Written in Blood (Otter Creek Book 3)

by Rebecca Deel

  A shiver of uneasiness zinged over her skin. With a house that large, the family might never know she was there. Well, it couldn’t be helped and she wasn’t here about the Drakes, at least not directly.

  The maid opened the door at her ring. Meg smiled. “I have an appointment with Mr. Brandenburg.”

  “This way, Miss.” She led Meg down the marble hallway to a large office.

  Don Brandenburg looked up from his computer, a smile curving his lips. “Meg, come in. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you. You look great.”

  “So do you.” And she wasn’t lying. In high school, Don had been the nerd of Josh’s graduating class. Number cruncher extraordinaire with geeky looks. Now, Don looked like an all-star athlete. Healthy, fit, tanned. Based on his surroundings, she figured his buff physique came from a health club. She couldn’t see him doing his own yard work in this neighborhood. “Being a campaign finance manager seems to agree with you.”

  Don laughed, his white teeth flashing in the light. “How’s Josh? I hear he’s a cop now.”

  “After his stint in the Army, he joined the Otter Creek PD. He loves the job, though he gets restless now and then. Says the natives are too quiet some nights. That’s when he goes to the firing range.”

  He motioned for her to sit. “So, what can I do for my favorite newspaper editor? Need information about the Drakes?”

  “Actually, I’m interested in you.” She smiled. “Or, more specifically, De Marco Water Works.”

  “Sure. What do you want to know?”

  “Mayor Parks says the town council is voting Tuesday on hiring De Marco for a project. The recommendation to hire them comes from you by way of Senator Drake. What do you know about the company?”

  Don chuckled. “Quite a bit, actually. I own it.”

  Meg’s eyebrows rose. “How long have you owned De Marco?” She grabbed a notepad and pen from her bag.

  “I bought it five years ago.”

  “No offense, Don, but you’re a bean counter. What caught your attention with the company?”

  “I ran across De Marco in California while on vacation with my family. A friend of mine owned the company and I recognized the name on their work vehicles. They were working on Santa Lucia’s water system at the time. I was impressed with their work ethic and courtesy.”

  “Impressed enough to just make an offer?”

  A flash of irritation showed in his eyes. “Of course not. While my wife and daughters went shopping one afternoon, I looked up Jay Curtis, the guy who owned De Marco. I found out he was dying of lung cancer. Two-pack a day habit caught up with him.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “When I expressed interest in the company, he asked me if I wanted to buy him out. He was going to put the money from the sale into a trust fund to take care of his family after he died.”

  “How do you keep up with De Marco and the Drake campaign finances?”

  Don laughed. “It’s a good thing the Drakes aren’t always running for office. The work becomes hectic as elections draw closer.”

  She wondered if the Drakes did more than PR for Don’s company. “Bet it doesn’t hurt business to have Senator Drake promoting De Marco.”

  “That’s how it is in the business world. As a writer, you’ve seen that in action.”

  “Are the Drakes involved in De Marco?”

  He frowned. “Of course not. They don’t have time.”

  “Have they invested in the company?”

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

  “What was the bid figure for Otter Creek’s water system?”

  When Don named the same figure the mayor had given her, she said, “Isn’t that a little high?”

  “Quality is pricey, Meg.” He smiled, though it didn’t seem as friendly this time. “You get what you pay for.” He stood and came around the desk. “I hate to cut this short, but I have a meeting in a couple of minutes. Is there anything else?”

  “I’d like a list of projects De Marco’s completed since you’ve been at the helm. The Gazette reader’s love home folks success stories.”

  “Sure.” He checked his watch. “I should have time to put one together by 5:00.”

  She smiled. “Great. Can I stop by and pick it up?”

  “I’ll leave it with the maid for you.” He held out his hand. “Good to see you again, Meg.” Don closed the door behind her.

  She stared at the office door. Sounded like Don wouldn’t give her a chance for a follow-up interview.

  “This way, Miss.”

