Just Evil (21 page)

It was like her to want to do that, thought Jake, as he
rested his head on her forehead before telling her more.

“I also read over a couple of those documents Boyd sent you.
I brought the rest home with me. But I have a few questions, Kit, about the
ones I read. According to the will, you inherit close to twenty million
dollars, correct?” When she nodded, he went on, “That’s including Alana’s real
estate business. But the business itself is worth that much, maybe more, and
that’s a conservative estimate.”

“What are you saying?”

“It doesn’t add up, Kit. There’s the house in Beverly Hills,
which is probably worth about seven or eight mil, a small lot she owned in
Malibu but never built anything on, which is probably worth another three mil
because it’s in Malibu, and miscellaneous checking and savings accounts.
According to the bank statements Connor sent, there isn’t a lot of cash on hand
in the accounts, not even the business account. That’s odd to me. I mean,
twenty million sounds like a lot, impressive; it’s enough to get your
attention, but when you add it all up, there ought to be a lot more there than
twenty million.”

“Jake, Alana spent money like it grew on trees. She probably
ran through all of it.”

“Maybe. But what if that’s what Boyd wants you to think. Think
about it, there’s no question you’ve got a house you can sell, a business you
can sell, property you can sell. In other words, you inherit stuff, assets, but
hardly any cash. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

She thought for a moment. “If the business is worth more,
then why did Connor tell me I’d inherited twenty million? What you’re saying is
I get Alana’s stuff that I can liquidate, but there are no millions of dollars
in cash sitting around in her bank accounts?”

“Exactly. I think we should check her bank accounts, find
out when the cash went south. I’d bet it was recent. Like I said, the assets
listed in the will far exceed the twenty million dollar amount Boyd told you.
So where are the rest of the assets, the cash she had on hand?”

“Maybe Connor was upset about Jessica’s death; maybe it’s an
honest mistake. Quinn pointed out that he was on the clock this morning right
after his mother was found dead.”

“Could be an honest mistake, but a lawyer should know the
value of his client’s business. It would have been appraised at some point. The
fact that he doesn’t know isn’t a good thing. He was either upset, just made a
mistake, or the error was intentional and meant to conceal the withdrawals to
the accounts.”

“What should I do?”

“Don’t sign anything. I’ll look over the rest of the
documents tonight and if anything else surfaces, I’ll let Reese take a look at
them. Those Boyds are damn clever lawyers.”

The doorbell rang. She suddenly realized how late it had
gotten and crawled off his lap. “I think that must be Baylee coming to retrieve
her daughter.”

Jake followed her to the front door. When Kit started to
open it without checking who was on the other side, he grabbed her arm just
before she turned the lock. “I’m sure you’re right, but humor me and make sure.”

 She stared at him, saw genuine concern in his eyes. By now
the ringing doorbell had turned to frantic knocking. She looked out through the
peephole and smiled. “All I see is one anxious mama.”

When Kit unlocked the door and Baylee stepped inside, Jake still
couldn’t get over the dark hair. And then he noticed how edgy she acted. The
relaxed, lighthearted Baylee of old was gone, replaced by a wariness he’d never
seen before. Now, pooled in her huge aqua-colored eyes, he saw an almost
distant look, much like he’d seen recently in Kit’s.

Remembering what Kit had told him earlier, he wondered whom Baylee
thought she was fooling with the different colored hair. To him, she still
looked like Baylee.

Kit led her into the kitchen with an arm draped over the petite
woman’s shoulders, “Did you get all moved in?”

“Oh, Kit, the house is lovely, just perfect for us. It’s
like a little doll house. I’m so grateful to be there. How was Sarah?” 

“A sweetheart. Would you like a glass of wine or tea or
something?”

With her mind on her daughter’s next feeding, Baylee slipped
into a kitchen chair and sighed just thinking about how long it had been since
she’d enjoyed a glass of wine. The temptation was there, but instead of taking
it, she said simply, “Iced tea will do.”

While Kit poured the tea into a tall glass, she told Baylee,
“Jake and I were just finishing up dinner. Have you eaten? I have leftovers.”

“Thanks, but I picked up a couple of fish tacos at the
drive-thru.”

