by B. J Daniels
AJ pulled up a chair, Cyrus remained standing. “We were attacked twice in the past twenty-four hours on the island,” she said as Flint took his seat again behind his desk.
“But you’re all right.”
AJ nodded. “Someone definitely didn’t want us to leave the island alive. Both of the men who attacked us...” Her voice broke. She glanced over at Cyrus. “Juliette had to be behind it.”
Flint shook his head. “This has been such a nightmare.”
She nodded, tears in her eyes as she reached for Cyrus’s hand. “Sorry, it’s just been... I’m not used to people trying to kill me.”
“I’m not sure it’s something you get used to,” Flint said and looked at his brother again. Cyrus was so different. Wary, like AJ had told him. He now looked as if wired to spring at a moment’s notice. There was distrust in his gaze and almost an expectation that someone would try to harm him again.
“We stopped by to see Juliette,” AJ said into the tense silence that had fallen in the room. “She checked out earlier today.”
Flint nodded. “Sorry, I should have told you. I had a deputy watching the hotel. She hadn’t gone far.”
“She doesn’t know he has no memory of what happened?” AJ asked.
Flint shook his head. “But she’s suspicious. Probably because she’s done this before and knows that if the police aren’t at her door arresting her, then there’s a problem. I’m not sure she believes Cyrus is really alive—let alone that he’s well enough to return.”
He reached into the file he’d started on Juliette and pulled out two photographs. “We’ve been going through the surveillance videos from the ship. We’ve been able to find Juliette talking to two different men on board. It appeared that she knew them both. Once we were able to identify them, it turns out that she does know them.”
Flint slid the photos across the desk. AJ picked up the one of Otis Claremont, a dark-haired man with a mustache. “That’s the former detective from Arizona. He worked in Scottsdale when one of Juliette’s husband’s died. That’s where the investigation is continuing. Otis quit a few months after the murder.”
“He was on the ship?” Cyrus asked and took a seat next to AJ. She handed him the photo. He stared at it for a long time.
“Do you recognize him?” Flint asked.
He shook his head and picked up the second photo.
“That’s Arthur Davis. He was Juliette’s first husband back when her name was Julie,” the sheriff said.
Cyrus studied the photo and asked, “She didn’t kill him?”
“He didn’t have any money. He was also on board the ship and we have him talking to Juliette,” Flint said. “But while suspicious, it’s not evidence. Do you recognize either of them?”
His brother shook his head and put down the photos.
AJ looked as disappointed as Flint felt. “You know their being on the ship isn’t a coincidence. They had something to do with Cyrus being thrown overboard on her orders while she holed up in her cabin pretending to be knocked out on seasick medicine so she’d have an alibi.”
Flint nodded. “Like I said, she has experience at this. But we have no proof.” He was glad that she was a lawyer and wasn’t demanding he arrest Juliette on circumstantial evidence like his family had been doing. He looked to his brother.
“I’m sorry,” Cyrus said. “I know how important it is that I remember.” He shook his head. “Believe me, I’ve tried. I need to know what happened, starting in Denver and ending up half-dead on that island.” His eyes hardened as they met Flint’s. “It seems pretty clear that my...wife is behind all of this.”
Flint nodded. He looked from AJ to his brother again. “I’m not sure if you want to hear—”
“Whatever you found out, I need to know.”
“I believe AJ has told you what we found out about Juliette.” He couldn’t help staring at Cyrus and at the same time marveling that he was still alive. “Have you heard the term black widow?” he asked as he pulled the file over and opened it. “She’s gone through a variety of names over the years. She was born Julie Barnes in a small town in Idaho. Most recent name, Carrington. Married the first time at sixteen, faked a pregnancy. That marriage ended about the time she met her first husband with money. He had an accident involving a ladder. Four marriages followed, with more husbands making her a widow. Each time, she moved up financially.”
“So I was just one of a long line,” Cyrus said.
“All of Julie’s husbands, except for the first one, died under suspicious circumstances. Unfortunately, it is hard to prove she was involved because she has been very careful and made sure she always has an alibi.”
“So she married me to kill me,” Cyrus said and frowned. “But I’m not wealthy. Far from it, right?”
“I think there’s a chance she overheard you talking about buying a three-hundred-thousand-dollar bull,” Flint said. “Juliette said you met in the bar that night. I contacted the man you bought the bull from. He said the two of you had a couple of drinks in the hotel bar to celebrate the deal. He said he noticed a nice-looking blonde and that she approached you as the two of you were leaving the bar.”
“So he saw her,” Cyrus said. “Did he say what happened after that?”
“He left but he thought the woman was hitting on you. She had her hand on your arm and she was leaning into you, whispering something into your ear.”
Flint saw AJ tense. “The next day you were on a ship, married and, twenty-four hours later, you were missing. Man overboard.”
Cyrus sighed and shook his head. “There has to be more to it. I might not know who I am, but I can’t see myself marrying anyone that quickly.” He looked over at AJ. “Nor could this Juliette have stolen my heart.”
