by Addison Fox
“I need to update you on the investigation.”
“You’re allowed to do that?”
“I’d say so, since I’ve pulled you into it. I also need to talk to Carson and I thought you might like to go with me.”
Whatever she’d been expecting him to say, inviting her to a meeting with her ex-brother-in-law wasn’t it. “On official police business?”
“Yes and no. Technically you’ve been helping out on official police business, so I’m not quite sure I should get uppity about it all of a sudden.”
“Oo-kay.” She nearly smiled at the image of Finn getting uppity about anything, but his serious expression had her reconsidering. Something had him bothered and he was making her crazy as she waited to hear what it was. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“You’re no longer a suspect.”
A weight she hadn’t even realized she’d carried lifted off her. Like the deal he’d struck the past week, releasing her from the bonds of debt Bo had left her in, yet different at the same time. That had simply been money. While difficult, it was something she knew she would find her way past.
This was her life.
And she had no idea how she’d worried that her freedom and her choices would be taken away.
“What changed your mind?” she asked.
“Several things. But the bleach was a big one.”
Bleach? What was he talking about? “I’m afraid you’ve lost me.”
“The bleach last Monday. The bottle I took from you.”
“Right.” She nodded, puzzling through the odd change in conversation. “I figured you needed to clean something up.”
“That’s all you thought?”
“Yeah, sure.” She shrugged, trying to recall the situation. He’d seemed fixated on the bottle when he’d seen it in her hand. When he’d finally asked for it, she’d handed it over. “You do have a dog in your car. I can’t say I gave it much thought.”
“I needed to take it to the lab.”
“And you’ve lost me again.”
The jangling of dog tags pulled her attention from Finn as Penny, Lucy and Lotte all trotted into the living room in single file, Penny in front. They lined themselves up on the floor and Darby was fascinated to watch how they positioned themselves with Lotte closest to Finn and Penny nearest to Darby. Lucy had taken the middle, as if she understood where she fit in the pecking order.
Simple. Understood.
Unlike the conversation she was having with Finn. “Why don’t you take this one apart for me? I really don’t understand what you’re talking about or what it has to do with deciding I’m no longer a suspect.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I was doing my job.”
“What did you think I was doing with the bleach besides cleaning?”
“There was bleach discovered as part of the Hayden crime scene. I thought maybe you’d put it there.”
That strange, inscrutable expression on his face when he’d stared at her cleaning supplies suddenly made sense. She had noticed it then, even if she hadn’t understood why. “That’s why you looked at the bottle like it was a coiled snake?”
“Yes.”
“And you thought I used bleach to commit a murder?” She quickly cycled through the headlines she’d read over the past month on the town paper. “But the killer has used a gun. Bo and the other man were shot and killed. What does bleach have to do with it?”
“Why don’t you come with me to see Carson? I’ll explain everything.”
* * *
Finn turned into the entrance of the Double C Ranch, his childhood home. He visited as little as possible, taking part in only the basic requirements of family life. Since his stepmother liked it that way, preferring to ignore the fact that her husband had a family before they’d met, it was a mutually agreeable situation.
Despite the active avoidance, he’d been here several times in the past few months. His sister Serena had just had a baby and Lora was the apple of everyone’s eye, including her uncle Finn’s.
Serena had also been at the heart of the mystery surrounding Bo’s death and their cousin Demi’s possible involvement. Although Serena had defended Demi, claiming she couldn’t possibly be involved in Bo’s murder, she hadn’t been able to give any good reason why Demi’s necklace had been found at the murder scene. Nor could she explain why Bo Gage, with his last breath, would have written “Demi C” in his own blood.
It had been one of the most grisly things Finn had ever witnessed. While he wanted to believe his sister, he simply couldn’t remove their cousin off the suspects list because Serena thought she was being framed. The fact Demi had jumped town hadn’t helped her case one bit.
“We’re not going in the front door?” Darby asked after they parked at the side of the house.
“I’d prefer to avoid my stepmother. Serena has a private entrance and it’s just easier.”
“Of course.”
She seemed to take his comments in stride, but surprised him when she took his hand as they walked toward the entrance to Serena’s wing of the ranch.
He surprised himself even more by how good it felt to have her support. He squeezed her fingers before dropping her hand to knock on the door.
As expected, Carson was there with his fiancée and soon-to-be adopted daughter and was the one to answer the door. His normally impassive gaze—known for giving away nothing—widened when he saw Darby. “Finn. Darb. What can I do for you?”
“Can we come in? I have news.”
Carson backed up immediately. “You have a breakthrough on the case?”
Finn laid a hand on Carson’s shoulder, stilling him. “No breakthroughs, but an update you should know about.”
His top detective seemed to consider things for a moment before nodding. “Since Darby is here, I presume Serena can hear the details?”
“Of course.” Finn nodded.
“Let’s go get Serena, then, and we’ll sit down.”
