Sarah Woods Mystery Series (1-6) Boxed Set (40 page)

Chapter 38

Richard’s last act of the evening was a gracious one. He picked up the tab for dinner before passing out atop his dessert plate. Carter went and fetched a wheelchair to get him back to his room.

We said goodnight to Carter, and Max walked me back to my room. I invited him to stay.

I showered, slipped into a sundress then joined him on the sofa.

“
Pretty sad story about Carter’s daughter, wasn’t it?” Max said, lifting my feet and placing them in his lap. He removed my sandals and started to press his thumbs into the balls of my feet. I closed my eyes and leaned back.

“
Now I understand why he has no qualms about stretching the limits of the law. Or breaking them altogether, for that matter.”

“
That’s life, isn’t it? Cause and effect.”

“
Speaking of cause and effect,” I said, opening my eyes to look at him, “what you’re doing to my feet is a major turn on.”

He smiled. “What if I did this?” He lifted my foot up and wrapped his lips around my big toe.

A delicious sensation throbbed deep in my stomach. “I love that kind of cause and effect.”

Max smiled as he returned my foot to his lap. “Speaking of Carter, do you think you’ll do any more jobs for him back home?”

“
That depends on the job. If the next assignment takes us to Paris, how could I say no?”

Max laughed. “That would be something. I’d have to make sure he needed a surveillance expert for that job, too.”

“
I’ve always wanted to see the lights of Paris from the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. Does that make me the biggest cliché ever?”

“
It means you’re a romantic fool like me.”

“
You? A romantic fool?”

“
Sure.”

“
Prove it.”

Max scooped me up and carried me into the bedroom.

Chapter 39

As I lay smothered in Max’s arms for the second morning in a row, a melancholy feeling came over me.

We were flying back home, and I to a husband that I no longer loved.

Everything had changed. I felt like a completely different woman with Max. No matter what the future held for us, I would always be grateful for this time with him.

I slipped out of bed, showered, and started packing. I let Max sleep. I did sneak an occasional glance at his naked body, tousled hair, and stubbly face. My heart ached to think what would happen if he took the job offer in Chicago. I didn’t want to consider that a possibility, so I busied myself by stuffing wrinkled clothes and toiletries into my suitcase.

I texted Brian with the details of my return flight and pressed send just as Max sat up in bed.

He smiled and brushed a hand through his hair. “You’re very motivated this morning, aren’t you?”

“
Yeah, I’m not sure why. Our flight doesn’t leave for another four hours.”

He extended his arm, beckoning me to join him. How could I resist? I took my time as I approached, trying to live in the moment.

He reached up, took a fist full of my hair, and gently pulled me down until I was sitting on his lap. He placed a hand on my lower back as he pushed me harder into his lap.

For the next half-hour I didn’t think about packing.

Chapter 40

It was another beautiful day in Hawaii. The skies had cleared, and the sun felt warm and wonderful on my skin. Max finished loading our luggage into the jeep just before noon. We were a bit ahead of schedule, leaving us extra time to stop by the Sanborn’s house en route to the airport.

“
I wonder how Jessica’s feeling today,” I said as we pulled out of the resort and headed east on Farrington Highway. “I can’t believe her father booked their flight home today. Wouldn’t you think he’d allow her a few days to recuperate? She lost a lot of blood.”

“
Mind if I wait for you in the car?” Max asked. “I’m going to call Richard and see if he’s made any progress in finding a connection between Hutchins and Smolinski.”

“
Fine by me. We can’t stay very long anyway.”

Dr. Theo looked surprised when he opened the door and found me standing in the entryway. “Hello, Sarah.”

“
We were just on our way to the airport,” I explained. “I never got a chance to say good-bye to Jessica.”

Dr. Theo smiled, though my intuition told me he wasn’t pleased to see me. “She’s resting up before the long flight. I’ll let her know you stopped by.”

“
I have something I want to give her,” I said. “It’ll only be a minute.”

The doctor swung the door wide. “If you must.”

“
By the way, I wanted to tell you how very sorry I am about everything.”

“
Thank you Sarah.”

“
Have you said anything to her about Toby?”

He briefly looked away. I sensed sadness when our eyes met once again. “She knows.”

I let out a long breath. “How is she handling it?”

“
The way my daughter handles everything. She’s in denial.”

