The Pursuit of Lies (Book #4, Paradise Valley) (13 page)

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Authors: Debra Burroughs

Tags: #A Paradise Valley Mystery

BOOK: The Pursuit of Lies (Book #4, Paradise Valley)
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He let out the beginning of a chuckle. “Oh, Babe, please don’t make me laugh.” He winced and tightened his grip on her hand.

“Sorry.”

Ernie shuffled around to the other side of the bed. “I expect you out of that bed soon, boy. We’ve got work to do.”

“I’ll do my best, boss.”

“Now you’re calling
me
boss. I guess the shoe’s on the other foot.” Ernie shook his head slightly. “Go figure.”

“Don’t get too comfortable in my office now, Ernie.” Colin grimaced and his speech sounded labored. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“I’m counting on it.” Ernie’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “Time to shove off, I think.”

After making sure Colin was doing well and resting comfortably, Emily kissed him tentatively on the mouth. She said her good-byes, as did Ernie, and the two walked out to the hospital parking lot.

“I’ll get that information for you on McDonald first thing in the morning,” Ernie promised as they reached their vehicles.

“Besides where he hangs out after work, search for anything that could help us learn more about this guy, down to what baseball team he roots for.”

“Will do. Just remember, though, I need to keep it on the down low.”

Emily nodded as she unlocked her car and pulled the door open. “McDonald has the skills and the motive. Let’s see if he had the opportunity.”

She slid behind the wheel and turned her engine over. If this guy murdered Allison to get back at Colin, she’d have to tread lightly. Only a psychopath would retaliate in such an excessive and violent way.

She wondered if Allison had been the prosecutor on Amanda McDonald’s case. Two for the price of one. Made sense—to a psychopath.

Chapter 14

Emily lay in her bed, floating in the dream state between wakefulness and sleep. She was slow dancing with Colin, breathing in his musky scent, swaying to the soft music—they were wrapped in each other’s arms. His lips brushed against her neck and she felt a warmth ripple through her body in response.

With his jaw pressing gently against her temple, he softly sang along with Frankie Valli. “You’d be like heaven to touch.” He lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered as their bodies moved in synchronicity.

She couldn’t remember ever hearing anything so sensual, so romantic. She sang the next line back to him.

He lowered his face down to hers and kissed her deeply, hungrily.

“Oh, Colin,” she heard herself say. Her eyes snapped open and she was no longer in his arms. She found she was lying in her bed with the clock radio playing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.”

She smiled to herself, realizing it was a dream, a remembrance of Friday night before they went to their engagement party. How peculiar that her radio was playing that song. Normally she set the buzzer to wake her up. In her exhausted state the previous night, she must not have slid the selector button all the way over.

She shot up straight.
Colin!
The events of the last four days flooded into her mind. Whipping her covers back, she flew out of bed and hurried to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. She had a full day ahead of her, beginning with visiting Colin in the hospital before searching for Mr. X.

As much as she would have loved lying in bed, replaying that dream, relishing how it made her feel, real life was calling her name.

~*~

Emily tiptoed into Colin’s hospital room. “Are you awake?”

His eyes were half-open and the corners of his lips quirked into a groggy smile. “Hey, Babe.”

“How are you?” She bent down and kissed him softly, bristling at the scratchiness of his stubble.

“Better now.” He looked up into her eyes as she pulled away from him. “I was just lying here thinking about things—you know, Allison’s murder, my arrest, who’s framing me. What time is it?”

“A little before ten.”

“Ten? We need to get going.” He struggled to sit up. “Help me get dressed.”

“Whoa.” She lunged forward and put her hands on his shoulders. “You’re not going anywhere, mister. Lay back down.”

“But we have a case to solve.” He dropped back against his pillow, under her pressure.

“Not today. Today you stay in bed and rest.” Ready for an argument, she gave him a stern stare.

“We have leads to chase down before the trail goes cold.” He volleyed back with his own concerned tone. “The guy could have set everything up and skipped town by now.”

“Ernie and I will handle it.” She leaned over and kissed his forehead, cupping his jaw with one hand. “Your only job today is to rest and get better so you can get out of this place.”

“But—”

“No buts, Colin. Ernie filled me in on the local suspect you guys discussed and we’re following up on him.”

“What about the San Francisco perps?”

