Sebastian looked at Scott and opened the door. “You just hit the nail on the head.” He didn’t wait for Scott to get out, instead hurried to the front door and rang the doorbell.
“What the hell?” Malone didn’t hide his annoyance at finding two cops on his doorstep. “I’m headed to town, you two could have waited to talk to me there.”
He didn’t invite them in, but instead moved out to the doorstep and looked toward his truck. “What is this all about?”
Dressed in his usual dark pants and dress shirt that looked about to burst at the seams around his belly, Malone glared from Scott to him. “Well?”
“Need to ask you a couple questions.” Sebastian kept his expression blank. “How well do you know Shelly Mason?”
It was interesting to see anger simmer beneath the surface of the man’s eyes. “I don’t know her at all.”
“But you went to see her the day after Eddie died.”
Since it was not formed as a question Malone didn’t reply. Instead he took his keys out of his pocket.
Sebastian took a step over to block his path. “Did Shelly Mason come to you about Eddie’s paycheck, or did you take it upon yourself to drop it by?”
“It was a nice thing to do. It’s not everyday an employee dies, so I thought I’d give my condolences and drop off his last paycheck.”
“I find that interesting, Malone,” Sebastian told him cocking his head to the side and shifting his gaze to Scott ensuring the deputy was ready in case Malone became violent. “You see I found out from the company that manages your payroll in Knoxville that all your employees get their paycheck directly deposited. You would have had to inform them of Eddie’s passing and asked for a check to be cut and mailed. They would not mail it directly to you, but to Eddie’s address on record.”
Malone visibly swallowed, but did not lose any of his bravado. “I took her money. I didn’t say I took his last paycheck.”
“Yes, you did,” Scott interjected looking at his pad. “You stated, I thoughy I’d give my condolences and drop off his last paycheck.” Sebastian lifted a brow and frowned. What the hell? Did Scott take shorthand at the police academy?
“Whatever, that’s not what I meant.” Malone clenched his fists. “Unless you’re going to arrest me, get off my property. If you have any more questions contact my attorney.” He shoved his way past Sebastian to his truck.
“He’s guilty of something.” Scott watched Malone get in his truck and speed away.
“Let’s hope he leads us in the right direction.” Sebastian was already heading to the cruiser. “He has forty-five minutes to make phone calls and think over any implications of this conversation.”
They followed Malone at a safe distance, keeping the truck in sight. He drove straight to his garage and went directly through the side entrance to his office. Just before entering the building he looked over his shoulder towards them and flipped them the middle finger.
“Not very mature,” Scott said with a chuckle. “I think we’ll have to take our cars out of town for any repairs from now on.”
“I already do,” Sebastian replied.
His cell phone buzzed and he answered it. It was the crime scene unit from Newton. “Took their sweet time,” Sebastian said hanging up. “Let’s head back to the office. They’re faxing some stuff and you can catch some zzz’s in the interrogation room while we wait for arrest warrants.”
“Warrants?” Scott’s eyebrows lifted. “As in plural?”
An hour later, they went back to the garage. Sebastian pounded on the side door without a reply. Scott had already circled through the open bay to enter Malone’s office. When a large bang sounded, Sebastian pulled his service weapon and shouldered the door, which being metal didn’t give way. Sebastian ran to the front and found Scott kicking in the door to Malone’s office.
Malone was slumped over his desk. Blood and brain matter splattered on the wall behind him. A gun lay on the floor beneath his hand.
The other men who worked at the garage, including Jay, gathered at the door with a chorus of “fucks” and “oh shits.”
“Stay here and call the coroner. I’ll head over to serve the other warrant,” Sebastian instructed Scott. He then looked to the doorway. “If any of them step over the threshold, arrest them.”
The men were already dispersing when he walked through the doorway. Jay Garrett was in the bay getting sick into a bucket. So much for all the bravado.
Shelly Mason gave him a bored look when she finally opened the door. “Unless you have fifty bucks for a blow job go away.” She started to close the door but Sebastian put his foot in the way and pushed against it.
“Not today or ever for that matter.” He held up the cuffs. “Shelly Mason you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder.”
She shrieked and ran straight through the house and out a side door. For a skinny woman who smoked two packs a day, Sebastian was shocked how fast she moved. Mumbling a curse, he took off after her.
Almost half a block later, he finally caught her and they tumbled to the ground. She scratched and bit at him screaming.
“Help me! He’s trying to hurt me. Help!”
Just as he cuffed her, someone ran over and she shrieked as if Sebastian were cutting her arm off. “Get him off me! Don’t you see what he’s doing?” Shelly whimpered and pounded her head on the dirt. “Let me go you, fucking asshole.”
An older man helped Sebastian get Shelly to her feet only to be kicked by her as she attempted to wiggle away. Somehow they managed to hang onto the thrashing woman.
With her shrieking and kicking the entire time, they finally managed to shove her into the back of the cruiser. Afterwards, both leaned on the car panting.
“Thank you,” Sebastian held his hand out to the man who shook it.
“You’re welcome. That’s the most excitement I’ve had in a long time.” His broad smile made Sebastian smile in return.
“Here to serve.” Sebastian dusted his pant leg and realized the pants were torn.
