Fatal Inheritance

by Sandra Orchard

  “You okay?” Neil turned his car into the lot. “You’re trembling.”

  Becki curled her fingers into the small satin clutch she’d grabbed to go with the outfit. “I don’t see my sister’s car. She was supposed to meet me here.”

  “What kind of car?”

  “A BMW, if...” Becki twisted in her seat and scrutinized each car they passed. Would Sarah have taken the BMW? With the built-in GPS, she’d be too easy to locate. “Um, actually, she probably came in a different car. Let’s just go inside and see if we can find her.”

  Neil parked in a dark corner. “Stay put until I get your door.”

  She hung her camera strap over her shoulder and then placed her hand in his. She couldn’t help but be impressed by his chivalry. “I appreciate your escorting me to this, Neil.”

  “It’s my pleasure. Like old times.”

  Becki nodded, but as he cupped her elbow to guide her to the entrance, her insides didn’t bubble as they did whenever Josh touched her. She shoved the thought from her mind. Her sister had just run away from an abusive husband. Did she need any more proof that a few momentary flutters weren’t worth the inevitable heartache?

  She breathed in the cool evening air. Once she saw Sarah for herself—safe—she’d be able to relax. They reached the sidewalk, and a car door slammed behind them. High heels click-clacked toward them.

  Becki whirled toward the sound. “Sarah!” She pulled her sister into a fierce hug. “Are you okay? I couldn’t get you on your cell phone.”

  Sarah gave Neil a surreptitious glance and whispered, “I had to ditch it so Rowan couldn’t track me. I left the car parked at the bus station and put the phone on a bus headed for Thunder Bay.”

  Becki laughed and hugged her sister harder. “Brilliant. That will keep him busy.”

  “Shall we go in?” Neil put an arm around each of them and ushered them inside.

  “Mmm.” Sarah inhaled. “Enraptured for Him, isn’t it?”

  “That’s what’s different,” Becki said. “I knew there was something.”

  “It’s the male version of the perfume I gave you,” he said, sounding smug.

  Just inside the door, they stopped at the coat check and Neil lifted the wrap from Becki’s shoulder, then helped Sarah with her coat. He caught the scarf along with the coat, revealing a stunning necklace.

  “Whoa,” Becki exclaimed. That must have set Rowan back a fortune.

  Sarah snatched back the scarf and wrapped it around her neck, darting a furtive look at Becki.

  She must plan to hock the piece to finance her escape. Becki squeezed Sarah’s hand to assure her she understood. As Neil handed in the coats in exchange for coat-check stubs, Becki drew Sarah aside. “Are you okay?”

  “I didn’t steal it from you.” Sarah sounded worried.

  “Steal what?”

  Big-band music drifted from the ballroom as couples jostled past them.

  Sarah tugged Becki into a shadowed alcove, where she unwound her scarf and touched the teardrop pendant hanging from the center of a diamond-studded chain. “You don’t recognize this?”

  “Should I?”

  Sarah blew out a breath. “It was in Gran’s glove.”

  “What?” Her mind scrolled through the images in the jewelry-theft article.

  “I didn’t know it was there when I took the glove,” Sarah said defensively. “I just...I... The glove smelled like Gran.”

  A lump rose to Becki’s throat. Sarah missed Gran and Gramps as much as she did.

  “When I left so quickly that night Rowan came, I just wanted to grab something that would remind me of her. I should have told you when I got home and found the necklace inside. I thought it was Gran’s and I hoped you wouldn’t miss it. Can you ever forgive me?”

  “Yes, but—” Becki pulled the edges of the scarf back together and lowered her voice. “It’s got to be one of the stolen pieces.”

  “Yes. I thought if I wore it, the thief might reveal himself.”

  “That’s your idea?” With sudden, terrifying clarity, Becki realized why Josh had so adamantly nixed her idea to do basically the same thing.

  Hadn’t the trashed trailer been proof enough the guy had lost patience? Not to mention maybe even tampered with her brakes. Once he set eyes on the necklace, he’d go after it no matter the cost.