The sheriff reached into the file and pulled out a copy of the photo the police commissioner had sent him. It was of Cyrus and Juliette being married by the ship’s captain. “You can see that the day and time were stamped on it.”
“That’s my wife?” Cyrus asked. “No.” His brother stared at the photo for a long moment. “There is something wrong,” he said and looked up at Flint.
“You look drunk. But you might have been drugged. I’m sure AJ has probably told you that you hit a lower railing when you fell from the ship and left blood that the FBI had examined to make sure it was yours. They also did a toxicology screen and found drugs in your system,” he said.
Cyrus shook his head. “Even drunk and drugged, I still wouldn’t have married her.”
“How can you be sure of that?” Flint asked.
His brother got to his feet. “I need to see her. You said you had a deputy watching the hotel? So you know where she went.”
“I’ll see if she’s there to save you the trip,” Flint said, “since it’s getting late.” He called Juliette. Her phone rang four times before she picked up.
“Hello?” She sounded like she’d been asleep. He wondered if she was a drinker. Something told him she liked being in control too much to lose that control with alcohol or anything else.
“Juliette, it’s Sheriff Cahill. I just wanted to let you know that Cyrus is back in town. He’s anxious to see you. He stopped by your hotel but was told that you have checked out.”
“Yes, it was too noisy, but you already know that since I told your deputy Harp. We had a nice talk. How sweet of you to have a deputy watching my every move. I’m staying at the motor court on the edge of town. The one with the small cabins.”
“The Happy Holiday Cabins and Kitchenettes,” he said. “Maybe he could meet you somewhere else.”
The chuckle was filled with amusement. “If he’s so anxious to see me, I would think my little cabin here would be perfect.”
“Why don’t I have him give you a call and the two of you can set up a time to meet.” He hung up.
AJ had leaped to her feet wh
en she’d overheard the conversation. “Juliette? The same Juliette I met when I was here is staying out there in those old cabins?” she demanded. “Why would she leave the hotel?”
“She said the hotel was too noisy.”
AJ’s eyes widened. “Noisy? For her to move to a place like that... What is she planning to do, kill someone else?” She’d let out a cry. “Oh my God, she is.”
“We aren’t going to let that happen,” Flint assured her and Cyrus. “I have a deputy watching her cabin. But still, I want the two of you to be careful. It would be better to call her and meet somewhere else besides the cabin. In a public place or...”
Cyrus was shaking his head. “I want her to feel safe. I want her to think she’s going to get away with this. We know how dangerous she can be if she doesn’t.” He got to his feet. “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to see her without the law being with me.”
Flint wanted to argue, but he could see that his brother was determined to do this—and his way. So maybe this Cyrus wasn’t that much different from the old one.
“We passed a motor court on the way in with small cabins,” Cyrus said.
“That’s the one,” Flint said.
“You can’t be serious,” AJ said to Cyrus. “She’s already tried to kill you three times. Those cabins probably stay empty this time of year and being on the edge of town...”
“It’s all right,” Cyrus said and smiled at her.
Flint saw how close the two had become. “Just be careful. There’s a deputy watching the place and I’m only a phone call away. And don’t forget, this woman is a ruthless killer.”
“I’m not likely to forget that,” Cyrus said. “It wasn’t that long ago that I came to in the dark sea half drowned and completely alone. If I hadn’t latched onto a buoy that had come loose in the storm, I would be another of her dead husbands.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“I CAN’T COME the rest of the way to Montana.”
“What?” Juliette snapped into the phone. She’d known there was a problem when Otis had called back so quickly. She had enough problems.
“I just got a call from my friend at the department,” he said. “There’s a BOLO out on me. Seems Sheriff Flint Cahill wants to know where I am.”
She swore under her breath. “Does that mean what I think it does?”
“It means that he knows about me and you. That’s all he can know. We were careful on the ship. We made sure that we weren’t caught on the surveillance camera that night. But the last thing I can do is come up there. I can’t fly, rent a car or even drive to get to you since all a cop has to do is run my plates and I’ll get picked up for questioning.”
She couldn’t believe this. After all this time, trapped in this horrible place with it snowing almost every day. She’d had the nightmare every night and would wake up in a cold sweat. She hadn’t dreamed about her childhood in years and now this had brought it all back.
“What am I supposed to do?” she cried. This was the lowest she’d felt in years.
“If you’re determined—”
“We need the money,” she snapped. “And we can’t chance that Cyrus will remember. Once he’s gone, we’ll be safe. I can’t do this anymore.”
“I hope that means that you are finally ready to settle down. With me.”
She looked in the discolored mirror on the cabin wall. Somewhere along the way to this point, she’d lost her youth. There were fine lines around her eyes and mouth. She was almost forty-five. She still pass for thirty-five or younger, but her days of picking up the really wealthy men were behind her. Even with one foot in the grave, they could get the twentysomethings and she couldn’t pass for that anymore.
“This is the last con.”
