”
The chill in my bones eased. “Are you in danger?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure what’s going on.”
“Let me help.”
He rubbed his temples as if he had a pounding headache. “There are things about me you don’t know.”
“Believe me, I already got that. I can help, I know I can, but you have to explain what we’re up against.”
With that, he glanced away, over toward the darkened kitchen. I sensed valuable seconds ticking off my life clock. What could be so terrible that he couldn’t speak it aloud? Was he a killer? Did he have a secret alter ego?
“Starr’s a woman from my past,” he stated in a flat tone.
I released the breath I’d been holding. Finally. A morsel of information. “Friend, family, or something else?”
“We were involved for a while, but it didn’t last.”
“I see,” I managed, but I died a little inside. Was Starr the blond beauty in the picture he’d gazed at with rapt adoration? Had she broken his heart into a million pieces? Much as I wanted information, I couldn’t wheedle this out of him. Twice I started to speak and stopped. Finally, he spoke.
“Starr was fragile,” he admitted. “We kept in touch through the years. I visited her last Saturday evening. She was alive when I left.”
My temptation was to stick my fingers in my ears and shout la-la-la so I couldn’t hear Rafe talking about being with another woman. The tension in the living room thickened until I couldn’t draw a breath into my lungs.
What could I say?
Beating around the bush wasn’t my style. Even so, my nails pressed into the meat of my palms. “Did you sleep with her on Saturday?”
His head came up, and his jaw dropped. He met my level gaze. “No. We’re not friends with benefits.”
Thank goodness for that small favor. He hadn’t cheated on me, and deep in my gut, I believed him. I hoped lust wasn’t blinding me again.
I took my first deep breath since he’d entered the living room. My head cleared, and I realized I needed to prepare him for the rest.
Hands clenched together in front of me, I spoke from my heart. “I’ve been down this road before with Britt Radcliff. He’s like a heat-seeking missile when he’s after someone, and he’s
definitely after you.”
“Let him come. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You don’t understand. Britt’s tunnel vision narrows the scope of his investigation. He won’t be looking at anyone but you. He thinks your car at the motel room is incriminating.” I swallowed wrong, coughed a few times, and blurted out the rest of it. “That’s why I hired a lawyer to look after you.”
Rafe’s blond head bobbed. He scowled at me. “You did? Who?”
CHAPTER 8
* * *
The hair on the back of my neck ruffled. Rafe didn’t challenge any of my assertions. He jumped right over the incriminating evidence and the dogged police pursuit and went straight to the lawyer. My hopes plummeted. I was so mixed up, I couldn’t keep my signals straight, let alone his.
Guilty or innocent?
“Bud,” I said, looking past him at the beautiful artwork in his living room. “I hired Bud Flook to be your lawyer. Before you say anything, I know he’s not a criminal lawyer, per se, but he got Mama out of hot water, and that’s saying something. Bud is a good lawyer, and a good man. I’ve known him all my life. He’s trustworthy, diligent, and he knows the law. Say something, please.”
“I don’t need a lawyer. I haven’t done anything.”
His curt tone irritated the crap out of me. “Even more reason to hire a lawyer. Does Bud suit you? Assuming you need a lawyer, of course. Or did you have someone else in mind?”
Rafe jammed his hands in his pockets. “I agree with you, your soon-to-be stepfather is a fine man. If I need a lawyer, Bud suits me fine.”
Whew. Thank goodness. “I’m worried about you. There’s so much about this case I don’t understand. Anything you can tell me will be a help.”
“There’s nothing to tell. Starr needed a friend. I tried to be that friend. I didn’t kill her. She isn’t, I mean, she wasn’t a well person. She had . . . issues.”
“What kinds of issues? Gambling? Drinking? Drugs? The mob? What?”
“Nothing like that. It was more internal.”
“Illness?”
“Not really.”
I huffed out another breath. “Playing a game of twenty questions doesn’t help either of us. Why don’t you tell me what was wrong with her?”
“It feels wrong. I don’t kiss and tell.”
I took a step back. “You kissed her?”
“No. That was a bad analogy. Or something. God. Do we have to do this now? Can’t we leave it for another time?”
Another time. That meant he would see me again. He wasn’t dumping me. Giddiness whirled through my concern for his well-being like a little kid on a merry-go-round. While I savored the thrill, I got right back on track.
“We need to be proactive on this,” I said. “No telling when Britt will make his move.”
“I’m not afraid of the cops.”
No worries there. I was scared enough for the both of us.
Outside I heard a car door slam, followed by the sound of raised female voices. Not a good sign. I moved toward the bay window. A tall, statuesque blonde, not the adored woman in the picture, towered over Jonette. Behind her was a Bentley with a suited female chauffeur standing at the ready.
What now?
My heart somersaulted as I ticked off each perfect feature. The blond woman had a flawless complexion, with the right touches of makeup here and there, and a thick chin-length bob that looked high maintenance. Her neutral tailored skirt, jacket, and dyed-to-match pumps screamed money and chic boutique.
“Who is that?” I shrilled.
Rafe edged up behind me and groaned. “Trouble.”
“Her name is trouble?”
“That’s what I call her.”
“Don’t get mysterious on me. I’m your girlfriend, for crying out loud. Who is the woman in your yard? I have a right to know.”
“Regina. Her name is Regina, though we call her Reggie because her initials are REG for Regina Elizabeth Golden.”
“She’s a relative?”
“My sister.”
