The Heart of Lies, A Paradise Valley Mystery: Book Two

by Debra Burroughs

  “Fiona? The assistant?” Ernie’s voice rose with surprise. “Why would she be on the list?”

  “When Colin and I interviewed Josh he said he heard her coming down the stairs as he left. He hid under the stairs over there,” Emily motioned down the hall toward the alcove under the central staircase, “and watched her pass by and go into the office. Josh said he made sure Lucas was still breathing before he left, so she would have been the last one to see Lucas alive.”

  “That’s assuming he was telling the truth,” Ernie shot back.

  “Did he tell you about Fiona when you questioned him?” Colin asked.

  “He did, but I figured he was just trying to cover his six, you know.”

  “His butt, Emily. It’s a military term,” Colin explained.

  “Yes, I know. You use it all the time.” She grinned at him. “Are you already forgetting all the time we spent together?”

  She turned back to Ernie. “Well, Ernie, did you know Lucas and Fiona were having an affair?”

  “I might have heard something about that. Doesn’t mean she killed him. Besides, she never showed up on the security video,” Ernie said.

  “You do know there’s a back door to this building, right? And there’s no camera out there?” she asked. “Anyone who knew that could have come and gone without being caught on tape.”

  “Yeah, but I can only work with what I have. Josh Sullivan is who I have admitting he was in a knock-down, drag-out fight with the victim and he’s on tape coming and going around the time of the murder.”

  “Doesn’t mean he killed him.” Emily used Ernie’s words against him and he winced. “Fiona could have been jealous of Maggie, that Lucas was choosing Maggie over her.” Emily planted her hands on her hips. “Josh might be the easiest suspect, Ernie, but he can’t be the only one.”

  “All right, who else is on your list?” Ernie asked, crossing his arms over his girth.

  “Just about anyone who invested in the Whitetail Resort.”

  “Yeah, I had a whole passel of folks storming the police station yesterday morning, wondering where their money was,” Ernie said. “How was I supposed to know where their money was? That job’s far above my pay grade.”

  “I’d say start with the short list first, Ernie,” Colin recommended. “Then, if the murder weapon doesn’t turn up at any of those places, I’ll help you narrow down the investor pool to possible suspects.”

  “The police chief isn’t going to like me burning through city funds chasing after all these potential suspects,” Ernie waved his arms as he spoke, “when we already have our prime suspect under arrest—especially ones like the mayor and some of our wealthiest citizens.”

  “Just tell him Doc Walters has identified the murder weapon and you’ll leave no stone unturned in this town to find it. Besides, you’re on the payroll whether there’s a case or not, so you might as well be working for your pay. He’ll understand that,” Colin encouraged him.

  Ernie nodded in agreement.

  “You don’t think anyone’s gotten into this office since the murder, do you?” Emily asked, stepping past Ernie, peeking into the office from the barrier of the yellow crime scene tape.

  “I can’t imagine how. I used Lucas’s key to lock it up. It’s here in my pocket,” Ernie replied, digging the key out.

  “What about Fiona? Wouldn’t she have a key?” Emily scanned the room.

  “She swore to me she didn’t have one, claimed Lucas was very private about the project, and didn’t want anyone in the office when he wasn’t here.” Ernie shoved the key back in his pocket.

  “And you believed her?” Emily asked pointedly, as she turned her attention back to him.

  “Why shouldn’t I?” Ernie asked, cocking his head and knitting his eyebrows together.

  “Think about it, Ernie. If she does have a key, she could easily have gotten in and taken whatever she wanted since the murder. She probably has access to the files on Lucas’s computer, too.”

  “I guess I could post an officer here, night and day, but I doubt the police chief would approve that,” the detective suggested, pushing his hands into his pants pockets.

  “My guess is that if she wanted something out of this office, Ernie, she’s already been here and taken it.” Emily scrunched her lips sideways in exasperation.