Since he’d been there a few weeks before, Finn was surprised by the additional changes that had taken place in such a short time. Although there had been blankets and bottles scattered around, on the walk from the door through the living area, he passed a cradle, a stack of toys there was no way Lora was big enough to play with and a large colorful mat that had what looked like a bridge arcing above it.
“It sure does look different in here.”
Carson grinned, the weight of the investigation fading in his excitement. “We’re baby central around here. Lora’s so close to rolling over, it’s going to be any day.”
Finn had no idea why that was important but began to nod at the news when Darby spoke up. “Already? She’s still so young. She must be a fast learner.”
“She’s a champ,” Carson agreed, gesturing them to the kitchen table before excusing himself to go find Serena.
Finn waited until Carson was out of earshot to question Darby. “What just happened?”
“What just happened?”
“Since Bo’s death, he’s been convinced you’re a hardened criminal and now you make one comment about Lora and he’s ready to be your best friend?”
“For starters, I don’t think Carson really thinks I’m guilty. I think he wants to think I’m guilty so he can catch his brother’s killer. Second, every parent wants to talk about their child’s achievements and milestones.”
“But he’s not—” Finn broke off, realization dawning. He’d certainly not minded when his sister had hooked up with Carson. The detective was not only one of his best members of the force, he was a good man with a good head on his shoulders. But to realize that he loved Lora as much as he loved Serena...
“He’s her father in every way that counts,” Darby said, her voice gentle.
Finn was prevented from saying anything as his siste
r walked into the kitchen, Carson trailing behind her. Unable to stop himself, Finn gathered her up for a huge hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around.
“Finn! What’s going on with you?”
“I’m happy to see you. And I assume she’s sleeping, but I expect to see Lora before I leave, too.”
“We can make that happen. And since my daughter has decided to eat with the timing and precision of a train conductor, she should be up in about—” Serena glanced at the clock over the stove “—thirty minutes.”
Carson got them all settled at the table with coffee.
Recognizing they were under a ticking clock before his niece woke up, Finn started in with his story.
Carson and Serena listened to his overview of the chase he and Lotte had given the night of Michael Hayden’s death, the bleach finish line that had stopped them and the bottle he’d discovered at Darby’s house. They nodded throughout, seeming to understand the implications, of both the killer’s craftiness and the possible connection to Darby. When Finn explained his initial thoughts about the bottle Darby had used to clean her home, Serena had reached over and laid a comforting hand on Darby’s arm.
But it was when he’d explained the results of the lab tests that Carson got up and went around the table, pulling Darby to her feet.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I doubted you.”
Finn had known relief when Charlie had cleared Darby’s involvement via the bleach lab testing. But as he watched Darby cling to Carson, for the first time since Bo Gage’s body had been discovered, Finn had hope they’d all come out the other side of this.
They’d stop the Groom Killer and allow the residents of Red Ridge to sleep safe at night once again.
Chapter 10
Darby brushed away tears, shocked at how deeply she felt Carson’s forgiveness. They’d always gotten along and from the first time they met she’d enjoyed and cared for Bo’s oldest brother. She’d often thought that Carson was the type of brother she’d have loved to have if she’d had any siblings. Strong, sure of himself and deeply committed to his family.
While she’d understood on a visceral level how much it hurt to lose that approval, it was only now that she had it back that she understood how much his doubt had truly pained her.
And though she’d meant what she’d told Finn—on some level she had believed that Carson had found her to be an easy scapegoat for Bo’s murder—it was freeing to move past all of it.
Carson and Serena held hands, their simple joining evidence of their support for one another. Carson directed his attention to Finn, yet it was clear he had remained focused on Serena, especially when he squeezed her hand. “I’d like to be mad at you, Colton, for not telling me about the bleach and the lab work, but I’ve got something I’ve been holding on to, as well.”
“Me, too.” Serena added.
“Serena?”
His sister nodded, before seeming to take strength in a subtle head nod from Carson. “You know Demi and I got close over the past year. Since I got pregnant with Lora. I was alone and scared, and Mom hasn’t exactly been a pillar of support.”
Darby registered the comment about Finn’s stepmother and, when added to the story he’d told of his own childhood loneliness, she couldn’t quite hold back her judgment of Joanelle Colton.
Had the woman really abandoned her daughter—even if only emotionally—when she’d gotten pregnant? She vaguely knew the circumstances of Serena’s pregnancy—a one-night stand gone wrong—but even if they hadn’t been ideal, the joy and celebration of a baby was something to treasure. Thankfully Carson had seen the beauty and the joy and was clearly smitten with both Serena and her daughter.
It was unfair and unkind to judge, but Joanelle’s treatment of her children was unfeeling and cold, and Darby fully understood why Finn had favored the side entrance to the house. Although her thoughts were uncharitable and judgmental, Finn said nothing against Joanelle, and instead pressed his sister to continue.
“Demi has been a good friend to me. The best friend. Which is why I’ve not wanted to share this.”