  Meg jumped. The maid had slipped up behind her without a sound. She followed the woman to the front door with a murmur of thanks. Meg hurried down the stairs to her car, unlocked the door and tossed her bag on the passenger seat.

  “Megan, what a pleasant surprise.”

  She froze for a split second. Rod was going to be furious, but an opportunity just dropped in her lap. She’d be a fool to pass on it. Meg turned to face Kyle Drake.

  “Kyle.” Meg’s keys jangled in her hand. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “How are you? I heard you were hurt the other night.”

  “I’m fine.” She edged closer to the car. “I guess you’re Don’s next appointment.”

  “Have to keep the money man happy. He pays all the bills.”

  “You must be pleased with his work.”

  “Why do you say that?” He sounded cautious.

  Meg waved toward the mansion. “He looks as though he’s doing very well financially.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, we give all our paid staff bonuses with campaign victories. And Don’s got another business on the side.”

  The business must be funneling in big money for Don to afford a house that size. “I’m so sorry about Sherri.”

  “Thank you. We’re all devastated by her death, Ty especially.”

  Meg wasn’t convinced of that after what she’d learned from Lucy. A man indulging in an affair might be relieved at the untimely death of his wife. “Is he?”

  Kyle frowned. “What kind of question is that? Of course he is. He loved Sherri.”

  “He has a funny way of showing it. Does the name Candy Wilson mean anything to you?”

  “Is this about the college co-ed again? That’s in the past. You already ripped into him about that. Cost him his job, too.”

  “This is a different woman, Kyle.”

  “You can’t leave anything alone, can you?” He stepped closer. “Look, Meg, isn’t Ty hurting enough without you dragging his name through the mud again over an alleged affair?”

  She drew in a deep breath and smelled a clean, spicy scent. “This isn’t about smearing Ty.”

  “Well, it certainly sounds like you have a vendetta against him. Maybe he’s right. Maybe you won’t ever give him a fair shake in that newspaper of yours.”

  Her face heated. “Since you think I can’t be unbiased about him, do you have anything to say to Otter Creek about Sherri?”

  “She was a wonderful wife to Ty. She loved him as much as my parents loved each other. Sherri was devoted to Ty. We’ll miss her.” He stared at her for a moment, speculation in his gaze. “You know, Meg, you’re a really gifted writer. I’ve seen your work. Have you thought about doing something in writing other than small-town journalism?”

  Meg blinked at the sudden change in topic and tone of the conversation. “What’s this? Trying another tactic so I’ll leave Ty alone?”

  “As Ty’s brother, I’m protective. As a professional in politics, I recognize and appreciate a gift with words when I see it. I could use a woman of your talents on my team, Meg.”

  “Your team? Don’t you mean your father’s team?”

  He shook his head, a smile curving his lips. “No, my team. Dad’s planning to retire. He’s backing me to take his place in Washington next fall.”

  “Is that for publication?”

  Kyle grinned. “Not yet. I’ll make sure you get first dibs on the press release. So what abo
ut it, Meg? Interested in being the White House press secretary?”

  “White House? Isn’t that a little presumptive? You haven’t won the Senate seat yet.”

  He laughed. “After a term or two in the Senate, I plan to run for President. If you sign on with me now, I’ll take you all the way to the White House.”

  Rod turned his back on the window facing the squad room. He had holed up in the empty office next to Ethan’s to make the long distance calls to the men meeting with Kyle Drake Sunday night.

  “I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me, Senator Young.”

  “Always glad to help when I can, Detective. I was sorry to hear about Mrs. Drake. Real tragedy. Now, what kind of information did you need?”

  “I understand you were in Otter Creek Sunday night.”

  “Yes.” Surprise edged his voice. “Had a business meeting with Kyle Drake.”

  “What time did you arrive at the restaurant, sir?”

  “Just before 7:00.”

  “Who else did you meet besides Kyle?”

  “Don Brandenburg and Ben O’Leary.”