“Ernie received an email last night with the list. I’m sure he’ll be in today to show it to you, if you’re up to it.”

“Oh, I’m up to it.” He winced as he tried to sit up again, but the pain put him flat on his back.

“I don’t think so, darling.” Emily curled her fingers around his hand and noticed the pain in his eyes, though, the tough guy would never admit to it. “Looks like your pain meds are wearing off. I’ll get the nurse.”

“Did I hear someone call for a nurse?”

Emily spun around as a petite young woman with short brown hair, wearing colorful floral-patterned scrubs and a bright smile, came into the room carrying a small metal tray of assorted supplies. She sidled up to the far side of his bed and stuck a thermometer in his mouth. “Time for another round of meds after I get your temperature. Then we’ll need to check your dressings. Have you been to the bathroom yet?”

Emily couldn’t help notice Colin’s cheeks blush deep pink at the nurse’s personal question. “You know, Colin,” Emily stroked his hand and gave it a light squeeze, “why don’t I step out and give Ernie a buzz?”

~*~

Out on the concrete plaza in front of the hospital, Emily settled on a bench and phoned Ernie. He promised to stop by the hospital and visit with Colin around noon to show him the list of his old SFPD cases.

“I had to stop him from climbing out of bed earlier. He’s not going to want to be lounging around while we work this case.”

“I kind of figured that, but who could blame him?”

Emily certainly wouldn’t be satisfied to sit and let someone else work a case if she had been accused of a horrendous crime. “My guess is he’ll be released tomorrow, then your wife can sit on him.”

“Not literally I hope, ‘cause I love Marlene and all, but she’s a pretty hefty woman.” He chortled at his own comment.

“Ernie!” Emily restrained herself from joining in.

“Just telling it like it is.”

“Hey, have you dug up any info on Amanda McDonald’s husband yet?”

“As a matter of fact…”

The sound of shuffling papers and the pecking sound of Ernie’s one-fingered typing on the keyboard came through the phone. “His full name is Clive James McDonald. You didn’t hear this from me, but…from what I can tell by his banking history and credit card charges, he likes to hang out at that popular Irish pub, the Ha’Penny Tavern, in downtown Boise.”

“Anything out of the ordinary on this guy?”

“No criminal record except one ‘disturbing the peace’ charge a few years ago. Looks like he and his wife threw a big party that went late and got a bit out of control. Other than that, nothing.”

“To pull off a frame job like this, it wouldn’t take a history of crimes, just someone with the techno background and a lot of anger. Since his wife was sent to prison, he’s had a lot of time on his hands to plan out his revenge.”

“Assuming he’s our guy.”

“Well, yeah. There’s that. Maggie and I are going to pay a little visit to the Ha’Penny tonight and pry some answers out of this guy.”

“You and Maggie be careful. Phone me when you’re done.”

“Yes, Dad.” She smiled at his fatherly way. “I’d better get back upstairs. I’ll let Colin know you’ll be stopping by with the case list. And, please, Ernie, let Marlene know how much I appreciate her stepping in to take care of Colin. She’s an angel.”

“Will do.”

“Emily! Emily!”

She turned off her phone and stood, glancing around at the sound of her name, zipping her jacket shut against the chilly autumn breeze.

Maggie and Camille hurried from the parking lot toward Emily, dressed in dark warm-up suits and white sneakers.

“Hey, girls.” Emily gave each a quick hug. “Did you come from the gym?”

“One of Maggie’s aerobics classes at the Y,” Camille replied, her face still a bit flushed.

“How’s Colin doin’?”

“He’s pretty sore, but I’m sure he’d love to see you guys. Come with me.” Emily motioned toward the hospital entrance with one hand. “I was on my way back up anyway.”

The women entered the hospital and took an elevator up to the third floor. Camille had her hands wrapped protectively around a clear plastic box containing what looked to be a dozen of her decadent homemade double-chocolate cookies.

Emily eyed the container. “Mmm, those look delicious, Cam.”

“They’re for Colin. I thought they might cheer him up.”

Maggie held a big pot of blooming chrysanthemums. “That’s why I got these yellow mums, the color is so cheery. I know yellow mums mean
secret admirer
, but I just thought they were bright and sunny.”

“Flowers have meanings?” Emily’s head tilted questioningly.