  Neil approached with a smile. “Finished your powwow?”

  “Could you give us one more minute?” Becki asked, appreciative of his sensitivity.

  Women in evening gowns sauntered past, scarcely paying them any attention, but the gaze of every man seemed drawn to her beautiful sister.

  “Why don’t I get everyone some punch?” Neil suggested.

  “That would be wonderful. Thank you,” Sarah said.

  Once Neil disappeared through the ballroom doors, Becki said, “I can’t let you do this, Sarah. It’s too dangerous.”

  “What are you talking about? How did you think you’d draw out the thief?”

  “I don’t know. I was frantic over finding those jewels in Gran’s glove and desperate to prove she didn’t take them. But I won’t risk your safety to do that.”

  “But you’ll risk yours?”

  Becki let out a sigh.

  Sarah’s fingers gripped her scarf. “I want to do this for Gran and Gramps just as much as you do. This can work.”

  Becki envisioned the last time they’d conspired together—to get a puppy—and the disaster that had turned into. “I don’t even know what we’d do if we came up with a suspect.”

  “You’re here to do an article. Take photos of everyone who shows an interest in the jewelry, especially if they seem to watch my every move.”

  “That’s half the guys here.”

  “So take down names on the pretense of it being for the article. If they don’t want you to use their pictures or names, that’d be all the more suspicious.”

  “But if this guy is here, he’s going to look for any opportunity to steal the necklace.”

  “So we let him.” Sarah hooked her arm through Becki’s and led her into the ballroom.

  Tables laden with cakes and pastries lined the walls. Couples milled about them.

  “If the guy steals the necklace, we don’t have to prove anything,” Sarah went on. “Just call the police and they’ll catch him in possession of the stolen goods.”

  Like you are now? Becki silenced the voice in her head. The voice that sounded too much like Josh. This could work. It had to work.

  Sarah unwound the scarf and draped it across her shoulders. The lights from the chandeliers made the attached pendant glitter.

  Lifting her camera, Becki took a few steps back. “That necklace is stunning,” she gushed loud enough for others to hear, and then she snapped a couple of photos of Sarah hamming it up for the camera.

  The ploy attracted the attention they’d hoped. Several couples meandered over and admired the pendant. Becki took their photos, too. Told them she was writing an article. She glanced around, wondering what had happened to Neil. She spotted him chatting with an older lady by the punch bowl.

  He gave Becki a warm smile and, with a slight lift of his chin, mouthed, Be right there.

  She tightened her grip on her camera. He was being so nice, but she didn’t want him to think this changed her mind about them.

  Sarah’s sudden gasp snapped Becki’s attention back to her sister. Sarah clutched her scarf at her throat, her panicked gaze colliding with Becki’s. Lifting her camera, Becki whirled to capture the source of Sarah’s panic.

  Josh.

  Becki’s heart slammed into her ribs. He didn’t look like a policeman in his breeches and suspenders and crisp white shirt topped with a cravat. He looked noble, honorable, almost like someone she might be
able to reason with. But that didn’t change the fact he was first and foremost a cop, and if he’d seen the stolen necklace, she was finished.

  SIXTEEN

  Josh couldn’t take his eyes off Bec as she lowered her camera and offered him an awkward smile. Okay, so she wasn’t wearing the dress he liked, but she looked stunning in red. At the sight of her bare neck, relief filled him that she hadn’t come with the stolen necklace to hatch some harebrained plan to nab the real thief.

  She scanned the ballroom, and her creamy shoulders relaxed when her gaze met Neil’s over the punch bowl.

  She couldn’t be serious about Neil. Could she?

  Josh forced his fingers to unclench. He’d seen the way she’d flinched the day Neil had shown up uninvited.

  He frowned. But if she didn’t come to catch the thief, why was she here with Neil and not him?

  Neil weaved through the crowd toward her, carrying two glasses of punch. Apparently he was someone she could count on.

