No Happily Ever After

By Marion Myles

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Copyright © 2024   Marion Myles

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or any persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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Edited by Betty Fisher

Cover by Robin Johnson. Florida Girl Design Inc

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Dedication

For RDM—because you’re the only reason any of this makes sense.

Prologue

Maryanne Wentworth was unconscious but not yet dead.

She lay on her single bed in the college dorm room. Her small, heart-shaped face was attractive—objectively so—with its pleasing symmetry, slanting cheekbones, and the little cleft in her chin. She had delicately arched eyebrows and yards of black silky hair fanning across her pillow and wouldn’t have been out of place on the cover of a beauty magazine. Her skin, already naturally pale, now trended toward blue with a tinge of the ghostly color shading her lips.

If her eyes had been open, they’d have shone a clear and soft hazel and radiated sharp intelligence. Maryanne was no dummy, that was for sure. She excelled in all her classes and would have achieved her goal of becoming a statistician by the time she’d graduated. No doubt collecting honors before settling into a ludicrously high-paying job at some big firm. Maybe even working for the government. She’d spend the rest of her life studying … well, studies and charts … and drawing conclusions from data that in practical terms, would mean basically nothing.

She looked like a doll, the woman thought, leaning closer to stare in fascination. She ran a finger down Maryanne’s cheek and when there was no reaction, flicked her nail against the unconscious woman’s nose before snickering.

Oh, how sweet it was. Having a person incapacitated and at her disposal was thrilling. Up until this moment, everything in her life had been shades of black and white, but now she saw the world in technicolor. And it was stunning. A beauty to behold. 

Why hadn’t she ever done this before? She huffed out a breath. Truthfully, this wasn’t her first kill. But the last one hardly counted, did it? Plus, she hadn’t been there to watch and bear witness.

She took Maryanne’s hand and jiggled it, making it seem as though the woman was flapping her arm like a chicken. A giggle erupted out of her, and she clapped a hand to her mouth and shot a glance over her shoulder. Everything would be ruined if someone came to the door now, before the Grim Reaper had made his official visit.

Sighing, she set the woman’s arm back on the bed and leaned in again, listening for the sound of breathing. At first, she couldn’t hear anything, and a dark satisfaction spread through her belly. But then came a gurgling gulp and she saw Maryanne’s chest rise fractionally.

So, still not dead.

That was fine. She pulled a chair over beside the bed and sank down to wait. It would be safer, of course, to shimmy out of the room now. But she just couldn’t make herself go. Not for this first one. You never have another first, she reasoned. She smiled and started counting the seconds between Maryanne’s breaths.

Eventually the time spaced out and each shallow gasp was separated by a minute or more. She could still maybe save her if she wanted to. She potentially had the power to bring Maryanne back to life. But she didn’t want to. In fact, she yearned for the life in front of her to ebb away and finally cease.

She pried open one of Maryanne’s eyes but there was nothing there. No spark of recognition. No sense that the woman even knew she was dying.

A rage passed through her, bubbling up to her throat. She should have done this differently. It would have been so much more satisfying to see the dread and horror in the other woman’s face, maybe even have her beg for her life.

Exhaling on a sigh, she sat back again and shook her head. It simply hadn’t been possible, not in this particular scenario. And certainly not worth the risk. Maybe next time. She smiled to herself. Oh, yes, there would definitely be a next time because when you find your life’s calling, there was no turning back, was there?

It would be like Michelangelo deciding not to paint or Einstein putting away his experiments and living a boring and ordinary life. Like them, she had a unique and innate talent, and the world needed her genius. It was her duty to live up to her potential.

When at last all signs of respiration had stopped and, after placing her palm on Maryanne’s chest she could no longer feel a heartbeat, her gaze lifted to the clock above the desk.

“Time of death, two twelve a.m.,” she said.

She sat watching the body for another few moments while random memories sprang to her mind. She supposed Maryanne had been a good person during her life. Funny and warm. Disciplined—which was something she, herself, could respect. And she’d had integrity, too. Oh, well. You win some, you lose some, right?

She sighed and got to her feet. It was time to move on. The show was clearly over and the longer she lingered, the more dangerous it became.

The chair was returned to where it belonged under the desk on Maryanne’s side of the room. The blue latex gloves were slipped back on before activating the laptop from sleep mode and doing a final and methodical read-through of the “suicide” note. The pill bottle was meticulously wiped of prints and placed against Maryanne’s hand and the pads of the woman’s fingertips pressed all around the plastic cylinder.

She slipped the bottle under the pillow and repeated the wiping then applying prints to the almost empty glass of water and set it on the bedside table. Removing the take-out coffee cup with the remnants of the drugged liquid, she left the bedside light burning.

After washing the coffee down the bathroom sink and crushing and tucking the cup into her backpack, she took one last sweeping glance around the room. All was in order. No incriminating evidence had been left.

She opened the window and paused for a moment to make sure no one walked the stone path below the dormitory. It would be stupid to make a mistake now when she was so close to victory. She climbed onto the fire escape, pulled the window closed, and used the carefully crafted metal loop to ease the inside latch to the locked position.

There was a moment of panic when she couldn’t retract the wire through the narrow gap in the window frame. She strained to thread it through the hole while her heart raced and sweat dripped down her spine. But then came a rasping sound, metal over plastic, and it eased free. She quickly pocketed the tool and began her careful descent.

When she reached the ground, she looked up and studied the window of the room, noting the light from that single bedside lamp shone like a beacon. She pulled up her hoodie and carefully tucked in her hair before travelling a long and circuitous route across the campus, keeping to the shadows and well away from the surveillance cameras.

At last, she pushed through a gap in the hedge, thankful for the covering of her heavy clothes to save her from the scratchy vegetation. The air was cool, and the mist hung heavy, shrouding everything in secrecy.

She stepped out onto the sidewalk with a smile on her face and a heart filled with joy.

Chapter One

Roman walked across his office and studied the thermostat on the wall before adjusting the air conditioner setting. A tall man, his sun-kissed skin and dark hair and eyes gave a nod to his Italian heritage.

“I’m not sure this baby is up to the challenge of a summer in Tennessee. That’s the trouble with being on the top floor. Heat rises.”

“Yeah. So I’ve heard.” Mia took a sip of her iced chai latte and sighed. “I still don’t understand why I’m here.”

“Because this new client ...” he glanced down at the file on his desk, “Mrs. Jennifer Lamb, specifically requested your presence. You can blame it on all the media attention from our earlier cases together. Like it or not, babes, public perception has us linked at the hip when it comes to doing PI work.”

Mia gathered her long, auburn hair into a high ponytail and with quick, practiced moves fixed on an elastic tie to hold it in place. Her hazel eyes shone with impatience.

“I know. I get it. But I’m not actually a PI. I think we need to make it clear to her right from the jump. And I still haven’t decided if I should even be doing this job. I have my own business to run and the dogs to take care of. Not to mention, we’re just over two months out from our wedding. There’s a lot going on.”

“But it doesn’t hurt to sit through this initial consult, right? It’ll only be thirty minutes or so. You might get a flash. Something to point me in the right direction. I can take it from there and you’ll be free and clear.”

“But then I’m out, okay?”

“Sure. Absolutely.” He paused and studied her face. “You know you have a natural calling for this work? With your psychic abilities, you’re basically a secret weapon against evil. Yet you always shy away from doing the job. I still can’t get my head around why.”

She pressed her lips together and nodded. “It’s just … I don’t want ….” She blew out a breath and shifted her gaze to meet his. “Okay. Here’s the thing. I’ve already spent so much of my early life in the darkness. Being on the wrong side of the law and … I’d guess you’d call it the wrong side of morality. This job you do—digging into crimes and all the crappy things people get up to—it’s so dark, right?”

He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug and his liquid brown eyes stayed intent on her face. “It can be, I guess. It’s all how you look at it, though. Whether we involve ourselves or not, people are going to do crappy things. That’s a given. I like being the guy who stops them or—if it’s after the fact—makes them pay for their crimes.”

“And God knows society needs people like you. I honestly applaud your effort. But I don’t want to live in that world anymore. I love making my jewelry. People are happy when they get their necklace or earrings or whatever. It gives them a lift. And I’m totally not kidding myself that what I do is important, but I like to think I bring a tiny bit of joy to the life of each of my customers. Plus, I get an awesome financial reward, so it’s a total win-win for me.”

“I know, babes. Your stuff is beautiful. Seriously, you’ve got a major talent.” He leaned back in his chair and swiveled side to side. “And I understand what you’re saying about the PI job being dark. I feel it too. I guess for me, the upside outweighs that part. And now, wouldn’t you know, I have this amazing new tool. It’s the biggest, baddest demolition hammer ever made. There’s probably only a couple of them in the world. And when I start tearing down a building, it doesn’t make sense to stick with my older and crappier tools.”

She smirked. “In this scenario am I supposed to be the biggest, baddest hammer?” She lifted her arm and flexed her bicep. “Yeah. I totally am.”

“Which makes me the crappy old tool. But there it is. If that’s all I’ve got to work with, I’ll still do the job. But, man, I want the new hammer.”

“Okay. I get it. I just don’t know if I can be there for you.” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

“And I don’t want to spend the rest of our lives together forcing you into things that make you unhappy, so I’ll have to learn to live with it, right?”

She stared at him. “But that means you’ll eventually start resenting me, which totally blows.”

“Not necessarily true.” He frowned. “At least I don’t think so. Anyway, no point in borrowing trouble. I’m sure we’ll figure it out as we go. The main thing is I appreciate you being here today and sitting through this consult. Maybe that could be our compromise of sorts. Maybe you’d be willing to spend one or two hours a week sitting in on appointments with new clients? Not too much, right?”

She ran a finger back and forth across her bottom lip. “That doesn’t sound so bad. And sometimes I could do a little extra. Especially on the tough cases. But I’m not going on stakeouts to catch cheating spouses or whatever. It’s just so gross. If that’s what this Jennifer person wants, I’m out.”

“I hear you.” When a knock sounded, his eyes flicked to the door. “Looks like our client is here, and right on time, too.”

Roman pushed to his feet and walked across the small room.

“Hi, Jennifer. Welcome. Come on in. I’m Roman and this is Mia. Can I get you coffee or a cold drink?”

“Oh, no. Thanks. I’m fine. I appreciate you agreeing to see me.”

“Of course. Please, have a seat and tell me how we can help.”

Mia studied the woman who slid onto the chair beside her. From Roman’s quick briefing, she knew Jennifer to be in her mid-forties, but she appeared much younger and was stunningly attractive. Long blonde hair had been styled in beachy curls and framed an alluring face. Her soft blue eyes were clear and bright, her lips lush, and her skin absolutely flawless with nothing more than a suggestion of laugh lines at the corners of her generous mouth.

She wore thin, layered gold chains around her neck while diamond studs sparkled from her earlobes and a large emerald-cut ruby graced the ring finger of her left hand. Her nails were long and gleamed the same red as the stone of the ring.

Her clothes weren’t showy—tan chinos and a navy blouse—but Mia knew high-end fabrics when she saw them. Jennifer wore Golden Goose sneakers, and she’d tied a navy and tan Hermes scarf around the handle of her Birkin bag which she cradled in her lap like a baby.

Jennifer Lamb was precisely the type of woman Mia would have targeted back in her early days of thieving and scamming. Though not overly showy, she still managed to exude extreme wealth all the way down to the subtle but pleasing Dolce and Gabbana perfume that lingered in the air around her.

“So.” Roman cleared his throat. “How can we help you today?”

Please don’t say cheating husband, Mia thought.

The tip of Jennifer’s tongue flashed out to moisten her lips, then she exhaled and half turned in her chair to include Mia in her gaze.

“I married Thomas Lamb almost twenty-two years ago. I’m his second wife. He already had a son, Scott, who was four years old. In fact, Scott is how I met Thomas. I was hired to be his nanny after his mom left. It was a great job, and I was very happy there. Then things sort of … happened, I guess you could say. Thomas and I fell in love.”

Jennifer carefully set her purse on the floor beside her chair and squared her shoulders as if bracing for battle.

“He’s twenty years older than me and even back then was very rich. He and another guy founded Best Bag, the luggage company. I’m sure you heard of it? Anyway, when we got married, everyone—and I mean everyone—called me a gold-digging whore.” She paused and shook her head. “But I wasn’t. It’s important you understand that.”

Her eyes flicked back and forth between Mia and Roman.

“Of course we understand,” Roman said.

“I did love Thomas. I still do. But if I’m being absolutely honest, I maybe loved Scott just a little bit more. He was the best boy. So smart and sweet. I wasn’t one of those ambitious, take-on-the-world kind of women. From a young age, all I’d ever wanted was to be a wife and mother. Have a family. Live a normal, happy life. When I found out it was unlikely I’d be able to bear a child of my own, it brought me to my knees. But then I met Scott and Thomas, and it seemed my dream could still be realized. Just in a slightly different way. And it has been. I’m a very happy woman.” She exhaled and looked down at her hands. “Or I was until recently.”

Roman and Mia waited. They both knew the value of silence and how it, more than anything, encouraged the other person to keep talking. Sure enough, Jennifer shifted again, plucked at her blouse, then worried her fingers back and forth along one of the gold chains around her neck before finally continuing.

“Scott is so smart. Smarter even than Thomas. He may have grown up in the lap of luxury and will inherit more money than anyone could ever possibly need, but he’s already making his own way in the world. He took accelerated courses all through high school and started college early. He was only sixteen when he went to MIT. He has a mind for computers. All this AI stuff that’s coming out now? He’s been working in that field for almost ten years. He founded a company with two other guys that first year at college, and it’s already valued at twenty-seven million dollars.”

Mia’s heart gave a little lurch and her stomach turned uneasily.

“He sounds like a real go-getter. You must be very proud,” Roman said.

Jennifer’s smile was swift and dazzling. She leaned forward in her chair. “I can’t tell you how happy I am. And smarts aside, he’s a nice person. I know in the movies and on TV, people like him are often portrayed as lacking basic social skills, but that’s not Scott. He’s sweet and caring. Sure, he’s also completely obsessed with his work, but that’s a given for any successful person no matter their field. Still, he calls me every single week and sends flowers for special occasions. You know, birthdays, Mother’s Day, Easter, like that. And sometimes for no reason whatsoever, which always makes me cry a little.”

Jennifer’s eyes sheened with moisture, and she blinked and shook her head.

“Has something happened to Scott?” Mia asked, working to keep her voice smooth.

“You could say that.” Jennifer closed her eyes and exhaled heavily. “He’s fallen in love with a gold-digging whore.”

Chapter Two

Mia wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting but wouldn’t have been surprised to hear one of Scott’s partners was trying to take over the company and cheat him out of a big stack of money. Maybe he’d been kidnapped for ransom. Or there’d been some ugly dispute between father and son.

Now her heart sank.

Jennifer seemed like a nice enough woman, but what right did she have to pass judgement over Scott’s personal life? This wasn’t the eighteenth century and he’s not some royal prince with rules about who he can and cannot marry. It’s a free world, after all, and he can love whomever he wants.

“Okay.” Roman nodded slowly and kept a neutral expression on his face though Mia could almost guarantee she knew what he was thinking. “And you worry this woman is going to somehow take Scott to the cleaners?”

“I know she is. It’s been a whirlwind romance. They only met three months ago, and last week Scott proposed. Now Eliza’s going around flashing her five-carat engagement ring to everyone and their dog. When Scott told me the news, I honestly thought he was joking, but I tried to be supportive. Talk about a shock though. Then yesterday, Thomas and I sat down with them to go over the logistics of their union. Everything’s so much more complicated when there’s a lot of money involved. We carefully broached the idea of a prenup, and Eliza gave a little laugh and said they wouldn’t be needing one because their marriage was forever. Scott backed her up all the way.”

“That sounds like a difficult situation. I understand why you’re upset. Though I’m not entirely sure what we can do to help,” Roman said.

“I want you to dig into Eliza’s background and find me some dirt. There isn’t a doubt in my mind she’s a con artist. I’ve watched her carefully during unguarded moments and seen that mask of hers slip a little here and there. I’ve caught a glimpse of the real her. Now I need something—anything—to show Scott what kind of person she truly is.”

“And what if there’s nothing?” Mia asked.

Jennifer pursed her lips. “There’ll be something. Mark my words. But you can’t ever let Scott, or Thomas for that matter, know I hired you.”

“Unless I’m subpoenaed, nothing you tell me goes any further. You don’t stay in business as a PI by spilling the secrets of your clients,” Roman said. “But I have to warn you there are no guarantees. We may find nothing on Eliza.”

“I understand.”

“You said you didn’t want Thomas to know you’ve enlisted a private investigator?” Mia said.

“And I don’t. He’s worried about Eliza but feels Scott will come to his senses soon enough. And that may be true, but by the time he does, it could also be too late. Thomas would be furious with me if he knew what I was doing.” She paused and sighed. “Our marriage has been struggling recently. For a long time, if I’m being honest. Early on there were two affairs—Thomas, not me—and I can tell you it’s hard coming back from that. But we go to therapy, and every day I put in the work on our relationship. And trust me when I say it is work.”

“I’m sorry. That must be difficult,” Mia said. “But I still don’t understand why Thomas would be against doing a background check on his son’s fiancée. Especially given the circumstances.”

She shrugged. “I think he feels it’d be emasculating for Scott. Like his mommy and daddy think he’s not man enough to make a good choice in his spouse. Thomas seems to be taking it onboard himself, as if it somehow reflects on him as a parent and as a man. Stupid,” she mumbled.

“Thank you for providing all this background information. It helps. Can I ask a personal question about you and Thomas?” Roman said.

“Sure. Ask me anything.”

“Given what you’ve just told me about your marriage, do you have any plans to divorce? I’d also be interested to know if you signed a prenup?”

Jennifer blinked several times while she studied Roman. Then she nodded once and straightened in her chair. “Well, I should have expected this given you’re in the business of uncovering secrets. My marriage may be shaky, but I truly believe the vow I made to Thomas was for life, come what may. I’m not ever planning to file for divorce. As for a prenup…”

She sighed once and looked down at her ruby ring then back to Roman. “I did sign one. If you feel it’s relevant to Scott’s situation, I can provide you with a copy. What I can tell you, though, is it’s no longer in effect. The agreement only covered the first ten years of our marriage and as I’ve told you, we’re going on twenty-two. If we divorced during our first decade together, the prenup stated I wouldn’t be entitled to any claim on his businesses or properties though I would get a generous monetary settlement. Two million plus ongoing spousal support.”

“And now?” Roman prodded.

“Now half of everything would come to me. So, you see, it’d be so much easier to take my share and walk away, but I’m truly committed to my marriage.” Jennifer paused and gave a slight shrug. “Anyway, enough about me and Thomas. Can you tell me what happens now? How it works? What will you and Mia do first?”

Mia cleared her throat. “I need you to know I’m not a licensed investigator. I just sometimes help Roman out.”

Jennifer’s eyebrows drew together. “But Roman is licensed, right?”

“Yes, of course. And before that he worked as a detective on the police force.”

“Mia’s a stickler for details. And while she isn’t a qualified PI, she is my invaluable assistant. You want next steps, right? So, in your situation, we’ll start by doing a standard low-level background check on Eliza and see if anything pops up. Either way, we can discuss the findings and decide if you need me to go deeper. I don’t want to raise your expectations because, like I said before, there may be nothing to find.”

“There’ll be something. That woman loves to spout nonsense about spreading light in the world and being kind, but there’s darkness all around her. I feel it in my bones.”

Mia’s skin pinpricked. “Are you … I mean, can you sense energy or see auras?”

“No. Not hardly.” Jennifer laughed. “But a mother, even an adopted one, knows these things.”

Roman opened a file on his desk and handed Jennifer a document.

“Okay. Here’s the contract. Look it over and get me a signed copy when you’re ready to move forward.”

“I’m ready to move forward right now. Just give me a minute to give this a read-through before I sign.”

“You should get this looked at by a professional. Make sure you understand everything,” Roman said.

Her eyes flicked up to meet his, and she arched a brow. “And I suppose I’m just some air-headed trophy wife who can’t find her way out of a paper bag?”

“No. Of course not. Simply standard operating procedure. I’d be remiss if I didn’t advise every client to seek counsel before signing anything,” Roman said quickly.

She gave a half laugh. “Of course. Sorry. I guess I’m used to people, including my family, underestimating me. If it’ll put your mind at ease, when Scott when off to college I sort of did the same thing. Though I went locally—to Monterey Institute. Six years ago, I earned a law degree and I’m almost through another in business and commerce.”

“That’s fantastic,” Mia said. “What are you going to do with it?”

“No idea. I just get the biggest kick from learning. In fact, I’m eyeing up a program in philosophy. I’d love to understand more about Plato and Aristotle.”

She turned her attention to the contract in her lap, reading through each page methodically, her index finger marking her progress. Mia and Roman remained silent until she finally lifted her gaze and nodded. He offered her a pen and she signed in the appropriate places and handed everything back to him.

“I’ll email a copy for your records and, with the paperwork out of the way, I guess we can get started. It’d be helpful to have some basic details filled in. Like Eliza’s full name, for instance. And anything you know about her background.”

Jennifer lifted her purse from the floor and set it on her lap before pulling out an envelope and placing it on the edge of Roman’s desk.

“Everything you need to get started is in there.”

Roman rubbed his hands together. “Awesome. I’ll clear up a few urgent matters here and dig into Eliza first thing tomorrow. Give me a couple of days to work through her background, then we’ll touch base. I promise I won’t go any further, billing-wise, before discussing it with you.”

She gave a delicate snort. “Oh, God. I’m not worried about the cost. Just do what you have to do to get me the information. And quickly. The longer this thing goes on with Scott and Eliza, the more he’ll be hurt.”

Chapter Three

After Roman said goodbye to Jennifer Lamb and shut the office door behind her, he turned to Mia and spread his arms wide.

“What do we think?”

“I don’t know yet. Frankly, it’s hitting a little too close to home for me. This is the kind of con I’d have run back in the day. You know, latch onto some super-rich, nerdy guy and try to get my hands on his money. I didn’t usually do a long deal, like this one, but I can see the payoff for Eliza will be more than worth the price.”

“You’ve seriously gotta stop identifying with the bad guys. Not that we even know Eliza is bad yet. She might just be a sweet girl who’s fallen in love and Jennifer is the wicked stepmother.”

Mia shook her head. “I’m not getting any wicked stepmother vibes from Jennifer. In fact, the only thing I sensed was love and concern for Scott. And maybe some damaged pride in the area of her husband. He’s definitely put a dent in her.”

“Well, I guess we’ll see what’s what once I start delving in.”

“Good luck with that. I’m gonna take off. I have some errands to run, then I need to get back to my jewelry orders. I’ve already had a couple of texts from Sheryl. Hiring her to be my assistant was the best thing I ever did, but she’s turning into quite the slavedriver.”

“Just remember you’re the boss. Not her.”

She smiled and shook her head. “I’m not sure if that’s true anymore. Last week she created a log system and is attempting to track how long it takes to make each piece of jewelry. If one necklace takes longer than another, I’m interrogated like a murder suspect. Yesterday, I must have spent at least half an hour explaining you can’t rush these things, and it takes as long as it takes to get it right. Geez, you’d think it was her bottom line, not mine. She’s just my assistant for Pete’s sake.”

“Can’t blame her for exceeding her job title. I know she loves working for you. She told me so just the other week. Said it’s her best job ever. And she’s crazy about the dogs.”

“Yeah. Yeah, she’s great. Honestly. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better. And I do appreciate how she dotes on our hooligan pack. They love her right back, too. It’s nice knowing she can step in and look after them if I get called away on one of your crazy investigations. Four dogs are a little much for most people to handle, but she deals with them just fine.”

“She sure does. Anyway, I’m going to hang for a bit and clear my desk so I’m ready to jump into Jennifer’s investigation first thing tomorrow. I’ll bring home dinner, okay?”

