Fatal Inheritance (10 page)

Becki’s goodwill toward her sister evaporated at the realization that she’d been working Josh to support her cause.

“For the record, I’m still uneasy about your being here, too, but I wasn’t about to lend support to
her
agenda.”

“Thanks.” Becki tucked her hands under her legs. “What about this writing gig? Please tell me that wasn’t an act.”

His grin whisked away her worry. “Nope, that’s a go. I guess I’ll need to pick up the trailer.” He glanced at his watch. “Anne’s coming for supper, but I have time to do that first.” Josh stood. Then he suddenly caught Becki’s hand again. “Your sister’s coming back.”

Becki tried to ignore the butterflies that fluttered through her middle as his arm came around her waist, bringing her face within inches of his. He was enjoying this game way too much.

“Do you want to come with me?” he said huskily.

Her gaze dropped to his lips, which spread into an I-know-what-you’re-thinking smile. Mortified, she placed her palm on his chest to push him away, only his heart was beating as crazily as hers. Not an act?

He covered her hand with his. “Maybe it’s better if you stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

TEN

J
osh backed the box trailer up to Bec’s barn as the girls made their way from the house.

The breeze teased Bec’s honey-brown curls, and reflexively, his fingers curled.

Every time he saw her, he had this crazy compulsion to tug her into his arms. A compulsion that was getting more difficult to chalk up to wanting to get Mrs. O’Reilly off his case or to putting Bec’s sister in her place.

She filled his thoughts when they were apart. And—Lord, help him—he liked that she needed him. When she’d tumbled into his arms during last night’s storm, he’d been ready to do whatever he could to soothe away her tears.

It had taken every ounce of his self-control not to flatten Bart when he’d found him last night. He might not have been able to prove it, but he’d been positive Bart had just come from Bec’s barn, no doubt scheming more ways to
persuade
Bec to sell if the sulfur in the well didn’t do the trick.

Josh had to thank the guy for one thing, though. He’d sure proved Bec’s determination to stay in the old place. If the freelance job Josh lined up for her panned out, maybe he could start believing that she’d stick around, work through her grief.

Sarah circled the trailer, looking stunned. “I had no idea Gramps had gotten so serious about touring.”

Bec handed Josh the keys he’d asked her to find. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” she murmured.

He reassuringly curved his arm around her waist. “I think that’s curiosity, not dollar signs, you see in her eyes.” He thumbed through the keys. “These aren’t for the trailer door.”

“Those were all I could find. Are you sure Pete didn’t have them?”

“No reason why he should. He only worked on the outside.”

Sarah twisted the knob on the side door. “You’re in luck. It isn’t locked.”

“It’s not?” Josh skirted past Bec. “Your grandfather always kept it locked. He kept all his tools inside.”

Sarah opened the door and gasped.

Josh’s gut clenched. The Graws’ touring costumes and duster jackets were strewn across the floor. The drawers of the cabinet their grandfather had built to hold his tools and clothing accessories were ripped out and overturned. Hatboxes were stomped. And the walls were pitted with dents.

Bec appeared at the doorway and let out a pained sound.

“I’m sorry, Bec. I should have checked on the trailer days ago.”

“This isn’t your fault,” she said so softly he barely heard her over the roar in his ears.

Sarah lifted a dress from the floor and fitted it back onto the hanger.

Josh clasped her elbow. “Leave it. I’ll want to take photos and dust for prints before anything’s moved.”

Nodding, she handed him the hanger. Without a word, she jumped down from the trailer and headed inside, while Bec remained frozen in the doorway.

Josh pulled out his cell phone and called in Hunter to help with evidence collection. The captain could hardly protest this time. Phone call made, he rejoined Bec. “I’m afraid this changes everything.”

“What do you mean?”

“Winslow may have poured sulfur down your well, but I don’t think he did this. This doesn’t look like the work of someone trying to scare you into selling.”

“Who, then?”

“Whoever did this was looking for something. And it wasn’t the Cadillac.”

The color drained from Bec’s face. “The jewelry?”

“Possibly.”

She stared through the open door at the destruction. “That P.I. knew about the trailer. He asked about Gran’s costumes, acted like he’d be interested in buying them. I told him they were stored in the trailer.”

“Did you tell him where it was?”

“No, but...now that I think about it, after he heard that I didn’t have them he turned down my invitation to come in for coffee. You’d think he would have jumped at the chance to ask more questions.”

