by Lena Gregory
“And what about me, Gia? Do you trust me?”
Oh, boy. A whole range of emotions surged through her, but she kept them in check and took a step back. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. But Captain Hayes ordered you not to search the house, and I was afraid you might follow orders.”
Hunt ran a hand over his mouth, then sighed. “All right.”
“All right?” This had to be some sort of a trick. No way was he okay with her being there. And he could definitely not be okay with her involving Savannah.
“There’s nothing I can do about you being here, but going forward I want you to stay out of this. Okay? I’ll handle it. No matter how much Captain Hayes tries to interfere.”
That was more like it. She nodded, but her mind raced. Why would Captain Hayes want to interfere in the investigation?
“I mean it, Gia. I don’t want you involved. At least not until I get a better idea of what’s going on. Fair enough?”
She lowered her gaze, not willing to outright lie to him by agreeing to stay out of it. “Will you let me know if you find anything?”
“As soon as I can, I will.” He picked a dust ball out of her hair, slid her hair behind her ear, and gave a little tug. “Okay?”
It would have to be good enough. And, in all fairness, it was more than she’d expected. Gia nodded at Savannah.
Savannah pulled the picture of Marcia and Hank out of her waistband without a word and handed it to Gia.
“It seems Marcia was having an affair.” Avoiding looking at the picture again—wishing she could unsee the image all together—she handed it to Hunt.
After one quick glance, he turned toward Leo. “Take them home, please.”
“But we—”
He didn’t even let her finish before he strode from the room.
Leo dropped a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Don’t be too hard on him.”
“Whatever.”
“I’m serious, Gia.” He lifted her chin so she had no choice but to meet his gaze. “This case is very personal to Hunt, and not for the reasons you think. Plus, Captain Hayes not only pulled him from the case, he practically accused him of killing her.”
Savannah gasped.
“How can he do that?” Gia looked down the now empty hallway where Hunt had disappeared. She might have trouble trusting him completely, but Hunt a killer?
“Easy.” Leo finally relaxed his stance and grinned. “The man’s an ass. Now, come on. Let’s get out of here.”
She handed him Marcia’s house key before heading for the car.
Hunt stood beside his jeep, which was parked in the driveway—apparently he wasn’t as stealthy as she and Savannah—and gestured wildly with one hand. The other hand held his cell phone tightly pressed against his ear.
Leo followed them back to the café, then tapped the horn in two short blasts before making a U-turn and heading back toward Marcia’s to pick up Hunt.
Savannah shifted into park but made no move to get out of the car. “What do you think is going on?”
Exhaustion settled in, and Gia slouched lower in the seat until cool air blew out of the vents and washed over her face. “I have no idea what to think.”
“Are you going to stay out of it?”
Without lifting her head from the seat back, Gia turned a bit to stare at her. “What do you think?”
A slow smile spread across Savannah’s face. “Well, I was hoping you weren’t going to take Hunt’s advice.”
Gia sat up a little and shifted to face Savannah more directly. “Do you think Hunt knows something he’s not saying?”
Savannah’s laughter filled the car. “I think Hunt knows a lot of things he’s not saying. For starters, I think he knows full well Marcia was seeing Hank.”
“What makes you think so?”
“Did you see his face when you handed him that picture?”
Gia tried to think back. As far as she could remember, his expression had seemed pretty much neutral. “I don’t remember any particular reaction. He seemed…I don’t know, indifferent maybe?”
“Exactly. If he was still involved with Marcia, I’d have expected some reaction to finding out she was fooling around with a married man, or any man for that matter.”
“I guess.” But Gia wasn’t convinced. “You’re probably right.”
She offered a tentative smile. “Of course I’m right, otherwise I wouldn’t have said anything.”
“So Hunt already knew she was seeing him.”
“That’s my guess. You weren’t here when they broke up. Hunt found out she was cheating on him and blew a gasket in the middle of the Boggy Creek Park Fourth of July celebration. Most of the town was there. If he was seeing her again and found out she was cheating, he’d have had some reaction. And I’d have caught it, because I was watching for it.”
“Really?” She shifted her gaze to look out the window as hope surfaced.
“Yup.” Savannah reached over and squeezed her hand. “Hunt hasn’t had many serious relationships, but while he’s dating someone, he’s always honest. And when he cares deeply about someone, he’s loyal to a fault. I know you have feelings for him, Gia. And I don’t know what’s up with him lately. I admit he hasn’t been around much, and when he is, he seems distant and kind of cold, but I’d be really surprised if he was seeing anyone else.”
Gia didn’t have the strength to deal with another man cheating on her. “It’s not like we’re dating or anything. More like friends, really. Family, almost. He’s free to do whatever he wants.”
Savannah’s gaze intensified. “Hunt has feelings for you, Gia. He’s just taking it slow because he knows what you’ve been through. He understands how hard it is for you to trust him, or anyone. He’ll never push you, but he won’t move ahead until you can trust him. At least more than you do now.”
Gia picked at the chipped red polish on her thumbnail, trying to hide her pain from Savannah. Probably a waste of time. “Did Hunt actually say that?”
“He didn’t have to.”