  Maybe coming here had been a mistake.

  Couples dotted the room, heads inclined toward each other, whispering, laughing, sharing secret smiles. The way Bec’s grandparents had always been. How many times had he noticed their eyes meeting across a crowded room as they shared a smile?

  He wanted that with Bec.

  He wanted the house in the country, full of rescued strays and four kids whose names all started with J and a little Becki.

  His heart squeezed as he closed the distance between them.

  He’d already defied his captain’s orders by coming here. If he was going to crash and burn, he might as well go all out.

  “You came,” she said with a hint of uncertainty, but had he imagined the hint of pleasure, too?

  He let his gaze caress her skin. “The red looks good on you.”

  “Doesn’t it?” Neil said smugly, handing Bec a glass of punch. “It’s my favorite color.”

  Josh stiffened.

  Apology washed through Bec’s eyes, but Josh didn’t know how to interpret it.

  Neil handed the second glass to another woman.

  Josh did a double take. “Sarah? I didn’t expect to find you here.”

  She clenched a scarf about her neck with a white-knuckled grip, but he didn’t miss the bruise under her left jaw.

  A surge of anger gripped him. “Have you finally left him?”

  The grip on her scarf relaxed a little. “Yes.”

  “That explains why he was at Bec’s house looking for you.”

  “Who? Your husband?” Neil interjected.

  “Yes.”

  Sarah set her glass on a table and fussed with the scarf at the back of her neck, then caught Bec’s hand between hers.

  Bec’s eyes widened as they seemed to telegraph silent messages as only siblings could.

  “I need to go,” Sarah whispered. “Rowan might have followed Josh here.”

  Seeing Bec’s gaze drop to the scarf hiding her sister’s bruises, Josh interjected, “Where will you go? We could help you find a safe place.”

  “I have one lined up. Thank you.” She squeezed Bec’s fisted hand for a long moment. “I’ll call you soon.”

  Neil produced a coat-check stub from his pocket. “I’ll walk you to your car.” He touched Bec’s shoulder. “I’ll just be a minute.”

  Josh watched them leave. Begrudgingly, he had to concede that Neil seemed like a decent guy, but that didn’t stop Josh from hoping that Sarah kept Neil chatting outside for a good long time.

  As Josh turned back to Bec, she fumbled with her purse, sloshing punch over her gloved hand.

  He lifted the glass from her hold. “It’s stained.”

  “That’s okay. It’ll wash.” She hurriedly snapped shut her tiny purse.

  At the sight of a diamond-studded chain dangling from it, Josh’s planned speech died on his lips.

  Bec reached for her punch glass, but Josh caught her wrist. “Why did you come?”

  “What do you mean? I’m here to write an article.”

  He set down the punch glass, opened her purse, nudged the chain inside—against his better judgment—and snapped the purse shut again. “I mean, you better let me in on whatever plan you’ve concocted.”

  “I didn’t keep the necklace from you, Josh.” He steeled himself against her defensive expression. “You have to believe me. Sarah had it. She didn’t tell me until I got here.”

  “That’s why you scrambled to hide it in your purse when I wasn’t looking? When did I become the enemy?”

  Her expression crumbled.

  His anger seeped away. “I’m sorry, Bec.” He stroked her cheek. “Trust me, if I didn’t believe in you, I wouldn’t be here. The police know about the missing jewelry.”

  Her face paled, and everything in him wanted her to believe he could help her, but he couldn’t sugarcoat the truth. “You’re their prime suspect.”

  * * *

  “They think I stole it?” Clutching her purse, Becki searched Josh’s eyes. He didn’t think that, too, did he?

  No, he’d said he believed in her.

  Josh steered her away from the crowds into a quiet corner. “They think you found the jewelry, but withheld the necklace and earring set.”

  “But you know I wouldn’t steal them. You told them. Didn’t you?”

  He looked pointedly at her purse.

  “Sarah had the necklace. I didn’t know.”

