The Sharpest Edge (13 page)

He pulled into a parking spot and shut off the engine. He turned his head just enough to look at her. “You’re crying.”

“I am not.” She immediately wiped her cheeks and turned to stare out the passenger window. No way was she going into the office looking this way.
Get it together, Kim.
She felt a light pressure on her shoulder, but she didn’t look at him. “Go away.”

“No.”

“Please?”

His fingers trailed over her forearm and she finally turned in his direction. He smiled. “It’s not easy to change your mind about something you’ve believed for so long.”

“I haven’t changed my mind. I still blame him for my mom’s death. I just…well…I don’t want him to die before I’m ready for him to die.”

He nodded and ran his thumb over her lower lip. “I understand.”

“Do you?”

“Over the past ten years, I haven’t had a whole lot of kind thoughts about you,” he said. “But when I showed up at your door a few nights ago to investigate the prowler and learned that you were in real danger, I was furious. Maybe I didn’t want you in my life, but no way was anyone allowed to kill you.”

She managed a smile. “You know, it must be a sign of my warped mental state that I actually think that’s a really sweet thing for you to say.”

He smiled back and she realized he’d moved even closer, his thumb trailing over her shoulder. “I think we may both be a little outside of the norm. Maybe that’s okay.”

“Maybe.” She could feel his breath on her lips. Her heart was racing and all she could think about was how much she wanted him to kiss her. “Um, Sean?”

“Mmm?”

She wrapped her hand around his wrist and held tight. All she could think about was the feel of his bare skin under her fingers. “I forget what I was going to say,” she whispered.

“Me, too.” Then he leaned forward and kissed her.

This was nothing like the kiss they’d shared in the mailroom. That had been frantic and energetic and brought on by memories of their past.

This kiss was soft and sweet and perfect. It was about the present, about today, about
them
and only them.

He played with her lips, his touch gentle and almost unsure. Her heart rate was skyrocketing and all she wanted was for the kiss to last forever. She fisted the front of his T-shirt in her hand and pulled him closer. His breath mingled with hers. He tasted of toothpaste, and he smelled like soap and man.

More. She wanted more. When she parted her lips, he made a soft grunt and wrapped his hand around the back of her head, his fingers twisting in her hair, his other hand cupping the side of her face. How could his touch be so tender and yet infuse her with such incredible wanting?

His hand slipped down the side of her face, his fingers trailing over her neck as he kissed her deeper and deeper, his tongue playing in her mouth, warm and hot.

He pressed his fingers at the base of her neck and broke the kiss. His eyes were dark and smoky. “Your heart is racing.”

His fingers were over her pulse, so she couldn’t lie. And why would she want to? “I know.”

A slow grin spread over his face and he leaned forward again.

Only this time when their lips met, it wasn’t soft or gentle or tentative. It rocked with heat and passion and a need she felt to her core. She flung her arms around his neck and buried herself against him while he held her tight, so close she could barely breathe. Who needed to breathe, anyway? Breathing was overrated, especially when weighed against the feeling of his solid chest pressed up against her breasts. Their shirts did little to block the heat, and she felt his heart pounding against her chest. She leaned back. “Your heart is racing, too.”

He grinned. “How about that? I’ve never had a kiss spike my heart rate before.”

“Really? Not even when we were teenagers?” she teased.

He kissed her for a long time before answering. “It was never like this.”

She felt the same way. This thing between them was different now. A hell of a lot more intense, for one. Almost scary. “I know what you mean.”

He sighed. “Kim—”

The scream of a little kid startled her and she turned to see a family of four heading toward the boathouse with picnic supplies in hand. Two small girls were chasing each other, their voices shrill as they shrieked with excitement.

Sean’s fingers tightened in her hair and she turned to look at him. “Not exactly the place for a make-out session, huh?”

He laced his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his lips. “Someday, we’re going to have to get this right between us.”

She swallowed. Was he talking about the kiss or their relationship? Had he not given up on them? Did he want to try again, or did he merely want a night of passion to toast their shared past?

She didn’t dare ask.

Because she wasn’t sure what she wanted him to say.

And she was desperately afraid of what her gut was telling her she was yearning to hear.

S
EAN TOOK
K
IM’S HAND
as they walked up the front steps into the office. He wasn’t sure why he did it, but he did.

And she didn’t pull away.

So they walked hand in hand into the office to find Didi and Alan huddled over the computer screen in a very cozy picture. Sean grinned at the sight. He couldn’t drum up any regret if Alan got hung up on Didi and found another woman to call his best friend, because Alan being possessive of Kim was a pain in the butt for their investigation. No other reason.

“Hi, guys,” Kim said, and the couple broke apart quickly, guilty looks on their faces. “Did we interrupt something?”