“So you really don’t believe he was seeing Marcia?”
“Nope. I think something strange is going on, but not that.”
“Do you think Hank Sanford is involved somehow?”
Savannah studied her for a moment but, thankfully, accepted the change of subject. “I guess it’s possible. Everyone knows Maybelle’s meaner than a sack full of rattlesnakes, and she’s the kinder of the two.”
“Maybe Maybelle found out?” But even if she did, would she have killed Marcia for cheating with Hank? It didn’t seem likely, but Gia really didn’t know Maybelle all that well. Quite honestly, Gia doubted Maybelle had the ambition to kill anyone.
“Could be.” Savannah sat up straighter. “Anyway, I gotta run. I promised my dad I’d be home to make dinner tonight.”
“I thought Joey was supposed to cook.”
“He was, but he’s got a date.”
“Convenient.” Gia laughed as she opened the door and climbed out. Savannah’s youngest brother would do just about anything to get out of cooking.
“Exactly. And don’t think I forgot you owe me lunch one of these days.” Savannah winked, then waved as she pulled away.
Gia watched her drive down the road, then fished the keys out of her bag and turned toward the café. The warm Florida sun beat against her back, and she tilted her face up toward the heat and sighed. Fluffy white clouds dotted the brilliant blue sky, a far cry from the usual gray winter sky in New York. She needed to get the ad for a cook finished, but most everything else was done. Nothing that couldn’t wait until morning. If she was going to live in Florida, she may as well take advantage of the gorgeous weather.
Dropping the keys back into her bag, she headed down the semi-crowded sidewalk toward the doggie day care center to pick up Thor. She’d take him home, giv
e him an early dinner, then maybe take a walk through her development. On the road. Not in the woods.
Several people greeted her as she walked, some saying hello, others simply waving. She enjoyed the sense of community living in a small town brought, and she was beginning to recognize familiar faces, even though she hadn’t really made more than a handful of friends. The atmosphere was so much more relaxed than the hectic pace of living in New York. But while she appreciated the more peaceful pace, she had a hard time slowing down, too used to doing everything at a hundred miles an hour to be completely comfortable moving any slower. Even when her mind tried, her body refused to cooperate.
That feeling of peace would be short lived, though. Once people found out Marcia had been killed, an undercurrent of fear and uncertainty would taint the harmony. A buzz would fill the air as parents watched their children more closely, normally friendly locals became just a bit warier of strangers, and expressions turned more serious when people gathered at the local gossip hot spots. Unfortunately, in Boggy Creek, a town that normally had an extremely low violent crime rate, Gia had seen it happen before.
“Gia.”
She paused and looked over her shoulder.
“Wait up.” Trevor, who owned the ice cream parlor down the street from the cafe, glanced both ways, then hurried across the street toward her.
She waved and waited for him to catch up. Trevor was one of the few people who’d become a good friend since she’d arrived. Though they’d started out with a date of sorts, they quickly came to realize they were better as friends. Since the feeling was mutual, there was none of the awkwardness that could crop up between couples who’d once tried to be something more.
“Hey.” He took a moment to catch his breath. “Are you going to get Thor?”
“Yes. It’s so beautiful out, I thought it’d be a nice day to walk.”
He placed a hand on her lower back and gestured her forward. “Come on. I’ll walk with you for a bit.”
“What’s going on?” She held her breath, waiting to see if he’d heard the news about Marcia.
“Nothing much, just taking a quick break, but I was wondering if you’d like to go kayaking next Monday?”
Gia stumbled. “Uh…”
Understanding her fear, Trevor grinned. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
“Yeah. That’s what you said about paddleboarding, and how’d that turn out?”
He full out laughed. “You were doing fine until you freaked out and fell in.”
“I freaked out, as you call it, because there was an alligator staring at me.”
His eyes went wide. “So falling in seemed like a good idea?”
Gia snorted. It hadn’t been her most graceful moment, especially the part where she’d tried to scramble back onto the board and in a moment of blind desperation managed to pull Trevor in with her.
Trevor nudged her with his shoulder. “Besides, he wasn’t staring at you. He was just sitting there not paying you any mind at all.”
She poked his chest. “You don’t know that, mister.”
“Okay, okay.” He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “But kayaking is different.”
“Oh yeah? What’s different about it?”
“Well, for starters, you’re actually inside the kayak, so the alligators can’t get you.” He swung his head to shift the too long hair out of his eyes, an adorable gesture Gia had grown quite fond of.
“I’ll see.” She didn’t have the heart to tell him she’d decided she wasn’t much of an outdoors person.
“Please?”
She groaned. They both knew she was going to give in, just like she’d given in to hiking and paddleboarding. Though, in her defense, she’d held her ground at parasailing. No way was she getting tied to the back of a boat and dragged through the air on a parachute. She shivered at the thought. “Fine. I’ll give it a try.”
“Yes. You’re going to love it. I know it.” He took off at a brisk jog before she could change her mind, then tripped going down the curb into the street and waved over his shoulder that he was okay.