  “And when did your meeting end?”

  “Uh, I guess about 10:00 or 11:00.” A sheepish tone crept into Young’s voice. “I had a couple of drinks so the time’s a little fuzzy.”

  Rod’s lip curled. He’d bet the senator had more than a few. His affinity for booze was well documented in the media. “Did anybody leave for an unusual length of time?”

  “Not that I remember.”

  So far all the information he’d gathered from O’Leary and Young matched what he learned from Kyle. “Why did you meet with Kyle and Don?”

  Wry laughter from the other end of the phone. “War plans.”

  Rod frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “You don’t know about Kyle, then?”

  “Why don’t you enlighten me.”

  “Kyle’s positioning himself to replace his old man in the Senate.”

  After Rod left his number in case the senator remembered anything else, he hung up and grabbed his coat. He knocked on Ethan’s door and stuck his head in. “I’m going to Brandenburg’s place. I may be gone a while.”

  “Something come up?”

  “Confirming Kyle’s alibi for early Sunday night.”

  Minutes later, he rounded the large curve and stared at the two people standing in the driveway. What was Meg doing here with Kyle Drake? He parked the SUV and crossed the concrete drive.

  Kyle swiveled and nodded at him. “Rod. You here to see Don?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I have a couple of checks to hand him, then I’ll get out of your way.” He eyed Megan. “Think about what I said.” He turned and took the stairs two at a time.

  Rod studied Meg’s expression. She looked stunned. “What’s going on?”

  “Before you start in on me, I didn’t know Kyle would be here. I came to ask Don about his company.”

  “Company?”

  “De Marco Water Works. The mayor wants De Marco to replace the old water pipes in town.”

  Rod’s eyebrows shot up. He didn’t know Don was tied to De Marco. “So, what did Kyle want you to think about?”

  “Working for him.”

  A cold chill spread over his body that had nothing to do with the temperature outside. “Doing what?”

  “PR.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “The man has great ambition. I’ll give him that.”

  He could still feel the silky strands against his palm. Instead of giving in to a burning desire to run his hands through her hair, he jammed his fists into his pants pockets. “Running for his father’s senate seat, you mean?”

  “That’s just a step to his ultimate goal.”

  “Which is?”

  “The White House.”

  His eyes widened. “Kyle wants to be President?”

  “And he asked me to be the White House press secretary.”

  Rod rubbed his jaw. “That’s quite a goal. You interested in his offer?”

  Meg grinned. “I’d rather be the newshound than dodge them.” She leaned against her car. “So, why are you here, Detective?”

  “Confirming alibis for early Sunday night. Where are you headed next?”

  “Jean’s Tea Room. We’re doing a piece on the Victorian Christmas decorations and the Christmas tea she puts together. The Gazette doesn’t have a food critic, so I get to share my opinions of all the offerings.”

  “Tough job, Cahill. Does that mean you won’t be interested in dinner with me?” The words were out of his mouth before he realized what was coming and could stop them. Maybe it had something to do with the way Kyle looked at Megan earlier.

  “Dinner? As in a date?” She tilted her head. “Does this mean we’re beyond the ‘not a no’ stage?”

  A cold sweat broke out on his back. “Let’s say we’re at the exploration stage, okay?”

  “That works. What time?”

  “Call me when you finish with the Tea Room.”

  Meg thought a minute. “Why don’t I just meet you at the office? I’ll have to write up the story before my taste buds forget the marvelous flavors.”

  Rod chuckled. “Works for me. Later, Cahill.” After she climbed into the driver’s seat, he shut her door and watched her drive away.

  His smile faded and a tendril of worry wrapped around his heart. What had he been thinking to ask her on a date? He’d had a handful of casual dates in the last few months, but he had a feeling anything with Meg was more serious. She had such strength, deep wells of it that he wished he could tap.

