Covert Kisses

by Jane Godman

  “Delaney!” A booming voice interrupted her thoughts and made Cameron roll his eyes. “Who let you into my place while my back was turned?”

  “You are about to meet Dino. He delights in living up to his reputation for being larger than life. My advice is to roll with it.”

  The man who approached their table was of average build, but his personality filled the room. His sharp eyes skimmed Laurie’s face before coming to rest on Cameron’s countenance. She got the impression some sort of silent communication took place between them, as though Dino was reassuring himself his friend was okay, before he spoke again.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

  “Dino, this is Laurie Carter. She’s here on vacation, and yes, she looks like Carla.”

  Dino made a pretense of mopping his brow. “I’m glad you mentioned that. Otherwise I’d have spent the whole night wondering if you’d noticed.” He winked at Laurie. “You do know every single person in this place is talking about you, don’t you?”

  She groaned. “Is it that bad?”

  “It would have happened anyway because you look so much like her.” She decided she liked Dino, liked his bluntness and his warm smile. “Put you together with our esteemed mayor here and you’ve given our little community the best bit of gossip it’s had since—” he scratched his head “—well, I can’t remember anything this exciting. Maybe the last time was when Sarah Milligan’s daughter took off with that no-good, out-of-town boyfriend of hers. Remember that? We talked about it for weeks.”

  “You talked about it for weeks,” Cameron corrected him. “I had other things on my mind.”

  “That’s right. It was only about six weeks after Carla died, wasn’t it?” Unabashed, Dino nodded agreement with his own question. “So, what are you guys eating?”

  “We haven’t decided. Some moron interrupted us before we had a chance to look at the menu.”

  Ignoring Cameron’s deliberate rudeness, Dino grinned at Laurie. “I recommend the steak. And maybe a different companion.” With a wave of his hand, he was gone, pausing to talk to various diners as he made his way back to the kitchen.

  “I like him.” Laurie smiled as she opened her menu.

  “So do I, but don’t tell him. His ego is big enough already.”

  She studied the food choices while taking in her surroundings. Stillwater was the county seat. The most densely peopled town in a sparsely inhabited county in the least-populated state in America was still going to be classed as a small town by anyone’s standards. Her internet searches had shown her a picturesque place, cradled by mountains, largely untouched by time, reveling in its own Western charm. A website had gone on to expand on how this town was home to cowboy history, an immense outdoor playground, with fine Western dining and friendly faces. It looked like Dino had tried to capture all of that in his restaurant. It worked. The place had a homey, easy feel, and judging by the number of diners, the food must be good, as well.

  They ordered steaks, and once the waiter had brought beer for Cameron and soda for Laurie, she decided to kick things up a notch. “Tell me, how do you find time to be mayor and also run a business?”

  “I don’t sleep.” His face remained expressionless for a few seconds, then he grinned. “Seriously? I founded the company with the money my father left me. I’m the person who built it up from nothing, put the hours in to make it a success. I’m still the CEO. But these days my role is strategic, not hands-on. I pay other people, namely my two brothers, to do the day-to-day stuff. Politics is pretty full on.” He waved a hand, encompassing the restaurant. “You see quaint, laid-back and charming? You wouldn’t believe what goes on beneath the surface.”

  “So your brothers actually run the company?” This was an interesting piece of information. One that hadn’t been obvious from the file. This was why it was so important to get someone in here on the ground. But don’t clutch at straws. What he’s telling you doesn’t let him off the hook. He’s still the one in overall charge.

  “Bryce, who you met briefly, takes care of operations. My older brother, Vincente, is the money man—”

  “Did I hear my name being taken in vain?”

  Two men had approached the table without them being aware of it. The one who spoke was dark, but that was the only resemblance between the two brothers. Vincente Delaney was tall with a strong, sinewy build, his looks reflecting his Italian mother’s heritage. In any other company, his proud features, neatly trimmed beard and olive skin would have been considered handsome. In comparison with Cameron, Laurie decided he didn’t quite match up.

  “Is the whole town in here tonight?” There was a trace of a groan in Cameron’s voice.

  “Is this Dino’s and is it Saturday? If so, you’ve answered your own question by coming here.” Laurie’s attention was drawn to Vincente’s companion, a man whose voice rumbled out his reply. She had heard the expression “a bear of a man” without having seen anyone who embodied what it meant until now. This man was huge, blond and imposing.

  “Laurie, I guess more introductions are required. As you may have gathered, this is my brother Vincente. And this is Grant Becker.”

  Laurie studied Grant with interest, and found her gaze being returned by a pair of intense blue eyes. There was curiosity and something deeper in that light gaze. He didn’t seem the type to be strongly influenced by her resemblance to Carla, but there was no doubt it had affected him. Then he roused himself and smiled. It was a boyish, charming expression.