“Yeah, unless he hoped to pocket the jewelry himself.” Josh shook his head. “I can just imagine what my captain will say if I throw that theory at him. But whoever’s behind this is clearly losing his patience. And that makes him dangerous.”

Bec’s fingers curled into fists. “Clobbering me with a two-by-four seemed plenty dangerous to me!” She had fire in her eyes, but the quiver in her lip pierced his heart.

Josh drew her into his arms. “We’ll get this guy.”

Hunter pulled into the driveway in a patrol car and joined them, carrying a camera and an evidence kit. “What do we have?”

Bec slipped from Josh’s arms and readjusted her grip on her crutches. “I’ll wait inside with Sarah.”

Hunter poked Josh with his elbow. “So the scuttlebutt is true?”

“What?” Josh snapped his gaze from watching Bec’s retreating back. “There’s another lead on the case?”

Hunter laughed. “I’m talking about you and Bec.”

“What about us?”

“That you finally found someone you’re willing to hang up your bachelorhood for.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s my neighbor and in trouble. I’m just trying to catch a bad guy here.”

Hunter shrugged. “If you say so.”

“It is so.”

“That’s not how it looked a minute ago.”

“That’s an act for her sister’s benefit,” Josh said automatically, even though Sarah had been the last person on his mind. He raked his fingers through his hair. Hunter
would
have to arrive just as he was giving Bec a reassuring hug. He’d acted on instinct, but Hunter didn’t need to know that.

Hunter looked over his shoulder and every which way. “What sister would that be?”

Josh jerked his hand toward the house. “She just went inside.”

Hunter cocked his head and studied Josh with one squinty eye. “You missed your calling.”

“What calling?” Josh shot back, losing his patience.

“Undercover, man. Any cop who can act that good should be working undercover.”

Josh motioned to the trailer. “Just get in there and take your pictures.”

Hunter whistled as he stepped in view of the devastation. “You might want to reconsider that car tour you’d planned.” He jumped the foot and a half onto the trailer and snapped a picture. As he focused the camera on one of the dents in the wall, he added, “From the looks of it, this guy’s ready to blow a gasket.”

“Yeah, Bec’s not going to be happy when I break the news that we can’t go.”

“Then again...” Hunter opened the trailer’s back doors, letting in more light. “If we’re looking for a jewel thief after all, you might pick up on a suspect if you hit the car tour.”

“I can’t put Bec at risk.”

Hunter photographed the large wrench the guy had likely used to smash the walls. “I have the weekend off. I could go along, if you like. Watch your back.”

“A single guy in the backseat?” Josh commandeered the evidence kit. “That’d be a sure tip-off.”

“I could drive an old car, too. My uncle has a Model T I could borrow. Your sister’s a good sport. She’d probably agree to come along and ride shotgun.”

“I’m not bringing my sister into this.” Josh brushed powder across the wrench handle, cringing at the thought of what else this creep might do with such a weapon.

“She was tough enough to work the E.R. in Detroit for three years. Do you really think this guy’s going to scare her?”

“Probably not. And that’s enough reason to not ask her to come along.”

“Ask who to come along where?” Anne’s voice came from behind him. “Whoa, what happened?”

“Someone got into the trailer,” Josh said, but Hunter lowered his camera and opted to answer her first question instead.

“I suggested you and I could join Josh and Bec on a double date.”

“Really?” Anne’s face lit up.

“It’s not a date,” Josh growled. “He’s talking about the car tour I told you about.”

“I’d love to come.”

Josh ground his teeth until his jaw hurt. “We can’t go now. It’s too dangerous.”

Anne motioned toward the destruction. “Any more dangerous than staying here?”

* * *

“Why do you think? Everything in the trailer was strewn all over. The walls were bashed.”

Becki’s hand froze on the porch door handle. Who was her sister talking to?

Becki edged toward the open kitchen window. Normally, eavesdropping was not her modus operandi, but when some jerk destroyed Gran’s special clothes and her sister sounded as if she knew who, normal no longer applied.

“I’m sorry.” Sarah’s voice suddenly sounded as small as a five-year-old’s. “I didn’t mean to...”

At the sudden silence, Becki inched forward another step and peeked inside.

Sarah cowered on the floor, her back pressed to the cupboard, her knees tight to her chest, trembling. “No, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t. You know I wouldn’t. I don’t know what came over me. I...I was just upset over seeing—”

If Becki wasn’t seeing her sister with her own eyes, she’d never believe it. Sarah had never kowtowed to anyone. Who had this kind of power over—

The question balled in Becki’s throat as her gaze dropped to Sarah’s bruises. When Josh had wrapped Becki in his arms and promised her they’d get this guy, she’d scarcely been able to believe that she was in any real danger. Had Sarah ever felt that safe in her husband’s embrace?