Jessica’s bedroom door was ajar. I could see her reflection in the mirror. I watched as she methodically applied a layer of mascara to her already full lashes.

She startled as I knocked gently on the door.

“
Hi Jessica. It’s Sarah. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

She took her time getting to the door, but once there she opened it wide and motioned for me to enter. “What a surprise.”

“
You’re probably exhausted. Are you really okay to fly?”

“
I’m fine.” She turned around and slowly walked back to the vanity, picked up a hairbrush, and absently ran a finger through the bristles. “You must think I’m a horrible person.”

The abrupt statement caught me off guard I struggled to find the right words. “You’ve been through so much, Jessica. I would never judge you.”

She nodded and looked out the window as if she were contemplating something. “I suppose you’re wondering who the father was.”

I remained quiet.

“
Truth is, I’m not sure myself.” Jessica returned the brush to the table and turned around to face me. “After Duane left, I slept with so many guys I don’t even remember their names.”

“
Oh.” I was caught off guard by her blunt admission.

“
Well, it’s over now,” she said, looking away. “I just want to put everything behind me and move forward with my life.” She crossed the room, sat down on the edge of the bed, and stared out the window. “You must be eager to get home to see your son.”

“
Talk to me, Jessica. It’s okay to feel your feelings, no matter how ugly it gets.”

She turned her head away like a petulant child. “Please. You don’t have to pretend to be my therapist. I have enough of those already.”

I was surprised by the remark. “That was not my intention. I’m sorry.”

Jessica shrugged, still not making eye contact. Her foot tapped on the floor as she fiddled with her necklace, sliding the tiny gold cross pendant back and forth on the chain.

I reached into my purse for the photo Carter had given me. I took a moment to look at the photo one more time. They were once such a lovely family; Duane looking so proud, Jessica wearing a rare smile, and their beautiful baby boy. I felt myself getting emotional.

I was about to give her the photo when something struck me as peculiar. In the photo, Duane wore a gold chain with a gold cross hanging from it. I recognized it as the same one he wore during our massage session … and identical to the one Jessica wore now.

“
Where did you get that necklace, Jessica?”

Her look of surprise seemed genuine as she looked up at me. “What?”

“
The cross around your neck,” I said, pointing to it.

She diverted her eyes, and pursed her lips.

I took a step closer. “Duane was wearing one just like it the day before he died.”

She turned away. “I think I should lie down now. I’m starting to feel a little dizzy. Do you mind?” She made a gesture to the door; a not so subtle hint that I should leave.

I placed the photo on her bed next to her. She didn’t bother to glance at it.

“
You were there, weren’t you?” I said, keeping my voice low. “What happened the morning Duane died, Jessica?”

She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. “Fine. I did go there to talk to him, just like you suggested.”

“
Like I suggested?”

“
Don’t you remember?” She blinked a few times.

I finally managed a response. “At first … but then I said it was a bad idea.”

“
No,” she said, pointing a finger at me. “You were the one who put that idea in my head, so I went.”

I was finding it hard to breathe. “So you talked to Duane?”

“
He was in the pool when I arrived. He climbed up the stairs to meet me at his front door. I asked if we could go inside and talk, but the bastard had company.”

“
Did you ask him about Toby?”

“
Of course I did,” she said, thrusting her chin out. “He told me I needed to forget about Toby. I demanded to know what happened. All he could do was stand there like an idiot.”

“
So … you killed him?”

“
No,” she said. “I told him I still loved him.”

“
What did he say?”

“
He said it was a good time to let God into my heart. He took the cross off and handed it to me.” Jessica laughed, but tears were in her eyes.

“
You must have been crushed when he didn’t say he loved you back.”

Her slender fingers trembled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Nostrils flaring, she said, “I’m done talking about this. You need to leave my room right now.”

“
Does your father know you went to see him?”

“
Of course. He doesn’t miss a thing. He had Alex follow me.”

“
Jessica, what did you two do to Duane?”

Her eyes burned into me. “How dare you stand there and judge me. You’re not even a real detective. You’re just a washed-up, middle-aged hag who wants to feel important.”

“
You can sit there and insult me all you want, but all I care about is the truth.”

“
Okay, I’ll tell you. I never meant to hurt Duane.”

I paused for a minute to look at her expression. I believed her. “If his death was an accident, why did you lie about it?”

“
You just don’t get it, do you?”

“
Well, why don’t you explain it to me?”