“It’s okay, Serena,” Carson coaxed. “Tell them.”
Serena gathered herself, coming to some sort of conclusion in her mind. “Demi took a pregnancy test the same week Bo was murdered. She believed she was pregnant with his child.”
Demi Colton pregnant? With Bo’s baby?
Everything stilled inside Darby, seeming to slow as she sat at the table with the others. Bo was going to be a father?
Somewhere inside, Darby figured she should be upset. She had never been lucky enough to start a family with Bo. Yet even as she thought it, she could only find relief that a child had never resulted from their union.
Bo had been careless with others’ emotions and if Demi was that recently pregnant and Bo was still planning to marry Hayley, the situation only reinforced his negligence. He jumped from woman to woman, with little thought to feelings or, obviously, consequences.
“Is Demi pregnant?” Darby asked.
“I think so.” Serena nodded. “But I don’t know for sure. I know she bought the pregnancy test but I don’t know the results.”
“Even with that news, you don’t think she killed Bo in a crime of passion, do you?” Finn spoke up, but his question to his sister had a gentleness that touched Darby’s heart.
Whatever the situation—and certainly it was increasingly convoluted—Serena’s certainty was evident. “Demi’s a tough woman and she doesn’t take lip from anyone. Bo was a charming man and I know she had a time when they first began dating that she was smitten with him. But she’s also not one to pine for someone who couldn’t be committed to her. Nor would she kill a man just because her feelings were hurt.”
Darby was surprised by how much Serena’s assessment matched her own impressions of Demi Colton. She was well aware people could act in any number of unexpected ways, but Finn’s cousin didn’t come off like a woman who’d give a man who scorned her the time of day, let alone put her personal freedom at risk. If she did carry Bo’s baby, those risks would be even higher.
But if Demi wasn’t the killer, what was Bo trying to say with the words he’d written in blood? Did he know his killer? Or had someone tried to frame Demi? So far, there was nothing to connect Demi to the murder of Michael Hayden. But Demi Colton was their only real suspect in Bo’s murder—and the MO for both crimes was the same.
Grooms-to-be shot in the heart of the night of wedding festivities, a black cummerbund stuffed in their mouths.
So were they back to square one?
No suspects and an unnamed, unsuspected murderer still on the loose in Red Ridge. If they had no idea who the killer could be, then they were all at risk with no idea when he or she might strike again.
The distinct cry of a hungry baby filled the air, breaking the tension at the table and acting as an odd punctuation to the discussion of pregnancy tests.
“Someone’s hungry.” Serena smiled, her immediate concern for her child taking priority. She got up and quickly left the kitchen.
Darby watched her go and was surprised to again find herself thinking of children. What if she and Bo had found themselves pregnant? Her child would be a toddler by now, running around, likely chasing after Penny and adding a dimension to her life Darby had never really imagined.
She’d always wanted children, but in a sort of abstract way. A “someday” thought instead of something that was concrete and defined in her mind. Just like her love life, since her divorce she’d allowed the idea of children to remain an unformed thought instead of an active need. Was it self-preservation? A way of keeping her heart safe from wanting something she wasn’t in a position to have?
Or was it another example of living her life in a haze, grinding through day by day instead of really living?
Carson and Finn continued their discussio
n of the case, talking through angles, lab results and strategy. Their discussion—and topics she didn’t fully understand—gave Darby a new insight into what Finn did every day. She wasn’t a big fan of crime shows and had never given much thought to police work. It was fascinating to realize how complex it was, as well as how scientific much of it had become. From the lab results on the bleach to their continued discussion of scientific reports on everything from the bullets that had killed the two men to the forensics details secured at each crime scene, Darby was amazed to realize how detailed Finn’s job was.
And how small details were so key to police work.
She’d just gotten up to fix herself a fresh cup of coffee when Serena came out of the bedroom, Lora in her arms. Darby put down her mug, her attention immediately drawn by the baby. “She’s beautiful.”
A crop of dark hair covered her head like a cap and vivid brown eyes stared out of a sweet little face, alert and taking in her surroundings. Darby had never understood the term “cherubic” but one look at those cheeks and she had a good idea.
“Would you like to hold her?”
Serena was already handing over the baby before Darby could say otherwise and she suddenly had that sweet little bundle in her arms.
My, how long had it been since she’d held a baby? She’d babysat steadily throughout high school but since then she wasn’t sure she could name a single time. She and Bo had never had children, nor had there been any babies born in his family during their marriage. Her own family was basically nonexistent, being an only child of an only child.
Which meant it had been over a decade since she’d felt that sweet heaviness in her arms or smelled that lovely scent that bespoke baby powder and innocence.
A shot of longing filled her and Darby couldn’t quite hold back the streak of melancholy that had her thinking of her own empty future. When everything with the Groom Killer was over—and it needed to be over, she knew and believed that—she would go back to her home and her new business and her quiet life and all this would vanish. The companionship of others. The connectedness of spending time with others.