“Most do, I think.”

“Hmm.” The wheels in Emily’s brain started to turn.

“You’ve got that look in your eyes, Em,” Camille said. “Spill it. What are you thinking?”

“What does a red cyclamen mean?”

“Oh, oh, I know that one.” Maggie’s brilliant blue eyes lit up. “It means
good-bye
.”

~*~

Emily returned to Colin’s room briefly, leaving her friends to entertain him while she got back to work. Part of her, the doting fiancée, wanted to sit by his side until he was well enough to check out, but the other part, the strong and determined private investigator in her, needed to solve the mystery and find the real killer.

She stopped by her favorite coffee place, Moxie Java, to pick up a coffee and a muffin.

“Good morning, Emily.” The friendly male barista greeted her. He was tall and good-looking with what appeared to be the beginning of a new beard trying to grow in.

“Morning, Andy. Hey, what happened to your beard?” She hadn’t been in for a couple of weeks, feeling almost guilty for frequenting the Starbucks closest to her house.

“My girlfriend wanted me to shave it, so I did.”

“Looks like you’re growing it back.”

“Yup. I missed it, especially with the cold weather coming.” He took her order and her debit card. “Your order will be up in a few minutes.” His gaze moved beyond her. “Next!”

She stepped to the side and the couple behind her pressed forward. Before long, Camille’s brother unexpectedly strolled in and got in line to place his order.

“Funny meeting you here,” she said.

Peter whirled around to the voice behind him. “Emily, what a nice surprise. I didn’t expect to run into you in this place.”

“Just stopped by for a quick pick-me-up before heading home to work on the case. You?”

“I’m killing time until Maggie and my sister get back from the hospital. We’re supposed to meet up for lunch. How’s Colin doing?”

“He’s in some pain, but I think by tomorrow he’ll be ready to check out.” She moved forward as Peter kept up with the line.

“If there’s anything you need me to do, to help you with the case, just ask.”

“After I go through that pile of evidence, I’ll give you a call. How long are you in town for?”

“My manager gave me a week to cover this story, but if you’re making headway, I could probably stretch it out.”

“Next!” The barista called out.

Peter stepped up to the counter and placed his order.

Emily rolled her wrist and read her watch. It was eleven thirty.

She and Peter moved to the side to wait.

“I want to help nail the SOB. It’ll be a big story,” he said.

“I hope the only reason you’re offering to help isn’t simply for the sake of the story, Peter.”

“Absolutely not. The way I see it, the story could help clear Colin’s name and restore his reputation.”

“Tall mocha cappuccino!” the barista hollered.

“That’s me,” Emily said, waving her hand at the man behind the counter before turning back to Peter. “I’ll give you a call if I need you.”

Chapter 15

One day into their four-week deadline to trial and Emily hoped she was making some headway. She drove home with the red cyclamen on her mind.
Good-bye.
Was it a coincidence or a message?

When she got to her house, she went through the folder of crime scene photos that sat on her kitchen table and pulled out the picture of the potted flowers. Muted sunlight from the cloudy day streamed in the window over the sink. She flipped on the ceiling light to get a better look at the photos.

The florist’s card was perched at the top of the clear plastic spike that jutted up from the flowers. She noticed a tiny, indiscernible icon in the top left-hand corner of the card, but couldn’t make it out. The short note was fairly illegible in the shot, but the name
Colin
was clearly shown. However, that was not his signature. Was it signed by Mr. X when he ordered the flowers? Or by the florist?

How would she know which flower shop they came from? There were several in Paradise Valley, but it could have come from Boise or any of the other surrounding communities. Mr. X could have even bought them in the floral department of a local grocery chain and delivered them himself. The list of possible providers was overwhelming. She decided to simplify the process by first narrowing it down. It was a long shot, but her best bet was to start with the handful of florists in Paradise Valley.

She wondered if she was she simply rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. What if she was wasting precious time? This pot of flowers could mean absolutely nothing, driving her to chase a rabbit down a hole to nowhere. But until she was certain who signed Colin’s name to that card, she couldn’t put it behind her. Maybe it meant nothing, but the message it sent—
good-bye
—had to count for something and her gut told her to pursue it. These cyclamen might hold some tiny clue that could unravel the whole set up.

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