  “She’s right, Ernie.” Colin crossed his arms, shifting his weight to one hip. “Are you having a techie go through his computer? There may be clues there—emails, banking information, documents—who knows.”

  “Well, I can tell you the CSI team took both Lucas’s and Fiona’s computers with them this morning. They said they’d let me know if they found anything.” Ernie hiked his pants up by the waist again. “I hope there’s a clue to where all that money went.”

  At the word money, Emily’s thoughts immediately darted to Sully Sullivan and the hundred thousand dollars he desperately needed back. She wondered if Lucas had kept any incriminating notes in the computer about the mayor’s indiscretion.

  “If there isn’t a clue,” Ernie predicted with a slight shake of his head, “there’ll be hell to pay.”

  ~*~

  “Why don’t we stop at Moxie Java, Emily? I could use some coffee,” Colin suggested as he drove down Main Street on his way to drop her off at home.

  “Mmm, that sounds good. I could use a pick-me-up right now. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “Why not?” His voice showed concern, as he glanced in the rearview mirror, then took a quick look at the side mirrors.

  “Just a lot on my mind,” she watched him, “with the murder, and Maggie and Josh, and Jethro, and you—” she noticed him checking the mirrors again, “—is something wrong?”

  “Don’t look, but I think we’re being followed.”

  She spun around and looked out the rear window.

  “Hey, didn’t I say don’t look? Why do people always do that?” he grumbled.

  She whipped back forward, eyes staring straight ahead. “Is this better?”

  “I’m serious. Why is someone following us?” He looked in the mirror again as he pulled into a parking space in front of the coffee shop. This time the car was gone.

  “Maybe it was nothing,” she said.

  “I guess when you turned around and looked, he saw he was made and turned off.”

  “What kind of car was it?” she asked.

  “Black, mid-size sedan, late model, not sure which make—he was several cars back, and they’re all starting to look the same these days.”

  “What makes you think he was following us?”

  “I saw the car behind us at the courthouse, then again when we left the hospital.”

  “Did you get a look at the driver?”

  “No, he was too far away.”

  “Then how do you know it was a man?” she asked.

  “I don’t, just assumed.”

  “It could be a woman then, right?”

  “Could be,” he conceded.

  “Well, they’re gone now. Let’s go inside.” She gave his hand a light press.

  He caught her before she could draw her hand back, and he held it firmly in his, turning his head to catch her gaze. “You were talking about not being able sleep last night? You rattled off a laundry list of things on your mind, and you probably thought I wasn’t listening, but I was. You tacked me on the end. What did you mean?”

  Emily lowered her eyes, a little embarrassed as the memory of her dreams flashed back to her, feeling a warm sensation rush over her core. She wasn’t sure how much to tell him. The dream, as much as she could remember, was romantic and sensual.

  The unsettling thing about the dream was that she was with Colin, sitting on her sofa, talking, then kissing passionately—she could clearly see his face, like watching a movie—but suddenly the scene changed and he became Evan, and they were in bed.

  She remembered being thrilled Evan had come back to her. He’d made glorious love to her in the dream—as if he w
as still alive, still her husband—and she’d felt the full pleasure of it.

  In the afterglow, he lay next to her in their bed and held her in his arms, pressing his warm lips to her temple. She’d felt loved and protected, the way she had always felt with him.

  Then he morphed back into Colin, who was now the one holding her and kissing her forehead, assuring her everything would be okay, sitting on the sofa. Even though her feelings for Colin were strong, she had to admit, part of her longed to have Evan back.

  She had awakened from the vivid dream in a sweat, feeling confused and wrung out. How could she possibly explain that to Colin? She decided to keep it short.

  “Only that you were one of the many things on my mind last night.” Her lips curved with mischief, as she gazed into his sexy hazel eyes. “I’ve missed you and I’m glad to have you back, if only for a little while.”

  Emily was never one to read much into the interpreting of dreams, but she wondered if this dream meant something. Maybe it was just that she hadn’t totally let go of Evan yet, as she thought she had.