“Of course,” Sarah said into the phone. “I love you, too.”

Becki jerked back from the window as Sarah rose and hung up the phone.

What’s going on? What do I do?

Love your enemy.

The thought boomed through Becki’s mind.

Was that what her sister had become? An enemy?

The patio door slid open, and Becki sprang to attention. “Hi.”

Sarah glanced from Becki to the open window and flinched.

“You okay?” Becki asked gently.

“Sure, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Who were you talking to?”

“No one.” She gathered the empty glasses and plate from the patio table. “Probably chattering to myself. I do that a lot.” Sarah turned back toward the door with the dirty dishes.

Becki touched her arm. “Talk to me.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sarah, you’re my big sister and I love you.”

Sarah gulped. “I love you, too.” She rushed inside.

By the time Becki maneuvered through the door after her, Sarah was squirting dish soap into the sink. She didn’t look Becki’s way. “You should get off that foot. It’s never going to get better if you don’t rest it.”

Becki sank into a kitchen chair. Her ankle throbbed worse than the day she’d twisted it, but she wasn’t about to admit it. “Do you think Rowan tore apart the trailer?”

“
No!
Of course not.”

“Look, Sarah, I’m not going to lie to you, even if you’re bent on lying to me. I heard you on the phone. It sure sounded to me as if you thought whoever was on the other end had ransacked the trailer.”

Sarah set a dish in the drying rack and answered without turning. “I called Rowan because I was upset. I was just telling him what happened. He didn’t like hearing me so upset. That’s all.”

“Is Rowan having trouble at work?”

“No, they love him at the law firm. In another year they’ll probably make him a partner.”

“If he’s doing so well, why does he care about scraping a few more dollars out of our grandparents’ estate? He has to know that with what you’ve already received, even if I got top price for this house, you wouldn’t get much more than another fifty thousand. He must make that in less than half a year.”

Sarah dropped the dish she’d been washing and sudsy water splashed over the lip of the counter. She grabbed a tea towel and sopped it up, then turned her panicked gaze to Becki. “You can’t tell him you’re thinking of selling.”

“I’m
not
thinking of selling!”

Sarah’s shoulders sagged with what seemed like relief, which was bizarre, because she’d spent the last how many weeks begging Becki to sell?

Becki squinted at her, and suddenly the puzzle pieces dropped into place. “You want more money, but you don’t want him to know?”

Sarah balled up the tea towel and tossed it onto the counter. “I want to leave him, okay?” She stormed out of the kitchen.

“Sar-aaahhh,” Becki called after her. “Come back here. Talk to me.” She reached for her crutches, knocked one gliding across the floor and hopped to the doorway instead.

Sarah sank into Gran’s favorite armchair, her elbows on her knees, her hands over her face. “I can’t believe I said that. You can’t ever tell him.”

With Sarah’s sleeves pushed up to her elbows, allowing a full view of her yellowing bruises, Becki didn’t need to ask why. “Move in with me. You can live here.” Peace washed over her the instant she said the words. That sense of family, of being with someone she could count on no matter what, that was what she’d been yearning for all along. What Gran and Gramps had always surrounded them with. “I know you never used to like living in the country. But Serenity might grow on you.”

She shook her head. “I can’t. This would be the first place he’d look for me.”

“So you tell him you’re through putting up with his abuse. If he refuses to get counseling and act like a civilized human being, demand a divorce. I don’t care how good a lawyer he is. You’ll still be entitled to half his estate and to alimony.”

Sarah lifted her head and looked at Becki as if she’d just dropped off the turnip truck. “It’s not that easy. Rowan doesn’t believe in divorce.”

“Neither do you. But, Sarah, your vows didn’t say anything about being his personal punching bag.”

“He’s under a lot of pressure at work. I shouldn’t have brought up the credit card being denied.”

“Don’t you dare justify what he did to you.”

Sarah burrowed her face against the armrest. A moment later she turned her head and met Becki’s gaze. “I can smell Gran’s perfume.”

“On the armrests.” Becki loved to sit there to read for that very reason. “Gran always dabbed it on her wrists.”

“I wish she was here. She always knew what was best.”

“Stay with me, Sarah.”

She shook her head. “I can’t. I won’t put you in any more danger.”