  Megan Cahill deserved a whole-hearted relationship and Rod wasn’t sure he was capable of that any longer. Not since he lost his family. The phone call from the Highway Patrol had ripped apart his world and torn his heart and soul from him. He still felt like half a man most of the time. The other half was buried with his wife and daughter.

  Rod set his jaw and climbed the stairs. In answer to his knock, a maid led him to Don’s office where Kyle was just leaving.

  Don waved him into the room and closed the door. “Rod, haven’t seen you in a while. What can I do for you?”

  “I’m looking into Sherri Drake’s murder.”

  “Bad business.”

  “Yeah. I need to know where you were Sunday night.”

  “What?” Don sat heavily in his chair. “Why me? I haven’t seen Sherri in months.”

  “Standard police procedure to check the whereabouts of all family and friends. So, where were you?”

  “You’re serious.”

  “Very.”

  “Okay, well, I was here until about 6:30. I left to attend a dinner meeting at the Pond Restaurant. Stayed there until 10:30 or so and came home.”

  Rod pulled out his notepad. “Who attended your meeting?”

  “Kyle, Senator Gray Young and Senator Ben O’Leary.”

  “Can anyone verify when you arrived home?”

  Don scratched his jaw. “You know, my wife was asleep. The twins wear her out. She didn’t move when I climbed into bed.”

  “What about one of your staff?”

  He brightened at that. “The maid might have noticed. And we have a security camera at the gate with a recorded time on the tape.”

  “I’ll need a copy of that, please.”

  “No problem.”

  “Have much contact with Ty?”

  “Phone calls now and then and sometimes he’d put in a surprise appearance in D.C. Ty didn’t involve himself in the Senator’s work.” Don frowned. “We did arrange for him to write a computer program that helps us with polling public opinion. Kyle thought the campaign could respond to public sentiment faster if we had our own program instead of waiting for the national ones to come out. He said by the time the results were published the public’s concerns had moved on to something else.”

  “Did Ty mind doing that?”

  He shook his head. “Writing the program only took a few days and he seemed pleased with the result
. So were the Senator and Kyle.”

  “How well did you know Sherri?”

  “As well as you can know a casual acquaintance. I didn’t see her much. She stayed with Ty or at their home most of the time.”

  Rod’s pen hovered over his pad. “What about the Senator’s fundraisers? Wasn’t she the hostess for those shindigs?”

  “Yeah, but I was on duty during those events. Those were working dinners. My job was to raise campaign contributions, so I didn’t say much more than hello to her.”

  “Did Ty come with her?”

  “Sometimes. Other times he’d stay in Otter Creek if he needed to work on a computer project.”

  “What kind of relationship did Sherri have with her in-laws?”

  “She loved the Senator a lot to keep hosting those parties for him. I heard her telling Ty once that she would have preferred staying home.”

  “What about Kyle? Any problems there?”

  “Not that I know about. Where’s all this leading? Do you think one of the Drakes killed Sherri?”

  “I don’t think anything right now. I’m just gathering information. When was the last time you saw Sherri?”

  Don’s forehead furrowed. “Must have been about a month ago. We had a fundraiser in Knoxville.”

  “How did she act?”

  He shrugged. “Didn’t seem to have a problem.” Don hesitated. “Well, now that I think about it, she did seem a little distracted. But Sherri did her part. You know, schmoozing with the ladies.”

  “Did you ask her what was wrong?”

  “Didn’t have time, man. We’re hot on the money trail right now. We’re starting to pick up momentum for the fall election.”

  “I heard about that. What did Kyle promise you?”

  Don looked sheepish. “Something in the Treasury Department.”

  Smooth-talking Kyle probably promised Don the job as Secretary of the Treasury. The guy knew how to win people over to his side. No change from his college days. “What does your wife think about staying on in D.C.?”

  “Oh, she’s all for it. Delia loves the high society and internal workings of the capitol’s political scene. That’s why I always thought it strange that she and Sherri hit it off so well. Sherri hated the parties. She only hosted them for the Senator’s sake.”