“Name’s Travis Nixon,” the man told him, looking toward the cruiser where Shelly continued ranting.
“Thank you again, Mr. Nixon, you enjoy the rest of your day.” Sebastian cringed at the thought of getting into the car with Shelly who screamed something about suing him. “I’ve got an interesting drive ahead of me.”
Back to the station, he was relieved to see Sheriff Clark and a couple deputies from Newton County standing in front of the station, one a female. He got out not bothering with Shelly for the moment. “Glad to see you guys. You’re back early, Sheriff?”
“The ship docked and my phone wouldn’t stop dinging. So we skipped Disney so I could come help.” Clark gave him a once over. “She put up a fight, huh?”
“Yep.” He knew his face and neck were scratched up and his clothes were covered in dirt. “How about someone else get her out of the car.”
“Did she talk?” Sherriff Clark asked.
“The whole way here,” Sebastian replied shaking his head. “Mostly fuck you asshole, nothing about the case.”
The deputies got Shelly out of the car and once again she began kicking and attempted to bite them. “You’re all going to lose your jobs over this when I get through suing your asses!” she yelled, then called for help several more times.
Chapter Ten
Two days had passed since Eliza had seen Sebastian, other than catching glimpses of him here and there in the midst of other deputies and even on camera when a local news station interviewed him about the arrest of two locals for the murder of Eddie Mason. Leroy Malone and Shelly Mason were having an affair. She shook her head at the picture. She’d certainly not expected that.
What shocked her most was that Malone had broken into her apartment to leave a note. For a heavy guy, he’d been pretty stealthy to get away without the deputies catching sight of him. Then again, there were only two of them for the town and it was hard to keep the long hours needed to conduct the invest
igation. At least now she slept better.
The five o’clock news was on and the reporter from Newton interviewed Sebastian On the diner’s television big screen, Sebastian’s good looks were hard to ignore even with the dark circles under his eyes. She knew it was selfish of her to want some of his time, but she found herself missing him.
He’d not even called to wish her a good night in two days and she couldn’t help but wonder if something had changed his mind about her.
She sat at a booth by the window at the diner drinking sweet tea and playing with the fries on her plate feeling deflated.
The mayor and sheriff came into view and she tensed wondering if Sebastian would be with them. Seconds later Sebastian and a female deputy joined the men, followed by Deputy Scott and another male deputy.
The woman was striking, with her blond hair pulled back into a serviceable bun. Her eyes were light and pinned to Sebastian’s face. He said something and she laughed reaching out and touching his bicep.
Eliza jumped up and rushed to the kitchen when they moved toward the diner door.
Phil looked up and motioned for her to take over. “I see the sheriff and Mayor Brown brought the visiting deputies in. You cook, and I’ll make sure to send Mildred over to their table.” He took his apron off and headed out of the kitchen.
Good thing Phil didn’t suspect her reason for not taking a full break being something other than the visiting guests. She cleaned off the grill and waited for the order. A part of her wanted to peek out and see if the female deputy sat next to Sebastian. Who was she kidding? The way the woman was ogling him that was exactly where she’d planted her butt.
With a huff she moved to salad bar and began chopping vegetables, ignoring the assistant cook’s questioning gaze.
The orders came in. Four burgers, a salad, and a steak platter. Everyone ordered a side of the hash brown casserole. Eliza became lost for a few minutes, putting extra effort into the cooking. She was glad not to handle the salad since it was probably for the woman.
Once the food was ready, she banged on the bell with more force than necessary. Once again her counterpart looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. She shrugged. “PMS.”
That had him moving away, rushing to the sink to wash imaginary dishes.
After the group cleared out, she finished tidying up and removed her apron. She neared Phil. “Thank you for giving me the time off. I hope it doesn’t get too busy around here with the fuss of the arrest and all.”
“We’re good. Manny is a great cook. He’ll be able to handle it. He always does good on the evening shift, filling in when I can’t be here.” The man patted her shoulder. “You need to take some time for yourself. Where you going?”
Eliza shrugged. “I’m thinking of heading to Center Hill Lake. Maybe rent a cabin for a couple days.”
“Sounds good. The fishing is great there.” Phil wandered off no doubt planning a fishing trip soon by the dreamy look on his face.
On the walk home, she stopped at the market and picked up a bottle of wine, makings for spaghetti and salad. She then went to the cupcake shop and picked up two cupcakes. Arms loaded she entered her apartment and opened all the windows to let the fresh air in since the afternoon had cooled to a nice seventy-five.
The wind blew through her small apartment and she turned her radio on to a soft rock station. Once that was done. She poured a glass of wine and took it with her to the bathroom. She’d shower to wash the smell of grease from her hair. Afterwards, she’d go online and search for a cabin and pack for the weekend. Her small Corolla, gas tank filled, was parked in front of her apartment and ready to go. She’d taken it for an oil change the day before, in Newton since Malone’s garage was closed for the time being.
The rest of the day went by, she kept busy refusing to think of Sebastian. It was obvious by his lack of calls that he was moving in a different direction and although she had to blink away tears every time her mind wandered to him, she knew it would have been a lot worse if they’d been intimate.