Mia shrugged. “Sure. If you want. But you know I don’t mind cooking.”

He flashed a smile. “And you know I don’t mind you cooking either. But you’re busy and you did me a solid today sitting in on the consult. The least I can do is take that off your plate.”

“Great. What were you thinking?” She paused and shook her head. “No, don’t tell me. I like the surprise.”

It was almost two hours later when Roman arrived home with Vietnamese takeout. Mia opened one of the containers and happily inhaled the aroma.

“Vegan pad thai. You know my weakness.”

“Always got you covered, babes.”

Although it was after seven o’clock, the heat was still formidable, so they ate inside, with the dogs—still panting from a playtime session with Mia—sprawling around the cool floor of the kitchen.

“Did you start on Eliza yet?”

“Nope. But I did bring her file home. I may give it a look-over tonight just to get my mind in the game.” He took a bite of satay chicken and studied Mia while he chewed. “I think we should talk about a prenup.”

Her head snapped up. “What? Why? If you think I’ll dump you then take you to the cleaners financially … well … I don’t—”

“Hey. Simmer down. That’s not at all what I’m thinking. I’m not worried about my money. You know I did okay as a detective, but we’re talking low end of okay. And since then, I’ve been living off savings while I get my business up and running. Things are going better these last few months—mostly thanks to you, by the way—but I’m hardly rolling in the green here. It’s your assets that need to be protected. I’m the one who could be poised to take you to the cleaners. You’re pretty rich, right?”

Mia stared at him, unblinking. “I guess. But you would never do that. It didn’t even enter my mind before.”

He nodded. “Sure. But we’ve been all rosy-cozy so far. Everything’s great between us. Easy sailing, right?”

“Hardly.” She let out a snort. “Are you forgetting how you almost kicked me to the curb when you found out about my past? Then a couple of months ago, I went behind your back to help my dad and dragged you into that mess with the Russian mafia. And during that time, I buddied up with my ex-boyfriend. The past eighteen months have basically been a marine-style obstacle course, if you ask me.”

Roman smiled full out. “Okay, sure, we’ve had a couple of bumps along the way. But you didn’t buddy up to Dean. You were forced into working with him. Entirely different.” He waved a hand in the air. “It’s all in the past, but what I said is still true. If—God, forbid—we break up down the road, I stand to gain a lot of money. It only makes sense to safeguard yourself.”

“But we’re not going to break up. This is it for me. You’re it for me.” She fisted a hand against her heart. “I want us to work and I’m all in.”

“Me too. But the reality is half of all marriages end in divorce. You need to think about this. Seriously. It’s the smart thing to do.”

“I don’t want to think about it. The idea of a prenup makes me feel sad. Like we’re already acknowledging we’re not going to make it. That’s not how I want to start our marriage, with one eye on the exit.”

“But it would make me feel better. Like sometime down the road there’s no way, if I’m really, really hurt, I can lash out and hurt you back. I love you so much, sometimes it makes me afraid, you know?”

“Oh, honey, you don’t have to be afraid of love. You taught me that. Love is always good. Always kind. And I don’t, for one hot minute, worry you’ll go after my money.”

“That’s nice to hear but I still want you to think about the prenup. Do it for me and for love.”

She sighed then took his hand. “Okay. I’ll think about it. Promise.” She leaned over and laid a gentle kiss on his lips then tilted her head to study him again. “If this case is going to get you all twisted up about our wedding, maybe you shouldn’t take it.”

“I’m not twisted up. And I’d already been thinking about us having a prenup. Talking with Jennifer today just brought it out in the open, that’s all.”

“Okay. But I’ll be watching you, my friend. I don’t want you going to the dark side on me.”

“No dark side over here. Nothing but unicorns and rainbows. I swear.”

After dinner, Roman elected to leave Eliza’s file in his office, untouched, and spend a lazy night on the couch with Mia and popcorn and a movie. After their conversation, it seemed right.

And, honestly, he just wanted to be near her. Reassure himself. He wasn’t a superstitious man, but it was as if, by voicing his fears, he’d somehow given them power. He needed to shut that down fast. He and Mia were fine. Their relationship was solid. Why open the door to trouble and invite the bastard in?

***

On the dot of nine o’clock the next morning, Roman sat at his desk in his office in town and took a sip from a takeout coffee. He pulled the Lamb file out of his bag and opened it in front of him. Jennifer had been thorough, he noted, quickly reading the sheet she’d prepared on Eliza. She’d even printed out a photograph and attached it to the inside of the folder using a paper clip adorned with a butterfly.

In the picture, a young woman and man stood together. He had his arm around her shoulder while she smiled up at him. They each held a flute of champagne in their hands. On the back someone had written, Scott and Eliza toasting their engagement.

Eliza was stunning. Petite. Curvaceous. Long, silky black hair hung to her waist, and her skin was creamy and luminous. Her plump lips gleamed crimson and extravagant lashes framed big, light-colored eyes. Maybe blue. Maybe green. It was hard to be certain from the picture.

The man, by contrast, was average looking with a big dash of geek thrown in. Tall, angular, with a slightly stooped posture, he had the type of body composition that even if he pumped iron morning, noon, and night, he’d never be considered built. He was definitely punching above his weight with Eliza and must surely be in heaven every time he looked at her.

Roman read down the neatly typed fact sheet. Eliza’s surname was Wentworth. She was currently twenty-three years old. She owned a condo in The Gulch section of Nashville. Those didn’t come cheap. She hadn’t attended college and appeared to have no regular occupation other than Instagram and TikTok.

Was that really an occupation? Roman wondered.

Eliza’s parents, Stephanie and Phillip, were deceased. They’d died in a car crash a year and a half ago. She had one sibling, Maryanne. Also deceased. Roman’s brows drew together when he read that Maryanne’s death had been a suicide ten months ago in her Darby College dorm room.

Losing a sibling was brutal. The ghost of his sister, Anita, hovered, and he felt that familiar pinch in his heart.

Okay. That was a lot for Eliza to go through. And since, according to the fact sheet, there were no close relatives in the area, she was essentially alone in the world.

He turned to his laptop and googled Stephanie and Phillip Wentworth. Immediately, his screen populated with news headlines of a tragic crash on Galen Street in Walkerton. He clicked on a couple of the links and read about a dark, rainy night and the collision with a Ford F250 pickup when Stephanie, the driver of the Nissan Pathfinder, swerved into the oncoming lane. The truck driver survived with minor bumps and bruises while Stephanie died on scene and Phillip succumbed to his injuries during the ambulance ride to the hospital.

There were multiple follow-up articles about the tragic circumstances of the couple’s death and the financial situation of their surviving daughters. Apparently, the Wentworths had recently started a business and put all their cash and savings into the project. Their online heirloom seed packet idea was beginning to bear fruit in the months preceding their deaths but hadn’t really reached any kind of reliable stability in the income department.

This left the two girls with the family home, although there was a small second mortgage remaining along with a couple of months’ worth of expenses in savings. They also each had an education fund set up by their maternal grandparents who’d been dead for almost a decade.

On Phillip’s side, his mother had also passed but his father still walked the earth. According to the info Jennifer had provided, Jerry Wentworth was living up north in Michigan in a trailer park with his sixth wife. He hadn’t shown any interest in helping his granddaughters, nor did he have the financial means to offer them support.

Roman found a GoFundMe page set up for the girls by someone named Tracey Millar. He searched through the social sites and discovered she’d been a friend of Maryanne Wentworth and had also attended Darby College. A hundred thousand dollars had been raised. He made a note of the names of the five couples who had donated the largest sums.

He scrolled through Tracey Millar’s Instagram. In the months since her friend had died, she’d posted weekly pictures of herself with Maryanne and written about the many memories they’d made together. There was mention of the excitement of both getting into Darby College and shopping together for dorm room items. A trip to New York taken two summers ago. Meeting up one Christmas break to skate at the Ford Ice Center just outside of Nashville. Tracey obviously missed her friend, and the grief poured straight off the screen and into Roman’s heart.

Roman studied the images of Maryanne Wentworth then sighed. She’d been so young. Only twenty-two when she took her own life.

Frowning, he referred back to the sheet Jennifer had given him. Meaning, Maryanne and Eliza were the same age. They must’ve been twins. Except, while very attractive, Maryanne was not quite in the same league as Eliza.

He held the picture up next to the screen of the laptop and studied the two girls. Different shape to their noses. Eliza had a more defined jawline, and her lips were bow-shaped next to Maryanne’s softer curved lines. Definitely a strong resemblance, but they weren’t identical. So fraternal twins then.

It was hard enough losing a sibling to suicide, especially so soon after being orphaned, but wasn’t the twin bond supposed to be especially strong? This must have gutted Eliza. No wonder she was latching on to Scott. Money or not, it was understandable. She needed family and stability after everything she’d been through, and who could blame her for it?

Well, Jennifer could, he supposed.

From her point of view, a grieving and emotionally wounded—potentially damaged—young woman was hardly ideal as a marriage partner for her son. It’d have been worrying enough if they were long-time, established friends with plenty of history together, but having only just met it seemed foolish for Scott to plan a life with Eliza under such circumstances.

He rubbed a hand over his eyes and blew out a breath. He could see the angle from both sides of the equation. This was shaping up to be a crappy case. Maybe Mia was right about wading in the darkness. Did he really want to stir up all Eliza’s pain—most likely hurting her in the process—just to figure out if she was after Scott’s money?

But someone needed to look out for Scott too, right?

And that was the job he’d been hired to do, after all. Jennifer was the client, not Eliza. And all she wanted was to make sure her son wasn’t walking into the biggest mistake of his life.

Chapter Four

The next afternoon, Mia put down her jewelry making tools and rolled her shoulders. She glanced around the workroom and noticed her four canine companions had come alert and eyed her with hopeful gazes. Yep. It was time. And she needed the break.

“I’m going to take the dogs out for a bit,” she told Sheryl.

“No, problem, boss. I’ve just about got the orders packed up. You going to finish that necklace today?”

Mia ran a finger over the trio of rose quartz stones. The piece wasn’t right yet but she was having trouble concentrating. The stones just weren’t talking to her. She knew from long experience she wouldn’t feel any of their vibrational life forces until she could open herself fully.

And that wasn’t going to happen until she cleared her damn mind. Otherwise, the necklace would be beautiful but was unlikely to connect with the client who needed help healing from an ugly breakup. She was damned if she’d ship an inferior product.

“Nope. It’s still not right. I’ll put some more time in on it later today. First, I need to take the dogs out and clear my head.”

Sheryl shrugged. “Okay. But it looks real pretty to me.”

Outside, the air was hot and heavy but at least there was a strong breeze. Pulling an elastic from her wrist, she gathered her hair off her neck, twisted it into a messy knot, and secured it to the top of her head. She unzipped her fanny pack and fished out several balls, quickly winging them through the air then watched with amusement when the dogs scrambled away to claim their prizes.

She led them along the shady tree line of the field behind the house and finally to the small, wooded lot at the back of the property. Mosquitoes and other hungry insects gathered around her head and she waved her arms half-heartedly to discourage them, all the while knowing the battle had already been lost. She was going to lose a small percentage of her blood no matter what she did.

She walked slowly, almost meditatively, weaving through the trees while instinctively keeping track of her pack who ran, rolled, and wrestled in absolute delight after a day spent mostly inside. They didn’t worry about the bugs … or the mud, for that matter. Her lips pressed together when all four of them streaked through the small brook. There’d be lots of cleaning up in aisle ‘dirty paws’ when she got home.

But it didn’t really bother her. Dogs gotta dog, right? It was all part of the guardian contract she’d mentally signed the moment she adopted Mac. The tall, lanky Doberman had been her first fur child.

And, if she was being totally honest, he was still her favorite. There was something about the way he’d made her the center of his world. The center of his very happiness. The others loved her, she never doubted it for a second, but with Mac, she sensed he’d rather die than be without her.

It was a heady feeling—the total and unconditional love he offered. And the first taste of true connection she’d ever experienced. In fact, now that she thought about it, if not for Mac and all he’d taught her about love, she’d never have allowed Roman into her life.

Not properly, all-the-way in.

She’d have kept the relationship superficial and certainly kept her real self hidden. And wouldn’t that have been a shame, because their partnership—their love—was amazing. A true miracle. Something she’d never thought possible for someone like her.

And now, here they were, just a little over two months away from getting married and stepping into their happily ever after.

She squatted down and was immediately enveloped by dogs. Wet, muddy dogs with slobbery balls and sticks in their mouths. She laughed and rubbed her hands over furry backs before turning to Mac—who always took the place of prominence at her side—and hugged him close.

“Thanks, buddy. You’ve helped me get the best life ever and I can never repay you.”

He gave her a single, dignified lick on the cheek then stared straight into her eyes, the amber-colored irises seeming to glow with emotion.

“I know. I love you too,” she murmured before blowing out a breath. “Okay. No more sloppy Hallmark moments. We’re tougher than that, right? And besides, we have to talk about Roman.”

She got to her feet and everyone except Mac scattered to continue enjoying their playtime. Meanwhile, the Doberman kept pace with her slow march, occasionally brushing against her thigh as though trying to add extra support.

“Okay, here’s the thing,” she continued. “This Eliza case is going to be bad. I feel it in my bones. I don’t want Roman getting mixed up in it. But what right do I have to dictate his life?”

She sighed and her hand rested on Mac’s head. “I know. Zero, right? Everyone has to forge their own path. Which leads to my next problem. It’ll go better if I help him but—oh, man—I so don’t want to. I’m working really hard here to stay in the light, and when I get involved in these cases … I don’t know … I feel some of the darkness rub off on me. Like it stains my skin and I can’t wash it away afterward. I know Roman understands on an intellectual level, but he doesn’t truly know how it feels. So, what should I do?”

Mia bowed her head as she walked and slowly exhaled. She already knew the answer. Now she had to accept it while letting go of her resentment. Relationships were sometimes hard, she’d learned. And right now was a prime example.

She and Roman had been going to Pre-Cana classes with Father Francis at St. Peter’s church and they’d talked about this a lot. About how loving partners supported one another, sometimes sacrificing their own wants and needs for the good of the union. But how far was she supposed to take this sacrifice? Especially when it put her own self at risk.

You could damn well bet she was going to raise that topic during their next session, because it felt like her side of the teeter-totter was getting weighed all the way down and might never rise up again.

And this case was hardly an isolated incident. Roman was going to take on another case after Eliza’s, and then another. And lots of the cases would be dark and potentially dangerous. She’d need to figure out how to navigate this minefield without sacrificing either herself or their relationship.

The big monstrous question—the one that sometimes kept her awake at night—once again reared its ugly head. Was it even possible to navigate something like this? That’s what troubled her the most. Could a recovered alcoholic live peacefully with a hard-core partier? What about a gambling addict who marries a Vegas casino manager?

This seemed like a crossroad to her. Like if it wasn’t figured out, she and Roman might not make it. And that scared her more than slipping back into the darkness.

She shook her head. The overall problem had been identified and vocalized. Now she’d work her way toward a solution.

In the meantime, she couldn’t sit on her hands with the Eliza case. Helping or not helping would both feel awful but at least by helping, she could keep an eye on Roman. Make sure he stayed safe.

***

“Any progress on Eliza’s background check?” Mia asked Roman over dinner that night.

“Some.” He arched a brow and studied her face. “I thought you were out. No more cases.”

She gave a careless half shrug. “I haven’t decided. And even if I was out, doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it.”

“Only if you’re sure. I don’t want to make this harder on you than it has to be.”

She sliced off a chunk of baked potato and chewed slowly before nodding. “I’m sure. Don’t you want my help?”

“Of course. I always want your help. You’re the best.” He paused and sighed. “So far, I feel sad for Eliza. In the last eighteen months, she lost her parents in a car crash and her sister died by suicide. I know what it’s like to lose family members. How it rips at you and sours every part of your life. The thought of losing three in such a short span of time would be crippling.”

“That’s tragic. The poor girl.”

“Yeah. Exactly. But on the other hand, I understand why Jennifer maybe doesn’t want Scott marrying Eliza. Even with the gold-digging part pushed to the side, she comes with a lot of emotional baggage. My loyalty has to be with Jennifer. She’s the client, and client is king. Which means I’m going to have to go digging around in Eliza’s life and potentially causing her a lot of pain in order to do this job.”

“Do you think there’s anything to dig?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ve only scratched the surface. You have an Instagram account, right?”

“Sure. For the business. I don’t post anything personal. In fact, I don’t think I’ve even shown my face on the page. Mostly it’s pictures of finished jewelry or piles of crystals. Stuff like that. I have it linked to my Shopify store, and I get a bunch of orders every month straight from there. Free advertising. A total win-win.”

“Well, Eliza is all over the Gram. I think that’s what the cool kids call it. And also TikTok. She posts at least a couple of times a day. I’m look through the accounts tonight. I figure it’ll give me a feel for her and what she’s up to.”

“Why don’t I have a look, too? You never know, I might get a hit.”

He smiled. “Yeah? That’d be great.”

Upstairs in the home office, Roman booted up the laptop while Mia dragged a second chair over to the desk.

“She calls herself High Vibe Eliza. Cute right?” he said, bringing up Instagram and navigating to her account.

Mia studied the feed as Roman scrolled down. The palette of all the photos on her account was cohesive. Lots of white and gold and natural light. Eliza wore gauzy, flowy items—skirts, dresses, harem pants—and almost exclusively clothed herself in light colors. White led the pack, but there were some taupe and light grey and even butter yellow outfits. Her long, dark hair was always down and loose and her makeup on point.

The theme boiled down to luxury and abundance. She posed carrying high-end handbags and wearing fabulously fancy sunglasses. Shots taken in her kitchen were bathed in sunlight so that the gold rims of the plated food and the bronze hardware of the cabinets seemed to glow.

Lush bunches of flowers in delicate vases populated practically every at-home picture and made Mia wonder if her entire house was some sort of mad flower market. She had too many shag pillows. Too many throw blankets and area rugs … yet somehow it all worked.

Mia couldn’t stop her heart from leaping when she saw a post of Eliza with a black-and-tan Miniature Pinscher. “Oh my God, how cute is that little guy? He looks like a mini version of Mac. Click on it.” She read the text aloud. “Today my whole life changed. I want to welcome Jean Paul Gaultier to our Vibers family. Or JP for short. #dreamsrealized #myperfectlife. She loves dogs so she can’t be all bad, right?”

Roman lifted his hands off the keyboard in mock surrender. “You’re so right. Since Eliza’s a dog lover I guess there’s no need to investigate. I’ll take this info to Jennifer and collect my money.”

“Ha ha. You’re such a funny guy. But seriously. She can’t be a total psycho when she has little JP.”

“Do I need to reference Hitler and his Dobermans again?”

She made a growling sound. “No. Just keep scrolling already.”

Roman clicked on a few more posts and read the accompanying text.

“Every day can be magical. Just make the decision to live with beauty.”

“Manifest your perfect life. It all starts with mindset.”

“Don’t forget you are a mf miracle and you deserve the best.”

There were multiple lines of hashtags included with every post. #liveinabundance. #manifestlikeaMF #yourperfectlifestartsnow #imagineyourreality.

Eliza’s TikTok account was similar. The same types of content but repackaged into short video clips set to music. He switched back to Instagram, and Mia pointed to the top row where the most recent posts were located.

“Nice close-up of the diamond. She’s clearly not hiding her engagement to Scott,” she said.

“More like flaunting it. Though I noticed there aren’t any pictures of his face. He’s always in silhouette. I wonder if that’s coming from her or him. Maybe he doesn’t like being photographed and splashed all over social media.”

“Go back to around the time her sister died. Let’s see if she addressed it in any way.”

Roman scrolled for a time then flicked a glance at Mia. “Jesus. We’re only at the beginning of the Summer. That’s a hell of a lot of content. It could take days to go back the ten months.”

“Suck it up, soldier.”

“Okay. I think we’ve got something,” he said finally. “That’s Maryanne. They were twins by the way. Though obviously not identical.”

Mia studied the photograph. “Judging from her clothes, Maryanne was clearly not into the abundant lifestyle.”

“What do you mean? She looks okay to me.”

“Yeah. Jeans and a pink sweater. It’s fine. But Eliza wouldn’t be caught dead in that outfit. You saw the stuff she was wearing. And I can promise you, the labels were all high end. Prada, Gucci, YSL, and, yes, Jean Paul Gualtier were all mixed into her photos along with about a million other big, expensive designers.”

“Let’s see what Eliza said.” Roman clicked on the post and read aloud. “We lost an angel. Fly high my dearest sister. And then she added another boatload of hashtags.”

“Nothing about suicide though. And she shut off comments, which is interesting.”

“I wonder if she posted about her parents.” He began scrolling again. “I’m probably going to end up with repetitive strain injury just doing the research on this case.”

“It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.”  Mia patted his shoulder before turning in her chair and glancing around the room. “You know, I never got around to decorating this room. We should really spruce things up in here. It needs to be painted something other than stark white, and you could use some art. Actual window dressings would be nice, too.”

“Uh-huh. Sure,” he mumbled.

She rubbed Mac’s back with her bare foot, and he sighed and glanced up at her, his eyes clear and bright. Fifi, the Pomeranian, lay by Mac’s side while the dachshund and the labrador shared a dog bed along the far wall. It was already after nine o’clock and everyone was ready to settle down for the night. Herself included.

Mia did a quick internal check-in with herself. It turned out she was glad she’d decided to lend a hand on the case. And thrilled that it seemed routine. Eliza was probably nothing more than Jennifer feared. A money-grabber with her eyes fixed firmly on the good life. Not ideal but hardly dangerous, except to Scott’s bank account.

She, herself, was no stranger to wanting the fancy. Only last week hadn’t she spent just a little too much on a gorgeous linen and silk dress? But the fabric had been so soft, and the green color reminded her of lush summer grass and set off her eyes. And when she slipped it on, she honest to God felt like royalty.

“Okay. I’ve got something. Talk about a different tone,” Roman said.

Mia swiveled back to the computer. On the screen was a closeup picture of fingernails. They’d been painted with gold nail polish with navy flecks overlaid on the top. Eliza had written ‘Go for the gold in every aspect of your life.’

“How is this about her parents?” she asked.

“It’s not. But this was posted on the day after they died.”

“Okay. Maybe she had it scheduled. I do that all the time. I’ll make up a bunch of content and use this software called Buffer to create my monthly posts. That way I can set it and forget it.”

Roman nodded then continued scrolling for a few seconds. “Okay. I can buy that. But even three weeks later there’s still no mention of them. Someone following Eliza’s account would never know she lost her parents. That seems off to me.”

“Or maybe she wanted to keep it private. She’s using this account to build her brand, and her brand is all about luxury and abundance and living your best life. Even the stuff she included about her engagement to Scott is slanted from that angle. Like, hey, look at this kick-ass ring my super-rich boyfriend bought me. See, I’m walking the walk. This mindset stuff works and if you follow me you, too, can get an engagement ring the size of a walnut.”

“I’m not exactly an expert on this stuff, but I’d have to say the style of content changed after their death.” His eyes stayed on the screen while he scrolled. “See, before there were lots of makeup tutorials and hair styling routines. She titled some of the posts, ‘Best Drug Store Picks for Concealer’ and ‘Opulent Skin Care on a Budget’. Then later, it’s all oozing wealth and top designers.”

“Except for that one single post she put up about Maryanne. Did you say her parents died in a car crash?”

“Yep.” He opened another tab and typed into the search bar. “Here. It got a lot of local media coverage.”

Mia leaned toward the screen and began reading the article, all the while trying to ignore the way her stomach flip-flopped and her shoulders tightened. She paged down and stared at the photograph of the couple before mumbling “Crap” under her breath.

“What’s crap?”

Turning to face him, she sighed. “I think Eliza had something to do with the death of her parents.”