  The pictures she had seen didn’t do him justice. In the flesh the sheriff of West County was younger and better-looking than his online image, although she could hardly tell him so. Moreton had informed her that the local police, both the city police department and the county sheriff’s office, remained unaware of the federal presence in Stillwater. It had struck Laurie as a strange move not to involve the local police in the undercover operation. Moreton had explained there were two reasons for the decision. The first was what Moreton described as the “sensitive and unidentified operational radius,” by which she assumed he meant there was no way of knowing how widespread the trafficking might be, or how many people might be involved. Secondly, and perhaps more important, Cameron Delaney and Grant Becker had been friends since first grade.

  “When Bryce told me you looked like Carla, I thought he was exaggerating.” Vincente was speaking, and Laurie turned her attention back to him. “I see now he wasn’t.”

  Laurie wasn’t sure she liked the way Vincente’s eyes assessed her. Maybe he was being protective of his brother. Cameron had been badly hurt when Carla died, after all. Possibly his judgment of a woman who looked so much like her might be impaired. Also, Cameron was a very wealthy man. For all Vincente knew, Laurie could be a gold digger out to manipulate his brother and take him for all she could get. Even so, those eyes bothered her. They seemed to look right through her.

  Grant Becker, on the other hand, had an open, honest expression that invited trust. Having stared long and hard at Laurie, he turned back to Cameron with a slight smile. “I’m guessing you’d like us to leave you in peace?”

  Cameron returned the other man’s expression with relief. “You guessed right.”

  Vincente looked as though he might like to protest at this arrangement, but Grant slung an arm around his shoulders, forcing him to walk away with him. “Nice meeting you, Laurie. Enjoy your evening.”

  When they’d gone, Cameron turned to Laurie with an apologetic expression. “In this town everyone knows everyone else. It makes them think they have a right to intrude on your business.”

  “I like it. It’s very different from what I’m used to.”

  It wasn’t just something to say. She had been here only a few days, but she liked the feel of this town. It saddened her that she was here under false pretenses. What is this? This is what I do. I trap the bad gu
ys. I can’t suddenly feel sentimental and regretful about it.

  “Where exactly in California do you live?”

  “San Diego.” It was true, even though she hadn’t been back there in what felt like forever. Lately it had been one undercover job after another. Home felt like something other people had.

  The food arrived just in time for her to avoid any further details. While they ate, Laurie turned the talk to what she should see during her vacation. She was an expert at keeping the conversation away from herself. Unwilling to ask too many questions about his business this early in the relationship, she steered Cameron onto the other topic that interested her. She was surprised to find he was quite willing to talk about Carla.

  “Can I ask why she was out on the lake at night?”

  “Carla was a keen sailor. More than keen. It was her passion. She took part in competitions. She spent every spare minute practicing. The night she died, I was going to a function where I had to stay over. It was a foul night, and there was a storm brewing. She was determined to go out on the lake. There was a big, twenty-four-hour race coming up and she said her night vision was bothering her. I tried to persuade her not to go, to come with me instead.” A corner of his mouth creased in an expression of remembered frustration. “She wouldn’t listen. We argued. If I’d tried a bit harder, maybe stayed home with her...”

  The compulsion to touch him was overwhelming. Reaching out, Laurie covered his hand with hers. “You couldn’t have known how it would turn out.”

  He turned his hand so he could grip her fingers. “It means a lot, being able to talk about her. Other people tiptoe around me, thinking if they don’t mention her the pain might go away. Dino, as you may have noticed, is the only one who doesn’t.”

  “What was she like?” Asking wasn’t just part of the job. She was curious about Carla the person. Carla her cousin.

  He smiled. “Well, I think we’ve already established she was stubborn. She was also beautiful, clever, talented and witty. She used to tell me I was lucky to have her and I’d have to work hard every day to keep her.”

  “Yet it sounds like she was as devoted to you as you were to her.”

  “She was, but that last bit was true.” He tossed back the last of his beer. “Carla had many admirers, including a very persistent secret one.”

  Laurie tilted her head on one side, considering that statement. “Persistent and secret don’t seem to go together.”

  “Whoever he was, he used to send her an arrangement of red roses in the shape of a heart once a week. No message, no other gifts. Just the flowers.”

  “That’s quite sweet, really.”

  “Carla thought so, too. I thought it was creepy.” He laughed. “Maybe I was just being macho and possessive.”

  “You were together a long time. Did you have any plans to get married?” It felt like an intrusive question, but he’d been open so far and she was curious about why, when he clearly loved Carla so much, they hadn’t made their relationship permanent. His face clouded slightly, and it was clear the question provoked a memory that made him uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  Cameron shook his head. “It was the one subject on which we couldn’t agree. Yet it was such an important one. Looking back now, I wish—” He broke off, taking a moment to collect his emotions. “Carla didn’t want to stay in Wyoming, and I could never see myself living anywhere else. I wanted the whole fairy tale. Marriage, kids, big goofy dog, family life, all the things my own folks had. Carla wasn’t the maternal type. Her own childhood had been traumatic.” He hesitated, and she sensed this was a big part of who Carla was. Even though she had learned recently that she was related to Carla, she knew nothing about her early life. Clearly Cameron wasn’t ready to go into details. “We could never meet halfway on it. Now, in hindsight, I think if I’d done it her way, upped and left Stillwater, gone to live in a big city, she wouldn’t have been on the lake that night.”