“Jake was telling me that I have a brother in Ireland. His
name’s Ben Griffin. I can’t wait to get in touch with him.”

Instantly suspicious, Baylee turned accusing eyes on Jake.
“A brother? Where’s he been all this time? Are you sure about this? You know
you’re getting her hopes up, don’t you? She’s wanted family for as long as I
can remember. And what if this so-called brother turns out to be a real jerk, what
then? Or what if this brother wants no part of her? He could, you know, he
could hurt her.”

Protective, thought Jake, and angry, very angry. Right
before his eyes, Baylee turned into a mother bear ready to defend her cub at
the drop of a hat.

“Okay, but what if he doesn’t know about her? And what if he
wants to know his sister, Baylee? Doesn’t Kit have the right to know a
half-brother? I realize there’s a possibility he might not feel the same about
her; that’s why I’m going to contact him and give him the option of getting in
touch with Kit.” He saw the flash of concern on her face and thought he knew
what it was about. “I won’t give him the opportunity to reject her face to
face.”

Those aqua blue eyes went suddenly cold as steel, piercing
Jake like daggers. “Fine. But I’ll tell you this: if she gets hurt in any way,
I’m holding you responsible.”

“Down Mom,” Kit said, as her hand fell on Baylee’s shoulder.
“There’s no point in jumping down Jake’s throat. I wanted him to do this. He
was trying to find out anything he could about…my father and he discovered
this. I’m grateful for his help.”

Baylee let out a loud pent-up breath, immediately
remorseful. “Oh. You want to know if he’s really...gone. Oh Kit, did you find
out if he’s…really…dead?”

Jake grimaced. “He died just as Alana told her.”

Baylee’s eyes went moist. “I…I’m sorry, Kit. I know you
wanted it to be…not true. But that doesn’t change how I feel about this
so-called brother. You know nothing about him.”

Confused by Baylee’s behavior, Kit quietly told her, “He’s
my brother, Baylee. That’s all I need to know.”

Baylee downed a gulp of tea and stood up. “It’s getting
late. I’ll start loading up Sarah’s things and save Sarah for last.”

“We can help you load the car, Baylee.” But she was talking
to Baylee’s back. With a sigh, Kit started packing up Sarah’s diaper bag.

Noting the tension emanating off Baylee as she left the
room, Jake quietly asked, “Is she okay?”

Kit took a deep breath. “No. Not for a while now. She’s gone
through a lot over the last few months. I can’t put my finger on exactly what’s
wrong. All I know is something isn’t right.”

He stood up. “I’ll start loading the car.”

“Could you switch the car seat from the Jeep back to hers?
That would be a big help. I’ll go talk to her.”

Jake had just finished getting the car seat adjusted in the
back seat of Baylee’s Range Rover when she stepped around the car. “Look, let’s
just get this over with. I’m not apologizing for what I said in there. I don’t
think it’s a good idea for her to try to find some stranger and to make him
part of her life. Even a brother—a brother, I might add, that hasn’t made one
move to try and find her all these years.” She put her hands in the back
pockets of her jeans, rocked on her heels. “I don’t want her hurt.”

“She’s been hurt enough, don’t you think?” He stared
straight into the woman’s eyes.

“Yeah, she has.”

“What about Collin Boyd? Has he ever hurt her?”

Baylee eyed Jake as if deciding just how much to confide in
him and then remembered he’d been the one to confront Collin earlier that day.
“He’s tried. Like the rest of his family, he refuses to take no for an answer.
He isn’t just an arrogant jerk with money, but one who has never been held
accountable for any of his mistakes. None of them have. The Boyds think they
can do anything and get away with it. It’s in the genes. Collin’s had a thing
for Kit for as long as I can remember. But she’s never given him the time of
day, probably because it’s what Alana and Jessica wanted. Kit never fell into
that trap.”

She briefly looked away before turning back again to look up
at Jake. “They’ve never dated, never gone out. I think that’s what pisses him
off the most. Every so often, like this morning, Collin pushes the envelope.”
She took a deep breath and took hold of Jake’s arm. “He scares me where Kit’s
concerned. Watch out for her, won’t you?”

“Absolutely.”

