The Milburn Big Box Set

by Nancy McGovern

  He turned around, facing her fully, and she stopped her questions.

  “You never called me, so I had to sneak in again,” he said, his voice was light, almost joking, but he was serious all the same.

  “You didn’t call me either,” she said, feeling rather like a teenager accusing her boyfriend of a serious slight.

  He shrugged. “I didn’t know what to say to you.”

  “Try “Hi” next time,” Nora said.

  “Nora.” He got up, dropping the jacket on the floor, and Nora stood up too. He looked ravaged. His face was creased with worry, and his stubble was almost a beard now, three days unshaven. His hair tickled and waved around the collar of his denim shirt.

  “What is it?” she asked. When he’d come last time, she hadn’t been able to notice anything but her own grief. Now, she could see that something was very wrong with Harvey. His eyes seemed to blaze with the look of a man who had been caught in a trap.

  “I..” he held her hand, then shook his head and bowed it. “Part of me wants to protect you,” he said. “And part of me wants to hold you tight.”

  “Why not both?” She smiled.

  “Protecting you involves keeping you away from me, as Sean said.”

  So that’s why he’d been so rude after the car accident. His sudden moodiness explained, Nora felt an absurd tenderness for him. “Don’t be dramatic,” she said, “There are no supervillains after us, and you’re not spiderman. If you want to hug me, feel free.”

  He made a move towards her, and then with effort, stopped himself. “It’s not that easy. I feel like…” He gave a growl. “I’m not sure if this isn’t all my fault!”

  “It’s not your fault,” she said, drawing him to her. “Harvey, what happened? What is it?”

  “What if it was my fault?” he asked. “What if… would you ever forgive me?”

  “You didn’t kill her,” she said. “You were with me all along. Harvey, if there’s one person in this town I absolutely know didn’t do it, it’s you. But if you know something, anything… you need to tell me about it.”

  He shook his head. “No,” he said. “I can’t risk it.”

  “Trust in me,” she said, hoping against hope that he would.

  He raised his head, and stroked her cheek, then embraced her again. They stood like that, Nora with her eyes wide, patting his back as he clung to her. He seemed to be drawing his strength from her, charging himself for what he was to do next.

  “I’m in some trouble,” he said to her. “Can you understand that? I’m also afraid, and I don’t want to be anymore. The very last thing I want, though, is for you to be hurt in this process, and yet I find I can’t keep myself from you. Maybe it’s just a sign of my cowardice.”

  “You’re not a coward,” she said, a little heated. “Harvey, I’ve been in an accident with you, and you were calm and quick-witted through it all. You shouldn’t talk like that about yourself.”

  “I was robbed earlier that day,” Harvey said. “Did anyone tell you that?”

  “I know. Sean was here when he got the call about the robbery,” she said. “He was saying something even when we had the accident. Something about a… Santiago?” She scrunched her face, trying to remember.

  “Santino,” Harvey said. “Marco Santino.”

  “Well, what about him?” she asked.

  “He’s a rich man,” Harvey said. “Rich like you couldn’t imagine. He’s worth maybe triple what this entire town earns.”

  “Money really doesn’t impress me as much as you think it does,” Nora said. “So what if he’s rich?”

  “He’s also a bad man,” Harvey said. His eyes drifted up, and he seemed to be remembering something, slowly drawing away from her.

  Finally, Harvey looked at her, then shook his head, and said with a heavy voice. “Nora. I can’t do this. I can’t see you anymore.”

  “But why?” She clutched at him as he pulled away. “Harvey please… don’t do this.”

  “I have to,” he said, and his eyes were alight. “I told you, I’m afraid for you. I thought I could handle it, but Marco…” He took a deep breath. “All right. I need to calm down. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve never been like this.”

  “So why are you like this?”

  “Because… because you’re making me care about you,” he said fiercely. “When I didn’t care, I could take on the world, and never worry about a thing. Now I feel like I’ve got something to lose.” He clutched the back of her head, drew her closer to him. “Nora, I know that I probably seem crazy to you, but I’ve started feeling… well…” He bit his lip. “You’ve been on my mind,” he said. “In a way no one else has before. You’re always on my mind.”