“
After Duane gave me the necklace, he tried to hug me. The bastard had the audacity to try and comfort me after brushing me off. I shoved him away a little harder than I meant to. He lost his balance and fell backwards down the steps. He hit his head on the edge of the pool.”

“
Did you try to help him?”

“
Of course, but he wasn’t breathing. Alex saw it happen. He told me to go back to the house and keep the whole thing to myself. Said he’d take care of it.” Jessica crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. I felt ill when I realized she had never been required to take responsibility for her actions in life.

“
You’re not thinking of going to the police, are you?” she said, lowering her voice. “Fuck with me, and you’ll regret it.”

I shook my head. “You really are out of touch, aren’t you?”

Jessica rolled her eyes. I turned to leave, mainly to prevent myself from slapping her across the face. As I walked away she said, “By the way, you’re way too old for Max. He’s out of your league. I wouldn’t expect him to stick around for very long if I were you.”

I stood motionless for a few seconds. I wanted to have the last word, but decided it just wasn’t worth it. I turned and left her room in silence.

Dr. Theo was standing close by when I made my abrupt exit from his daughter’s room. He grabbed my arm. “What did you say to her, Sarah? I told you she shouldn’t be disturbed.”

“
She’s already disturbed,” I said, “And it started way before she ever met me.”

Dr. Theo released me and took a step back. “I beg your pardon?”

“
You knew Jessica was going to Cunningham’s that morning. Good thing you had O’Malley follow her. Lord knows we couldn’t have her involvement in someone’s death sully the Sanborn name.”

An eerie smile appeared on his otherwise rigid face as he stepped closer to me. “You’re already in way over your head. I suggest you cut your losses, get on your flight, and forget any of this ever happened. It’s in your best interest to do so.”

“
Another thing,” I said, not backing down to him. “You knew from the beginning that Jessica had no real desire to find her son. All she wanted was Cunningham back, with or without her kid.”

“
She’s too young to appreciate what it means to be a mother.”

“
How do you expect her to mature if you keep treating her like a little girl?”

“
I have specific reasons behind each of my decisions.”

“
You mean you have excuses.”

Dr. Theo narrowed his eyes at me. He motioned to the door. “Go. Now.”

Max glanced at his watch as I climbed inside the Jeep. “What took you so long? Is Jessica okay?”

“
Oh, she’s great.”

“
What happened?”

I shook my head and looked out the side window. “Can we please just get the hell out of here?”

Max put the vehicle in drive and pulled out of the Sanborn’s driveway without another word spoken.

A few miles into the drive, Max reached over and squeezed my leg. “Talk to me, Sarah.”

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Jessica was at Cunningham’s the morning he died. O’Malley followed her there.”

Max almost drove off the road because he was glaring at me. “She told you this?”

I proceeded to tell Max everything.

He remained silent for several minutes. “So what do you want to do?”

“
Nothing.”

An hour later we arrived at the airport. Max dropped me off with the luggage while he went to return the Jeep. As I stood waiting just inside the terminal, I glanced over at the ticket counters. Alex O’Malley was standing alone in the first-class line, checking a suitcase. The agent handed him his ticket and he headed toward the security checkpoint.

I picked up the suitcases by my side and double-timed it to head him off. He saw me and stopped so I could catch up.

“
What airline are you taking?” he asked, shooting me a broad smile.

“
United,” I replied. “Why aren’t you flying with the Sanborns?”

“
I have miles on Delta that I prefer to use. Their flight leaves later today.”

“
Yes, I know. Max and I stopped to see them on our way here.”

O’Malley nodded. “I figured you might.”

“
You also figured me for a fool, didn’t you?”

He took a step back and tilted his head. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“
Jessica told me what happened to Cunningham. You’re involved in a very serious cover-up.”

O’Malley held up his hand. “Lower your voice, would you please? Jessica didn’t kill Cunningham. It was an accident. I saw the whole thing happen, Sarah.”

“
It was you who warned Brenda to disappear. That poor woman has been running scared simply because you felt it necessary to protect the interest of your clients.”

“
Look, Sarah. I don’t expect you to understand---”

“
What was all that talk yesterday about making a difference? You don’t give a shit about doing the right thing. You’re nothing but a fraud. I can’t prove it yet, but I’m fairly certain you know what happened to Toby. That whole Smolinski bullshit was just a smokescreen to throw me off course.”