Arresting Developments (11 page)

“How can you be sure?”

She let out a deep sigh. “Come on. I’ll show you.” She headed toward the foyer.

“Should we come, too?” Buddy called out.

“No, no. We’ll be right back,” Dex assured him.

When they reached the front door, Amber opened a drawer in a small decorative table against the wall and pulled out a flashlight.

“Let’s hope the batteries still work or that Buddy has kept fresh ones stocked as part of watching after the estate.” She pressed the button. The flashlight remained dark. “One more chance.” She reached into the back of the drawer and pulled out a pack of batteries. “Voilà.” She exchanged the old batteries for new and the flashlight sparked to life.

“Come on, outsider. I’ll prove my point.”

He shook his head and followed her to the railing.

She aimed the flashlight toward the front yard and slowly moved it from the trees to the left, across the road, to the trees to the right. Except there wasn’t a road anymore. There was a river, flowing left to right and forming a moat around the property.

Dex clutched the railing. “That’s crazy. We’re stranded.”

“Totally. Don’t worry, the water won’t get into the house. The foundation is on concrete pylons driven deep into the ground. The water would have to rise another six feet to come inside. And as far as I know, it’s never gotten that high. Grandpa knew what he was doing when he built this place.”

“How long before the water recedes?”

“A good twenty-four hours after the rain stops. Like it or not, we’re all stuck here together. With a dead body.”

“And a murderer.”

She set the flashlight on the railing and faced him. “While we’ve got a moment alone, tell me what you saw in your bedroom.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know the details and you wouldn’t let me in the room. It’s my house now. I have a right to know what happened.”

“I suppose you do. Okay. Mallory was lying in my bed, under the covers, facing the other way. I didn’t know who was in the bed at first. Her hair was covered by a blanket. All I saw was blood.” He swallowed hard. “Buddy and I both ran in together and I soon realized it was Mallory. There was no point in performing CPR. She was already dead, and the bullet did...too much damage.”

She seemed to think about what he’d said for a moment. “I think you need to consider that whoever killed your fiancée—”

“Ex-fiancée.”

“—might have been trying to kill you, instead.”

“Because she was in my bedroom?”

“Yes. Everyone knew where you and I were staying because we’d already claimed those rooms and told the others to choose different ones. And someone did sabotage your plane. If Mallory was under the covers, the killer might have thought it was you.”

“Makes sense. Makes more sense than someone wanting to kill Mallory. No one here has any reason to want her harmed.”

“Are you sure about that? Did they all know her very well?”

He frowned. “Derek knew her, of course, since we double-dated in the beginning. But I don’t think he kept in touch with her after we broke up. Mallory did mention last night that she’d heard about the plane crash from Mitchell. That surprised me, since I wouldn’t have expected that Mitchell and she would have had anything to do with each other after we ended the engagement.”

“And Garreth?”

“He was going to be the best man at the wedding, so of course he knew Mallory. But he didn’t have any reason to want her dead.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Your lawyer seemed concerned that someone might think you had something to do with her murder.”

“He’s just being protective since I’m his client. But I had no reason to want her dead.”

“Are you sure?”

He tightened his hands on the railing. “What exactly about me makes you think I’d kill someone? Especially a woman I was going to marry?”

She met his stare without flinching. “Since you were in my room when she was killed, I obviously know that you didn’t harm her. What I’m asking is whether anyone else would have reason to suspect you’d want to kill her.”

His anger faded as he considered what she was saying. “You think someone killed her to frame me?”

She shrugged. “Just looking at all of the possibilities.”

“Maybe I should change Lassiter and Young Private Investigations to Lassiter and Callahan.”

She grinned. “Maybe you should.”

Lightning cracked across the sky, briefly illuminating the growing river like a strobe light. “Standing out here doesn’t feel too safe right now. I think we might be better off taking our chances inside. Come on.”

They’d just stepped inside when the lights went out.