  “But why do you think you were responsible for Raquel’s murder?” she pressed, refusing to acknowledge the little thrill that went through her at his words. “What happened between yesterday and today?”

  “Marco came to see me,” Harvey said. “He said some things…” His voice trailed off. “He knows you were in the car with me the day we crashed. The night of the murder. He asked me how you were.” Harvey’s fist clenched in her hair, and Nora winced. His blue eyes were storm and lightning now. “He knows I care. About you. Somehow, he knows.”

  “We’ve just had one date. He must be crazy to think you care,” Nora said. “Besides, how was Raquel involved?”

  But her words had made Harvey pause and think. His brows furrowed together, and his lip stuck out slightly. Nora longed to nip at it.

  “You’re right,” Harvey said, half to himself. “Why would he think that I cared? We’d spoken only once before. I’ve dated plenty of women. Logically, he shouldn’t think I care about you.”

  “So…”

  “So he must know,” Harvey said, his voice sounding delighted; his face, so cloudy, now cleared, as if a lamp had been lit behind his skin. “He’s tailing me. He must know that I came here before. Maybe he even had a bug on me.”

  Nora opened her mouth to speak.

  “Shh.” Harvey put a finger on her lips. Moody man, Nora thought. One moment so intense, the next as cold as the winter wind.

  Moving gracefully as a dancer on stage, Harvey shut the lights in her room, one by one. When all but one light was shut, he walked next to her, and with one hand, pulled her to him. Embracing her, putting his lips to her neck, he pulled the cord on the last light, the small lamp by her bed.

  In the darkness, she felt his lips on her ear, and shivered, all thoughts blocked out of her head.

  So when he whispered, “They’re watching us,” her addled mind could not decipher the words or their meaning.

  “Harvey…”

  “Quiet.” He drew her to the window, and squatted down, pulling her down too. “Just look,” he said.

  Nora’s window overlooked a road. Trees obscured most of the view, but patches of the road and the streetlight were visible even then. For fifteen minutes, the two of them squatted there, by the window. Nora was half wondering if Harvey had had a nervous breakdown of some sort, and mentally figuring out a gentle way to ask him to see a doctor.

  Then, in the darkness, a parked car lit up with the fluorescent white of a mobile phone screen. In the darkness, Nora saw a man flick his finger and scroll down the phone. She saw another hand reach and grab the phone, covering the light immediately.

  From across the street, in a parked car, two men were watching them.

  “Who are they?” Nora whispered.

  “Santino’s men,” Harvey said. There was sweat on his brow, but as he swept a hand through his hair, he looked as unconcerned as a man watching the world go by from under a tree. Drawing Nora closer, he looked deep into her eyes and said, his voice still soft, “Do you understand why I have to leave you? I’ve dug myself into a pit and I can’t bear the thought of dragging you into it.”

  “If these men were responsible for Raquel’s death, then I’m going to make sure they pay.” Nora’s voice was steel. “You know s
omething, Harvey. You’re going to tell me what it is that you know. What did Marco say to you?”

  “I promise you, Raquel wasn’t involved,” Harvey said. “This is all just between me and Marco.” But there was a hint… the tiniest sliver… of doubt on his face.

  “Do you expect me to believe that?” Nora said, rage slamming out of her. “Raquel worked at your accountant’s office. Your car accident and Raquel’s death happened probably within minutes of each other. Santino’s men follow you around. Do you seriously expect me to believe this has nothing to do with—”

  “Yes.” Harvey’s voice remained mild. “Yes. I know you have no reason to believe me. I wish you’d believe me still.”

  “Tell me what you know, Harvey,” Nora said, her voice becoming softer. “Even if you think it’s not connected to Raquel, it might be. Tell me everything you know, and we’ll tell Sean together.”

  “You’re fond of the sheriff, aren’t you?” Harvey’s voice grew a little harsher. “You think that he’s the kind of man who’ll solve all your problems for you.” He stretched out the word “all”, his voice almost mocking.