Gia laughed. How anyone as clumsy as Trevor could be so athletic when it came to outdoor activities was beyond her, but he was, and he was determined to get her to enjoy at least one of them. She resumed her walk, wondering how in the world she’d gotten roped into joining him yet again. And how she could get out of it before next week.
Chapter 7
Gia checked that all the coffeepots were full, then headed for the front door to open for the day. She could tell before she even unlocked the café door that news of Marcia’s murder had spread. Though a few customers occasionally lingered outside waiting for her to open, the current small crowd was unusual. As was the undercurrent buzzing through them. Gossip always offered excitement in Boggy Creek, but this was different. Fear had settled in more than one pair of eyes.
Gia unlocked the door a few minutes early and held it open, greeting everyone with a smile as they entered. Usually, she’d seat each group, but Willow hadn’t arrived yet, and she didn’t want to keep everyone standing around, so she invited everyone to have a seat wherever they’d like. Most congregated toward the middle of the café or the counter, where they’d be sure not to miss out on any information that got passed around.
Earl tagged along at the back of the line. He tipped the fisherman’s cap he always wore on his way past. “Mornin’.”
“Good morning, Earl. You’re late today.” Earl usually knocked on the door half an hour or so before Gia opened, then sat with her and had a cup of coffee until she was ready to unlock the door. She’d begun to look forward to the routine each morning.
“Got a late start, what with all my kids calling me to see what was going on.” He winked and headed for his usual spot at the counter.
Gia followed. She grabbed a coffeepot and a stack of menus and weaved her way through the room, filling coffee mugs and making sure everyone had a menu to look at while they waited to place their orders.
Most menus sat closed on the tables while rumors flew.
Esmeralda, an older woman who’d become a regular, stopped Gia on her way by.
“Good morning, Esmeralda. How are you today?”
Esmeralda patted her perfectly coiffed blue hair. Though how she managed to have herself so put together before six o’clock in the morning was beyond her. Gia was lucky to get her mass of dark brown curls shoved into a sloppy knot at the top of her head before running out the door to work in the morning. Maybe Esmeralda slept sitting up.
“Good morning, dear.” Esmeralda gestured for her to lean closer and pitched her voice low. As if everyone in the room hadn’t already heard about Marcia’s unfortunate demise. “Have you heard the news?”
“News?” Gia feigned innocence.
“Yes,” Estelle, Esmeralda’s twin, looking equally as well composed, chimed in. “Marcia Steers was murdered.”
“Oh, yes, I did hear that.” She would offer no more than that. Obviously, news of her finding the body hadn’t traveled as far as the Bailey twins. At least not yet.
“Can you believe it? There hasn’t been a murder in Boggy Creek since… uh…” Estelle’s cheeks flamed red and she lowered her head. “Well, it’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has.” Gia pulled an order pad from her apron, giving the woman a chance to collect herself. The first time curiosity had driven Esmeralda and Estelle into the café had been just after Gia’s ex-husband, Bradley, was killed. Only that time, they hadn’t been convinced of Gia’s innocence. She’d since become quite fond of the pair. “What can I get you ladies this morning?”
She jotted down their order, then excused herself and moved on to the next table, leaving Esmeralda to reprimand her sister in private.
She’d taken three orders by the time Willow rushed through the door and looked around the crowded room. She sho
t Gia a huge grin, grabbed her apron and order pad from behind the counter, and got to work.
Gia ripped the order slips off and tucked her pad into her apron pocket, then turned to head into the kitchen and start cooking. She paused when the front door opened, ready to greet her next customer. Her smile faltered when she came face-to-face with Captain Hayes, but she recovered quickly. “Good morning, Captain.”
He nodded.
“Would you like a table, or would you prefer to sit at the counter?”
He studied her a moment, jaw clenched.
She held her ground and his stare. No way she’d allow this man to intimidate her. If he had a problem, he could just get over it. She hadn’t done anything wrong, and she was just about over his attitude.
“Counter’s fine.” He released her gaze and started forward.
Gia followed. She’d seat him and give him a menu, but after that, he was Willow’s problem. For the first time she was grateful for having to cook, which allowed her to escape to the kitchen. She realized a moment too late Hayes had stopped, and barely kept from plowing into him. “Captain?”
He ignored her, his attention fully focused on an older man sitting alone at a table toward the back corner.
The man acknowledged him with a slight nod, then went back to perusing his menu.
Hayes only faltered for a moment before resuming his trek toward the counter. He slid onto the stool without ever looking at the other man again. “Just coffee.”
She hesitated. She already had three order slips in her hand, and she needed to get them started. Yet, curiosity burned a hole in her gut.
Earl sat only two seats down from Captain Hayes, laughing at something the man next to him said. There was no way to get his attention and ask if he knew the older man without Hayes hearing her.
Dang.
“Willow will be right with you,” she told the captain, then strode toward the kitchen with some small sense of satisfaction. Hayes could just wait a few minutes for the coffee he wouldn’t bother paying for anyway. Somewhere along the line, he’d gotten the impression whatever he wanted was on the house, even though she’d never once offered to pick up his tab. But it was better to stay off his radar. At least, that’s what she’d told herself every time he got up and walked out without so much as looking at the bill she’d left beside his almost empty cup.