Alan’s gaze flicked to their entwined fingers and Kim released Sean’s hand immediately. But the soft look she gave Sean as she did it made Alan scowl. So Sean grinned and decided that he could be generous with Alan today. “What’d you find?”

Didi propped herself up against the windowsill behind Alan, as if she belonged there. Sean frowned. “Didi, would you mind giving us some privacy?”

Her lips pursed into a pout. “I’ve been helping him. I know what’s going on. You might need me to explain some of the files.”

Alan nodded immediately. “She needs to stay.” Didi put her hand on his shoulder and he set his hand on top of hers. “She’s been a huge help with this mess.”

His respect for Alan dropped more than a couple of notches. Get a little sex and you start spilling confidential details to your bedmate? Always a good plan.

As Sean watched them exchange secret glances that made
him wonder whether they’d been rolling around on the floor before he and Kim arrived, he recalled the interlude with Will and Didi. Will, who fit the profile for John Ramsey and who had been missing for quite a few days. If one man would confess his secrets after a roll in the hay with Didi, would another one? “Didi, do you have a minute? I’d like to ask you some questions.”

Didi nodded. “Of course. That’s why I’m here.”

Sean glanced at Alan. “It’s about Will. Shall we go in the hall?”

Didi’s fingers tightened on Alan’s shoulder, then she nodded. “Sure.”

“Kim, you can stay and go over the files with Alan. We’ll be right back.”

Kim nodded and walked over to the desk while Didi led Sean to the hallway.

There were two guests waiting for help, so she effectively took care of their issues, then turned to Sean. “Thanks for letting me take this out into the hall.” She looked at the closed door. “I really like Alan and, well, who knows how he’d react if he knew I’d been dating someone else so recently.”

“You mean having sex with.”

Her eyes lost their softness. “What exactly is it that you need?”

“I’d like to know if Will ever talked about his past, his family, any activities he was involved in. Maybe he uttered a few names in his sleep?”

Didi frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Sean hesitated. If he didn’t give her at least a hint about what he wanted to know, he might waste a lot of time. If he did give her info, well, it potentially compromised the investigation. What choice did he have? “I need to know if he ever mentioned a brother named Jimmy Ramsey.”

Didi stared at him. “What?”

“A brother named Jimmy Ramsey.”

“But his last name is Ambrose. Will Ambrose.” Her eyebrows were knitted together in an effort to follow him and he decided at that moment that maybe Didi wasn’t the brightest person he’d ever met.

“Names can be changed. Did he ever mention a brother?”

“No.” But her tone was drawn out and thoughtful, indicative of truth more than a quick, vehement denial would have been.

“Did he ever accidentally refer to himself as John Ramsey? Not turn right away when you called him Will?”

Didi’s eyes widened. “You think Will is actually someone named John Ramsey, who has a brother named Jimmy Ramsey?”

“Answer the question.”

“No, I never noticed anything.” She frowned. “Why?”

“Did Will ever show any familiarity with California? As if he’d been there?”

She shook her head, her expression mystified. “Why do you need to know this? What’s happened?”

“What about Carl?”

“The maintenance chief?”

“Yes. Did he ever mention a brother or accidentally call himself John? Show any familiarity with California?”

“I didn’t sleep with him.” She folded her arms across her chest and looked offended. “Just because I made a mistake with Will doesn’t mean I’m a slut.”

“I didn’t mean to imply that you did. But since you work at the same place, I figured you might have some knowledge of him.”

Didi softened, mollified by his recant. “No to all of your questions, but I never spend much time talking to him.”

Probably not by choice, given how she seemed interested in every guy who walked into the place. “What about Tom Payton?”

“The guy at the boathouse?”

“Yep. Same questions.”

“No, but I don’t talk to him much. He mostly flirts with the girls who are guests at the camp. Staff aren’t good enough for him.”

Interesting. Tom hadn’t seemed to be the playboy type. He was due for an interview at the station anyway. “Thanks for your time, Didi.” He hesitated, then added, “We don’t know what John Ramsey looks like, but he’s about twenty-five and we believe he may be in the area. He’s potentially dangerous, so if you get any indication that he’s around, call the police and stay away from him.”

She frowned. “What about the other one you mentioned? His brother? Should I be watching out for a couple of guys who are hanging together?”

“No. Jimmy Ramsey is dead. It’s only his brother we’re concerned about.”

Didi stared at him. “Dead? You mean, really dead?”

Sean nodded.

“How do you know?”

“We found his body.”

She looked rather shocked. Pale. Her lower lip was trembling. “You think his brother killed him?”