Chapter Five

Eliza plucked up one of the loose curls by her face and sprayed liberally with hair spray, holding it in place until it had set. Then she scooted forward on her padded stool and applied a layer of shimmering peach-pink gloss to her lips. She checked her teeth, ran a finger over her brows, and nodded to herself in the mirror before walking over to the high-backed chair set in between two white reflector sheets and a ring light.

Off to the side, the Min Pin JP lay curled on a miniature-sized pink sofa complete with shag throw pillows and a fluffy pink-and-white blanket. She crouched down and stroked the top of his head, then tucked the blanket more snugly around his side.

“You be good while mommy works. Then we’ll go out for dinner, okay, little man? I’d bet you could go for a nice piece of steak from Campri. We’ll get ourselves a corner booth.”

Her camera was already in place, and she made sure that the shooting field was centered on the chair. Finally, she cleared her throat, carefully used a straw to take a sip of water, and sat on the chair. She pushed the recording button on the remote control and smiled into the camera.

“Hello, all my Vibers. I hope you’re having an abundant week, an abundant month, an abundant year, and most importantly—an abundant life. I love each and every one of you so, so much and I’m excited for all your progress. Every single day I get the most amazing messages and emails about what you’re doing out in the world, and it makes me cry so hard. Like we’re literally creating a revolution of manifestational joy. We’re making this world better. God, I’m misting up right now just thinking about it. Good thing I’m wearing the new Chanel waterproof mascara. It’d be a total tragedy if my makeup ran while I was recording … okay, keep it together, Eliza … anyway, there’s something I need to talk about today, and it’s really important and really serious. You all know I like to focus on the positive, keep my vibrational energy on the highest possible plane, but sometimes you’ve got to acknowledge the past and look at what you’ve been through.”

“This is hard. Harder than I thought it would be. I’ve never talked about it before and it’s really personal, but you guys are my best friends, and if my story helps a single one of you it’ll be so totally worth it. Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from authentic vulnerability, so here I am, being all vulnerable over here. Anyway, not to be too like dramatic or anything, but recently I’ve had some negativity in my life, and I want to take control of the narrative. For those of you enrolled in my Stepping into Abundance course, we talked about this a lot in group. How you have to be in charge of your own story, otherwise other people might try to take over and twist it on you … okay, deep breath, Eliza, you’ve got this ….” She clasped her hands tightly together under her chin, drew a deep breath, and continued.

“Here’s the truth of what’s going on. As you may already know, I just got engaged to the love of my life. Scott is beyond amazing. Like the most perfect man. Exactly how I pictured my life partner. I literally did a vision board over a year ago, and he ticked every single box plus a whole bunch I hadn’t even thought of. But his family are off the charts protective, and they’re worried I’m not a good person. I know, I know. It’s hard to swallow, but I have to respect their protectiveness and the love they have for their son. It’s so totally cool if you look at it from a certain point of view. Anyway, they haven’t exactly come out and said it, but I can feel the vibes. You guys know how empathic I am, right? They think I’m in it for the money because he’s mega-loaded. But I don’t need to steal someone else’s money. Not in this abundant universe. I’m attracting my own wealth literally every single second. Still, when you come from a scarcity mindset, I guess that’s your default belief. I feel sad for them. It’s such a hard way to live … wow, I’m getting so emotional just thinking about their sad and scared outlook.”

Eliza frowned and looked down for a moment before shaking her head. “But back to the point of this vlog. I think some things might come out about me and I want to be the one to tell you first. It’s nothing shameful. I promise …. so here goes .… My parents died in a car accident almost two years ago now. At the time, I had a lot to process … I’m still processing, to be honest, and probably always will be … but back then, I wasn’t ready to talk about it. I’m not exactly ready now, but I feel like I have to because of the situation. Let me just tell you that it was hard and awful and sad, and I miss them every day. But I like to think they’re looking down on me and are proud of how I’m building my life and helping so many people. The next part—some of you may already know—is that my sister died late last year.”

She wrapped her arms around her torso. “It was sudden and just about ripped my heart right out of my chest. Sister love is real and strong, people … okay, just give me a minute. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry, and look at me … just breathe, Eliza, you’re going to be fine … you’re surrounded by love …. Okay, I guess what I’m saying is I’ve had to kind of pick myself up twice now. Rebuild my life from the ground up. It hasn’t been easy, that’s for sure. Losing my whole family like that was mega-hard. Still, I might not be the person I am now if I hadn’t had to go through so much. Don’t get me wrong, I wish none of them had died, but it taught me a lot about being strong and resilient and keeping focused on my mission.”

Eliza’s shoulders rolled back and she lifted her chin. “I don’t want you to feel sorry for me or anything. Use me as an example of what’s possible no matter the circumstances. If I can power through the tough times, so can you. Well … that’s it. Now you know everything. I actually feel better telling you guys. Secrets are never good. Plus, maybe in future I’ll be able to talk about my parents and Maryanne sometimes and you’ll understand. Okay, Vibers, thanks for watching. Remember to like and share this post and make sure you’re following me to get notifications for my new content. I have a whole bunch of juicy stuff coming up on planning my wedding and how I’m going to prep for becoming a bride. My hope for you guys is you’ll go on out there into the world and manifest yourselves a beautiful life. Love and kisses.”

Eliza waited for five seconds, holding her tremulous smile the whole time, before clicking the remote and shutting down the recording. Her followers would eat this up. It was so incredibly personal, and she was showing a vulnerable side they hadn’t seen before. A brand-new direction. It’d be interesting to see what the analytics showed on this one.

She wasn’t going to post it right away, but she wanted it recorded and ready for just the right time. The second she’d refused the prenup, she knew things would get sticky. Sure enough, she could already sense Scott’s stepmom judging her every which way to Sunday. They’d no doubt be digging into her past and combing over it an inch at a time looking for dirt.

She had to make sure this marriage went ahead as planned. If it didn’t … well … she couldn’t think about that right now. And if she could garner the sympathy of her online followers, it would surely help her cause. No one wanted to be the mean old bully picking on the poor, orphaned girl who was just trying to make her way in the world and hoping for love, right?

And truth be told, she was looking forward to the wedding. How fun was it to plan the big day when you had an unlimited budget? She’d already earmarked about a dozen dresses. All designer, of course. Her favorite, so far, was a Vera Wang gown. She was going to be a stunning bride.

And it would provide so much content for her channels. Her ratings and subscriber numbers had jumped when she’d shared about the engagement. Now she was poised to rocket straight to the sky. Already, her monthly payouts had more than doubled and she could tell it was only going to get better from here.

Chapter Six

At the same time as Eliza recorded her vlog, Mia sat in Roman’s office, surrounded by her pack of dogs, and listened while he brought Jennifer Lamb up to date on Eliza’s background check.

He sat tipped back in his chair with the cell phone lying on the desk in front of him. “We’ve done a basic background on Eliza and, surface-wise, she looks clean. No major debts. No felonies or even any minor crimes that I could find. Still, I can’t pinpoint it exactly, but there’s something off in her past. With her family,” he said.

“Off how?” Jennifer’s voice filled the office.

“It could be nothing. But my gut’s telling me we should pull on this thread. It’s totally your call though. I just wanted to bring you up to date.”

“Okay. I trust your judgment and I want you to keep going.”

“Great. I’ll need to hunt up family friends and people who knew Eliza and see if anyone is willing to talk. It could take a couple of days to get a basic sketch.”

“Fine. I understand. And remember, money is no object. My only concern is keeping Scott safe. Thanks so much.”

“No problem. I’ll be in touch.”

He swung his feet down to the floor and tapped his cell to end the call.

“She’s definitely eager to keep going.” Mia glanced up at the clock. “It’s too late to start cold calling people tonight, though.”

“Yeah, which is a bummer. I’ll jump on it first thing in the morning and see if I can set up some meets for later in the day.”

“And with that, the dogs and I are going to bed.”

He held out a hand to her. “Come here.”

When she got to her feet and stepped over to the desk, he pulled her onto his lap. His arms circled her waist, and his chin rested on her shoulder. “Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.”

“You won’t appreciate it if I’m sending you off on a wild goose chase. I didn’t get a vision or anything. It’s not like I saw Eliza under the car cutting brake lines. It was just a feeling. A sort of dread in my stomach.”

He nuzzled her neck and goosebumps popped out along her skin. “I have one hundred percent faith in your feelings. There’s never been a wild goose chase from you.”

“I guess we’ll see when we see, right?”

He reached up and cupped her chin, turning her face to his so he could lay a soft kiss on her lips. “Go on to bed. I want to poke around for a bit longer.”

The next morning, Roman stepped into Mia’s workroom. He nodded to Sheryl. “How’s it going?”

She pursed her lips and nodded. “Good as ever. I’m working on the email list. I read about how we can segment the subscribers and create better automation flows.”

“I’m not totally sure what you just said, but it sounds impressive.”

Mia snorted out a laugh. “I agree. You know how much I hate dealing with the email list, so I handed it over to Sheryl. She picked up the ball and she’s running with it. I sense a touchdown on the horizon. Best assistant ever.”

“Oh, well now. It’s just an idea. It may not even work,” Sheryl said, her cheeks stained with pink, and she patted at her frizzy gray hair.

“It’ll work. I feel it. How’s it going with you?” Mia said to Roman.

“Good. I’ve got a couple of interviews set up starting at four-thirty. You want in?”

Mia tipped her head toward Sheryl. “What’s the order sheet look like?”

“Um … well … you have that amethyst necklace and earring set and a couple of bracelets due to ship out tomorrow. Next day there’re six more pieces to complete.”

Mia glanced down at her worktable. “Okay. I already finished the rose quartz from yesterday, and I can get the bracelets done in the next couple of hours. The necklace-earring combo is more intricate, so hopefully I’ll have time to get back to it later tonight. If need be, I can always start early tomorrow and finish the set before the UPS pickup.”

“You have a lot on your plate. Maybe I’ll go solo and if anything seems off, we’ll circle back and bring you in.”

“No. It should work. I’ll go.”

***

“Who are we interviewing?” Mia asked while Roman drove them through a residential section of Walkerton.

“First stop is the Drapers. Rita and Brad. They were close friends of Stephanie and Phillip Wentworth. Apparently, the guys hit it off at a town golf tournament and the families were close from then on. The Drapers are younger than the Wentworths. They also have two daughters, but since they’re currently only twelve and fourteen, it’s not likely they spent much time with Eliza.”

When Mia stepped out of the car, she took in the well-appointed two-story brick home, nestled in the quiet neighborhood. The manicured lawn and tasteful landscaping spoke of a comfortable life, but not an overly abundant one.

As they approached the front door, Mia glanced at Roman, noting the determined set of his jaw. She really hoped her instinct about Eliza was wrong, because the alternative was enough to turn her stomach.

Rita must have been watching for them, because the door swung open even before they had a chance to knock. She was a slightly plump woman with short brown hair and wide-set grey eyes.

“Hi, Roman and Mia, right?”

“That’s us. Thanks for agreeing to this meeting. We really appreciate it,” Roman said.

Rita stepped back and ushered them to the right and into a sunken living room with an upright piano tucked along one wall. Brad rose from his armchair and offered his hand to each of them. He was tall and broad with short-cropped blond hair and a deep tan.

“So, real-life PIs huh? That’s gotta be some exciting work.” When he smiled, Mia noted it didn't quite reach his eyes.

“Or it could mostly be a bunch of boring time spent sitting at a computer running background searches. Still, it’s nice to be out in the field today meeting you fine folks, even though the circumstances are less than ideal. We’re very sorry for your loss,” Roman said.

“It’s still hard. I know it’s been almost two years since they died, but sometimes I still go to pull out my cell and call Stephanie just to tell her some funny thing that happened. You know, when my eldest girl had her first crush all I wanted was to get Steph’s take on it. It doesn’t seem real that she’s just gone like that,” Rita said.

“Wait, Maddie has a crush? How come I wasn’t looped in on this?” Brad asked.

Rita made a shooing gesture with her hand. “Because it’s silly grade nine girl stuff. And it’s already blown over. That boy—Connor—is so last month. Now we’re back to boys being lame and immature.”

“Good. That’s what I like to hear. I don’t want my girls dating until college, at least. Anyway, enough about my daughter’s love life. Why don’t you grab a seat?”

He motioned toward a large tan couch and Mia and Roman walked across the room and sank down.

“Can I get you anything to drink? Soda? Water? Coffee?” Rita asked.

“We’re good, thanks,” Mia said.

Rita slid onto the lounge chair beside Brad and folded her hands on her lap. “What exactly are you investigating? The car crash that killed Stephanie and Phillip was ruled accidental. No foul play at work, right?”

“As far as we know, but we were actually hoping to talk to you about Eliza,” Roman said.

Rita flicked a look to Brad then shrugged her shoulders. “Sure. Okay. What do you want to know?”

Roman spread his hands wide. “You were friends with the Wentworths for about a decade. What can you tell us about Eliza?”

“Is she a nice person? Did she get along well with her parents and Maryanne?” Mia added.

At the mention of Maryanne, Rita briefly squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m still in shock over losing her. It was so sudden—like Steph and Phillip—but somehow so much worse.”

“Poor kid. She must have been in a lot of pain,” Brad added. “I only wish she’d reached out to us, asked for help. We did check in from time to time, but it’s not like we laid eyes on her regularly. She was away at school, and well … looking back … I can’t help wondering if we dropped the ball.”

“Honey, no. I don’t think that’s true. I texted her every week. We called a couple of times a month. She came and stayed with us that first birthday after they died.” Rita paused and swallowed. “I guess it was the only birthday she got before the suicide … anyway, she was grieving, no doubt about it. But also seemed focused on her studies and excited to graduate and get a job. Become self-sufficient.”

“How was Eliza during this period?” Roman asked.

Rita shared a weighted look with Brad. “Eliza was always a spirted child,” she began carefully. “She had a strong personality, even from a young age."

"She and Maryanne were so different, despite being twins. Maryanne was the studious one, constantly had her nose in a book. Eliza, on the other hand, was more interested in fashion and popularity and … um … consumerism, I guess,” Brad added.

"Did that cause tension between the sisters?" Roman asked

"Sometimes," Rita admitted. "Like any siblings, they had their moments. But they loved one another deeply."

Mia sensed there was more to the story, but the undercurrent of emotion was so dark and heavy she didn't want to push too hard. "The night Stephanie and Phillip died ... do you know what happened?"

Now Rita's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "It was awful. They were on their way to the hospital because Phillip had an allergic reaction during dinner. Stephanie was usually so careful about his peanut allergy ....”

“Didn’t they have one of those EpiPens in the house?” Roman asked.

“That’s the thing that’s so sad about the whole situation. Because they’d managed his allergy so well, he hadn’t had a reaction in a couple of years. They’d lost track of the EpiPen or hadn’t renewed the prescription—I’m not entirely clear—but either way Steph couldn’t find one.” Brad paused and looked down at his hands. “I know Phillip always kept a spare in the car, but it just so happened the car was in the shop that week. And his reaction was apparently severe. Worse than any he’d had before. I guess Stephanie panicked.”

“But why didn’t they call an ambulance?” Mia asked.

“We don’t know. Apparently, she just bundled Phillip into the car and they took off,” Rita said.

“And Eliza didn’t go to the hospital with them?” Roman said.

“I think there’d been a big fight the day before. And she’d gone out right before dinner to some event or other, something to do with boosting her Instagram. Like I said before, she could be headstrong. It sounded like the fight got ugly. I know she feels awful about how things were between them. She told me that she can’t believe their last real conversation was so nasty, and she regrets not staying and having dinner with them that night. She kept saying how if she’d been there, maybe been the one to drive to the hospital, her parents wouldn’t have died.”

“And then, when Maryanne ....” Brad shook his head. "It was devastating for Eliza. Losing her twin, her other half. She was inconsolable at the funeral."

"I can't even begin to fathom that kind of loss," Mia said softly.

Rita slowly exhaled and worked up a smile. "Eliza's been through so much. I think, in her own way, she's trying to move forward, to find happiness again."

"With her new fiancé?" Roman prompted.

"Yes, she seems quite taken with him," Brad said, but there was a note of hesitation in his voice. "I just hope ... well, I hope she's marrying for the right reasons."

Mia's intuition prickled at the unspoken implication. Did Brad suspect that Eliza's motives were less than pure?

“Have you met him?” she asked.

“Oh, no. She called to tell us she was engaged and went on and on about her ring—it’s apparently gorgeous—and how rich he is. She seemed very happy.”

“Am I right in thinking Eliza’s job is posting on social media?” Roman asked.

“I know. It’s strange, isn’t it? But apparently that’s a legitimate way to earn a living these days. According to her, she’s making good money every month and she wants to grow her channel even more. I guess there’s some sort of threshold and once you hit a million subscribers, you really get into the big bucks,” Rita said.

“I noticed she has a little over a hundred thousand now. That’s a long way from a million.” Roman paused and glanced between the Drapers. “Do you have any idea what kind of money Eliza would have inherited? I saw there was a GoFundMe campaign when her parents died.”

“Yes. Tracey set it up. Such a nice girl. She and Maryanne have been tight for years.” She sighed. “There was some money, maybe a few hundred thousand once the house sold. The timing couldn’t have been worse because Phillip and Steph were investing in the new business.”

“Scary for the girls,” Mia said. “I heard there was also a college fund set up by the grandparents.”

“That’s right. Stephanie’s folks were all about education. It was a sore point for Eliza since she didn’t want to go to college, but I guess she eventually got hold of that money, too.”

Brad leaned forward in his chair. “Why all the questions about Eliza? Has something happened?”

“No, she’s fine, as far as we know,” Roman said.

Rita studied her husband’s face for several beats then turned to Roman and Mia with a disgusted expression. “When you called, I asked if you were reporters. I told you we won’t speak to the press.”

“We’re not reporters. We’re not here to dig up dirt for a story,” Mia said.

Brad frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re not saying anything else until you tell us your purpose.”

Chapter Seven

Roman glanced back and forth between Brad and Rita, smiling easily and spreading his hands wide. “Sure, I understand. You want to protect Eliza. She doesn’t really have anyone else looking out for her, does she?” Roman said.

When they remained mute, he sighed and continued on. “Okay, here’s the thing. I can’t tell you folks much because I have the confidentiality of my client to consider, but we’ve been hired to assess Eliza’s character and look into her tragic family situation.”

“It’s the fiancé’s family, right? They’ve got themselves all in a twist about their son marrying Eliza,” Rita said with a nod.

“I can neither confirm nor deny that statement but—hypothetically speaking—should Scott Lamb be worried about her? Eliza’s parents died under very strange circumstances, then her sister is gone less than a year later. Is she dangerous or does she simply have an unusual and tragic backstory?” Roman asked.

Mia watched Brad and Rita do that silent husband-wife check-in thing, and the gaze they shared seemed weighted. Her muscles tensed. Beside her, Roman remained still, his entire being focused on the couple opposite them.

Time stretched out. Overhead, she became aware of the lightest sound of music, something upbeat. The house creaked. A chickadee tapped against the window where it was feeding from a container fixed against the glass.

Finally, Rita exhaled in a loud whoosh and shook her head slowly back and forth for so long Mia became convinced she didn’t even realize she was doing it.

“Maryanne came to me. It was a month or so before she died.” Rita blinked rapidly and Brad reached over and patted her arm. “She’d found something at the house when they were packing up.”

Rita rubbed away a tear from her cheek and shook her head but didn’t continue.

Roman cleared his throat. “Can’t you tell me what she found?”

Now the woman pressed a hand over her mouth and rocked gently forward and back but remained mute. Brad put a hand on her shoulder, stilling her, then pursed his lips as though also unable to speak.

“Look, if you have any suspicions … anything that Scott should be aware of … it’s important you tell us,” Mia said, working to keep the impatience from her voice.

“Okay. Fine.” Brad shook his head. “It’s not proof, okay? It doesn’t mean Eliza did anything. I guess when they were going through the house getting it ready to be sold, Maryanne found a vial of peanut oil in the bathroom that she and Eliza shared. It was right at the back of the vanity.”

“The rule had always been no nut products in the house. It was only peanuts Phillip was allergic to, but Stephanie was convinced other nuts could potentially be processed in the same plant and might contain trace amounts. So, no nuts, nut butter, nut oil. Ever. And they were careful with the girls when they were little and going to school in case their friends ate peanut butter. There was a ritual where they always washed their hands and brushed their teeth when they came home before spending time with daddy.”

“Do you think Eliza dosed Phillip?” Roman asked.

Again, the couple did a quick and silent check-in before Brad shrugged. “We don’t know what to think. Eliza and Phillip’s relationship wasn’t all smooth sailing. He couldn’t get his head around all the social media stuff. Or how focused she was on the ‘luxury lifestyle’ and spending money on things like monthly spray tans, hair extensions, and face creams that cost two hundred and fifty dollars an ounce. He wanted her to get a real education and have a proper career so she’d be able to take care of herself. They fought about it a lot, and I know he was worried.”

“But even if she did try to make him sick, we can’t believe she meant to kill him. And what actually happened was so far from expected she surely can’t be held accountable,” Rita said.”

“Did you happen to mention this to the police?” Mia asked.

“What? No, of course not.” Rita leaned back in her chair. “When Maryanne came to me, it was ages after they died. And it wasn’t proof of anything, was it?”

“What exactly did Maryanne think?” Roman asked. “If she brought it up with you, she must have had her doubts about Eliza.”

“She was angry. And scared.”

Brad nodded. “We all talked it over. Decided there was no reason to dredge things up. Eliza clearly isn’t a murderer. Even if she did cause Phillip’s allergic reaction, she could never have set the chain of events in place to kill both of them.”

“But there was no EpiPen in the house? What if Eliza made sure of that before she doctored his food. Maybe she only wanted to kill him and not Stephanie,” Mia said.

Brad immediately shook his head. “I don’t believe it.”

“It’s not … I mean … she’s so young … barely into her twenties when her parents died. It just isn’t possible,” Rita said.

“Maryanne died only a month or so after finding the peanut oil. That seems … curious to me,” Roman said.

Both of the Drapers looked blank for several beats, then Brad surged to his feet. “You’d better not be implying Eliza killed her own sister. She didn’t. It was a clear suicide. Nothing suspicious about it.”

“Okay. I understand. But you can’t deny the timeline is … again, curious is the word that comes to mind,” Roman said.

“Honey, sit down.” Rita patted the arm of Brad’s chair and waited until he slowly lowered down again before turning to Roman and Mia. “I know you have to ask these questions. It’s your job. But you’re way off base here. Eliza would never have done anything to harm Maryanne. I honestly think poor Maryanne was just overcome with losing her parents, and when the idea Eliza might have been at the root of it came out, it pushed her over the edge.”

“Or Eliza realized Maryanne was talking about the peanut oil and knew she had to shut her down,” Mia said softly.

Rita’s lips pressed into a thin line. “No. I don’t believe it. I know Eliza can come across as self-centered sometimes, but deep down, I think she's a good person. It’s only because she’s lost so much and she's trying to find her way."

“Okay. Well, thanks for your time. We surely appreciate it,” Roman said, pushing to his feet. “One last thing, where was Eliza when Maryanne died?”

Brad shrugged. “On the day she died? I mean, I don’t know. Maryanne was obviously at college, and I guess Eliza was in Nashville. She called us the morning after … sobbing … said she’d been up all night crying. We invited her to stay with us for a few days, but she wouldn’t come. Wanted to get through it on her own.”

Mia walked over and stood beside Roman. “When did you see her next?”

“A couple of weeks later. Just before the funeral. We couldn’t do it right away because they held Maryanne’s body for a bit. But Eliza asked us to help plan the service and we obviously did everything we could to make it easier for her,” Rita said.

“If any more questions come up, would it be okay to contact you again?” Roman asked.

“I guess so,” Brad said slowly. He and Rita stood and walked over to the front door. “We’ve got to get on. It’s almost suppertime for the girls.”

“Of course. Thanks so much,” Mia said. She noticed neither of the Drapers made eye contact with her.

Outside, her shoulders slumped, and she stared down at her feet as they walked back to the car.