  She hoped learning who Evan really was would help her move on, and finally shut the door on that chapter of her life. How could she ever be happy with anyone else if Evan kept sticking his size eleven shoe in the closing door and reeling her back in?

  “Just so you know, you’re often in my dreams too.” He lifted his hand tenderly to her cheek as he leaned over and kissed her. “Often.”

  CHAPTER 22

  “Do you think they’ve searched Maggie’s place yet?” Emily asked Colin as she finished her mocha cappuccino and dug in her purse to refresh her lipstick.

  He checked his watch. “Maybe.”

  “You’d think if they found the murder weapon,” she wagged the tube of lip color at him, “or anything else incriminating, Ernie would have called us.” She pressed her freshly-coated lips together.

  “He will. Be patient.” He pitched his empty disposable coffee cup in the nearby trash can, then hers, as if he was making free-throws with a basketball.

  As Emily stuck her lipstick back in her purse, her phone began to ring and she saw it was Maggie.

  “The cops are here!” Maggie burst the words out without even giving Emily the chance to say hello. “They’re tearin’ my place apart,” she cried.

  While Maggie went on ranting, Emily had visions of Maggie’s neat little cottage in total disarray with drawers overturned and the contents of her closets and cupboards strewn all over the place. She hoped Ernie and his people had more decency than that. Emily shot an expressive look at Colin as she scooped up her purse and stood to leave.

  “Don’t worry, Maggs, we’ll be right over,” she assured her before hanging up. “We need to get to Maggie’s. I guess Ernie and his people are searching her place and she’s all in a lather.”

  “Is Josh there?” he asked, following Emily out the door.

  “She said Alex just brought Josh home, so they’re both there—Isabel too.”

  “With all those people there, why does she need you there too?” Colin opened the car door for her.

  She paused and stared at him, resting her forearm on the top of the door. “You’re joking, right?”

  “No, but from your tone I’m guessing I should be.” He skirted around the car and slipped in behind the wheel.

  “Friends are there for you, Colin, when you’re going through the tough stuff,” she said, climbing into her seat and closing the door. “That’s what makes them friends.” She shifted in her seat to face him. “You know how I feel about that. And what she’s going through is more awful than what I had to. I can’t imagine anything worse than having your child accused of killing the man you loved.”

  He looked at her for a moment without speaking, as if he was thinking through what she just said. Then he turned to check for traffic and pulled away from the curb.

  “Weren’t your friends there for you when Miranda died?” Emily recalled him telling her what he’d gone through, trying to get past the pain and move on, but she didn’t remember him mentioning any friends at the time. His parents, yes, but not any friends.

  “Guys aren’t like girls, Emily. We don’t get all emotional and touchy-feeling with each other—especially Marines. We’re told to buck up, don’t cry, be a man.”

  He checked the rearview mirror, then straight ahead. He had both hands gripping hard on the steering wheel, and Emily noticed his knuckles clenching.

  She reached out and put her hand gently on his forearm, sorry she had brought up the painful memories.

  “Can you imagine my Marine buddies giving me a hug?” he asked, letting out a hollow laugh. “Or my fellow officers crying with me? Or wanting me to talk with them about my feelings?”

  He checked the rearview again before taking a right turn onto Maggie’s street. “My family was there for me, but that was it.”

  “Oh, Colin.” Emily sighed. She couldn’t imagine not having the support of close friends.

  “I don’t have the kind of friendships you have, babe.” His expression softened as he glanced over at her briefly, eyes glistening. “Not that my buddies don’t care…”

  Her chest tightened and she felt a small lump growing in her throat as she realized the pain this conversation was dredging up for him, so she decided to change the subject. She reached a hand up and lightly stroked the back of his neck. “Listen, why don’t I let you take me out to dinner tonight? A little food, a little wine, a little dancing—what do you say?”

  Colin pulled the car over to the curb in front of Maggie’s charming little house and turned the engine off. He gently cupped her face in his hands and studied her eyes. “I think I’d like that.” He kissed her, softly at first, then more urgently, moving his hands to her back, pulling her toward himself.