Ten minutes later, standing on the porch, they watched as
Baylee’s SUV backed out of Kit’s driveway and headed down the street.

“Thanks for dinner.”

“Thanks for helping me with Collin. I’m not sure I said
that. It just seems like there’s so much coming at me all at once, I can’t
think straight. I’m a little nervous about Alana’s funeral. With everything
going on, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.”

“I know, but don’t try to do everything yourself,” he
suggested as he rubbed her back. It was then and there he decided that as much
as he wanted her, it wouldn’t be tonight.

She’d just discovered she had a sibling she’d never met. She
was dealing with the fact that in the past forty-eight hours both Alana and
Jessica had been murdered. On top of that, she’d just admitted that all of this
was coming at her too fast. He wasn’t about to screw this up now by rushing
her.

“I need to take that next step in finding Ben Griffin. If I
come by your office in the morning do you think we could find out more info
about him?”

“Sure, why not? But Kit, I meant what I said to Baylee. I’ll
be the one to make contact with him. There’s no point in you getting your hopes
up and then having them dashed if he doesn’t want to meet. You come by in the
morning and we’ll see what we can find.”

With that, he reached around her waist and dragged her into
him. Her wet mouth tasted sweet and a little spicy.

Like the other times he’d kissed her, this was no hurried
kiss, but rather a slow seductive mating of tongues. “Why don’t you come back
inside, Jake?”

“I want you, in bed.”

“I know.” It surprised her when he shook his head.

He patted her on the rear and pushed her toward the front
door. “You’ve got too much going on.”  He pointed to her head. “Too much to
think about tonight. When I take you to bed the first time, I want your
complete attention.” He grinned at her and swatted her bottom again. “Now go
back inside. Lock the door. Get some sleep.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him it was him she
needed now. But he knew her too well. If he stayed she’d talk it to death, then
start dwelling on the past, dredging up what might have been, along with all
kinds of painful memories. Reluctantly, she went inside. 

When he heard the lock click, Jake headed to his car, and
eventually, to a cold shower.

Over the next few days, Kit couldn’t escape painful stabs at
her psyche as she dealt with the details of planning Alana’s funeral. It didn’t
help that St. John encouraged the coroner to drag his feet in releasing the
body. Keeping it an extra couple of days caused the arrangements to get pushed back,
drawing out the whole process unnecessarily, creating several anxious days and
sleepless nights for Kit.

For the most part she kept the service low-key as Gloria
hovered, determined not to let her take on any chore that might dredge up
anything hurtful. But in spite of Gloria’s watchful eye there were still stress-related
facets that had to be handled.

When the funeral home called about Alana’s dress for burial,
Gloria found a suitable outfit. When the issue of pallbearers came up, Gloria
recruited men from Alana’s army of real estate agents, with only a few refusing
her request outright.

Kit handled the flowers and music. She filled the chapel
with pink roses and orchids, two of Alana’s favorites, and worried that somehow
Alana would find fault with her efforts. But when it came to the music Kit went
with sentiment. She chose uplifting and inspirational songs, and at the last
minute for no good reason added the traditional Irish song,
The King of Love
My Shepherd Is
, telling Gloria, “It makes me feel as though I’m putting my
own touches on our goodbye, my own way.”  

But on the day of the funeral, it came and went in a series
of surreal, clipped images. Snapshots of condolences, concern, and sympathy
amid a parade of mourners as they walked past Alana’s closed casket. Friends
Kit hadn’t seen in years blended with others who’d driven down from San Madrid
to pay their respects.

And through it all Kit knew Holloway and St. John were
there, lurking just beyond the fringe, watching her every move, her every
action.

Thanks to Jake, Gloria, and Quinn, she somehow got through
it. Even though Baylee had helped with the flowers and music, she had been
noticeably absent from the memorial service. Kit couldn’t help but worry about
Baylee as she crawled into the waiting limousine afterward. But at that point
all Kit wanted was to get as far away from Whispering Oaks as she could get,
and preferably, as fast as the limo could take her.

From his position on the hill overlooking the cemetery, he
watched as the mourners gathered around the gravesite and a flower-draped
casket. As the minister recited his prepared sermon, he spanned the crowd,
taking note of those in attendance.