Chapter Twelve

Dex stood on the back porch beside Garreth, Amber and Buddy, eyeing the swirling, brackish water that covered the fifty yards between the house and the maintenance shed. Conveniently, the shed—which housed the generator—was on pylons, which meant it was above the water level, but inconveniently, it was still through the swamp.

“I don’t suppose the rain and lightning will keep the snakes away.” Dex stared at the dark water.

“Or the alligators,” Garreth added.

“Probably not,” Amber agreed. “Honestly, there’s no reason to go out there. We’ve got plenty of firewood and candles for light. And it’s not exactly cold outside. We’ll all just sweat a bit with the air conditioner off.”

Dex grimaced. “Speaking of sweating, and no airconditioning, if we’re going to be stuck in this house much longer, there’s something else to worry about.” He grimaced and looked at Amber. “Mallory. We need to do something to...” He swallowed hard. “Preserve her.”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. Well, there is a deep freeze in the kitchen. I suppose we could, ah, empty it and...”

“I suppose we could,” Dex agreed, bile rising up in his throat at the idea of putting his former fiancée’s body in a freezer. Even though they hadn’t loved each other, they had been friends. And the idea that someone had killed her had him clenching his fists and wishing for someone to punch. “All right. That alone means I have to get that generator going. Buddy, you said any tools I might need are in the shed, too. What about fuel for the generator?”

“The fuel is in a tank on the far side, outside the structure. I’m sure it’s full. The problem is more likely a fuse. All this lightning must have overloaded a circuit.”

Dex stripped out of his jeans down to his boxers, then pulled on his tennis shoes, which he’d grabbed from upstairs. He took the keys out of his pocket. “Amber, we’ll need that flashlight. Maybe Buddy can shine it on the water so I can see where I’m going. And will you unlock the trunk and grab the .45? You’ll be on snake-and-gator patrol while I swim over.”

“This is crazy, Dex. It’s too dangerous. You have no way of knowing what’s in that water. And as fast as it’s moving it could suck you out into the swamp.”

“I don’t have a choice. I can’t let... Mallory... I have to get the generator on. Okay?”

She sighed. “Okay. I get it. Just give me a minute.”

She ran inside and returned shortly with the gun. She checked the loading, then held it down by her side. “Ready.”

Dex leaned down to press a quick kiss against her lips, but she put her hand around his neck and pulled him in for a deeper kiss full of longing. When she broke the kiss, his traitorous body was straining against the front of his boxers. He shook his head and grinned.

“You’re dangerous, Amber.”

She stepped closer, shielding him from the others. There was no sign of humor on her face though as she looked up at him. “Be careful, Dex. I mean it. If you get in that water and the current is too strong, get out. No heroics. It’s not worth it.”

“Are you saying you’d miss me if something happened to me?” he teased.

“Yes.”

Her quick, serious answer had his body tightening almost painfully. “There’s no way in hell that I won’t come back to you.” He kissed her again, then headed down the porch steps before she could try to stop him. As soon as Buddy shone the flashlight on the roiling water at the base of the steps, Dex stepped into the abyss.

The water wasn’t overly deep, only up to his hips. But Amber was right. The current was incredibly strong as water rushed from the surrounding higher areas and was sucked out toward the Glades. Every step was a struggle to remain upright, and soon he was sweating and breathing heavily as if he’d been in a tremendous battle. But other than dodging some dead branches floating past him, he made it to the maintenance shed without incident.

He pulled himself up on the concrete steps, catching his breath as he looked back toward the house. Amber waved at him and he waved back to let her know all was well. Then he opened the door and went inside. Too late he realized he should have brought a flashlight. The interior was as dark as midnight. He ran his hands along the wall until he located the light switch and flipped it. Nothing.

He felt along the walls for a fuse box, and tripped over several tools and unknown objects before he found it. Not wanting to stick his wet hands inside the box, he felt around for a while until he found a bucket of rags and wiped his hands dry. Then he returned to the box and carefully patted the interior until he found the main switch. He shoved it up until it clicked, then pulled it back down to reset everything. Since he didn’t hear the hum of the generator outside kicking on, he started flipping each breaker individually. Halfway through, the generator suddenly belched to life.