“Tell me you got something?” Roman said before clicking the locks open on the Escape.

“I got precisely zero. At least for helping with our case.” She slid onto the passenger seat. “I felt their deep grief and pain. There were some visions of them together with the Wentworths. You know, barbeques and movie nights. Stuff like that. There was a flash—very brief—of Maryanne showing them the container of peanut oil, but that was about it.”

“I think we shook them when we suggested Eliza might be behind the demise of her entire family. They maybe wondered about the peanut oil, but when we brought up the missing EpiPen and talked about the timing of Maryanne’s suicide, I could see some doubt in their eyes.”

“Yeah. Me too. And for all of Rita’s protests about Eliza being a good person, deep down, I’m not convinced she fully believes it.”

Roman exhaled in a long, steady stream then started the engine. “Okay. Not the best, but not the worst either in terms of getting proof. Let’s call it a good starting point. Onwards.”

Chapter Eight

Roman backed the Escape out of the Drapers’ driveway.

“Who’s up next?” Mia asked.

“Tracey Millar. She was reluctant to talk to us, but I eventually won her over. She’s been staying in Walkerton this summer before her last year at Darby, and she agreed we could tag along on her walk to work.”

Mia remained silent while Roman drove across town and pulled into a parking lot behind a section of stores and restaurants. It was supper hour, and the lot was full, but by following a couple returning to their car, he managed to snag a spot.

After consulting his phone, Roman led Mia away from the commercial area and along several streets to a low-rise building. A young woman waited on the sidewalk in front of the main doors. She studied them as they approached.

“Tracey Millar?” Roman asked.

“That’s me.”

Tracey was tall and lean and wore black capri pants and a white golf shirt with ‘Enzo’s’ embroidered on the left breast pocket. Her long brown hair had been pulled back into a tail and her face was bare of makeup other than a light coating of mascara framing her coffee-colored eyes. Those eyes studied Roman and Mia with impatience, and she pointedly turned her wrist over and glanced at her watch.

“Sorry. The traffic was heavy. But you don’t start until six-thirty, right?” Roman said.

“That’s when I’m supposed to be on the floor, but I have setup to do first and my boss is super grumpy. I don’t want to start the shift with a lecture, if you know what I mean.”

“Sounds like a tough job,” Mia said falling into step beside Tracey when she began walking briskly down the sidewalk. The woman had long legs, and Mia was forced to hustle to keep up.

“Not really. Just follow the rules and it’s all good.”

“You’re doing a degree in business, right?” Roman asked.

“Yep. One more year. Then—fingers crossed—I’ll get a job I like and am actually paid a living wage for.” She paused and glanced over at Roman. “But you didn’t come here to find out about me, so let’s cut to the chase.”

Mia chuckled. “You’re direct. I like that. So, we’ll be direct in return. First off, we don’t mean to cause you pain but some of the questions will be hard.”

Tracey rolled her eyes and nodded. “You want to know about Maryanne.”

“In a nutshell, yes. What can you tell us about her death?” Roman asked.

“It was a Sunday night when she … when she died. We’d hung out that afternoon doing homework and gabbing. Just like always. The next morning, she didn’t come down to the cafeteria, but I didn’t think anything of it at first because sometimes she skipped breakfast. I grabbed some fruit and walked to my first lecture. I texted her right before I went inside but she didn’t answer. Then I had to turn my cell off. Professor Clark is really strict about phones.”

Tracey’s pace had slowed, and Mia studied her face, saw the grief etched into it and felt the pain radiating toward her. She took it. Willingly. If it helped Tracey get through their questions, it was worth the price.

“When did you find out?” Roman asked.

“When I got out of that lecture there was a kind of buzz in the hall. I can’t explain it exactly, but the air felt electric. I overheard something about an ambulance then someone said ‘I think her name was Maryanne.’ My heart literally stopped for a moment. I couldn’t breathe. My vision went blurry and I thought I was going to black out. I ran all the way to the dorm. I could see the flashing lights from across the courtyard. A bunch of the students were crowded around the lawn, just staring and taking pictures. It was so unreal. I can still see those blue lights, the way they strobed against the bricks on the front of the building.”

Tracey stopped on the sidewalk, squeezed her eyes shut, then shook her head.

“You must have been so worried,” Mia said in a gentle voice.

“Freaking out, more like it. They wouldn’t let me in through the door. I asked if something had happened to Maryanne and one of the policemen took me over to the cop car and told me to sit inside. He crouched down beside the car and his face was so serious it made my stomach hurt.” She paused and blew out her breath. “I knew something bad had happened to her and the way the EMT guys were just standing around freaked me out. Why weren’t they helping Maryanne?”

“Did he tell you what happened?”

“Not really. But he asked me all these questions, and the way he did, I figured out pretty quick they thought she’d tried to kill herself. But she didn’t. She couldn’t have. Maryanne wasn’t depressed. She was, for sure, still sad about her parents. Other than that, she was fine. Normal, you know? I’ve been friends with her for a long time and I’d have known. We were literally looking up places to rent together this summer. She already had an internship lined up at a firm here in Walkerton. Suicidal people don’t make plans with their best friend hours before they do the deed.”

Roman didn’t have the heart to tell her that, yes, sometimes that’s exactly what suicidal people did. They were relieved to have made the decision to end their pain and they wanted the last memories with cherished friends or family members to be happy ones.

“If not suicide, what do you think happened?” Roman asked.

Tracey’s shoulders jerked and she began walking again. “At first, I thought maybe she accidentally took too many pills. It still didn’t sit right, though. I’d never seen Maryanne do drugs. Like ever. She didn’t even really drink that much. She was sort of health conscious, you know?”

“And now what do you think?” Mia prodded.

“Now I think someone killed her. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”

“That’s a bold statement. Any suspects in mind?”

Tracey walked for several beats without answering. Her fists clenched at her sides while a flush pushed up from her chest into her neck.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” she finally said. “Eliza did it.”

Roman nodded. “Okay, sure. But why?”

Now her speed picked up and he opened his stride to match hers, while Mia was forced to practically jog along beside her.

“Because she’s a narcissistic, psycho bitch and Maryanne figured out she poisoned their father.”

“Wow. Did Eliza have a grudge against her dad?” Mia asked.

“They never really got along. He was always picking at her about what she was doing with her life. But, like, hello—any parent would feel the same if their daughter was passing up a college education to buy a bunch of overpriced crap then film their lives for public consumption.”

“That’s a pretty big leap to go from there to murder,” Roman said.

Tracey exhaled heavily. “Look. Here’s what I know. The day before the Wentworths died, Eliza and Phillip had one of their blowouts and she was pissed. She wanted access to her college fund, and he’d said no—again. Not unless she actually went to college. Eliza called Maryanne that night to rant. She figured if she could get Maryanne to side with her, maybe together they’d convince her parents—especially her father—to hand it over. Something about a nose job and a chin implant. Like, can you imagine? The girl was so into her looks and her stupid socials and ….”

She trailed off and shook her head. Her pace once again slowed with her mood.

“But wouldn’t she eventually get that money anyway? Why go after her dad right then?” Roman asked.

“I guess the trust was set up so the money would be released on her thirtieth birthday with or without her parents’ consent. But selfish Eliza couldn’t wait that long, and she was really mad. Apparently, the fight with her father was epic. God, she’s such a bitch with her new nose and her collagen lips and her stupid designer bags. Like, who cares?”

“What was Maryanne’s response to Eliza’s call? Was she going to help her stand up to their parents?”

A wistful smile ghosted across Tracey’s lips. “Maryanne did the usual. Calmed her down. Told her to be patient. Then bitched to me about it for a couple of hours. Though I guess she didn’t calm Eliza as much as she’d thought she had. Not if she went after their dad the very next day.”

“But she had no proof Eliza did anything to her father,” Roman said.

“Not then she didn’t. But way after, she found peanut oil hidden away in the bathroom. When she confronted Eliza, she denied it all the way to the moon and back. But it was her. I know it in my bones. That was only a month or so before Maryanne died. I didn’t connect it at first. I guess I was in shock.”

“Did you go to the police with your theory?”

“Of course.” She strode ahead then whirled back to face them. “They heard me out. Jotted down a couple of notes then all but patted me on the head and told me not to worry. I had no real proof, see. There was nothing they could do. It made me so mad.”

Roman tilted his head and studied her for a beat. “And you think Eliza killed Maryanne to shut her up?”

Tracey’s hand shot out, her index finger pointing. “That’s exactly what happened. It’s so completely obvious. And now she’s out there, living her stupid, shallow life after killing her entire family.”

“But you don’t have any actual proof? Did you see Eliza on campus that day? Don’t you guys have roommates? Wouldn’t she have noticed if Eliza came into the room and messed with Maryanne?” Mia asked.

Tracey’s head dropped down and her shoulders slumped. “Okay. I don’t have proof or anything like that. But I just feel it. Kerry—that was Maryanne’s roommate—was away that weekend. She didn’t come back until the next morning, so Eliza could totally have snuck in there without anyone seeing.”

“And this Kerry person, what did she have to say when she found out?” Roman asked.

“She was crushed too. And shocked. Said Maryanne had been normal, totally fine, before she left. And she’d never seen her with drugs or anything like that.”

“So, they got along okay—Maryanne and Kerry?” Mia asked.

“Yeah, sure. I mean, it was the usual random pairing thing that happens in college dorms, but they seemed to get along fine. Sometimes the three of us hung out together.”

“If we go with your theory that Eliza killed her sister, do you think she might kill again?” Roman asked.

“Sure.” Tracey shrugged carelessly. “Why wouldn’t she when there are no consequences. I’m not saying she’s got a blood lust or whatever, but if someone pisses her off or gets in the way of her plans, I have no doubt she’ll get rid of them.” Her eyes flicked between Mia and Roman. “Wait. Has something happened? Don’t tell me she’s hurt someone. I’m so going back to Detective Manson and reaming his ass.”

“Wow. Hold your horses. No one else is dead. We’re just interested. That’s all,” Mia said.

Now her eyes narrowed. “People are only interested in things for a reason. And you’re PIs, which means someone hired you because they’re worried about Eliza. You can tell them they should be worried. That girl is a psycho is I ever met one. End of story.”

She shifted the strap of her purse and started to turn away.

“You set up a GoFundMe page for Maryanne and Eliza. How come?” Roman asked.

Tracey paused and glanced back over her shoulder. “Because. Duh. They needed the money. Especially for right away. All that estate stuff takes time, as we found out when Stephanie and Phillip passed. Especially since they didn’t have a will. Meanwhile Maryanne had another tuition payment due, and they had mortgage and basic living expenses to cover until everything was sorted out. I didn’t want Maryanne to have to drop out of school. With her parents gone, it was more important than ever for her to get a solid education. No more safety net.”

Roman nodded. “Sure. Makes sense. Once everything shook out, do you know how much she inherited?”

Tracey turned back and faced Roman and Mia again, studying their faces while her teeth worried her lower lip.

“I guess it’s something you can eventually look up anyway, so I might as well tell you. Once the house was sold, the business assets liquidated, and the debts settled, they each got around a hundred and fifty thousand. Which sounds like a lot but I promise you it’s not. Tuition at Darby for Maryanne’s last year was a little over seventy-five thousand. She had her grandparents’ college fund for some of it and student loans for the rest, but still. Then right after, she’d have to find somewhere to live, float all her own expenses, and eventually start paying down those loans.”

“You raised a little over a hundred thousand on the GoFundMe. That must have helped?” Mia said.

“It really did. At the time I wasn’t thrilled giving half to Eliza, but Maryanne wanted her to have it. Plus, once the estate was settled, her sister also finally got hold of her tuition fund so that was another two hundred K for her. Altogether, she ended up with a cool four hundred grand. And—big surprise—she got the plastic surgery as soon as the money cleared.” Tracey shook her head.

“I wonder how much Eliza inherited from Maryanne?” Roman asked.

“Even though I’d bugged her about it, Maryanne didn’t have a proper will. Apparently, she put it in the suicide note, though. She left me her collection of vinyl. Which gutted me at the time, but now I love listening to them. It keeps Maryanne close, you know. As for Eliza, I don’t have actual figures, but she probably got another two hundred thousand or so. Which chaps my ass, because first Eliza killed her then she profited.”

Mia made a tsking sound and shook her head. “That would upset me too. When did you last see Eliza?”

“Nine months ago. At Maryanne’s funeral. I was supposed to get a chance to speak, but she told me right before the service started there wasn’t enough time. The level of rage I felt in that moment was off the charts volcanic. I almost choked her to death right then and there. I haven’t laid eyes on her since that day, and I never want to see her again unless it’s at her murder trial.” She blew out a breath. “Look, this is pissing me off all over again. I’ve gotta go.”

Mia quickly reached out and laid a hand on her arm. She focused all her energy on the woman, tapping into the pain and grief and pulling it straight into herself. “I’m so, so sorry for your loss. Maryanne sounds like a wonderful friend.”

Tracey stared into Mia’s eyes as though mesmerized. Then she sighed and smiled. “She was. The best ever. I’ll miss her forever. I’m actually kind of glad I talked to you. It wasn’t fun, but it’s still nice to remember, you know?”

“I know.” Taking a chance, Mia leaned in and hugged Tracey. Relief washed over her when the girl sank into the embrace. She patted her back and sighed again before stepping away.

“Thank you.” Tracey shook her head and glanced at Roman. “It’s weird but I feel so much better. Lighter somehow.”

“No. Thank you. What you told us helps our case. I can promise you, if Eliza had anything to do with Maryanne’s death, we’ll get to the bottom of it.” He fished out a business card from his back pocket. “Here. If you think of anything else, anything at all, give us a call.”

“And you’ll let me know if you find out something?” Tracey asked, staring down at the card for a beat.

“Of course we will. You’d better get to work. I know you don’t want to be late,” Mia said.

“Right. Sure.” Tracey glanced around as though orienting herself again. “Okay. I’m out.”

Slowly she turned away and walked in the direction of Main Street.

Roman immediately pulled Mia into him and wrapped her up in a tight hug. “Are you okay? Is it bad?”

Mia’s breath hiccupped and her shoulders shook. “It was awful. She’s like a wounded animal inside.”

He leaned back and frowned at her when he saw the tears flowing down her cheeks. “And yet you willingly took her pain? You know it’ll linger for hours if not days.”

“But Tracey will feel better. At least for a while. And she deserves some peace.”

“Don’t we all.” He kissed her forehead tenderly and pulled her in close, rocking slowly side to side. “Don’t we all,” he repeated.

Chapter Nine

Roman walked quietly into the bedroom. He locked eyes with Mac who had remained on the floor beside Mia, keeping watch over his mistress. Roman would have sworn there was an accusation in the dog’s gaze.

Mia slept peacefully on her side with a hand curled under her chin. Part of her face was covered by a curtain of silky auburn hair. His heart pinched as he looked down at her and he willed her to wake on her own. He hated to be the one to rip her out of the comfort of sleep.

Mac shifted and got to his feet. He was such a big dog that he now stood level with Mia. He tipped his head side to side, then flicked a look up at Roman as if to ask what he intended to do.

“I know. It’s crappy, but I’m going to have to wake her,” he murmured to the Doberman.

He crouched down beside the dog and gently tapped Mia’s shoulder. When she didn’t stir, he swept the hair back off her face and kissed her cheek.

“Hey, sleeping beauty. Are you in there?” he said softly.

She frowned and rolled onto her back. One of her hands rubbed over her eyes and she blinked them open and squinted up at him. Her vision was unfocused, still seeming to be partly in the land of dreams. Then she came awake fully and bolted up to a sitting position.

“What? Is something wrong? What’s happened?” she said, her voice raspy.

“Easy. Everything’s fine. Sorry to wake you. But Sheryl has some questions about today’s shipment. Apparently, the UPS guy is due any moment.”

Mia shook her head and from beside him, Mac whined. Her gaze latched onto the bedside clock.

“Crap. It’s almost ten. You shouldn’t have let me sleep so long.”

She crawled off the bed and pushed past him before marching to the ensuite bathroom and splashing water on her face.

“By my reckoning, you only came back to bed at around 7 a.m. I hardly think three hours constitutes sleeping so long,” he said.

With jerky movements, she squirted toothpaste on the bristles of her toothbrush. “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah.” He sighed. “What happened last night? You seemed whipped when we went to bed.”

“Too much up here.” Her voice was garbled, and she tapped her forehead with the hand that wasn’t brushing. “I couldn’t settle.”

“You’re still wrung out with all the emotions you took on from Tracey, aren’t you?”

She didn’t answer at first. Instead, she spat out toothpaste then swished her mouth with Listerine. Grabbing a scrunchy, she twisted her hair into a bun before pinning a few stray pieces into place.

“I’m okay.” She glanced down at herself. “And apparently dressed, so bonus points for me.”

Mac pushed in against her thigh, and Mia’s hand automatically went to his head. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the empty dog beds.

“Everyone’s fine. They’re out in the run, and I played head chef and gave them breakfast. Mac, of course, had to be with you. He’s such a mama’s boy.”

Her lips briefly curved into a smile. “Yeah, he totally is, and I love that about him. FYI—they already ate. I fed them early, right before I came back to bed.”

Roman shook his head. “And like a sucker I fell for their sad eyes routine. They sure know how to work me. Seriously, are you okay?”

“Of course. I’m fine. Just tired. And you should be at your office in town. You don’t need to take care of me, you know.”

“I just wanted to be sure. I heard you get up at midnight and figured things were rough on your end. Besides, how would the dogs have gotten a second breakfast if I’d been in town?”

“Truer words.” Her smile flashed on, but he could still see her eyes were sad.

“Come here. I need a hug.” He opened his arms.

The hesitation was brief, but he felt it like a knife to the heart. Then she stepped into him, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her close before lowering his face to plant a kiss on the side of her neck.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have involved you in this case. It’s too hard on you,” he murmured.

She waited a beat before pushing out of his embrace. “I made the decision to go with you. Whatever the fallout, it’s on me. Come on, Mac. I’d better find out what’s going on with Sheryl.”

She strode away, the big dog loping by her side. Neither of them looked back.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath.

***

A few hours later, with the jewelry orders dispatched to customers and a handful of new pieces finished on her worktable, Mia left the dogs with Sheryl and hopped in her Escape.

Her eyes were gritty and her mind somehow simultaneously sluggish on real-life details while running an adrenalized feedback loop of yesterday’s interviews with the Drapers and Tracey Millar.

When she’d hugged Tracey, reached out with her senses and taken in her grief and anger, she’d also gained access to Maryanne Wentworth. Pieces of Tracey’s memories had immediately come across. Small moments she’d shared with her best friend over the years.

A flash of the teenage version of Maryanne leaping out onto the driveway of a ranch-style brick home on a rainy overcast day and throwing her arms in the air. “I got it. I have my driver’s license. I’m totally legit.  We can go anywhere we want now.”

Maryanne, older now. Serious. Her dark hair pulled through the back of a Nike baseball cap. She jogged along a residential street and worried about her college exams while the sun rose behind her and birds chirped away madly in the background. Tracey reassured her. “You know you’re always the smartest person in every room. You nailed it. Stop stressing already.” And Maryanne’s grateful smile. Her quick reach out to squeeze Tracey’s arm.

Then hopping backward in the timeline. The girls were maybe in their early teens. Maryanne had braces. They were huddled by a row of lockers at school, and she leaned into Tracey. “Was he a good kisser? Tell me everything. I need to be prepared for when it happens to me.” Her face so young and eager. Her eyes a clear and hopeful hazel.

And with each memory, Mia could feel Tracey’s emotions both in the moment and in the reliving. It gave her a whiplash effect. Their voices were clear in her mind. Every hug between friends felt real. Tactile. As if she’d experienced it herself.  The sense of grief was all encompassing.

Mia knew from experience this wasn’t something that could be shaken off or walked away from. She’d have to live with it for several days until it gradually faded in intensity. And even when she was released from the conscious, day-to-day reliving of Tracey’s memories and emotions, they’d wait for her in dreams, dancing behind her closed eyelids for some time to come.

As she drove slowly along the gravel drive of her property and out to the road, Mia tentatively reached out with her senses and nodded to herself. The connection she’d forged yesterday with Tracey was a strong one. She was right there. In Walkerton. Present time.

She sat at a desk in a bustling office staring at a screen of … what was that exactly? Maybe interest rates or returns on investments. Clearly something to do with finance. And she was tired. She’d worked at the restaurant until eleven o’clock the previous night. But she was also calm and untroubled.

Mia blew out a breath, gathered herself, and sent across a little boost of energy. Immediately, she felt the corresponding dip in her mood and power—as if her own battery was draining more quickly than it should—but it felt worth it. Especially since she knew Tracey had been dragged down by this weighted grief for over ten months now.

“That’s the last time, though. I can’t give anymore,” she said aloud.

At the end of the driveway, she turned right onto the road and slowly came up to speed while continuing to think about Tracey.

It’s not like we caused the grief, is it? We only dug around at what was already there. And if someone murdered her best friend, we’ll figure it out and make them pay. That would help Tracey more than anything, Mia reasoned.

Despite telling Sheryl she’d had a meeting, Mia drove aimlessly. The truth was, she’d needed to get away from the house. Roman had been hovering the entire day.

Even when she assured him she was fine, he’d refused to work in town and kept popping down from his home office to check on her. She knew he was worried and maybe also had a little guilt mixed in there, but it was driving her crazy.

Mia prided herself on being independent. Self-reliant. She didn’t need a big strong man to make everything okay. She’d made the decision to help with the case, hadn’t she? And no one had forced her to use her abilities to connect with Tracey and take on the woman’s pain.

So now she’d deal with the fallout like a grown-assed woman.

Except … she tipped her head side to side. Okay. Truth time. She was a little pissed at him. More than a little. She’d told him only a day or so ago she didn’t want to live in this dark part of life. Yet he pressed her to sit in on the consult anyway. He would’ve known the minute she did, there’d be no backing away.

She slammed her palm against the steering wheel.

I don’t want to live like this. I can’t live like this or I’ll end up where I started.

Suddenly she knew where to go. She didn’t question it or allow herself to think beyond the next decision, which was putting on her indicator and turning right onto Main Street. She crossed several side streets before taking a left and pulling into a small parking lot.

There was an open spot conveniently close to the building and she parked and got out, stretching her arms over her head and letting out a groan. God, she really needed some sleep.

But first, she studied the building with the graceful Dance on Air sign above the double glass doors. On the large space to the left of the doors, silhouettes of dancers in various poses had been stenciled onto the brick.

It was eye-catching and great advertising. Brooke Adams, owner of the studio and Mia’s friend, was one smart cookie when it came to her business.

And speaking of business, the lot was full of clients. Maybe a spontaneous drop-in hadn’t been the best idea in the world.

She fished her phone out of her back pocket, and leaning a hip against the door of the Escape, shot off a text.

I’m in the neighborhood. Any chance you have time for a coffee?

Yes, please. Get me out of here. Give me 5.

Mia smiled, her first genuine one of the day, and waited for Brooke.

Chapter Ten

Brooke walked briskly out of the studio and straight into Mia’s SUV. A woman towing two young girls detoured away from the building and arrowed toward Brooke, who nodded her head and gave a small wave while at the same time saying through clenched teeth, “Don’t make eye contact with her. Just drive.”

Mia did as directed, easing the Escape past the woman and children while keeping her gaze fixed straight ahead. She turned onto the side street heading toward the main strip. “I thought Bean Time?”

“Yeah. Sure. Maybe we can take our drinks to go though. It’d be nice to walk in the park. I could use the fresh air.”

“What the heck happened in there today? You’re not normally this frazzled,” Mia said, glancing over to her friend.

Outwardly, Brooke was as neat and composed as ever. Her long blonde hair swept back into a tidy bun, her makeup subtle, and a sky-blue leotard and short wrap skirt showing off her lithe body.