  “Bec, they found one of the earrings in your jewelry box, not to mention they know that Sarah threatened to oust you out of your house if you didn’t give her a bigger cut of the inheritance.”

  “Fine, don’t believe me. Take it.”

  Josh covered her hand and closed the clasp an instant before Neil’s arm curled around her waist.

  “Ready to hobnob?” Neil murmured close to her ear. “Get that story you’re after?”

  Josh’s hand dropped to his side. Something flickered in his eyes. His expression went blank. “I need to make a phone call.” Josh walked a few steps, then pivoted on his heel. “By the way, I towed the Model T here. We could ask Hunter’s uncle if it’d be okay for you and Neil...”

  He’d towed the car? Really?

  “That’d be great. Don’t you think?” Neil piped up.

  “Yes.” Becki turned back to her date and mustered a smile.

  He’d towed the car? He didn’t just come to recover the jewelry? How sweet was that? Had he hoped to join her, too?

  “I thought your article might sound better from a front-seat view.”

  Her article. Right. He’d been rescuing her again.

  If only her heart wouldn’t somersault in her chest every time Josh acted like some fairy-tale prince. She knew better than to believe in fairy tales.

  What had she expected? That he’d turn into a green-eyed monster like her sister had supposed?

  You actually had to love someone to be jealous.

  * * *

  Josh slammed his fist into the side of the trailer. God help him, when he saw Neil slink his arm around Bec’s waist, and Bec not so much as lean away, his chest had felt as if she’d dug that old-fashioned boot heel square into the center.

  He pulled out his phone and clicked Hunter’s number.

  “You got it?” Hunter asked the instant the phone connected.

  “Soon.” Josh sucked in the night air, but the heavy dampness did nothing to relieve the fire in his chest. “I’ll need you to bring it in, though. I need to stay and watch Bec’s back.”

  “Already on my way. Got Anne with me.”

  Josh stuffed the phone back in his pocket and sucked in a couple more deep breaths. He’d quietly corner Bec one last time, recover the necklace and then back off. Scan the crowd. Make sure n
o one was watching her.

  He turned back to the hotel, but a faint whimper stopped him. He glanced around, expecting to find an abandoned kitten or pup. This end of the parking lot backed onto the cliff above the ravine and wasn’t well lit—just the kind of place someone might choose to dump an unwanted pet.

  The whimper sounded again—from the direction of the ravine. Josh reached into his truck and grabbed his flashlight. He swept the light over the steep embankment and caught sight of a blond head.

  He scrambled toward the victim. “I’m coming. Hang on.”

  Six feet from the gagged, prone body, his heart slammed into his ribs. “Sarah?” Oh, God, please let her be okay.

  A purple splotch colored her cheek. Her dress was torn and muddy. Leaves and twigs tangled her hair.

  “Sarah? Sarah, can you hear me?”

  Her eyes remained closed. Her face twisted in pain.

  He skidded to his knees and untied the scarf binding her mouth. Guilt cut off his breath. He must have led Rowan straight to her. Josh checked her breathing, her pulse. “Sarah, talk to me.” He unbound her hands; they’d been tied behind her back with the belt of her dress. It was a miracle she’d been conscious enough to make any sound after being pushed over the ravine with no hands to brace her fall.

  He checked her arms and legs for fractures. They’d need a spinal board just to be safe. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.

  The phone flashed No Service. “Sarah, can you hear me? I need to climb up the ravine to get a signal so we can get you an ambulance.”

  Her eyelids fluttered open.

  “Did you hear me? I’ll be right back.”

  “Becki?” she whispered.

  “In the hotel. I’ll call her, too.”

  “No!” She struggled to get to a sitting position.

  He gently urged her back down. “You need to lie still until the paramedics get here.”

  She lashed at his arms, her eyes flaring. “You have to protect her.”

  Josh cupped her shoulders. “It’s okay. Rowan’s not going to bother Bec in a ballroom full of people.” His calm tone belied the frantic scramble in his chest. “Neil will watch out for her.”