Dex shut the panel, went back to where he remembered the light switch being and flipped it on. A single, dim light popped to life overhead, revealing an incredibly unorganized pile of tools, old paint cans, a riding lawn mower and hundreds of other odds and ends. He grabbed a machete out of one pile and hefted it in his hand. If it came to a fight with an alligator or a snake, that machete would be good to have. But it also wasn’t something he wanted in the house for the killer to get a hold of. The idea of someone like Amber coming up against a weapon like that had him leaving it where he’d found it. Too dangerous. He couldn’t risk it. He’d just have to brave the waters outside again and hope he was as lucky the second time as he had been the first—that he’d encounter no wildlife of the slithering or biting variety.

When he went outside, he noticed Amber and Buddy still waiting for him, but Garreth was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’d had to flip fuses inside the house? Lights shone from both the first and second floors, so the generator was definitely doing its job. And he could see the silhouettes of several people in the kitchen behind the porch.

He studied the brackish water for any sinister shadows beneath the surface or the shine of snake scales, then waded back in. If anything, the current was stronger this time. And the water had risen noticeably and was now halfway up his chest. By the time he struggled to the porch steps, he saw the water was cresting just below the second highest step, a foot below where the bottom floor began. Amber’s worried gaze confirmed his own fears as he emerged from the water.

“Has it ever gotten this high before?” he asked.

“Not that I know of,” Buddy interjected, clicking off the flashlight.

Amber agreed and handed Dex a towel to dry off. “I think we might need to move everyone upstairs, just in case.”

“I think you’re right.” He motioned toward the kitchen door. “What’s going on in there?”

Amber gave him a haunted look. “Garreth is directing everyone to empty out the freezer.”

He gave her a tight nod and pulled on his jeans before pulling his T-shirt on over his head.

When they went inside, Dex stopped in surprise. Everyone was sitting around the huge kitchen island. Stacks of pints of ice cream formed a mound in the middle and the group was sorting through them, apparently grabbing their favorites.

Mitchell handed a chocolate-mint pint to Amy and she gave him a shy smile in return. Derek shoved a spoonful of Moose Tracks into his mouth, then held out his hands in a helpless gesture.

Garreth looked disgusted with all of them as he leaned against the kitchen wall like a general watching over his unruly troops.

Freddie motioned toward the refrigerator. “We put most of the veggies in the refrigerator freezer, but there wasn’t anywhere to store all this ice cream. Might as well enjoy it before it goes to waste, right?”

Dex’s stomach clenched with nausea and he headed through the archway without a word.

Amber hurried behind him and caught up to him when he was at the bottom of the stairs.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He looked down at her. “It just seems...disrespectful, to sit there enjoying ice cream, knowing the reason it was taken out of the freezer.” He shrugged and headed up the stairs. “Stupid, I know.”

She hurried after him. “Not stupid at all. I totally get it. Where are we going?”

“I’m getting a shower to clean all that swamp muck off me.”

“Okay. But what are you going to wear?”

He stopped at the top of the stairs, his gaze shooting to the closed door on his room. “Good point. I need my suitcase.” His steps were much slower as he approached the door. “Do you still have that ring of keys?”

She pulled them out of her pocket and held up the skeleton key.

“Thanks. Here, hold this while I go inside.” He handed her the gun.

She looked around the dark hallway. “Hurry,” she whispered. “It seems creepy up here now, you know.”

“Believe me. I know.” He unlocked the door and rushed inside, keeping his gaze averted from the bed.

Once he had his suitcase, he was just about to step into the hall when movement off to his left had him whirling around. The room was empty. There was no one there, no one except...Mallory. He glanced quickly to the bed, as if to assure himself she was still there and hadn’t become some disembodied ghost haunting the mansion. She still lay in the center of the bed where he’d found her. He swallowed hard and looked away. He stood there for a full minute, trying to figure out what he’d seen.

“Dex?” Amber’s voice called to him from the hallway. “Is something wrong?”