“It’s been a day. I don’t want to get into details because it was so, so gross, but let me just say there’s a stomach bug tearing through the kids right now. I hate to throw blame on the parents but, you know what? If your daughter is pale and has a fever, maybe don’t bring her to my studio.”

“Oh. Wow. Okay then.” Mia sniffed the air. “Did you get a new perfume? It’s sort of .…”

“Chemically? That would be Lysol. I feel like I’ve practically bathed in the stuff since this morning.” She waved a hand in front of her. “Anyway. Enough about me and vomit. How’re you doing?”

Mia paused, and her eyes flicked to Brooke’s face then away. “Um … I’m fine. Well, mostly. But we don’t need to talk about that right now. You’re the one who needs some TLC. Let’s get you a nice sugary, caffeinated drink and sit you under a shady tree. I can fan you and also feed you small pastries if you think it would help.”

“Wait a second. Something’s wrong. I was so into myself I didn’t even look at you but now that I do, I can see it.” She fisted a hand over her heart. “And you came to me. Aw, I don’t think you’ve ever done that before. I’m touched. Sincerely. And I want to hear it all. Every single thing. But let’s wait until we get to the park for full, focused attention.”

“Sure. It can wait. So, other than puke, how’s it going?” Mia asked as she pulled into a street spot close to Bean Time.

“Pretty darn great. Business is booming this summer. My best ever.” They got out of the SUV and walked into the coffee shop.

“What about Trevor? Still good?” Mia prodded.

After putting in their drink orders, they moved to the pickup counter. The café was humming with customers. Practically all the tables were filled, mostly people in their thirties and forties focused on laptops with a sprinkle of grey-haired couples mixed in.

Brooke’s smile bloomed large. “Oh, yeah. Really good. It’s nice to be in a relationship again. It’s been a long time for me, you know? And even though things are sort of complicated what with Melody and sharing custody with his ex-wife Patty, it seems to be working. At least right now.”

Mia squeezed her arm. “I’m so glad. You deserve to have someone amazing in your life. And Melody is seriously adorable. Do you want children of your own?”

Brooke exhaled and nodded. “Yeah. I really do. Someday. But we’re not close to that stage yet. We’ve only been dating for a couple of months. Still, I’m not gonna lie, it’s totally on my mind.”

“Do you think Trevor is open to having more kids?”

“I don’t know. Like I said, early days, and I haven’t broached the subject with him.”

A barista with short purple hair and too many piercings to count set two drinks on the counter. She called out, “Mia, iced chai and iced mocha latte,” and they each grabbed a cup and walked back out to the Escape.

“I tell myself I need to wait and see, but a part of me knows I’m just being a big old chicken,” Brooke said while Mia backed the SUV onto the street and pulled away.

“I get why you’re feeling that way, and like you said, early days but … it’s kind of an important question, right? Because if kids are a deal-breaker for you, it would be better to know sooner than later. I mean, you don’t want to waste a bunch of time on the wrong guy.” When she glanced over and saw the distress on Brooke’s face her heart crumpled. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I warned you before, I’m kind of new to the whole friendship thing.”

Brooke heaved out a breath and shifted in her seat to face Mia. “I’m glad you said it. That’s what friends do; they tell one another the truth even when it hurts. And you’re absolutely right. I need to figure this thing out because I’m not getting any younger here and the dating pool is freaking shallow in this town.”

“But Walkerton and Nashville aren’t far, right? Lots of men to be had there. I mean, if it doesn’t work out with Trevor.”

“Yeah, sure. But I want it to work out with him. I really like him. A lot. Maybe inching over into love. And Melody is nothing but a bonus to our relationship. I could honestly do without Patty. Don’t get me wrong, she’s not oozing evil or anything but … they have that history and Trevor will be tied to her forever because of their daughter.”

“Well, let’s not start worrying yet. And for what it’s worth, I’m rooting for Trevor. He’s a really great guy. At least he seems to be,” she hurried on.

“Wait. Hold the phone.” Brooke leaned across the console toward Mia. “What do you know? Did you get some kind of flash from him? OMG, I’ve just had the most brilliant idea. You could ask him about kids and then do … whatever it is you do to see into people and read if he’s open to having more?”

“Oh, I don’t know. That seems wrong somehow. Like maybe this is a step you have to go through, and it will make the relationship even more solid. If you skip doing the work, you’ll miss out on the upside.”

Brooke slumped back against her seat. “You’re probably right. Why am I so scared?”

“I think being scared is good. It means it matters. If you were only so-so into him, you wouldn’t have any problem asking about kids. And when things or people matter, we have to just grit our teeth and do the hard, scary parts.”

“Like when you told Roman about being psychic?”

“Yeah. Exactly. And see how well that turned out … okay, not at the time, but eventually. At least I hope so.”

Mia put on her indicator and turned into Carlton Park. Despite the hot and humid conditions, there were a number of cars in the lot, and across the open field she could see kids swarming on the play structure.

“What do you mean you hope so?” Brooke asked.

“It’s been a rough few days.” Mia picked up her iced latte and bringing the straw to her mouth, drank deeply. “So much yum. Bean Time knows what they’re doing. Where to?”

Brooke waved her arm vaguely. “Let’s walk a little then find a nice shady spot and grab a squat.”

Outside, it was cloudy, which cut down on the blazing sun factor, but to Mia, the atmosphere still hit like a warm, wet blanket. Brooke leapt into the air, her legs flashing, all the while managing not to spill any of her drink.

“I love summer.” She beamed a smile at Mia. “The heat makes my muscles feel loose and I always have so much more energy.”

“Get away from me, weirdo. I’m over here counting the days until winter. I wouldn’t mind a taste of some cool and crisp. Or as crisp as it ever gets in Tennessee. Though we did have a couple of minor dumps of snow last year, so hope springs.”

“To each her own, I guess.” They began strolling around the edge of the field, sticking close to the shade of the tree line. “No more stalling, Missy. Whatever’s going on, you’ll feel better talking it through.”

“I know. Okay. Let me lay it out. It’s one of those situations where on the surface, it doesn’t seem like it should be such a big deal, but it actually is. You know I sometimes help Roman with his cases?”

“Sure. You guys are a great team. And it’s cool that you can work together. Wait? Is that it? Too much together time?” Brooke asked.

“No. But good guess.” She paused and reached out a hand to brush against the trunk of a nearby tree as she passed. “It’s the job itself that’s the problem. I’ve told you about my past … how I was before. And how I’m trying to stay away from the darkness and be a better person. I’ve set up my new life to embrace the light and the good. To have a quiet and peaceful existence where I create jewelry that makes people happy. Where I always tell the truth.”

Brooke nodded. “And you’ve made a beautiful life for yourself. You should be really proud. I guess working on the cases brings you face to face with the darker side of things. If you’re worried you’ll go back to that, you shouldn’t. You’re a good person. I feel it.”

“Aw, thanks. I hope I am. And no, I don’t think I’d ever want my old life back. It’s more … it’s hard to explain.”

“Let’s sit.” Brooke motioned to a bench, and they walked over and sank down. “I can see you’re getting upset. If it’s too much to talk about right now, that’s okay, Mia. I’m here for you either way.”

“I think talking it out would be good since everything just keeps going around and around in my head and driving me crazy. Okay. I guess the first big point is I don’t want to be near the darkness. Like, at all. Yesterday, we interviewed this girl who’d lost someone close to her. The grief was … awful. And a lot of times when I see someone in that much pain, I can’t stop myself from helping. The girl was a mess inside, and I went in and gave her a boost. It’s only temporary, but I figured she needed a break. And the idea that the death of her friend was maybe a murder, it just makes me so mad.”

“I can’t imagine how tough it is holding someone else’s grief. I don’t think I could carry the weight myself.”

Mia blinked and glanced over at her friend. “You actually get it. That’s exactly what it feels like. A massive weight. And right now, I’m struggling to get out from under it and take a damn breath. I know it’ll fade over the next few days, but jeez Louise, it’s still hard.”

“Stop working the cases.” Brooke took her hand and squeezed. “If it’s asking too much just shut it down. Roman can do his thing and you do yours. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“I wish. It’s not that simple because of my special abilities. I can solve cases faster and sometimes even figure out the impossible. If I want to walk the walk about being a good person, shouldn’t I use what I’ve been given to help in any way I can?”

Brooke let go of Mia’s hand, set her drink down on the bench beside her, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Um … no. Not if it’s ruining the quality of your life. Should a doctor, nurse, or EMT work twenty-four/seven and never retire just because they know how to save lives?”

“It’s not the same thing. Lots of people can train to be in that field. Most people don’t have my ability. At least, I haven’t met very many who do.”

“Okay. Fair point.” Brooke nodded once. “But still. You’re not Jesus Christ. You don’t have to crucify yourself for the good of mankind.”

“I guess not. But how do I find my balance? I keep thinking okay, I’ll just help on this one last case. Except then there’s another one. And another. It’ll never stop as long as I’m with Roman. I keep wishing he was an accountant, or a mechanic, or basically anything else.”

“Wow. When you put it like that, it sounds sort of impossible. But it’s not. It can’t be. Because you love Roman and he loves you. True love always wins,” she finished all in a rush.

Mia stared at her for several beats. “Does it, though? We aren’t exactly star-crossed lovers or anything, but this situation sure ain’t good. At least not for me. And even though I hate to admit it, a part of me is pissed off at him. So much for love being patient and kind or whatever.”

“Hey. Cut yourself some slack already. I think it’s understandable to be pissed right now. Can’t you .…” Brooke glanced around the park as though the solution was somewhere nearby. “I don’t know, help part of the time or not go all in or something? What about only getting involved if Roman gets stuck?”

“Yeah. I could try. Bottom line, though. I really don’t want to do any cases. Ever.” She paused and blew out a breath in an attempt to steady herself. “I never thought I’d have someone like Roman in my life. He’s so good and kind, and he gets such a kick out of helping people. It totally feeds him, you know? Lights him right up. And all it does for me is suck me dry. But at the same time, I don’t want to take it away from him. I mean, it’s his life’s purpose.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Brooke slid over to Mia until they were hip to hip. “This is hard, but I have faith you’re going to figure it out somehow. Maybe Roman should go back on the police force. Then he couldn’t pull you in nearly as much, right? Otherwise, it’d be weird.”

Mia’s heart beat faster. “That’s a totally great idea. OMG. You’re brilliant.” She turned and wrapped her arm around Brooke’s shoulders. “He lost his mojo with the whole Tony situation and that’s why he quit in the first place. Now though, he’s solved a couple of tough cases, and I can see his confidence coming back. If I decide I absolutely can’t handle the PI stuff, maybe I can convince him to ask for his old job back. That way he still gets what he wants and needs, and I get my peace back.”

Brooke leaned her head against Mia’s shoulder. “See. We’ve already figured it out. And all it took was one short coffee break. Look out, world, because Mia Reeves and Brooke Adams are an unstoppable force.” She sighed and rubbed Mia’s arm. “And you’ll feel okay about not spending your life racing around and using your psychic powers to right every wrong in the universe?”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine with it. Doesn’t mean I can’t lend a hand from time to time but knowing the pressure is off and I’m not disappointing Roman will make all the difference. I feel so much lighter now. Like I could float away on one of those clouds. Or maybe it’s the exhaustion talking. I think I only got about three hours of sleep last night.”

“Poor baby. You should go home and rest. And I should get back to the studio and see if anyone else has thrown up while I ducked out.”

“Yeah.” Mia sighed. “But maybe we could just sit for another couple of minutes?”

“Of course. Anything for my bestie. I’m glad we won’t have to cancel the wedding.”

“Me too, because I’m stupid in love with Roman. Also, I don’t think I’ll get my deposits back.”

“And that, right there, is reason enough for getting married.”

Chapter Eleven

Feeling more hopeful than she had in days, Mia took the long, long way home to give herself more time to think through everything she’d talked about with Brooke. It was twilight when she finally pulled the Escape into the garage and walked across the gravel lot to the house.

Inside, the dogs launched themselves at her and she took a moment to pet and soothe. Roman walked out from the kitchen with a beer in his hand. His expression was inscrutable but when she reached out with her mind, she felt the waves of apprehension flowing off him.

“I’m fine,” she said immediately, gazing up from her position on the floor. “Just needed a time out.”

He tipped his head but didn’t smile. “I hope that’s true, but I fear it’s not. It’s been a hard day for you, and you must be dead tired.”

When he offered her a hand, she took it and climbed to her feet. “A little. Also, hungry. I’ll get dinner going.”

“Already done. I made us salads. I even roasted the edamame the way you usually do and added olives and pickled beets. Not to brag, but I might have made the most amazing salads in the history of the world. We can eat whenever you’re ready.”

He still held her hand and she glanced down at it, while inside a tiny spark of anger flashed. What the hell was wrong with her? And how was it she felt so deeply grateful he’d made a damn salad while at the same time somehow hated that his passion for his job had caused her such anguish.

She studied his face. Those wideset liquid brown eyes, so dark they looked like bottomless pools. The slightly large but very straight nose, the profile of which she’d traced countless times with her fingertip. A strong jawline, beginning to stubble with dark growth. And skin soft and supple, mostly unlined, and kissed with a golden hue.

Dropping his hand, she reached up and cupped his chin. His expression remained guarded, but a flare of fire showed in his eyes. She stood on tiptoes until their mouths were level then laid her lips against his, keeping the kiss soft and yielding.

“I can wait to eat,” she murmured, bringing her hand up to weave through his dark, dense hair.

He studied her for several beats, those chocolate eyes searching hers without blinking. Whatever he saw there made his lips curve, and he lowered his head to kiss her again. She put both hands on his chest and pushed him back.

She wanted him just like she always did. That never seemed to change. Whatever magical chemistry existed between their physical bodies, it ran perpetually hot, the attraction constantly humming away under the surface, ready to boil up and engulf her at the slightest provocation.

And that somehow pissed her off too. Surely, she should be able to control her reaction better. Turn it off, or at least way down, when she wanted. It’s not that he’d necessarily done anything wrong, but she’d been hurt all the same.

“I don’t want sweetness or tenderness. Don’t be nice to me. I’m in the mood for fast and hard. And no talking, okay?” she said.

His breath came out in a whoosh, and he took another step back. “Um … sure. Are you really fine, though?”

She stepped over to him and lifted her hand, giving his face a light slap. It sounded shockingly loud in the foyer. “No talking. Go to the family room, take off your pants, and lie on the couch. Wait for me. I’m going to let the dogs out and get some water.” When he stood there for another beat, searching her face as though trying to decipher a treasure map written in a foreign language, she gave him another small shove. “Go. Take off your shirt, too. I want you naked.”

His tongue swiped across his lower lip and the heat in his eyes made her belly curl in anticipation. She waited until he’d disappeared toward the family room, then looked down at the dogs gathered uncertainly by her feet.

“It’s okay, guys. Mommy just needs to blow off some steam. Let’s get everyone a chewy and put you on the deck. This won’t take long.”

She found him on the couch as instructed. Naked. Ready for her. His hands were crossed behind his head, but he didn’t smirk like she expected. Instead, his gaze stayed serious and locked on her face. A small red blotch stained each cheek, and his chest rose and fell rapidly.

Her approach was slow, calculated. She felt as though she’d stepped into the shoes of her ancestors and was stalking prey across an open plain. Her eyes never left Roman’s as she crossed the room and stopped by his feet at the end of the couch. She was wearing a long, flowy skirt, and she reached under and shimmied out of her panties before kicking them off and to the side.

Kneeling beside the couch she placed her hands on his chest, feeling for his heart and thrilling at how it bumped like a piston against her palm. His skin was warm bordering on hot. She couldn’t wait to see him sheened in sweat. A sweat she would cause.

He closed his eyes, and she laid her face on his ribcage and listened to that strong heart of his pumping relentlessly. Slowly, her hand moved down and closed around him. He groaned deep in his chest and when she lifted her head, she saw he was watching her again.

She didn’t smile and neither did he. His breath pushed out between pursed lips, and he blinked rapidly when her hand began to squeeze and stroke. The air between them snapped, errant electrical currents sizzling as they collided.

When his hips began to flex and push up toward her hand, she squeezed hard enough to make him gasp.

“Lie still. Don’t move.” Her voice was like a whip.

“You can’t expect me not to react,” he said.

This time when her hand came to his cheek it didn’t slap; instead she flicked the end of his nose with her nail. “I told you not to talk.”

His eyes went molten but he simply drew in a ragged breath and said nothing. She spent another minute working him with her hand, then rucked up her skirt and straddled his lap before lowering onto him.

She paused, breathing deeply, while her body stretched around him. She was hot and tight and he pulsed inside her. He let his head fall back against the cushion and worked to match his breathing to hers. When she finally started to move, small rises and falls of her hips, he gritted his teeth and held still, watching her.

At first, she was contained. Almost robotic. The rhythm remained slow and regular, like she was conducting an orchestra. Other than her underwear, she was fully clothed, but each shift of movement made her breasts bounce under her blouse and the silky fabric undulated like a wave.

He thought about the Atlanta Braves and tried to remember when the next home game was. He quickly ran through the twelve times tables then stumbled through thirteen before switching over to counting prime numbers. He was all the way up to two hundred and eleven when she moaned and her hands reached for his, fingers lacing together.

Her speed increased and he began to move with her. Her eyes blazed into his, two clear moss green lakes, and he watched fascinated as a line of color pushed up her neck and infused her face with a rosy glow. Gradually, she began to unravel over him, her movements becoming jerky with an edge of frantic.

When the orgasm crashed over her, she threw back her head and arched like a bow. He grabbed her hips and drove into her over and over again until he found his own release. She collapsed onto his chest, her breath heaved in and out, her brilliant copper hair spread across his skin tickling his nerve endings. He exhaled long and slow and risked hugging her, thankful when she stayed soft and compliant in his arms.

No longer a feral cat, she’d turned back into a kitten.

They stayed that way for several minutes, then she pushed up and gazed down at him. Her face was still flushed but her eyes were sleepy and satisfied.

“Thanks.” She caressed his cheek, the same one she’d slapped earlier, then leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on his forehead. “I’m hot and sweaty. Gonna grab a quick shower before I eat.”

With that, she eased off him, picked up her underwear from the floor and walked away without looking back. He stared up at the ceiling and exhaled heavily.

“And that wasn’t weird. At. All,” he said to the empty room.

***

She found him in the kitchen with the table set and the salads waiting. The dogs lounged in various beds scattered around the floor, but Mac immediately got up and walked over to stand beside her leg.

“I assume the dogs convinced you to throw some food into their bowls?”

“Oh yeah. In fact, I’m ashamed to admit it, but they broke me way before five o’clock. I think I caved in at least thirty minutes early. I don’t understand how you can stay so strong.”

“Because I’ve learned to harden my heart. Let’s eat.”

She dug into her dinner and after several bites, nodded in approval.

“You nailed it. So good. I was seriously starving.” She took another mouthful, then studied him while she chewed. “You look tired. That’s probably my fault for roaming around most of the night. How was your day?”

He took a sip from the bottle of beer and shrugged. “Okay, I guess. Better than yours based on the vibes you’ve been giving off since you got home. Is there anything we should be talking about?”

She forked up more salad and chewed slowly while he watched her. Then she set the utensil back in the bowl and took a sip of her Perrier. She smiled at him and reached for his hand.

“Not right now. I hit a bit of a rough patch, but I’ve mostly worked through it. In the meantime, don’t worry. This is a Mia thing, not a Roman thing.”

“All Mia things are Roman things.” He laced his fingers through hers. “And just so you know, I can never not worry about you.”

Her smile bumped up several notches. “Same. Still, seriously, let this go for now. I’ll eventually circle back to you.”

He lifted her hand and kissed the knuckles. “Make sure you do. It’s no good for us to have anything between us.”

When he set her hand back on the table she shrugged. “So, your day?”

“I ended up speaking to Maryanne’s roommate, Kerry Jones. She’s apparently out of town for a couple of days, so talking on the phone was the best we could do right now. She basically reiterated what Tracey said. Maryanne didn’t seem depressed, and she’d never known her to have pills or do any drugs whatsoever.”

“Did you float the murder theory by her?”

“Sure. She wasn’t surprised when I brought it up. I guess Tracey talked to her about it some. But she couldn’t think of a single person who’d want to kill Maryanne. She said the sisters’ relationship was fine. Though she pointed out as an only child she didn’t really have anything to compare it to.”

“Nothing new then?”

“Well. Something new, for sure. It turns out Kerry and Eliza sort of bonded after Maryanne died, and now they’re good friends. In fact, she’s going to be Eliza’s maid of honor.”

Mia picked through the salad while she turned the information over in her mind. “Okay. That’s interesting. They must be really close if Eliza asked her to stand up at the wedding. Isn’t it usually some long-held childhood friend that gets asked?”

“Sometimes, but I suspect not always. Anyway, Kerry told me she’s met Scott on numerous occasions and he’s a nice guy, though maybe not quite good enough for her new friend.”

“Now there’s a different perspective, and it’s kind of funny since that’s exactly what Jennifer thinks about Eliza.”

“Yep. Seems like Eliza finally has someone looking out for her.”

“What are we thinking now? Did she murder her sister on top of setting the stage for the death of her parents?”

He dropped his head and sighed. “I don’t know. My gut’s all twisted up on this one. I can’t quite figure the motive for Eliza killing her. Sure, there was the whole peanut oil thing, but that had been out in the open for over a month before Maryanne died. Murdering her then was a bit like shutting the barn doors after the horses got out. Unless she had some new angle to threaten Eliza. Something we haven’t yet uncovered. Agree or disagree?”

“Agree on principle. But there’s something about Eliza that’s tripping my alarm bells. Too bad we can’t talk to her.”

“I think for now, that’s a no go. Jennifer really doesn’t want Eliza finding out she’s hired us. We might have already messed that up when I approached Kerry. I didn’t get the whole new friendship angle until after I’d already floated out the murder theory.”

“Was she upset when you asked?”

“Oh, yeah. Got real hot under the collar. Wanted to know why I’d attack Eliza after everything she’d been through. Let’s hope she doesn’t pass on the word I was sniffing around.”

“Well. We have to investigate somehow, don’t we?”

“Yep.” They ate in silence for several moments then he flicked a glance over to Mia’s face. “I should probably touch base with Jennifer tomorrow. There isn’t a whole hell of a lot to report. What’s your bottom line?”

“I guess I wouldn’t love the idea of my son marrying Eliza. We don’t have proof of anything, but there’s a lot of bad karma swirling around.”

He shook his head. “This is a crappy case. I want to dig in more but it’s hard to do while keeping it on the down-low.”

“You know what, our suspicions alone might be enough for Jennifer. The thing I really hate, though, is having this feeling maybe Eliza did commit murder and she’s getting away with it.”

“I guess I’ll see what she says.” He paused and blew out a breath. “Are you feeling any better now?”

“Some. The connection to Tracey is starting to fade, which helps. My day is flexible tomorrow, so I can be available for the meeting with Jennifer.”

“Great. I’ll set it up. And FYI, I appreciate all your help. You’re the best.”

“Yeah. I really am.”

Chapter Twelve

She’d been following the clueless Jennifer Lamb for the past hour. As she had the day before and the day before that. Really, she should have kept an eye on her from the moment the issue of the prenup was raised.

It still made her mad to think about. How dare they? She had the most perfect plan in the works, and Scott’s parents thought it was fine to go poking around and trying to take control of everything.

Well—they were in for a rude awakening, because no one messed with her.

She wasn’t sure which one of them was more deserving of the full force of her rage. Obviously, Thomas was the main reason for the revenge scheme in the first place. He’d started the whole chain of events and deserved what was coming and more.

But when it came to the idea of the prenup itself, it could have been Jennifer rowing the boat. She was so protective of her little Scottie. Which was hysterical when you thought about it. He wasn’t hers. She was just the stepmom. No blood ties whatsoever.

Jennifer had driven out of Nashville more than half an hour ago. At first, her follower assumed she was headed for the house on Crawford Lake but that didn’t seem to be the case since they’d sailed right by the main turnoff about ten minutes ago.