  His eyes were twin pools of anguish. There was a trace of guilt in his expression and something more. A plea for reassurance. Carla just went down a notch or two in Laurie’s estimation. Sure, cling to your independence. Stick to your principles. But at the risk of losing a man who loved you to distraction? A man like Cameron Delaney? No, Carla, I can’t understand where you were coming from. Mind you, her rational mind kicked in, let’s not forget we are talking about a likely criminal mastermind...even though Carla may not have known about that facet of his life.

  “I’m a great believer in fate. I think there is a time and a place for everything and, while we control some aspects of our destiny, there are other things that are meant to be.” Her hand was still in his, and she clasped his fingers tighter. “You may never know what it was, but it’s possible there is a reason why Carla was meant to be on the lake that night.”

  Cameron didn’t reply, but she thought some of the tension went out of his frame. Looking around, Laurie was amazed to see the restaurant was empty and they were the only ones left. A glance at her watch told her it was close to midnight. How had all those hours passed without her being conscious of them? Cameron settled their tab and escorted her out to the car.

  When they reached the vacation village, Cameron walked Laurie to her cabin. This was always the tricky part. Make sure he wants to see you again without coming on too strong. For the first time ever, she felt a pang of regret at that necessity. It would be so easy to give in to her instincts right now and invite Cameron in for coffee. To explore where this attraction might take them. Instead, she rose on the tips of her toes, touched her fingertips to his shoulder and pressed a chaste kiss onto his cheek.

  “Thank you for a lovely evening.” Determinedly, she ignored the insistent tingle that shimmered through to her nerve endings as her lips brushed his flesh. His delicious scent invaded her nostrils, and she resisted the temptation to press her face into the warm curve of his neck.

  His face was in shadow, but she was aware of his eyes probing hers. “Can we do it again?” Somehow she sensed those words didn’t come easy. Cameron was fighting an internal battle. Whether he was winning or losing wasn’t clear.

  “I’d like that.”

  When he’d gone, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. Years of training had conditioned her. She scrutinized the room, checking for signs that anything might be out of place. The cabin looked exactly as she’d left it. Except for one thing.

  In the middle of the table there was a heart-shaped arrangement of dark red roses.

  Chapter 3

  The city of Cody, in neighboring Park County, looked a lot like the city of Stillwater. It had the same wide main street, historic buildings and backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Laurie parked the rental car and looked out at her surroundings, drawing in a deep breath to steady her nerves. In all her years of working undercover, she had never had to make emergency contact with her handler. She supposed there had to be a first time for everything. And these circumstances certainly were unusual. Grabbing the portfolio of pictures that were her cover story together with the paper bag in which she had concealed the flower arrangement, she locked up the car.

  When she found the nondescript attorney’s office, she made her way up the steps at the side of the building to the second floor. Moreton, who was leaning back in his chair drinking coffee and reading a newspaper, looked startled when, after a brief knock, she walked into the tiny office he was using.

  “Another ten minutes and I’d have been gone.” He indicated the clock on the wall. The arrangement was he would be there for two hours each day from 9 a.m. “How are you?”

  “Exactly how did Carla die?” Laurie didn’t want to waste time on pleasantries.

  “In a boating accident. You read the file.”

  “That’s not what I meant. What was the specific injury that killed her?”

  Moreton
frowned. “It’s always been assumed she drowned.”

  “Assumed? Did you actually read the autopsy report?”

  “Laurie, sit down. Take a breath. What’s this all about?”

  Instead of doing as he said, she produced the heart-shaped flower arrangement from the paper bag and placed it on his desk. His eyes remained on the flowers for a moment or two, before lifting to her face. His expression was blank. “That was left in my cabin while I was out last night.”

  “Someone got into your cabin?” Moreton pulled a pad of paper toward him and flipped it over to a blank page. “Who else has a key?”

  “We can check that out later. How they got in is not the most important thing.” Moreton waited for her to continue. “Cameron told me last night Carla had a secret admirer. Someone who sent her a heart-shaped arrangement of red roses every week.”

  “And you think whoever sent it was the same person who sent these to you? And that he could have murdered Carla?” Moreton was scribbling notes, following her thought processes fast.

  “You have to admit it’s a possibility.”

  He remained quiet while he studied the flowers. Laurie knew that look. It meant his analytical mind was weighing every probability. But she caught a glimpse of something else in his expression. A glimmer of acute emotion that looked a lot like excitement. It was gone as soon as it appeared. And it puzzled her. Moreton didn’t do excitement. Didn’t really do emotion. Maybe it had been a long time since he’d come across such an interesting lead with the potential of opening up a whole new case.

  “Okay. I agree it’s possible Carla Bryan had a stalker. There’s even a chance she was murdered by the person who was sending her these flowers, and her death was mistakenly written off as an accident. Let’s not rule anything out. The first thing I need to do is what you’ve asked, and double-check the coroner’s report. I’ll let you know the actual cause of Carla’s death.”

  “We could also try to find out where these flowers came from and if any were sent to Carla from the same supplier.”