“Seems like it was a bar fight in Portland. His brother may be trying to avenge his death, though, so be wary. He could be pretty desperate.” Belatedly, he realized that Didi looked a little stressed. Too much info. “Listen, Didi, I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. His rage will be directed toward one target and that isn’t you. I’m sure you’re safe, so all I want is for you to report any suspicious folks, okay?”

She nodded, still looking stunned.

“How about I send Alan out to give you some comfort?”

“That’s fine.” She lifted her chin and seemed to shake it off. “I’m glad you told me. I’ll keep watch.” Her eyes widened suddenly. “You think that’s who has been embez
zling?” She pursed her lips. “All three of those guys spend time in the office. Of course, lots of staff come in and out of here, but those three definitely do. You think?”

Although he’d been thinking that John Ramsey was more likely going to go after Kim with a knife, who knew what his style was? Maybe he was more of the white-collar type than Jimmy was.

They needed to get more information on John Ramsey and fast.

“I’m working on getting a photo. Keep an eye on guests and everyone else. If I can get a picture, I’ll make sure you get a copy.”

She nodded, looking energized. “I’ll totally be your spy.”

At least she wasn’t trembling in her shoes anymore. He decided not to tell her about his concerns with the knife. No need to frighten her. “If you see him, Didi, don’t confront him. Just tell the police, okay?”

She nodded. “No problem. I’m all over it.”

“Don’t confront him,” he said again, but she’d already turned away to help another guest. His gut wrenching in turmoil, he walked back into the office and shut the door. “Alan.”

Alan and Kim were huddled over the computer and they both looked up. “What?”

“I asked Didi about Jimmy and John Ramsey and now she’s on a mission to help find them. You need to make sure she doesn’t go off on some vigilante thing.” He hesitated. “If she gets herself hurt, I…”

Kim got a look in her eye that bugged him because he knew she was aware of what he was thinking. “It’ll be fine,” she said softly. “It isn’t your fault.”

He met her empathetic gaze and felt his throat tighten.

“Who is John Ramsey?” Alan appeared confused.

“We didn’t tell you?” Kim looked at Sean, who shrugged.

“I didn’t tell him. We only found out this morning.”

Kim filled Alan in on the John Ramsey discovery. By the time she finished, he was frowning. “You think this John Ramsey is the one who’s been after Kim?”

“It’s our only lead,” Sean said.

Kim looked at him. “It could also be Helen, but Sean won’t consider it.”

He scowled. “I’m considering it.” He had to. For the safety of Kim and her dad, he had to follow up. He might be haunted forever if Didi got hurt because she decided to play hero, but if Kim or her dad got hurt—or worse—because he refused to investigate a suspect, he’d—well, he couldn’t let that happen. He just couldn’t.

“You ever hear of a brother?” Kim asked.

Alan shook his head. “I’m not on personal terms with Jimmy, though. I only knew him through you.” He leaned back in the chair and tapped his chin. “If Jimmy had a brother who was out for vengeance on Jimmy’s behalf, I gotta think we would have heard from him over the past eighteen months. Where was he during the trial?” Alan shook his head. “My guess is that the brother probably took off on Jimmy and is doing his own thing. Probably disowned the scum.”

Sean frowned. “Well, we can’t find any evidence of him other than a birth certificate. He seems to have disappeared.”

“Maybe Jimmy already killed him,” Kim said.

Alan looked at her. “Probably.”

Sean sat. “So if it’s not the brother, then who? Who else has ties to Jimmy’s past that are strong enough to want revenge for him?”

“A cop on his force?”

Sean shook his head. “Already checked. No cops that were close to him are on leave. They’re all in L.A. Anything else?”

No one had any ideas.

Sean stood up. “I guess that means we pursue Helen and
John Ramsey and keep pressing L.A. for some more details that could help us find out what’s going on.” He nodded at Alan. “Didi’s a little stressed out. I told her you’d go out and give her some TLC.” He hesitated, then decided that a little violation of Didi’s personal space was justified. “One of the guys we think could be John Ramsey is her old boyfriend. She’s upset.”

Alan stood up. “I’ll go talk to her. Thanks for letting me know.”

He strode out of the office, leaving the door open behind him.

Kim barely waited for Alan to leave before she looked at Sean. “You’re really going to add Helen to your list of suspects?”

“Yes.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “I admit I don’t want my dad to die, and you acknowledge that Helen might not be perfect. Are we growing up?”

He gave a half smile. “Maybe.” He nodded at the computer. “What did you find?”

They spent the next hour with Didi and Alan going over the documents that he had uncovered. Sure enough, almost all of the working capital for the Loon’s Nest had been siphoned off. In another couple of weeks, there would be no money even to pay the staff.