  When they came up for air, Emily drew in a breath and released a long sigh. “Whew,” she exclaimed as she fanned herself with her hand.

  “Emily, I—”

  Colin was interrupted by a rap on the car window.

  Emily whipped her head around, startled. Isabel was standing outside the car. With her cheeks flushing dark pink, Emily pushed the button to lower the window.

  “Sorry to have to break up the party, kids, but you’re wanted inside.” Isabel put a few fingers to her lips in exaggerated pretense to cover her giggles.

  Blushing, Emily climbed out, knowing her friends had seen them from the house.

  Colin came around the car, as well, and they all meandered into the cottage.

  “Emily!” Maggie cried out as soon as Emily came through the door with Isabel and Colin trailing behind her. Maggie ran and threw her arms around her, and Emily returned the hug, patting her friend sympathetically on the back.

  “It’ll be okay,” Emily said, trying to soothe her friend’s frazzle over having her house torn apart. She could hear voices and movement, like drawers and cabinets slamming, coming from the rear of the house, out of one of the bedrooms. “Where’s Josh?”

  Maggie released her embrace. “He’s out back on the deck with Alex and Sully. The detective said it was best if they stayed out of the way.”

  “Let me go see what I can find out for you,” Colin offered, skirting around the women and stalking down the hallway.

  “Camille’s in the kitchen. You want somethin’ to eat? She’s made a big pitcher of sweet tea and some kind o’ sandwiches. I think she’s workin’ on a pie of some sort.”

  “No, I just had a cappuccino, but thanks.”

  “I’ll have some,” Isabel piped up as she headed to the kitchen. “I’m starved.”

  Colin and Ernie came down the hall, toward Emily and Maggie, with a couple of other officers behind them, speaking in low voices.

  Emily wasn’t able to make out what they were saying, but the tenor of their voices seemed to be friendly.

  “Maggie,” Ernie called out as he approached, “we’re finished. Sorry for the inconvenience, ma’am.”

  “Did you find what you were
lookin’ for?” She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and glared at him.

  “No, but I had to do my job and take a look. Tell Josh he can come back inside.” Ernie marched out the front door with his entourage.

  “I’ll go tell him,” Colin offered, traipsing off to join the men.

  “Look at this mess,” Maggie moaned.

  Emily skimmed the living and dining rooms. There were things out of place, but it certainly wasn’t the disaster she was expecting. “Don’t worry, we’ll help you put everything back the way it was.”

  “I’m gonna go see how badly they tore up my bedrooms,” Maggie declared, stomping off.

  Sully poked his head out of the kitchen and whispered to Emily. “Is my sister with you?”

  “Hello, Sully. No, she went to check on her bedroom. If you like, I can—”

  “No, it was you I wanted to talk to,” he said in a low voice, glancing around. “Can we step out front?”

  “Okay.”

  What was this about? She walked outside first and he pulled the door shut behind them.

  “Em, you haven’t mentioned our little discussion the other night to anyone, have you?” Sully gestured to Emily to move down the walkway a bit.

  “No, no one.”

  “I’m going crazy, Em. I have no idea what to do.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say, Sully.”

  Emily believed Sully was basically a good man who had been sucked into this scheme because he was desperate for money. She always thought Lucas was a smooth operator and he obviously took advantage of the man’s weak point, but what did Sully want from her? How was she supposed to help him?

  “Is there any way you can find out where Lucas hid the money he stole from the investors?” His eyes were glassy and the dark circles below them told her he still wasn’t sleeping much.

  “The police have impounded the computers and their techs are going through them, trying to put the pieces together.”

  “I’m ruined, Emily. I’m just plain ruined.” He hung his head and rubbed a hand across his forehead. His normally straight and confident shoulders now slumped in worry.

  “Sully,” she said, putting her hand on his arm, hoping to calm him down, but he drew it back sharply.