Otis let out a pleased sound. “Then get Arthur to take care of it.”
“Arthur?” She practically choked on the word. “You can’t be serious.”
“He can handle this. I’ll walk him through it from here.”
She tried to relax.
“Have you seen him?” Otis asked.
“No, not yet. But I moved out of the hotel and into a cabin in a stand of pines at the edge of town.”
“Why would you do that?”
“For obvious reasons. If there is going to be a problem, I don’t want witnesses.”
“Good thinking.”
She rolled her eyes. She’d always been the brains in this outfit. Otis and Arthur were the muscle. “Just make sure Arthur doesn’t screw this up.”
“You’ll need to pick him up. He’s flying into Billings tomorrow night using his fake ID. He should be fine as long as you keep him undercover until it’s time. But given this new problem, Julie, I wish you’d change your mind.”
“My plan is going to work,” she said. “I have a new angle.”
“A new angle?”
“I don’t want to talk about it because it might jinx it.”
He laughed. “You’ve never been superstitious.” He had no idea. “I’m worried about you.”
She shook her head and felt nauseous again. “Otis, please—”
“Julie, when this is over—”
“We’ll talk.” She’d put him off for years and knew that she couldn’t keep telling him they would eventually get married. “I have to go.” She disconnected and raced to the bathroom to throw up again.
* * *
AJ FELT AS IF she couldn’t breathe. The weight on her chest made even walking from the car to the front door of cabin number seven feel impossible. When Flint had told them that Juliette had moved to the Happy Holiday Cabins and Kitchenettes, she’d thought he was joking at first.
Until she’d realized the woman’s real reason.
And now they were about to step into the black widow’s web.
“You okay?” Cyrus asked now as they neared the front of the cabin. It sat back in the pines, rustic and a little worn.
She nodded, unable to speak. It was a cold night in early March, the snow deep from a long winter, the kind of night that made her think spring would never come. But the weather was the last thing on her mind.
The big question hung between her and Cyrus. Would he take one look at Juliette and remember everything? Remember that he’d fallen in love with her?
“It’s going to be all right,” he said. He’d been partway to the door, but had turned and come back to her because she’d stopped to stare at the cabin, suddenly too scared to move.
“Are you sure you shouldn’t go in alone?”
“The only reason my brother the sheriff isn’t here with us is because I needed to do this and not with a lawman but with someone I trusted. Someone who Juliette won’t feel threatened by.”
She met his gaze. “When I get around her, believe me, I want to do more than threaten her. But what if—”
“We can stay out here all night going over the what-ifs. How about we get this over with?”
She swallowed, shivering from the cold and the fear. “I’m scared.” She knew he had to be just as nervous, just as anxious, probably even more than she was. But he hid it well.
“She isn’t going to do anything to either of us. I’ll protect you.”
AJ laughed and shook her head. “That isn’t what I’m afraid of.”
“I know. But I’m not afraid. You know why?” He went on before she could answer. “Because my heart tells me that it’s you I’ve been in love with for a very long time.”
She eyed him skeptically.
“I’m not just saying that.”
From behind him there was a sound of a door cracking open a few inches and then closing again.
“Let’s do this,” he whispered.
“Juliette isn’t going to like me being here,” she whispered back.
He took her hand. “Like I care. I love you.”
I love you, she mouthed as the cabin door opened again.
“Are the two of you going to stay out there all night whispering or are you going to come in?” demanded a strident female voice.
Cyrus chuckled. “You didn’t mention how delightful my wife is.” He turned then and, holding AJ’s hand, drew them both toward the open doorway.
She saw Juliette’s gaze go to their entwined fingers as she moved to let them enter the cabin before she scowled and shifted her gaze to Cyrus.
“Cyrus,” she cried. “I can’t believe it. But it’s really you.”
* * *
CYRUS STARED AT the woman in the stark overhead light of the rented cabin. The photo of her at their wedding hadn’t done her justice. She was tall, blonde and blue-eyed with a classically beautiful face. She could have been a model, she was that exquisite and she knew it.
She rushed to him. As she neared he saw that she wasn’t as young or as flawless closer up. She threw her arms around him. He felt AJ extract her hand from his as Juliette kissed him passionately on the lips.
As he started to shove her back, she quickly let go. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t hurt you. I heard that you’ve been recuperating on some island. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” He looked into her soulless blue eyes—so different from AJ’s—and then he turned to see AJ hanging back as if edging toward the door to escape. All the color had drained from her face. He moved to her. His gaze locking with hers.
He could see the question in her expression. He shook his head and, taking her hand again, turned and said to Juliette, “I’m sure you’ve probably heard, but AJ saved my life down in the islands.”
Juliette’s expression was all venom as it shifted to AJ but she managed a sneer of a smile. “Yes, but I was hoping we would have some time alone, but if you need your...nursemaid, by all means.”
He felt AJ tense. He squeezed her hand and they moved to the sagging couch. “I have so many questions,” he said as he and AJ sat down.