Since they were travelling along a small country road, she hung back and kept her eye on the screen of her phone. She’d had the foresight to hide trackers on all the Lambs’ various vehicles. The app showed the blue dot blinking and slowly inching along the road toward a town called Dalton.

Great. Jennifer was probably meeting friends for coffee, and this was all a giant waste of time. Still, she was here now, might as well stay on plan.

Dalton was small, seeming to only have one main street with a couple of traffic lights, but she supposed it was picturesque if you liked that sort of thing. Flower boxes bloomed on the widows of the storefronts, and all the fire hydrants were painted to look like tiny houses.

A banner hung across the road for the Dalton Fall Fair in September. She could picture it all so easily. The tiny carnival row of games like bean bag toss and ring the bell. Maybe a crappy Ferris wheel and a couple of whirly rides. The kind that made you want to throw up.

How did people live in a place like this? It was so … tame and boring. Like some left-behind 1970s town. There was a whole exciting world out there, people. Stop living so small.

Up ahead, she caught sight of Jennifer’s Tesla. She was driving so slowly sloths could have passed her without breaking a sweat. No one even honked at her. It was weird how the two drivers behind just followed placidly along going fifteen miles an hour below the speed limit.

Jennifer finally pulled into an angled parking spot on the curb in front of a bakery. She watched while the woman freshened her lipstick and patted at her hair before stepping out and disappearing inside the door to the left of the bakery.

She turned across the street and selected a parking spot directly opposite so she’d have a good vantage point but not be too obvious. After waiting for several minutes to ensure Jennifer wasn’t about to reappear, she got out of her car and wandered closer. ‘Mancini Investigations’ was stenciled on the door in small, black letters.

Aha. There you are, Roman Mancini, she thought.

When she’d discovered the Lambs had hired a PI it wasn’t unexpected, but a nuisance all the same. They were only weeks out from the wedding. So, so close to the finish line and she couldn’t afford to get cocky.

And she wasn’t cocky. Not really. While a PI wasn’t a full-blown catastrophe, it ranked up well above mid-point on the problem scale. She’d treat the situation with her usual attention to detail and shut it down in no uncertain terms.

She turned and walked briskly back to her car and snatched her phone from the console.

“Okay, Mr. Mancini, who the hell are you and how can I exploit every single one of your weaknesses?” she murmured.

Chapter Thirteen

When Jennifer knocked on the office door, Roman opened it and ushered her in.

Mia noted she was turned out beautifully, just like the first time they’d met. Her long blonde hair had been neatly twisted into a low chignon and she wore a flowery, sleeveless, ankle-length dress. The fabric had a light sheen to it and the skirt draped silkily above her bright pink Rothy flats.

Roman handed her a report consisting of three typewritten pages stapled together. “This is what I have on Eliza so far. I can also email a copy, but figured I should check with you first given your request for discretion.”

Jennifer slid onto one of the visitors’ chairs and glanced down at the pages in her hand before nodding at Roman. “Email is fine. I decided to come clean with Thomas. Secrets aren’t good in a marriage. I know that from hard experience. Anyway, he wasn’t happy but seemed to accept it. Even grudgingly admitted it wasn’t a bad idea to investigate Eliza, just in case.”

“I’m glad to hear it. We’ll give you a minute to read through our findings. Do you want anything to drink?”

She started to shake her head then paused. “I wouldn’t mind a water, if you have one?”

“Of course. Regular or Perrier?” Mia asked, flicking open the compact fridge under the short length of counter.

“Oh, Perrier would be lovely. Thank you.”

Roman sat behind his desk and Mia brought the bottle of water to Jennifer before sliding onto the chair opposite her. Jennifer read through the report in silence, her face showing no emotion. Finally, she turned the pages over on her lap, opened the Pierrer and took a ladylike sip.

“So, we’re thinking Eliza likely killed her whole family,” she said calmly.

“We don’t know. There’s no actual proof in hand yet. But the circumstances are definitely suspicious,” Roman said.

Jennifer took another sip of Perrier, then slowly screwed on the cap and set the bottle on the floor. Her face had gone very pale, and her pink lipstick stood out in sharp contrast. “I’ve got to get this girl away from my son. And the sooner the better. Given her history, she could be planning to kill him on the honeymoon, couldn’t she?”

Roman shrugged and spread his hands in front of him. “I doubt Eliza would do anything to Scott right away. It would make more sense, especially if she wants to stay off the radar, to wait things out. Settle into the marriage for a while first. And if Scott is as besotted as you say, I’m sure he’ll spend lavishly on her, which is exactly what she wants. Perfect for her Instagram feed, too. I have to say it again, maybe if you take what we have to Scott, he’ll back away on his own.”

Jennifer’s lips pressed together, and she shook her head. “No. He won’t. He’s an analytical guy and lives and dies by his data. We don’t have enough here to convince him. On top of that, he’s in love. Stupidly and unassailably in love. Unless I can point to Eliza holding a smoking gun, he’ll only dig in harder. You have to find more.”

“The deaths of Eliza’s parents and sister happened some time ago. Getting any useful evidence at this stage will be tricky.”

“Then you’ll have to hack into Eliza’s computer or financials or something,” Jennifer demanded.

“Legally, we can’t. Not without permission from her directly or a subpoena. You wouldn’t want any evidence we collect to be thrown out in court,” Roman said.

Mia flicked a glance at Roman’s face. Still so much a cop underneath it all with his rules and regulations.

“Court?” Jennifer frowned. “I don’t care two licks about court. I need Scott to see what this woman is truly like underneath the façade. You should do whatever it takes to find the proof.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t work that way. It could cost me my license,” Roman said. “But we can keep investigating—within the means of the law—if that’s what you want.”

“Scott’s life’s in danger, so of course I want you to keep investigating. And the faster you go the better.” The color had come flooding back into Jennifer’s face and now her cheeks were almost as pink as her lips.

“When’s the wedding?” Mia asked.

“In less than a month. The whole thing is such a rush, but Scott says there’s no reason to wait when you’ve found the one. Honestly, it’s so unlike him,” Jennifer said.

“Okay. We have time still. There’s no guarantee, but I think he’ll be safe until they’re married—assuming he’s in danger at all,” Mia said.

“If it’s money Eliza’s after, she’d need to be legally wed to Scott before she can benefit,” Roman added.

“Logically, that sounds good, but this woman could be certifiably crazy. Who knows what she might do. There’s no way I’m going to sit back calmly waiting.”

“Mia and I will continue working your case. We’ll widen the net a little but in doing so can’t guarantee to keep the investigation on the down-low. Eliza or Scott might well catch wind of it once we start working through their friend groups.”

Jennifer shrugged. “I can’t see any way around it so just go ahead. But please hurry. It terrifies me to think of what could happen.”

“Of course. Your case is our top priority. And we’ll stay in touch every couple of days. Obviously, if we catch a big break, you’ll be the first to know,” Roman said.

Jennifer nodded once then pushed out of her chair. Mia and Roman, following her lead, both got to their feet as well.

“I feel so unsettled.” Jennifer pressed a hand to her stomach. “How do I continue having this woman in our house, watch her with my son, and act as though everything’s normal when she’s a cold-blooded killer?”

“Remember, we have no proof of anything yet. But to answer your question, I guess you take it one day at a time and do your best. In fact, the more you’re around Eliza the better. Something might slip out. Some little nugget of info that could prove useful. But on top of that, the old saying about keeping your enemies close is a good one. She’s not going to do anything foolish with you and Thomas as witnesses,” Roman said.

“Plus, it’s pretty unlikely she’d want to harm Scott before the wedding,” Mia reminded her. “If I were you, I’d do everything I could to cozy up to Eliza. Make it seem as though sure, you might’ve had some reservations about their marriage, but now that you’ve adjusted, you’re all in. In fact, you couldn’t be more excited. Take her shopping. Arrange tea parties with her friends. Call her with ideas for the wedding. Think of yourself as an undercover agent sent to infiltrate enemy lines.”

Jennifer pursed her lips then slowly nodded. “You know what, that’s a really great idea. Thanks. I think I’ll do exactly that. If nothing else, it might get Eliza to lower her guard a little.”

“I’d also like to suggest you call up whatever acting skills you have and deny any knowledge of us and our investigation into Eliza. Because it won’t be long before word gets back to her that we’ve been poking around and asking questions.”

“Ooh … that’s good. I’ll make sure to get Thomas on board, too. We can both be horrified when we hear the news that someone’s hired you and Mia to stir up trouble. That should throw her off the scent.”

“Okay. Looks like we have a solid plan. We’ll be in touch, and like I said, if anything big drops into our laps, you’ll be the first to know,” Roman said.

“Thanks. I appreciate it. I’ll e-transfer the next payment as soon as I get home.”

“Sure. That’d be great.” Roman walked over to the door and opened it.

“Good luck with Eliza. Remember, you’re a super-secret spy now,” Mia said.

Jennifer flicked off a mock salute and a laugh tinkled out. “You can count on me. Thanks so much, you guys. Despite the fact my soon-to-be daughter-in-law is probably a homicidal psychopath, I actually feel so much better.”

Chapter Fourteen

The next morning, after a second night of sleeping like the dead for almost nine hours, Mia felt restored.

“What’s on the agenda today?” she asked Roman over breakfast.

“Lots of things. I figure I need to dig into the details on all the deaths in the Wentworth family. I’m going to request police reports from Walkerton PD and, if I can, talk to the investigating officers. I also want to hit Tracey Millar again. Find out if she knows what happened to the vial of peanut oil or anything about where Eliza might have bought it.”

“I can help.”

“It’s just basic grunt work. You stay on top of your jewelry orders for now. I’ll call you in if something more nuanced comes up.”

“I guess I’ll take the dogs for a walk, then get to work. I’m here if or when you need me.”

He smiled over the rim of his coffee mug. “I always need you, babes. But like I said, for right now, I’m good.”

She picked up her cereal bowl and walked over to place it in the dishwasher. The dogs followed her to the French doors in a rush of happy yips and clicking toenails on hardwood then threw themselves outside the second she opened the screen. Roman watched while the four canines frolicked around their mistress and smiled hearing her non-stop stream of chit-chat.

Now there’s a perfect memory, he thought. Mia, young and breathtakingly beautiful and surrounded by dogs in the morning sunlight.

An hour later, Roman unlocked the door to his office in Dalton and immediately opened both windows overlooking Main Street. The day was already plenty warm but there was a decent breeze, enough that he could put off closing himself in with the air conditioner, at least for the immediate future.

His first call was to his contact, Joe Kozinski, at the Walkerton police department. He requested the files on both the Wentworth parents’ vehicular accident and Maryanne’s suicide.

“You know it’s gonna cost you a hundred bucks a pop,” Frank said.

“I thought it was fifty. You guys are a bunch of money-grabbing criminals,” Roman said.

“Hey, it ain’t me. This came from the chief. He figured it’d cut down on most of the busybody citizens poking their noses in where they don’t belong and costing us a bunch of useless manhours every year. FYI, as of last month, we went all high tech and now take e-transfer. Don’t forget to add the tax, too. As soon as I get the funds, I’ll have it emailed over.”

“I guess I’m just a busybody citizen to you now?”

“You’re one notch above. I’ll give you that. Why are you so interested in the Wentworths? Has something come up we should know about?”

“Maybe. I don’t have anything concrete yet.”

“You’d better loop us in when you do. You may be private now, but you’re still one of us—sort of.”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course. How’re things there, by the way?”

“Same old same old. We’ve had some trouble with kids vandalizing town property. A few break-ins and domestics. You know how it goes.” He paused and Roman could hear the snap of chewing gum. “You’re really not going back to the Dalton PD? I kinda thought you would by now.”

“Gonna stick with private for a bit longer and see how it goes. Say, you wouldn’t happen to remember who investigated those Wentworth cases?”

“I remember well, ’cause it was me. At least, I was primary on the parents’ car crash. When the daughter checked out, they eventually pulled me in there, too.”

“What can you tell me about the accident? Was there anything hinky with the car?”

“Nope. They went over that Pathfinder top to bottom after the wreck and there didn’t seem to be any mechanical issues. But I’ve gotta tell you—there wasn’t much left to investigate. It was an older model and that thing crumpled like an accordion. After seeing the car, I wasn’t surprised they both died.”

“I read that the wife was driving, and she crossed the line and hit the truck head on. Is that what it looked like to you?”

“Pretty much. It was on Galen Street where it opens up just after that bend by the UPS building. Looks like she was speeding, got distracted, and zipped across the lane. Didn’t brake until close to impact. I’m not saying it was suicide or anything,” Frank said hurriedly. “But her reaction time was definitely off. The driver of the truck was on his game, though. He braked hard way out and tried to swerve, but there was no place to go on account of the little stone wall beyond the sidewalk. He was sober too, and real shook up. Poor guy will be having nightmares about that for the rest of his life. Fun fact, Stephanie Wentworth had been drinking. Coroner said about two glasses of wine. Her blood was 0.05 so not over the limit, but it likely impaired her some.”

“Did she have a history?” Roman asked.

“She wasn’t a drunk. At least not from what I found out. But she did habitually drink one or so at night and might get crazy enough to have up to three glasses at a barbeque or social thing. Between the two of them, Phillip typically did most of the driving. Plus, she obviously hadn’t planned on going out the night she died so likely poured herself the usual glug of wine while making dinner or whatever.”

“Interesting. What I can’t figure is why Stephanie didn’t just call an ambulance. Why drive Phillip herself?”

“That I don’t know. We checked with EMT dispatch, and no call came through. The only reason we even know Phillip had a reaction is because Stephanie called her friend Rita all panicked. She was pretty hysterical and said Phillip couldn’t breathe. Then she hung up and Rita couldn’t get her to pick up again.”

“What about the daughter, Eliza? You talk to her? Anything interesting there?”

Joe sighed. “Not really, beyond a kid in deep shock and covered with a healthy dose of guilt. Apparently, she’d been a bit of a brat the day her parents died. Fighting about money and plastic surgery or some such nonsense. They wanted her to stay home for dinner that night, talk it over more, but she stormed out. She kept saying how it all might’ve been different if she’d been there.”

“What did the Wentworths eat for dinner?”

There was a long pause and more gum snapping. “I don’t remember off the top. But it was something they made at home, not takeout. It’ll be in my report.”

“Any chance Eliza might’ve been able to doctor the food before she took off?”

Joe pushed out a breath. “Geez, I don’t know. I guess, depending on what was made, she could’ve slipped something in at some point earlier that day. And she obviously knew about the peanut allergy. It was apparently a big thing in their lives growing up. I never twigged to her, though. I’ll go over the report again myself with Eliza in mind and see if it looks different.”

“Did you check Eliza’s alibi that night?”

“Sure. Briefly. Like I said, she wasn’t on the radar, but I did stick with routine and talked to some guy who had a party in Nashville. She was definitely there, just like she said. I also found her tagged in a bunch of socials, both there and at a coffee shop beforehand. Again, I’d have to check but I think it was in the six p.m. range. Stephanie’s call to Rita was later than that so the daughter definitely wasn’t home at dinner or right before.”

“Good to know. What about the suicide? Any evidence of Eliza being around?”

“Not that I recall. Keep in mind, I wasn’t pulled in right away—it was maybe forty-eight hours after the fact. Plus, I was on the side. It was Finlay’s case.”

“I don’t know him. Do you think he’d talk to me?”

Joe chuckled. “He’s a she. Andrea Finlay. If I vouch for you, I’m pretty sure she’ll share. She’s not at her desk right now. Must be out on a case. I’ll have her call you.”

“That’d be great. Appreciate it. I’ll transfer the money as soon as I get off the phone.”

“And I’ll see what I can do about getting the reports released to you today. If you find anything to tie the daughter to the deaths, I want to know.”

“Of course.”

When Roman ended the call, he quickly jotted down notes on everything Joe had said, then pulled up his banking app and sent the Walkerton PD the payment to release the reports.

His next call was to Tracey Millar.

“Has there been a breakthrough in Maryanne’s case?” she immediately asked.

Roman chuckled. “We only talked the day before yesterday. Cut me some slack. This is real life, not a TV show where they wrap everything up in less than an hour.”

“Oh. Okay.” She sighed. “So, what’s up?”

“I have more questions. Can you talk?”

“Um … give me a sec.” Roman heard the background hum of conversation and keyboards clacking along with Tracey’s breathing. “Okay. I’m out in the stairwell. I can give you five minutes or so right now.”

“Five minutes should be fine. That vial of peanut oil Maryanne found in the Wentworth house, did you ever see it?”

“Yeah, sure. She kept it in her dorm. After she … well, after, I kind of stole it. That time I went to the police station to tell them about Maryanne’s suspicions and how I thought her death wasn’t suicide, I showed it to the detective.”

“Did he keep it?”

“Nope. He barely looked at it. He said even if Eliza’s prints were on it, that was a pretty big jump to murder. Plus, there’d be no way to prove intent or something.”

Roman held his breath. “Do you still have it?”

Chapter Fifteen

Tracey let out a snort. “For sure I still have the vial. I wasn’t going to throw out evidence against Eliza. You never know, right?”

“You never know. Any chance I could get my hands on it?”

“Absolutely. But even if you can’t prove anything, I want it back at some point, okay? I know it’s stupid, but I feel like Maryanne would want me to protect it.”

“There’s nothing stupid about it, Tracey. You’re a good friend. I’m going to attempt to trace where it was purchased. Because of the elapsed time, it may not even be possible to figure out, but if by some miracle I do, I’ll see if I can tie it to Eliza. I don’t suppose Maryanne ever said anything along those lines? Maybe she poked into her sister’s credit card statements or something?”

“She never told me if she did.”

“What time today is good for you?”

“The sooner the better, right? Cause then you can get to digging. I’ll take an extra-long lunch break and make up the time later. Can you meet me around twelve-fifteen? I’ll wait outside my building like last time.”

“See you soon.”

Roman arrived a few minutes early and found Tracey was already loitering on the steps outside the main entrance to the low-rise apartment. She studied the Escape, then once she was sure it was Roman, walked briskly over to him.

“Why don’t you hop in? I can drive you back to work, cut down on your away time, and it’ll give us a few moments to talk.”

She hesitated, studying his face then slowly nodded. “Okay. But I’m taking my phone out right now and punching in 911. All I have to do is hit call, so don’t try anything.”

Roman leaned back against the seat and lifted his hands off the steering wheel. “No funny stuff, I promise. You know, I kind of doubt you’re actually worried. A smart girl like you would’ve googled me and know I’m on the straight and narrow.”

She walked around the front of the SUV and slid onto the passenger seat before buckling on her seatbelt.

“Of course I googled you. But you can’t be too careful. If Eliza killed her whole family, anyone can do anything, right?”

She showed him the screen of her cell with the emergency call queued up, then held it on her lap, pointing the end at him as if it was a gun. He had to fight down a laugh.

“Where to?”

“You’ll need to do a U-turn. I work at Pinnacle on 10th Street.”

“Got it. Tell me everything you can remember Maryanne saying about Eliza and the peanut oil.”

Tracey cleared her throat. “One day we were in Clover Hall studying—this was about a month before she died—and I could tell she was upset. When I asked what was wrong, she said she and Eliza had had a massive fight. This was ages after her folks died and during that time, they’d been getting along really great. Better than ever.”

“That sometimes happens around death. It brings people closer.”

“Yeah. I guess. At least it did for Maryanne and her sister … until it didn’t. They were at the point of getting the house ready to sell. There was no sense in keeping it since it was too far from school for Maryanne and Eliza didn’t want to live there. Like at all. They couldn’t stay on top of the mortgage and also pay rent on other places, and it would free up some capital. I’d helped Maryanne with an investing plan and, long term, her cut from the sale of the house would’ve worked out to grow her a really awesome nest egg.” Tracey shook her head and stared down at her hands.

“I guess Eliza got that money when Maryanne passed?” Roman asked.

“Yeah. It still makes me so mad.”

“Back to the day in study hall and Eliza being upset.”

Tracey’s head snapped up. “Right. I asked her if something had happened, and she sort of made this weird face and said, ‘You have no idea.’ Then she told me about finding the vial in the vanity under the sink, hidden all the way at the back. It was the bathroom she and Eliza shared, except Maryanne mostly lived at school now and had for a long time. Eliza apparently shrugged it off and claimed she’d never seen it before. Which was a flat-out lie. How else would it have gotten in the house?”

“No chance Stephanie bought it herself and because of Phillip’s allergy, wanted to put it somewhere he’d never look?”

“Are you for real right now? Why would she do that? Her husband’s deathly allergic.”

“Maybe she wanted to … I don’t know … put it in a smoothie or something.”

Tracey’s head shook back and forth. “No way. Mrs. W would never risk it. It had to be Eliza. When Maryanne confronted her she denied like crazy, then had the nerve to want the vial back. Said she’d use it herself now they didn’t have to worry about hurting their dad. But Maryanne wouldn’t give it to her. That’s what the fight was really about. And it got physical, too. Eliza tried to wrestle the oil away from Maryanne but my girl hung tough.”

“She told you all this that day in the study hall?”

“Uh-huh. And we talked about it a lot. Sort of like what you’re thinking, she wanted to figure out where and when Eliza got it. But we were in the middle of exams and had a whole bunch of papers due. I think she’d planned to do some snooping around over Christmas break.” Tracey’s breath heaved out. “Of course, she was dead by then, wasn’t she?”

Tracey unzipped her purse and pulled out a small Ziplock baggie containing a light brown cylinder. She placed it in one of the cup holders in the console between them.

“I don’t suppose you found out anything about it?” Roman said, gesturing to the baggie.

“Nope. There’s no label on the container and the vial is basically generic. I did some searches online but couldn’t ID it at any of the more well-known stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s or even Costco.”

There was a lull in the conversation and Roman flicked a glance over to her face. “How’re you doing? Mia’s been worried about you.”

Instead of responding to the question, Tracey glanced through the windshield while Roman turned into the Pinnacle parking lot. She pointed off to the right. “The door over by the side is me. You can pull over right in front.”

She deleted the 911 call on the screen of her phone then pushed it inside her purse. When Roman glided alongside the empty curb by the sandstone building, he put the SUV in park and turned to face her.

“You’ve been a great help. I really appreciate it.”

She swallowed once and her eyes fell on the vial where it nestled in the console. “I’d do anything to get Maryanne’s killer. And in answer to your question, I’m fine.” She paused and her eyebrows drew together. “It’s strange, but I actually feel better since I met up with you guys the other day. Like a weight has been lifted or something. Maybe it’s just talking about Maryanne or the feeling something’s being done to avenge her death. Whatever. I’m okay so tell Mia not to worry.”

“Take care. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

Roman watched her stride into the building and nodded to himself. Of course she was feeling better. Hadn’t Mia gone right ahead and absorbed Tracey’s pain as though she was a sponge mopping up a spill on the counter? And hadn’t Tracey’s pain been messing with her ever since?

Mia was the most selfless person he’d ever met. He only wished she could see herself through his eyes because when he looked at her, he saw an unflinchingly courageous and inherently good woman. Not to mention she was sexy as sin.

The memory of the previous night on the couch flooded his brain. Sure, it’d been a little strange, but holy mother of God, he’d gladly participate in whatever emotional exorcism she’d been doing on herself.

He picked up the Ziplock baggie and drew out the vial. There was no reason to try and preserve it as evidence. Not at this stage in the game when he could count at least half a dozen people who’d likely handled it in the last year.

It was made of brown semi-transparent glass and stood about three inches tall. The diameter was around an inch or so. There was no label. No etchings on the glass other than a stamp on the bottom stating a volume of three ounces.

The top was black and screwed on. He removed it and took a cautious sniff. Yep. Still smelled like peanut oil even though there didn’t appear to be any liquid inside.

Someone honked and he looked around and saw a car waiting to get into his spot. He put the vial back in the bag and turned out onto 10th Street. His phone pinged and at the next red light he tapped the screen and saw the Walkerton PD had sent him the reports.