  Nora’s anger, which had been a mix of roiling flame and ice, now became an arctic gale. “Sean is the sheriff. Of course he’s a capable man. There’s no question of—”

  “I know the kind of man Sean is, believe me,” Harvey said, “And I can tell you there’s a lot more beneath the surface, a lot that people don’t see. But you don’t agree, do you? You’ve known him all your life. Had a crush on him for half of it, so I heard.”

  “Harvey, stop,” Nora said. “Stop trying to distract me with your ridiculous questions about Sean and tell me what business you have with Marco.”

  He only held her hand, and looked deep into her eyes. “I wish I could,” he said, “But I’m too afraid of the consequences. I’d risk…” He swallowed, and spoke with some difficulty. “I’m willing to risk your eternal enmity, if it will mean you are protected.”

  “Harvey…”

  He caught her again, and this time, he kissed her with a force that reminded her of all the intensity hidden behind his cool mask. Despite herself, she found all thoughts swept from her mind as the heat of his body and the roughness of his lips engulfed her senses. Fireworks seemed to light up in her head. Then, just as suddenly, he pulled away. Before she could recover, he’d vanished in the darkness.

  *****

  Chapter 17

  Sean Comes Over

  It frustrated Nora no end that, even though she’d fought to keep him there, Harvey had slipped off without a word, leaving her to spend a sleepless night wondering about it all. She had already spent more than an hour in the kitchen the next morning when a very excited Maynard greeted her with yips and a wagging tail. Mrs. Mullally shuffled to the kitchen too, her silver curls forming a slight halo over her head.

  “It’s only 6am,” Mrs. Mullally said “You’re up early today.”

  Truth was, she hadn’t slept at all. Nora only smiled and said. “What flavor would your taste buds like for breakfast, Mrs. Mullally? Sweet or salty?”

  “Oh dear, anything you’ll make me will be good enough.”

  On the counter, Nora had pounded and pulled a piece of dough into a series of intricate knots. She brushed a mixture of egg, herbs and cheese on top, and popped it into the oven.

  “Twenty minutes and it should be done,” she told Mrs. Mullally, who was making a pot of ginger tea on the stove.

  Maynard jumped up, his little paws resting on the knob of a drawer, and tilted his head one way and another.

  “Look at that, he wants to be your assistant.” Mrs. Mullally chuckled. “We should get him a little chef hat too.”

  Nora smiled down at the dog, and felt the knots inside her loosen. Since Raquel’s death, the world seemed to have darkened around her, but Mrs. Mullally’s endless loving presence, and the energetic licks of the dog were a spot of pure honeyed sunlight in the dark.

  A sudden wave of exhaustion hit Nora as she bent down to pick Maynard. She stumbled a little, and sat down.

  Mrs. Mullally looked at her, concerned. “You all right, Nora?”

  “I’m fine,” Nora said. “Just… it’s been a long week. My brain is having trouble processing it all.”

  “Your brain’s just fine,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Your body’s the culprit. Did you sleep at all last night?” Nora gave her a slightly sheepish look, and her landlady continued, “Honestly, Nora, you need to take better care of yourself! I know it’s been incredibly tough on you, but…”

  To Nora’s great relief, there was a knock on the door, and then the sound of a man scraping his boots against the mat. Nora opened it, and Sean took his hat off. He nodded at her, but his face wasn’t very friendly. He’s in cop mode, Nora thought to herself.

  “Sean. This is a surprise. Come in. Have some breakfast,” Nora said. “I’ve made some—”

  “No time, I’m afraid,” Sean said. “I’ve come here to talk to Harvey.”

  “He’s…” Taken aback, Nora stuttered a little. “He isn’t here Sean.”

  “I’m speaking to you as a friend, Nora. There’s only trouble for you if you lie to me. I’ve had a tip that he’s here.”

  “Sit, please,” Nora said, taking his arm and slowly pulling him towards the kitchen. “We do need to talk.”

  Mrs. Mullally, on seeing Sean’s face, put her tea down and immediately took the puppy out for a walk. Sean settled on the island counter, and Nora had a stab of grief as she remembered the last time he’d sat there - that happy day when she and Raquel had received their diner uniforms.