Yes.
But what? What had he seen out of the corner of his eye?

“Dex?”

“Coming.” He left the room and locked the door behind him.

* * *

A
MBER
STOOD
IN
the opening between the great room and the kitchen, facing the great room and keeping the others from going into the kitchen. Not that anyone else wanted to, but Dex was being his usual protective self and obviously wanted her where he could see her, but didn’t want her to be a part of what he and his fellow outsiders were doing—storing Mallory’s body in the freezer.

There hadn’t been the need for a discussion about who would take care of the task. The Mystic Glades residents had respectfully kept their distance while the outsiders took care of one of their own, gently wrapping Mallory in the comforter from the bed upstairs and then carefully carrying her downstairs in a solemn procession that had reminded Amber of a funeral.

The top of the freezer clicked into place in the kitchen behind her, and soon she heard the sounds of the men taking turns washing their hands at the sink. Then, without a word, Garreth, Mitchell and Derek filed past her into the great room, each of them looking deflated and depressed.

Dex stopped beside her, crossing his arms as he surveyed the room.

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

“I will be. I didn’t expect it to hurt so much, putting her in there.” His voice was too low for the others to hear, but even so she could hear the pain behind his words.

She sidled closer until her hip pressed against the side of his thigh, offering him comfort with that one small touch. “I’m here for you.”

He let out a shuddering breath. “I know. Thank you.”

Thunder boomed overhead, making her jump. “Good grief. I can’t believe this rain.” As if remembering the rising flood in the backyard at the same time, they both turned around and headed to the back porch.

“What’s up?” Buddy called out, hurrying to catch up to them. He stopped on the porch beside the two of them. “Oh, my God.”

The water was lapping against the edges of the porch boards.

“We have to go upstairs. Now,” Amber declared.

They all hurried back inside, but Dex hesitated and glanced at the freezer.

Amber put her hand on his arm. “There’s nothing we can do now. The lower floor is about to flood.”

“I can’t just let...” He rushed past her to the great room. “All right, everyone. The water is rising and is about to come into the house.” A collective gasp went up around the room. “We’ll need to head upstairs. But first, everyone grab what you can from the pantry. Grab things we can eat and drink without having to cook. Don’t forget cups, plates, utensils. Garbage bags would be good too. Hurry.”

There was a big rush into the kitchen and everyone started grabbing things from the pantry.

“Amber, we’ll need can openers. And is there something we could use to heat beans or anything in cans?”

“I think there’s a hot plate.” She grabbed Amy as she headed past her. “Amy, help me find it, okay? I think it’s over in one of these cabinets.” She and Amy rummaged through the cabinets and found two hot plates and a can opener. Amy ran through the great room to the stairs to take them up.

Amber looked around for Dex and froze when she saw what he was doing. He’d gathered his friends and they were wrestling with the heavy freezer, lifting it on top of the marble-topped island. Their muscles bulged and strained as they moved it into place.

Amber noted they’d had to unplug it. The cord dangled over the side. She grabbed an extension cord out of the pantry, sliding past Buddy as he made a second run for more food. She plugged the cord into an outlet above the sink, wrapped most of the extra slack around the freezer handle to keep it from dragging on the floor, then plugged the freezer’s cord into it.

The freezer hummed to life. Dex pulled her against him in a fierce hug, then kissed the top of her head. When he pulled back, he framed her face in his hands. “You’re a wonderful person, Amber Callahan. Thank you. Again.”

She smiled, then let out a little squeak as water began soaking into her shoes. “The water’s coming in. Hurry up, everybody. We have to get upstairs.”

Everyone made a last dash to the pantry, then ran through the great room, through the maze, to the stairs. The water was already coming in through the front door, too, and seeping in through the walls.

Dex ushered everyone from the room, waiting until they were all safely out of the kitchen and on their way toward the stairs before joining Amber at the archway. He put his hand on her back, encouraging her forward, but she froze and looked back at the great room.

Dex turned around, shoving her behind him as he looked for the threat.