Great. He’d have lots to dig into once he got back to the office. Hopefully he’d find something to kick things forward again. It was all about momentum now. One small piece of information leading to a new angle which would maybe yield something else of interest. Countless tiny clues stacking up on one another. That’s how he’d solve this case.

***

When Roman walked into the workroom, Mia sighed and put down her wire cutters.  Layla, the golden lab, surged to her feet and crossed the room, wagging enthusiastically. He dropped to a crouch and ran his hands along her body, nose to tail, in smooth sweeping strokes. She reciprocated by licking his upper arm.

“How’s it going?” Mia asked.

“It’s going. What about you?”

“I’ve been productive. Even Sheryl was pleased with my output which, as you know, is saying a lot these days. What time is it?”

“Almost six. Why don’t I put something together for dinner?”

Mia pushed back from the table, stood, then stretched her arms over her head with a groan. “God, that feels good. I must have been hunching again.”

He stepped over, watching her face carefully to judge her emotional state, before reaching out and placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Here. Let me rub out the knots.”

“You’re worried after yesterday … and the day before. I’m better. Calmer.” She paused and frowned up at him. “You don’t look very happy. Did something happen?”

Roman worked along the top of her shoulders, probing into knots and gently massaging circles with his fingertips. She stretched her head side to side then let out a sigh. He continued for several minutes until her shoulders finally dropped away from her ears and her eyes went soft.

“There you go,” he said before stepping back. “And I didn’t have a bad day, just stalling out on this Eliza case.”

“I’m sorry. That sucks. Let’s talk it out over dinner. By the way, I already made wraps, so we can eat whenever.”

Given that both of them had more or less been cooped up inside, they elected to eat out on the deck despite the lingering heat. Layla, ever sensitive to Roman’s moods, sat beside his chair with her chin resting on the top of his thigh.

“My girls are something else,” he said, smiling down at the yellow lab before rubbing Mia’s arm. “Both of you immediately sense I’m frustrated as all get out and you’re here for me. I must be the luckiest man in the world.”

“Maybe one of them.” She set down her wrap and took a sip of water. “Tell me what’s going on with Eliza.”

“I got hold of both police reports on the deaths in her family. I haven’t had time to do a deep dive, but nothing’s jumping out at me so far. I also talked to the detectives on the cases. They never really looked at Eliza. She didn’t ping anyone’s radar. And now we’re months out, so the evidence has gone ice cold. Tracey Millar handed over the vial of peanut oil Maryanne found in the bathroom, but it’s generic. No labels. I think Eliza might’ve bought it in a beauty supply store or something and transferred the peanut oil from its original container. Right now, I’m considering it a dead end.”

“Is it though?” she asked, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Maybe the vial will talk to me if I ask really, really nicely.”

He nodded. “I was hoping you’d say that. Not to put pressure on you or anything, but this case is basically circling the drain at this point.”

“If you get it, I’ll try right now.”

Roman all but sprinted into the house and back out with Layla matching him step for step. He plopped the Ziplock bag onto the table.

Mia wiped her hands on a napkin and took out the small brown vial. She inspected the outside and like Roman had done, unscrewed the top and took a testing sniff.

“Just give me a sec. I want to get really clear before I try.”

She set the vial down beside her plate then closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, holding each exhale for an extended period of time. Slowly blinking her eyes open, she placed the vial on her left palm and closed her right hand over top, cradling it.

Roman noted his heart rate had ratcheted up and he took his own deep, cleansing breath, all the while watching her. Those changeable hazel eyes of hers had gone to light gold and he knew she was no longer seeing him or anything in her current surroundings.

He wanted, more than anything, to grab her arm and try to force any visions to jump across to his mind, but he was too afraid of breaking her concentration. The quality of the air around him was different now. Less heavy and as though he and Mia and the dogs were losing gravity and might start drifting up off the Earth and levitate above the deck.

It felt like hours were passing, but he knew it was likely only seconds. Finally, she blinked and glanced over to him.

“I think you’ll be really happy when I tell you what I saw.”

Chapter Sixteen

Mia opened her cupped hands and set the small vial on the table in front of her. She grinned at Roman, a big, smug, I’ve-got-all-the-answers smile that lit her entire face.

“The suspense is killing me,” he grumbled.

“Okay. Hold your horses,” she said before taking a bite from her wrap and chewing slowly. Her eyes never left his and were filled with mischief.

Even though he was desperate for the info and knew she enjoyed dragging out the telling of it just to torture him, he couldn’t help feeling a quick spurt of lust curl in his belly. She was so stunning and vital with all that copper hair curling around her delicate face. Her skin was slightly flushed from the heat and gave her a rosy glow.

A small dab of ranch dressing had transferred to the corner of her mouth, and he became transfixed by her lips. Mia must have sensed the stain for her tongue darted out and licked it away while the emotion in her eyes changed from fun and games to dark heat. Her hand came to her throat and her finger slid up and down the small white column of her neck.

He shook his head and groaned. “What you do to me, babes.”

“Do you want to know what I saw from the vial, or do you want sexy times? Can’t have both. I have to draw the line somewhere.”

“Okay. Fine. Be that way. I guess I want the info. But only because I’m confident I can talk you into sexy times later.”

“Can you though? I’m not so sure.” Her smile was wicked, and her fingers came to the button of her blouse. She opened it along with the next one then spread the fabric to reveal the top of her black lacy bra. “Look at what you’re turning down. Wow, Private Investigator Mancini, you truly are dedicated to your work.”

He pushed up the sleeve of his T-shirt and flexed his substantial bicep. “I know you’re secretly drooling right now. I’m pretty sure I can throw a few shapes later tonight and get you out of that fine underwear of yours.”

She reached across the table, causing the front of her blouse to dip lower, and traced a finger along the cut of his muscle. “That’s not fair. You know the arm porn gets me every time. Okay. We’ll probably have sex later. Maybe.”

His hand closed over hers and he smiled hugely. “I know we will. Now sit your pretty little butt back down and tell me about the peanut oil.”

She huffed out a breath and leaned back in her chair then buttoned the blouse to the top again and pulled the fabric tightly together at the base of her neck. He couldn’t help chuckling.

“Okay. Fine. I caught a flash of Eliza in a car. She had the brown vial in her hand. It was brand new because she’d just pulled it out of a sealed plastic bag. It came in a three-pack. And balanced on the console was a slim glass container of peanut oil. The label said ‘Whitney’s Essentials.’ I’d say not a big-name brand. It looked more cottage industry to me.”

Roman’s hand slapped the table. “Damn, woman, you’re brilliant.”

“Yeah. I kind of am,” she said, before taking another bite from her wrap.

He pulled his plate closer and dug into his own dinner, eating in large bites and chewing quickly. When he was done, he pushed back from the table. “Hope you don’t mind, but I want to jump on this right away.”

She flicked her hand at him. “Go. Investigate. I’m happy to finish my food in peace. Let me know if you find anything.”

It was only a few minutes later when Roman came bursting back out onto the deck. “You were right. Whitney’s Essentials is a small outfit right in Nashville. Whitney Gable started it two years ago. She sells stuff online and has also managed to get a few stores to carry her stock. Two of those places are fairly close to the Wentworth family home. They’re both closed now but I’ll check them out tomorrow.”

“That’s great. I’m so happy for you.”

“For us, you mean. It’s your case, too. Especially after this.”

“Should I come tomorrow?”

He hesitated. “What’s your schedule like?”

“I’d say it’s probably the usual. I’m sure I can squeeze you in.”

***

It was close to ten o’clock the next morning when Roman and Mia walked into Nature’s Bounty located one block north of the main shopping strip on Market Street in Walkerton. This was their second stop, having already struck out at Keeping It Clean when the owner told them she’d only been stocking Whitney’s Essentials for the past three months. Well after the window of time when Eliza would have made her purchase.

Inside Nature’s Bounty, a girl with her long blonde hair gathered back in a ponytail stood behind the counter reading a paperback. She was slightly plump and wore round, pink-framed glasses. Mia judged her to be late teens. The girl had looked up briefly when the bell above the door rang but hadn’t said anything. Instead, simply nodded and went back to her book.

The small store was empty of customers but full of product. The shelves practically bulged. Beautiful hand-made signs, done in calligraphy-style printing, were stuck to various sections of the shelves. They pointed customers to green cleaning products, vitamins, protein powders, natural makeup, and countless other items of the same vein. Mia found the cooking oils and immediately plucked up a small bottle of Whitney’s Essential peanut oil.

“Score. Let’s hope the timeline works in our favor,” she said.

They stepped up to the counter. The blonde girl wore a dark green apron embroidered with Nature’s Bounty across the top. Pinned above the embroidery was a white name tag with Jane printed in simple block letters. She slid a bookmark into place and set the paperback on the counter. Mia saw she’d been reading the latest Bree Taggert mystery.

“Will that be all today?” she asked.

“Actually, no. We need your help, Jane,” Roman said, leaning his elbow casually on the counter and smiling.

The girl flushed and glanced over her shoulder at a locked glass cabinet directly behind her. “Sure. Do you want one of the specialty items?”

“Not exactly. I was wondering if you could tell us about this peanut oil. How long has Nature’s Bounty sold it?”

“Oh … um … I don’t know. I’ve only been working here since the beginning of the summer.”

“Maybe you could check the computer? I’ll bet there’s some kind of inventory stock program and you could trace back all the orders for the peanut oil. We’re only interested in a few months around the beginning of last year,” Roman said, still smiling.

She swallowed once and eyed the computer as though it was an acquaintance she didn’t entirely trust. “I guess I could try.”

“That would be so great,” Mia said.

Jane tapped the spacebar on the keyboard and logged in. Mia noted it was simply her first name and the letter g tacked on at the end. Once the program came to life, Jane clicked away from the main POS screen and searched through several others.

“I’m not really sure where to go,” Jane said. “I don’t order stuff for Meena. I mostly just watch the store and do cash.”

“That’s okay. What happens if you notice someone buying the last item of oh, I don’t know … vanilla protein powder or something? Is there some way you’d track that?”

Jane’s face cleared. She pointed to the screen and shifted over, inviting Mia to inch around the counter. “Yeah. We’re supposed to click on this plus sign right here. See? Then I type in the name and a list should pop up so I can pick which one it is.”

“Perfect. How about you pretend this is the last bottle of peanut oil,” Mia said.

“Okay, but I’m not going to actually enter it because it’s not the last bottle.”

“But surely there’s a way to cancel out? I mean, what if you make a mistake on an actual entry?”

“Well, I’m supposed to do this cancel procedure. It’s all written down on my cheat sheet.” Jane reached behind the screen and pulled out a laminated sheet before frowning down at it. “It says here I go back in and hit last entry and click on the amend button.”

“There you go. Let’s give it a try.”

Under Mia’s watchful eye, Jane scanned the bar code of the bottle of peanut oil then went through the procedure of adding it to the out of inventory screen.

“That was easy. What happens if you click on this?” Mia pointed to an icon for the oil.

Jane followed her suggestion, and a new screen popped up showing a long list of amounts, costs, and dates for every order of Whitney’s Essentials peanut oil. Jane scrolled down and turned to Mia with a hopeful expression.  

“Does this help?” she asked.

“Score. Nature’s Bounty was selling the oil in the months before Stephanie and Phillip died,” Mia said.

“What?” Jane’s head snapped up. “Someone died? Who are you guys?” She stared across the counter at Roman.

“We’re private investigators,” he said. “I don’t suppose we could get a printout for those orders?”

“I don’t think I’m supposed to do that. Not unless you have, like, a warrant or something.”

“We don’t have one of those. Not yet anyway,” Mia said. “How about I tell you about our current case? This really nice couple died not long ago. We’re pretty sure their daughter had something to do with it. Then, not too long after, the sister died too. It’s a heart-wrenching situation and we just want to make sure if this girl had something to do with it, she’s brought to justice. Proving she bought peanut oil would be a big break in the case. Or not proving it would potentially clear her name.”

Jane’s eyes pinged back and forth between Mia and Roman. “Wow. That sounds really tragic.”

“Yeah. It’s a tough one,” Roman said, nodding and keeping a grim look on his face. “This job can be all kinds of hard. And I have to tell you, I’m not sleeping at night wondering if this young girl could be that evil.”

Jane stared at the screen and bit her lower lip while she puzzled over what to do. Mia quickly reached out with her senses, sending across a wave of sad energy. Making it heavy, like a blanket.

The girl’s fist clenched on the mouse and after several seconds, she clicked the print button. “I don’t see what harm can come from you knowing how much Whitney’s peanut oil we sold.”

“You are amazing. My hero,” Mia gushed.

Roman watched the girl’s face light up under Mia’s praise. “Say, what kind of records do you have on customers? Like, if we go back to that time frame I mentioned, could you tell which customer bought it?”

“Probably. But I’m not giving you customer data. That’s like—totally unethical.”

“Okay. Sure. How about this? What if I give you a single name and you just look that up? That way no other customer will be compromised,” Mia said.

“You mean the girl? The daughter of the dead couple?” Jane said, her pale blue eyes going wide behind her glasses.

“Exactly,” Roman said.

“If she did what we think she did, that makes her dangerous. She needs to be stopped before she hurts someone else. In fact, we’re worried she has her next victim all lined up, but we don’t have any proof to take to this person,” Mia said.

Jane’s hand slapped over her mouth comically. “That’s so crazy. So, you’re, like, trying to stop her from murdering again?”

Mia nodded enthusiastically and patted the girl’s shoulder. “Exactly. And if it turns out she’s a good person, we can back all the way off and leave them in peace. You know what, I think we’re asking too much of you. I’m sorry. We don’t want to put you in a bad position.”

“I really want to help. I’m just not sure ….” Jane looked around the store then back to Mia. “But if she does kill someone else and I could have stopped it? OMG, I’d feel so bad. What’s her name?”

“It’s Eliza Wentworth,” Roman said.

“I don’t see her under any transactions in January. If she paid cash, though, it wouldn’t show up here.” She flicked over to another screen. “There was one cash purchase on January fifteenth.”

“That was the day before the Wentworths’ accident,” Roman said.

“But we still can’t tie it to Eliza, can we?” Mia said.

“So, it doesn’t help you?” Jane asked.

“Sort of, but we need rock solid proof,” Roman said.

“Wait. I have an idea,” Jane said. “Some of the customers have a rewards card. Let me check if she does. Oh, yeah, look. She got Bounty Points on January the fifteenth for the peanut oil. She totally bought it. She’s a murderer.”

“Easy now. We don’t know that for sure. But it definitely helps the case. You should think about getting into this line of work,” Mia said.

Jane’s smile was huge and she all but vibrated behind the counter. “This was so fun. Could you maybe tell me what happens with this Eliza girl?”

“Sure. I’ll call you when I close the case,” Roman said, leaning his elbows on the counter and smiling back at her.

“I know I probably shouldn’t, but I’m going to print this out for you. You’ll need it for the file and to bring to the police, right?”

“Only if you’re sure. We don’t want you getting into trouble with your boss,” Mia said.

“I’m sure. People shouldn’t be able to go around killing their family and getting away with it.” She walked the few steps over and picked up the printed sheet before setting it on the counter then froze and stared at Mia. “What if she comes back in the store? Do you think she’ll hurt me? Should I call you?”

Mia sent out a wave of calming energy. “Roman can give you his card and you call any time. But I don’t think she’ll come back. It’s sort of like returning to the crime. Say, do you work on commission?”

“No. Not exactly. But at the end of every month Meena goes through my take for the days I worked solo. If the numbers look good, she said once my probation period is up, I could maybe get a raise. I’m saving for college.”

“You know, my fiancée loves girlie bath and body stuff,” Roman said. “Maybe you could help me pick something out.”

Jane skirted the counter and stepped out beside Mia. “We have several really nice lotions. Is there a particular scent your fiancée likes?” she said to Roman.

“Why don’t you show me what you have and I’ll see if anything strikes.” He turned to Mia. “And you stay right here. I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

As they walked away Mia smiled to herself when she heard Jane whisper, “Is that lady your fiancée?”

Chapter Seventeen

Mia reached into the Nature’s Bounty bag and pulled out a container of orange vanilla body lotion. She spread a small dollop on her arm and rubbed it in before taking a testing sniff.

“Man, this is really citrusy. I love it. Thanks, babe. You’re the best,” Mia said holding her arm out to him.

Roman breathed in the scent and nodded. “Nice. I really am a great and thoughtful fiancé so bonus points for me.”

She studied his face. “You’re still not happy though. I can tell.”

“When you look at the big picture, there hasn’t been much progress. Sure, we can now tie Eliza—circumstantially, at least—to dosing her father’s food. And while that’s seriously messed up, there isn’t really a murder charge to be had. And the worst part is I have no path forward. No real clue to follow.”

“What about getting the cam footage from Darby college? I know the police weren’t able to detect anything suspicious, but maybe we’ll see something because we’re looking for a specific person, right? Or maybe I’ll get a flash that’ll give us a lead.”

Roman exhaled heavily and started the Escape. “It’s worth a shot. I’ll call Finlay back. She’s the lead detective on Maryanne’s case. It hasn’t even been a year yet, so they should still have all the evidence on hand.”

They didn’t talk much on the return drive to Dalton. Mia could easily sense Roman’s frustration, and it ate at her. She turned over possibilities for solving the case in her mind, rejecting one after the other. As Roman made the turn onto their driveway, and the log house came into view, his phone pinged.

He glanced down at it and immediately slammed on the brakes, making the SUV skid on the gravel before it came to a slightly skewed stop.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, scanning his face.

“Jennifer’s freaking. She wants us to watch something Eliza posted on Instagram then call her immediately.”

He tapped the screen of his cell then held it out between them. Eliza filled the small screen. She sat on a pink chair, her hair and makeup perfect, and her face serious.

“Hello, my Vibers,” she began.

She chatted at the camera for several minutes, telling her followers about the deaths of her parents and sister. It was all couched innocently. She was the victim and had come through and, indeed, triumphed over devastating circumstances all the while staying rooted in her manifesting power and creating an amazing life.

Now she was apparently worried about Scott’s family not accepting her. She didn’t come across as bitter but understanding. She wasn’t lashing out at them. The vlog was simply a fear that they would dig into her background and her personal tragedies become public. She wanted to be the one to tell her tribe of Instagram followers. Oh, she also loved Scott more than anything in the world and was super excited to document the planning of their upcoming wedding, so make sure to subscribe and follow along.

“Wow. Eliza’s a slick operator and really good at this game,” Mia commented.

“Yeah. Poor innocent lamb. You’d never know she doctored her own father’s food and essentially caused his and Stephanie’s death.”

“And likely killed her own sister. But the important thing is how she kept her vibrational energy high the whole time and manifested an abundant life, right?”

“I want to nail her manifesting ass to the wall,” Roman said, sending the SUV forward along the driveway.

Back in the house, with doggie welcomes accepted and treats dispensed among the pack, Mia and Roman settled in the upstairs office. He dialed Jennifer’s number then set the cell on speakerphone and left it on the desk in front of him.

“Hey, Jennifer. Mia’s here with me. We watched Eliza’s vlog.”

“Can you believe the nerve of that girl. Making Thomas and me sound heartless and as though we’re out to get her.”

“Well, you did hire us to look into her background,” Mia said with a laugh.

Jennifer made a snorting sound. “Okay. I guess that’s true. But we’ve been nothing but nice to her.”

“Maybe she found the idea of a prenup a little off-putting,” Roman said in a mild voice. “Understand this, we’re not judging here. What you and Thomas did was sensible and smart. You’re only looking out for your son. But to Eliza it probably felt hostile.”

Jennifer was silent for several beats then she sighed. “When you put it that way, I guess you have a point. Still, this is so … it’s ugly and crass to air our private lives on her public Instagram account. I’m just so mad right now.”

“We might have something to cheer you up. We’ve just come from an interview and have hard evidence that Eliza purchased peanut oil the day before her parents died. It doesn’t mean she killed them, that seems to have been an unlikely series of events, but it goes to her character and shows malicious intent,” Roman said.

“Oh, my word, this is huge. Are you going to take it to the police?” Jennifer asked.

“Not yet. We want to do more investigating. Like I said, it doesn’t prove murder, but it could help down the line if we connect her to Maryanne’s death. In the meantime, we keep following the clues.”

“What should I do about Eliza’s vlog? Pretend I haven’t seen it? Thomas is so furious he can’t even talk about it.”

“What does Scott say?” Mia asked.

They could hear Jennifer exhale in a long whoosh. “Oh. He’s backing her up all the way. Says it isn’t a big deal and no one will figure out she’s talking about us. Also, he doesn’t want us bringing up the prenup again. Apparently, it really hurt poor innocent little Eliza.”

“I suggest you stay on plan. It’s time to cozy up to your son’s fiancée. Maybe have her over for dinner or take her shopping. Don’t mention the vlog. Keep everything pleasant and happy,” Roman said.

“And we’ll keep digging in the dirt over here and see if we can’t get more evidence against her,” Mia said.

“I’ll try, but I don’t know how long I can pretend to be civil to Eliza, let alone spend extra special one-on-one time with her.”

“Hopefully it won’t be for too much longer,” Roman said. “And don’t worry, we’ll keep you in the loop.”

“And I’ll let you know if anything else happens on my end.” She paused and let out a sigh. “I want this to be over. I can’t sleep. I’m constantly on edge. Why, oh why, did Scott have to meet Eliza?”

Roman ended the call and rubbed a hand over his face. “Man, I wish we had more.”

“Me too. But have a little faith, we’ll get it. What’s next?”

“Lunch.” He pushed back from the desk. “I’m starving. Then I’ll go through those police reports in more detail and hit up Finlay about the surveillance footage.”

Mia nodded. “Sounds like a good plan. I guess I’ll grab something too, then get to work. You’ll let me know?”

“Of course. I may go into town since I need to do some admin stuff and it’s easier from there.”

Downstairs, Mia found her workroom empty. Sheryl had left a note saying everything shipping-wise was up to date and she’d gone on a supply run and was going to work from home on setting up a new email automation.

The jewelry orders were starting to pile up and Mia felt the pressure from both sides. She couldn’t get behind in the business, but at the same time, this Eliza case needed solving. She knew how it was eating at both Roman and Jennifer Lamb. Since she couldn’t think of a single constructive action to take in the investigation, she plucked up one of the printouts from the top of a neatly stacked pile on her worktable.

She lit a candle and closed her eyes, spending several minutes clearing her mind and calling the creative light into her body. Then she sorted through a pile of black tourmaline and began building a bracelet for a customer in California. The stone was known for its calming properties, and as she wove silver wire around each piece, she felt the energy transferring to her own body. Her muscles loosened and her breath came easier.

There were lots of ways to get more evidence against Eliza, but most of them were illegal. She didn’t think Roman would be thrilled if she broke into the woman’s condo or car. It struck her how ironic it was that she so admired his strict moral compass while at the same time found it to be the biggest pain in the ass.

After fastening the last piece tourmaline into place, she worked on the clasp, then laid the bracelet out and studied it. The piece was lovely, and the crystals glinted dark and deep under her work lamp. She should get a picture of it for her own Instagram page.

Sheryl had taken to updating it several times a week with photos of finished products, and they regularly had a bump in orders on the days they were posted. Mia might not be one for social media, but free and impactful advertising was a win-win no matter how you looked at it.

By the time Roman arrived home in the early evening, the table was littered with finished pieces of jewelry. He stared at the small pile in wonder.

“Man, you really went on a tear. How’re the shoulders?”

Mia blinked up at him. “Yeah. I guess I did. I feel like I’m coming out a fugue state. I barely remember making most of those. My shoulders aren’t even sore.” She gave them a quick roll as if to prove the point. “Note to self, use tourmaline whenever you’re stressed. It’s better than any known drug. How goes the investigating?”