The aroma of spaghetti sauce filled her apartment and she tossed the pasta with the sauce. Way too much for one person, but the leftovers would make a good meal over the weekend. The cabin she reserved had a full kitchen with microwave.
The doorbell didn’t register at first. She looked out the window to see if Jay’s truck was parked, but there wasn’t any other car in front of her apartment other than hers and a black Jeep she’d not seen before.
Sebastian looked straight into the peephole when she peered through it. Her stomach tumbled and she took a deep gulp of air in an attempt to steady her breathing.
“Hey, beautiful,” he greeted her with a bear hug and kisses to her temple. “I’ve missed you.”
She wasn’t sure how to react. Tears sprung to her eyes at his wide smile. “I couldn’t wait for all those people to leave so I could come and convince you to go away with me for a few days. I got the cabin ready, packed food, and even picked up these.” He held out a bouquet of daisies.
Things had not changed. She’d allowed her jealousy to fill her mind with scenarios. All the while this wonderful man was working his butt off and planning a weekend away.
It took a few seconds for him to realize she was struck silent. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” He looked past her into her apartment and then looked her over. “Say something.”
“I love you!” She blurted and threw herself at him with so much force, he stumbled back. “You’re such a sweet man.”
He laughed and kissed her, walking her backwards into the apartment and kicking the door behind him.
Eliza looked up at him. “I have a week off.”
A scowl formed on his face. “Where you planning something already?”
She glanced at her laptop. It would only take a couple clicks to cancel her reservation. “Not really, just need time off. So your timing is perfect.”
“Does that mean you’ll go with me?” His face brightened. “I expected you to say no. Just so you know, it has two bedrooms, so don’t feel obligated.”
“How about we discuss it over dinner. I have some questions.”
“Like what?” He followed her to the kitchen where she filled a small vase and put the daisies in water.
“I want to know your favorite color. When is your birthday?”
“Oh.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave her a crooked smile. “Yellow and March twenty-fourth.”
“Interesting. I wouldn’t peg you for a yellow guy.” They sat at the table to a dinner of spaghetti, salad, and baked bread.
“How did you know it was Malone?” Eliza couldn’t help but ask the question that had bugged her since she heard of Malone’s suicide.
“Actually Jay gave me the lead.” Sebastian took a drink of wine and shook his head. “He said Eddie was always late for work and Malone never got on him and the day of the murder, he’d gone to search out Malone to ask for a day off and Malone was not there. By the time we’d come to question Jay, Malone had arrived.”
“Malone had time to do it?” Eliza asked still confused. “Why did he kill him? Is it true Shelly and him were having an affair?”
“Yep,” Sebastian replied. “More than that, Malone and the Masons were selling drugs. Eddie found out about the affair and threatened to turn Malone in. Shelly got him drunk the night before the murder and in the morning gave him a handful of Benadryl telling him it was Tylenol. Malone called Eddie and set up a meeting to talk. By the time Eddie pulled in front of the closed consignment shop, I bet he could barely keep his eyes open.”
“It’s horrible,” Eliza said.
“Let talk about something else,” Sebastian interrupted. “How about our getaway?”
The next evening, Eliza stood on the large back deck of Sebastian’s cabin overlooking the lake.
Being there reminded her of how affluent his family was. She’d asked him about his family and he’d been open about his relationship with his parents. They’d had a fa
lling out over his choice not to be in the cattle business. He left for the police academy and not spoken to them for years. After he’d been shot in Knoxville, they’d reconciled and now they had a close relationship, visiting them monthly. He had a brother who worked on the ranch, breeding horses and prize cattle. His parents were semi-retired.
She rubbed her arms in the brisk air and turned to find Sebastian standing in the living room watching her. He wore jeans, a simple black t-shirt and was barefoot. “Want some wine?” he asked.
“No.” Eliza walked to him, lifted to her toes and kissed him.
“I want you.”
They crashed into each other not able to hide the anticipation of coming together. Eliza could barely stand the friction on her skin of the fabric of her clothing when Sebastian pulled her closer, his hot mouth taking hers. The promise was no longer just that, but a certainty. He would be hers and she would give him all that she was. If his hungry kisses were any indication of what would come, she could barely stand the idea of it.
Her heart thudded against her breast and she raked her fingers through his short cut hair and pulled his mouth tighter against hers.
The straps of her dress slipped off her shoulders, she knew he undressed her and it didn’t matter one bit. Any shyness or insecurity flew out the window at his murmurs of appreciation. His lips covered every inch of skin the falling clothing revealed. His lips traced from her breasts to her stomach. By the time he kneeled to remove her shoes, Eliza was panting, barely able to stand.
He lifted her and carried her through the space, the entire time his eyes on hers. “Mine. You are mine.”
“Yes.” Eliza told him, and then pressed her lips against his neck. “I am all yours.”
He placed her gently on the bed and straightened. Eyes locked with hers, he slid his pants down his slender hips. “You keep looking at me like that and I’m going to embarrass myself and disappoint you.” His arousal was evident by the way his hardness jutted out when he pushed his briefs down.
Town Hero: A Romantic Suspense Page 7