“You’ve never mentioned her before.”
“I try not to think about her. You’ll understand why in a few seconds. Brace yourself. Here she comes.”
The front door opened, and we turned as one. Regina stalked in like a panther on speed, Jonette trotted at her heels. The chauffeur lagged a safe distance behind.
“What’s going on, little brother?” Regina said. “Why is there a loose woman in your yard and another one in your house? You into threesomes now?”
Rafe ignored the jab from his sister. “Cleo, this is my sister, Regina. Regina, Cleo. I see you’ve already met Jonette.” He turned to the chauffeur and introduced her to me as well. “It’s good to see you again, Mary.”
Mary nodded but didn’t speak. What must it be like to work for Rafe’s abrasive sister? That’s a job I wouldn’t apply for.
His sister arched a slender brow. “You’ve gone to the dark side? No more platinum blondes for you?”
I bristled at the caustic remark but remembered my manners. Mama would be so proud of me. “Won’t you come in and have a seat? May I get you something to drink?”
Regina sank into a leather chair and purred. “Scotch, rocks, please.”
“Jonette? Mary? Either of you like something to drink?” I asked, glad for the chance to keep my hands busy.
“I’ll take a glass of water.” Jonette plopped on the leather sofa.
“Nothing for me, thank you,” Mary said softly. She melted toward the exit.
As I fixed three waters and one scotch, Rafe asked his sister, “What brings you out to Hogan’s Glen?”
“You won’t come see me, so I had to come out here.”
Rafe didn’t follow up. The silence built like a summer storm.
“Have you been here before?” I asked, handing her a drink from a tray.
“Yes. I’ve made the trip before, trying to get Rafe to cease this golf foolishness and come back into the family fold. But he never listens to me.”
I sat with Jonette on the sofa. Rafe lounged by the bookshelf. Was that so he could move fast if his sister pounced?
“I’ve found Rafe to be an excellent listener,” I said loyally.
Regina downed the scotch. “You must be his new bed partner. Don’t get too comfortable in that role. He’ll replace you next week. Always easy to get laid if you’re a Golden, right, little brother?”
“That’s enough, Reggie. I’m not coming back with you.”
“Pity. With that handsome mug, you’d be a rainmaker at Golden Enterprises.” She heaved out a non-dainty breath. “Some cop up here has been sniffing around the firm and asking a lot of questions about you. Thought I’d offer the corporate legal department for your defense.”
“Rafe’s already retained a lawyer,” I said.
“It’s not like my brother to be proactive.” Regina eyed me with a calculating glare. “I’m impressed.”
“Cleo hired the lawyer for me, but I won’t need one,” Rafe said. “I didn’t do anything lawyer-worthy.”
Regina flipped her wrist in a careless motion. “Regardless, we have a dozen lawyers on retainer. You can have your pick of the lot.” Her voice sharpened. “Ditch the hayseed lawyer.”
Her insult shredded my patience. She could be rude to me, but she had no right putting Bud down. “Rafe’s lawyer is no hayseed.”
She lasered me with a steely glare. “I wasn’t speaking to you.”
“Play nice, Reggie, or leave my home,” Rafe said.
“Winners don’t play nice. Losers do. Come home and be a winner.”
“Rafe is a winner,” I protested, rising to my feet. “Furthermore, you’re making him uncomfortable with your remarks.”
“You know how to pick ’em little brother.” Regina rose with predatory grace and strode toward the door that Mary held open. Regina’s heels clicked a rapid beat on the hardwood floor. She paused in the threshold, making sure she had everyone’s rapt attention. A sly look cros
sed her face. “By the way, Hill and Tiffany are an item now.”
With that, she sailed out of the door, which slammed behind her. The jarring sound echoed through the condo.
I turned from the window and gazed at Rafe, questions burning in my brain. Poor Rafe looked, for want of a better term, shell-shocked. I was surprised drool wasn’t dripping out of his slack-jawed mouth.
Dang, with family like Regina, who needed enemies?
CHAPTER 9
* * *
Jonette lounged on Rafe’s leather sofa, water glass in hand. “Your sister doesn’t like you very much.”
“I agree, though my guess is Regina dislikes anyone who doesn’t do her bidding.” I turned from the bay window to face Rafe, who still leaned up against the wall.
“My sister is highly focused,” he said.
Jonette drained her glass. “No point in sugarcoating the facts. She’s a bitch on wheels.”
“High heels,” I said.
Rafe and Jonette looked confused, so I pointed out the obvious. “She’s a bitch in high heels. It takes talent to storm across the floor on those four-inch spikes. I couldn’t do it.”
My friend snorted. “I’d like to see you try.” Her face lit up. “We should have high-heel races at my election party this weekend. That’d show old lard butt I’m not afraid of his good old boy network. I’m winning that mayor seat from him.”
“Good idea. Hang on to that thought for later.” I crossed to Rafe’s side of the living room and took his hand. “You okay? That was intense.”
“My sister would take over the world if she could.”
“No wonder you struck out on your own.” His skin felt cool to my touch, but his fingers tightened around mine. Thank goodness my nurturing instincts hadn’t failed me. “I have to ask. Is she always like that? Does she ever let down her guard?”
“Rarely. She’s been demolishing the competition for years. She always has to be the best.”
Questions crowded my head. I wanted to ask them all, but should I? His sister’s visit had been unpleasant. Rafe might need time to regroup.
3 Dime If I Know Page 4