  “I know he was here last night and hasn’t left,” Sean said. “My deputy followed him.”

  “Your deputy!” Nora exclaimed. “There were two men watching the house last night, but they were Santino’s men.”

  Sean’s lips tightened. “Is that right?”

  The distrust on Sean’s face pained her. Resolved to make it vanish, Nora spent the next five minutes telling him everything. Sean listened, his face moving from distrust to interest, to excitement.

  “We’ll catch him soon,” Sean said happily. “He’s running scared, and he’s bound to make a mistake.”

  “I don’t understand,” Nora said.

  “It’s a long story, I suppose,” Sean said, “I’ve been after Harvey and Santino for two years now.”

  The timer pinged, and Nora rose automatically to take the bread out. Sean inhaled, and smacked his lips. “You know, I’m a little hungry.”

  “Sean…”

  “I’d be willing to exchange a story for some of that bread,” he said. “What is it?

  “Just home made bread stuffed with spicy sausage, basil, tomato and cheese.” Nora broke off one of the knots, and a string of cheese stretched out as she plated it. She handed him the plate and stayed at the stove, making coffee.

  He took a bite, gave a sigh of satisfaction and began his story.

  “Harvey came out of nowhere,” Sean said. “About eight years ago. That was two years after you left town, I suppose. So you have no clue what he’s like.”

  “I suppose not, other than what he’s told me about himself,” she said.

  “A pack of lies, calculated to make you pity him, I’m sure.” Sean scoffed. “The man’s an out and out fraud. I don’t know what he was doing before he came here, but right after, he tried to con an old man into signing his property away.”

  “What? I don’t believe it!” Nora exclaimed. “Harvey isn’t like that. He’s…”

  The look on Sean’s face stopped her cold. He was looking at her with gentle contempt. “I see you’ve been quite affected by his charms,” he said.

  “It’s not about charms. I know Harvey...”

  “Oh do you?” Sean asked. “You’ve gone on one date with him, and now you know him better than I do? Don’t feel bad though, he’s fooled better people than you. Like that rancher I talked to you about. He was almost fooled too.”

  The rancher tha
t Harvey had mentioned to her, Nora thought. The man he’d claimed was his father. Sean couldn’t be right. Harvey couldn’t possibly be a fraud.

  “The old man was smarter than Harvey, but Harvey stuck around in town, as if he had something to prove,” Sean said. “Two years, he worked odd jobs, and suddenly, he somehow found the money to begin flipping houses. Five years later, he’d made a meteoric rise and become the owner of a real estate agency that’s spread in three cities around Wyoming. Sounds idyllic doesn’t it? A hardworking man, getting ahead on his own? The American dream.”

  Nora nodded. “It sounds like he was sharp and hardworking.”

  “I’ll agree with you there,” Sean said. “I don’t like the man much, but any fool can see he’s sharp and he works hard. What I don’t like though, is whose money he works hard with. That money belongs to a man named Santino.”

  “Santino,” Nora said. “That name keeps popping up.”

  “Santino makes his money from an underground gambling ring,” Sean said.

  “A gambling ring?” Nora gaped at him. “Out here? In Wyoming? Isn’t that kind of thing more popular in the big cities or something?”

  “It’s a nuisance,” Sean said. “I’ve had the hardest time pinning anything against Santino because he takes great pains to make sure it all looks above board. His gambling ring caters to men who spend money like it’s going out of style. His modus operandi is to invite ultra rich stockbrokers or millionaires for a “business conference” to his dude ranch. They then spend millions of dollars on poker or sports betting. He’s got a nice little online business going too. I guess he thinks that out here, no one will catch him. But I love Milburn, and I’m going to make sure weeds like him don’t spread in our garden.”

  “How is Harvey related to him, anyway?”

  “I know for a fact that Santino gave Harvey money for his first business venture. Problem is, it was a small amount, Santino could prove it was all legal, and I couldn’t touch either of them.” He paused to chew up the last of the bread, and drain the coffee.

  “Go on,” Nora said. “Another piece?”