Roman flopped down on the couch and Layla sat so she was leaning against his leg. He patted her absently. Mac, of course, had been lying next to Mia’s chair all afternoon, and the two small dogs were flat out on their sides sharing a sliver of sun.

“I talked to a couple of Darby students. They knew Eliza. Had seen her around lots, specifically after the senior Wentworths died. Neither of them remembered her being there on the day Maryanne died.”

“Bummer. So we’re back to square one on Maryanne’s death being anything more than a suicide. Maybe Eliza didn’t do it. Maybe it’s just a tragic thing that happened because of the parents. I know everyone said she wasn’t suicidal, but you can’t always tell, right?”

“True enough. I got a copy of the note she left. You should read it.”

Roman pulled out his phone, tapped on the screen several times, then handed it to her.

I’m sorry. I was just too sad to go on. I miss my parents so much. Life is cruel and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Eliza, I know we haven’t been getting along. I’m sorry about that, too. Maybe I was wrong. This isn’t your fault so don’t feel bad, because I’m going to a better place now. Tracey Millar, I’ll miss you. Please take my vinyl collection and think of me when you play all our fav retro bands. Kerry Jones, you’ve been a great roommate and really there for me these last few months. I want you to have my government bonds. The rest of my estate goes to my sister, Eliza Anne Wentworth.

“It feels weird. Like sort of personal but sort of not. And what was she wrong about when it came to Eliza? Plus, why give Kerry money and not Tracey? Do you know how much the bonds were worth?”

“Yep, because I looked it up. She got twenty-five thousand. A nice little windfall, wouldn’t you say?”

“Definitely decent. I wonder how Eliza felt about it? Can’t imagine it’d have gone over well.” She tipped her head back and stared up at the ceiling. “Okay we have Eliza buying peanut oil and likely dosing her dad’s food the night he died. We still can’t prove she had anything to do with her sister’s suicide though. So where does that leave us?”

“I’m trying to pin down the origin of the drugs. Maryanne died of a fentanyl overdose, but everyone claims she never used, so where did she get it? Other than the empty bottle, there wasn’t any other drug paraphernalia in the dorm room. No one thinks Kerry was a user either, and she said the same when I asked. Doesn’t mean she didn’t have a secret habit, but it’s not reading that way. Maryanne must have made a one-time purchase for the suicide.”

Mia snorted. “Good luck with that. It’s a college campus, there’ll be drugs everywhere and no one will admit to selling to the dead girl. Maybe I should go hang out in Maryanne’s old room at Darby. Could be I’ll get something.”

“Yeah. I’ve thought the same thing myself. Trouble is, without a warrant, I doubt they’ll let us into the dorms. Colleges can be sticky that way.”

“I’m sure I can talk my way in somehow. I’m up for it if you are,” Mia said.

“It can go on the list. But in the meantime, I’ll keep investigating from this end.” He leaned his head back and sighed. “Enough work for today. I need a night off. How about you? Any downtime available in that strict schedule of yours?”

She ran her fingers over the finished jewelry and smiled. “Definitely. You’re looking at a girl who only has two outstanding orders, and they’re not due to ship for a couple of days. “Sheryl is going to do cartwheels when she comes in tomorrow.”

“Perfect. Because that means you and I can order a pizza, open a bottle of wine, and sit out with the dogs while we watch the sun set. Maybe later we could even stroll under the moonlight.”

Mia got up and walked over to the couch before lowering onto his lap. “Moonlight strolls are my favorites. I have this feeling you’re going to get really, really lucky tonight.”

His smile was wicked. “Will you tie me up this time or just stick with the face slapping?”

She leaned close until their lips were a hairsbreadth apart. “Who knows what I’ll do. You’ll have to wait and see.”

Chapter Eighteen

“Good morning,” Sheryl called out when she walked into Mia’s workroom the next day. “Isn’t it beautiful out there?”

Mia looked up from the necklace she was working on. “Wow. Someone woke up happy.”

“Could be because I got the first half of the email sequence re-done. You’ll need to go over it, of course, but I think it’s pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.” She glanced down and her eyes widened when she saw the neat stack of finished orders. “Oh, my. You’ve been busy.”

“Yep. I know how you hate it when I get behind. Anyway, I’ll get this jade necklace done in the next hour or so and the only other outstanding is the citrine earrings.” She paused and made a face. “Unless you’re about to tell me we had a rush of overnight orders.”

Sheryl shook her head then frowned. “Not a rush, no. But we do have a special request. I wasn’t even going to ask, but since you’re all squared away right now maybe you’d consider doing it.”

“Maybe. Who wants what and when?” she said, rolling her hand.

“A woman would like you to make a pair of matching bracelets for her and her friend. They’re both going through a hard time right now. Apparently, her friend loves your stuff and has been following you ever since you made Melinda Frost’s necklace a couple of years ago. Anyway, she thought if they each had a special piece of jewelry, it would help them. Ground them or some such thing.”

Mia shrugged. “Sure. Of course I’ll do it. Why were you so worried?”

“Because she wants it today and she was hoping to pick it up.”

“Um … that’s asking a lot. And you know I don’t let customers come to my house.”

“I know. I already told her that. She wondered if you could suggest an alternate place. She just really wants her friend to meet you and get the gift in person. She thinks it would give her a boost right now when she’s so low. She’s happy to pay whatever you say is necessary. Apparently, money’s no object.”

“Why do people always want to meet me?” Mia sat back in her chair and frowned. “The whole point of this business is me staying at home with my dogs and not having to interact with the customers.”

“I know. But a lot of folks seem to be pulled toward you. I get this request plenty. Most of the time I don’t tell you about it but for some reason, this one tugged at me. And you know I’m not exactly known to be touchy-feely.”

Mia burst out laughing when she looked over and saw the older woman kneel down and rub Tucker’s belly, a besotted expression on her weather-worn face.

“You can be a hard ass, but we both know you’re actually a big old softy. Especially when it comes to a certain miniature dachshund. And you take such good care of me and my business.” She paused and blew out a breath. “Well, since I’m so on top of things, I do have the time. And an extra big paycheck never hurt my feelings. Charge her double for the rush order and if she’s willing to come to Dalton, an extra hundred for the delivery. I have to take Mac into the vets to check that spider bite on his back anyway.”

“Will do, boss. Let me just print up the request so you can start working on it.”

***

It was early evening when Mia let Mac out of the Escape and led him over to the small section of grass in front of City Hall.

“See, I told you everything would be okay,” she said, smiling down when he began sniffing the base of a metal sculpture. “The vet visit is already in your rearview mirror, isn’t it, big guy?”

She checked her phone, noting she was a few minutes late for the jewelry meetup, but there was no sign of the women. Oh, well. The order had already been paid for, so if they were a no-show, it was no skin off her nose. Other than the time and nuisance.

Pulling up her messages, she made sure there was nothing from Sheryl saying they’d cancelled then settled in to wait. She decided to give them ten minutes’ leeway. Even the best-laid plans could get snarled by a traffic jam.

Maybe she and Roman should eat in town tonight. Gabe’s Diner had a patio area, and she was pretty sure he would let her bring Mac in. Or they could try the new Mexican place just off Main Street. That cuisine was usually good for having plant-based options on the menu. She tipped her head back and tried to remember if they had outdoor dining. If not, takeout would be just as good.

She typed out a message to Roman.

Do you have any plans tonight?

Depends. Are you asking me out?

Maybe. How about we try Holy Guacamole? I have Mac so either we eat outside or do takeout.

Whatever is fine. You decide. What time?

Soon. I’m doing a client drop off right now. If they show. Shouldn’t be more than ten minutes or so. Meet you there?

Can’t wait. Text me when you’re done. And since when do you do drop-offs?

I know. It was a weak moment.

Mac came alert before she did. He moved to stand next to her then turned and faced the two women as they approached. One was medium height with dark hair cut into a blunt bob and thick bangs over blue eyes. The second was petite, curvaceous, and had long silky black hair.

Mia’s first thought was that the second woman looked like a mermaid.

Her next thought was, Holy shit, that’s Eliza Wentworth.

Chapter Nineteen

“Hi. Are you Mia from Healing Crystals?” the woman with the bob asked.

Mia didn’t react at first. Her eyes stayed fixed on Eliza’s face. Finally, she blinked and shifted her gaze to bob woman.

“That’s me,” she managed while her mind whirled.

Mac must have sensed her unease for he whined once and shifted against her. Warmth radiated from his body to her thigh, and her hand immediately stroked his head.

“Great. I’m Kerry and this is Eliza,” she said. “We’re beyond excited about the bracelets. I just love everything you make. You’re so talented.”

How crazy was it that out of all the custom jewelry makers in the Nashville area, Eliza Wentworth and her friend had chosen her? Still, now that her brain was coming back online, she realized this was an unbelievable opportunity.

“That’s such a nice thing to say. Thanks. And I’m sorry for whatever you’re going through. My assistant told me it’s been a really hard time.”

Eliza nodded and pressed her glossy pink lips together. Huge lashes framed her hazel—trending toward green—eyes. Her hair was true black. The kind that gave off a slight blue glow. It hung straight down to her tiny waist like a sheet of glass.

“It’s been tough. We lost someone close to us. It feels like we’ll never get over it, you know?” She took in a breath to steady herself. “But we’re doing our best to move on. Honor that person by living our best possible life.”

“Of course. Good for you.” Mia’s attention was pulled down and it was only then she saw that Eliza had a tiny black and tan dog tucked in her arm. “Oh, wow, who’s this cutie?”

“I’d like you to meet Jean Paul Gaultier. You can call him JP. He’s seven months old and the love of my life.”

Mia offered the back of her hand, and the Miniature Pincher sniffed cautiously before quickly retracting his head. “Aw. You’re shy, little one. You should put him down and he can meet Mac. I promise he’s very gentle.”

“That dog is the size of a pony,” Kerry said. “JP would barely be an appetizer for him.”

“Oh, I don’t know. JP doesn’t do well with big dogs,” Eliza said, hugging him closer.

“Or any dog, really. He’s a mama’s boy,” Kerry said.

“He probably just needs some socializing. Here, I’ll hold Mac, and you put him down and see how he does,” Mia said.

Eliza hesitated, glancing from Mia to Mac and back again. “Okay. I guess we could try.”

She crouched down and set him gently on the grass at her feet. Mac remained as still as a statue, only his eyes moved as he watched the tiny JP slink behind his mother’s legs.

“Just leave him be for a minute. He might want to spread his wings a little and say hello to Mac once he’s got his bearings. Especially if we ignore the situation. Look, his little nose is twitching. He really wants to come over.”

“But he’s so scared he’s shaking. I hate to see him like this,” Eliza said. She gathered him up in her arms again. “He’s not ready. And I don’t want to force him.”

“Okay. It’s your call,” Mia said, privately thinking the poor Min Pin would never have any friends if Eliza didn’t stop hovering and projecting her fear all over him.

“Can we see the bracelets?” Kerry asked, clearly not interested in canine sociology.

“Of course.” Mia unzipped her sling purse and pulled out two slender purple boxes, handing one to each woman.

“Oh. It’s stunning. Look at those colors,” Eliza said, running her finger back and forth across the pink and black stones.

“I used rhodonite. I didn’t know what your particular situation was when I was making them, but this crystal helps with heartbreak, loss, and grief. From what you just told me, it sounds like it’s exactly what the doctor ordered,” Mia said.

“Very pretty. I love it,” Kerry said, and she grinned at Eliza. “We’re going to be bracelet buddies.”

“I guess so,” Eliza said.

“Wow. Now that’s what I call an engagement ring. It’s stunning. I wish I’d thought to get an east-west setting. They’re so in right now,” Mia said, pointing to Eliza’s left hand.

“Oh, thanks. Yeah. I love it. My finance went all out.” She ran a finger lovingly over the diamond then smiled and glanced down at Mia’s hand. “Yours is … pretty. When are you getting married?”

“My guy had it made. He used the citrine stones from his mother’s engagement ring and added the diamond from … well, he picked it out specially. Our wedding is soon. Beginning of November. I have so much to do my head is constantly filled with details. It’s fun planning a wedding, isn’t it? How’re you doing with yours?”

“Great. We go before you. Ours is September eight and it’s pretty much all set.”

“Congratulations. Is it around here?”

“Her fiancé’s family has a house on Crawford Lake. It’s going to be amazing. There’ll be a big tent and the view over the lake is first class. I’m Eliza’s maid of honor,” Kerry said.

“I’m doing the tent deal too. Are you using Big Top?” Mia asked.

“We went with Canvas Palace. They had the more upscale models we were looking for,” Eliza said.

“What about caterers and wines? Those are tough choices. I mean the food’s got to be good, but you don’t want to break the bank, right? I settled on Best Eats and Palmer’s Vineyards.”

Eliza shrugged and spread her arms wide. “I’m lucky. Money is no object.”

“Eliza and Scott are only using top wedding vendors from Nashville. The ones all the big country stars use. It’s going to be mega amazing. And Eliza’s dress is a Vera Wang.” Kerry’s hand patted her chest and her face went dreamy. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.”

“Wow. It sounds like it’s going to be quite the event.”

When the conversation dropped off, Mia cast about for something else to say. Anything to keep Eliza talking. She didn’t want to let this moment slip away without getting information that could help their case or at least point them in a new direction to investigate.

She noticed the two women share a look, then Kerry nodded and Eliza took a step closer to Mia. Close enough Mia could smell the musky scent she wore and see that her skin appeared to be poreless. Like it had been airbrushed.  

Mack rumbled low in his throat.

“Yeah. My wedding will be awesome. And I’m not going to let anything get in the way. Not Jennifer and Thomas. Not you. And certainly not Roman Mancini,” she said in a low, menacing voice.

Shock hit Mia like a cattle prod and electricity raced over her skin while her heartbeat pounded loudly in her ears. She glanced to Kerry, who stood with shoulders squared and mouth set in a hard line, then back to Eliza. Mac nudged in between her legs and Eliza’s, and she automatically grabbed his collar.

“I’m not … what do you mean?” she finally managed.

“Don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I mean. Stop looking into my background. You’re not going to find anything because I’ve done nothing wrong. And I can promise you, Scott’s head over heels in love with me.” Her smile was smug, and she fluttered her lashes and shook her hair back. “So in love he’ll never call off the wedding. You’re just wasting your time.”  

Kerry crowded in and now Mac let out a full-bodied growl. When she glanced down, she saw the hackles on the back of his neck had risen.

“Hey, easy, my man,” Mia soothed. “They’re not going to hurt me. Not in the middle of Dalton in broad daylight.”

Eliza tipped her head and gazed up at Mia. She was still overly close. Mia could see that a ring of light brown circled her pupil and there were tiny brown flecks speckling her iris.

“You’re right, we won’t do anything today. At least nothing physical,” she said. “This is just a warning because I’m not the cry-myself-to-sleep type. When I’m under attack I fight back.”

“So you’re threatening me?” Mia said softly, staring straight back into Eliza’s eyes.

As quickly as she could, she reached out with her senses. The connection was gratifyingly swift. Inside, Eliza was furious which exactly matched her exterior. But when Mia dug deeper, a strong current of fear flashed through.

Eliza’s glossy lips twisted into a snarl, and though JP struggled in her arms, she held tight. Mia felt a tremble roll through Mac’s body. 

“Yeah. I’m threatening you. Leave me alone or this isn’t going to go well for you or Roman,” Eliza said.

“I can’t believe you’d try and hurt her after everything she’s been through. You’re despicable. Immoral. People like you should be ashamed of themselves,” Kerry said, putting her arm around her friend’s shoulders. “This poor girl just needs some peace and happiness in her life.”

When Mac growled, Mia heard the imminent threat in his tone. “No. Sit. Right now.” She gave him the hand signal and said “Sit” again while maintaining eye-contact with the Doberman. It took longer than she liked before his butt slowly lowered to the grass.

“I’m glad we met,” Mia said easily. “It’s always nice to size up an opponent. But since you have nothing to hide, why do you care if we investigate your background? And FYI, we’ll keep doing the job until the client tells us otherwise.”

Eliza nodded once then gave a sort of careless half shrug, but Mia felt the fear even more clearly now.

“Okay. But don’t say we didn’t give you a chance to walk away before things got bad.”

“You realize that setting up this elaborate meeting to warn me is only making me believe you’re guilty as hell of something. I’m guessing that’s the opposite of what you wanted. So now let me warn you right back. We won’t stop until we figure out what you’re trying so hard to hide. And you’d better hope Scott doesn’t get so much as a hangnail or we’ll be looking at you to make amends,” Mia said, making sure to keep a firm grip on Mac’s collar.

Kerry pulled on Eliza’s arm. “Let’s go. I told you this was a big waste of time,” she muttered.

They started to turn away and suddenly JP came alive. He squirmed in Eliza’s arms, his bark ferociously high pitched. She barely prevented him from leaping free.

Meanwhile, Mac lowered as though ready to spring and Mia turned to face him. “Stay,” she said in a strong but calm voice. “He’s smaller than you and it’s not his fault he’s got a bad mama.”

“This isn’t over,” Eliza said while still struggling to contain JP.

Mia kept one eye on Mac and watched the two women walk across the grass to a Honda Civic and drive away. She released the Doberman who immediately sniffed the ground where the women had been then glanced all around the area as though not convinced they were gone.

“We’re okay. We’re fine. Take it easy, Mac. I’ve never seen you this agitated.” When he finally returned to her side and lifted his head to stare up at her, she dropped into a crouch and threw her arms around his strong shoulders. “You can’t let it bother you. It’s part of the job and means we must be getting close to something Eliza doesn’t want found. Now we just have to figure out what, exactly, she’s so afraid of.”

She paused and blew out a breath, letting the tension drain away from her body. Mac sighed as though in sympathy. Her phone pinged and she held still another few beats, still hugging the Doberman.

“Suddenly I don’t feel like eating in town tonight. Let’s just go home,” she said aloud.

As she stood, she noticed one of the boxes with the rhodonite bracelet lay in the grass. She picked it up and tucked it back into her purse. There was a full moon due in a couple of weeks that would clear the stones of the negative energy. Waste not, want not, she thought.

Chapter Twenty

Half an hour later, Mia watched Roman’s car tear along the gravel driveway and practically skid to a stop in front of the house. He jogged up to the front door carrying a large paper bag.

“Chill. We’re all fine,” she said. “No sign of anyone trying to breach the grounds.”

He set the bag down on the counter. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.

“Of course. It’s not like they pulled a gun or a knife on me. I’m just mad I didn’t learn anything new to help us. We should eat. I’m starved.”

She opened the bag and pulled out the two plastic containers with ‘Holy Guacamole’ stamped on the clear lids. Someone had written vegan in black marker on one of them and she kept that for herself, handing Roman the second meal.

“Should we stay inside just in case? Is it likely she’d take a shot at us?”

His head moved slowly side to side. “If what we think about the deaths in her family is true, Eliza’s modus operandi is poison. There’s nothing in her background to point at her being a shooter or even engaging in physical violence. I’d say we’re likely safe, but if you’d feel better staying in then we can do that.”

“Yeah. You’re right. That calms me somewhat.” She blew out a breath and glanced down at the dogs snuffling by her feet. “Still, maybe let’s eat in the kitchen.”

“Sure. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious. And I try to make it a policy to never predict what a cornered animal might do. From what you said, Eliza feels well and truly cornered.”

Mia tucked the napkin holder under her arm then grabbed her glass of soda water and the takeout container and marched over to the bistro table by the window. “Yeah. I’d say that’s accurate.”

“Hey, come here, Mac,” Roman said, reaching a hand across to stroke the dog’s head. “I heard you stood up, big time. Way to guard my girl.”

“He was pissed. Dogs are so good at reading energy,” Mia said. She took a bite of her burrito and sighed. “This is amazing.”

“I know you already told me everything. But I want you to go through the meetup one more time.”

She put down her burrito, took a sip of water, and did. He stopped her repeatedly, asking for her observations on body language, tone, and the interaction between the two women. When she was done, he sat back and rubbed a hand across his chin.

“Let me play the devil’s advocate for a minute. If Eliza’s completely innocent, it would seem counterintuitive to threaten you and us. But maybe she’s just lost so much in her life she’s running scared, you know?”

“You mean, she sees Scott as her only chance at happiness and she’ll do anything to protect the relationship? I guess.” She held up a hand like a stop sign. “But if he finds out she threatened us and by extension his parents, wouldn’t she be worried it would give him pause for thought?”

“Maybe. And if she really has nothing to hide, why not let us look all we want?” He nodded. “The guilty scenario seems way more likely when you look at it like that.”

Mia picked up her burrito again and took a bite, chewing slowly while she thought. “You don’t think she’ll go after Jennifer and Thomas, do you?”

“Good question. I can’t see it right now. Scott would, for sure, hear about that, and it doesn’t paint Eliza in a nice light, does it? Still, we’d best bring her up to date.”

He reached for his cell on the table beside him and began texting. Mia concentrated on her food while the messages pinged back and forth. Finally, she sat back and rubbed a hand across her stomach.

“That was truly excellent. We’re definitely going back to Holy Guacamole. Plus, it’s fun saying the name,” she said, smiling across at Roman.

He lifted his gaze from the screen of his cell and grinned back at her. “Yeah. It is. Jennifer wants to get together tomorrow morning. She asked if we could go to their house. And Thomas wants in, too.”

“Sure. I’m kind of curious to meet him.”

“Great. I’ll set it up.”

***

The next morning, Mia and Roman made the drive to the east side of Crawford Lake where all the impressive vacation homes had been carved along the shoreline.

“It already seems like it was eons ago we were out here searching for Clary.” Mia shuddered. “I still think about that case sometimes. Elisha texted me last week. She’s over the top excited for our wedding. She’s going to be the most adorable flower girl ever.”

“I’ll bet.” He peered through the windshield. “I think that’s it at the bend up ahead.”

“Fancy,” Mia said. “Look at that front porch. It’s glorious.”

Roman turned onto the driveway and bumped his way along the gravel to the two-story post-and-beam house. An electrician’s truck was parked in front, and he slotted the Escape in behind the van.

When they rang the bell, Jennifer opened the door and welcomed them in.

“Thanks for making the drive. I didn’t want to cancel the electrician. We’re planning a party for Scott and Eliza. I figured it was a good way to prove we’re getting behind them as a couple, like you suggested. Turns out we had a problem with the fuse panel. Good thing we figured it out now before the actual wedding. Unless you have some good news for us? I’d so love to cancel the whole darn thing.”

“Let’s wait until we sit down, and you can decide what to make of it,” Roman said.

“Of course.” She stepped back and swept her arm wide. “Please, come in. I made sun tea. Why don’t you sit in the great room and I’ll call Thomas.”

Inside the house, Mia’s main impression was of wood. Golden brown wood paneling reached halfway up the walls. Wood ceilings. Wide-planked wood floors. All polished and gleaming. The rest of the palette, including furniture and rugs, was a soft white.

The main area was open, with the kitchen on the same wall as the front door, and the great room and dining area side by side facing the lake. The back of the house was floor to ceiling windows overlooking a small section of lawn which ran straight into a rocky shore then out to the water.

Roman walked over to the window and studied the view. “Not too shabby.”

“It certainly ticks all the boxes,” Mia murmured before lowering to a large, white sectional sofa.

Behind her, Jennifer’s footsteps receded to the right. She heard her call Thomas before padding back to the kitchen.

“Your house is lovely. I especially like all the wood,” Mia said.

“Thanks. We love it here. It’s nice to get out of the city and just breathe fresh air.”

Jennifer walked into the sitting area carrying a tray and set it on the coffee table. After dispensing tall glasses of sun tea to Mia and Roman, she put out a plate of cookies and napkins with hummingbirds on them. Roman immediately snatched up a cookie and took a bite.

“Wow. That’s one top-shelf chocolate chip cookie,” he said, grinning at Jennifer.

“Thanks. I made them. When I’m stressed I clean and I bake.”

Jennifer picked up a glass of sun tea and chose one of the tufted chairs opposite the couch. Her hair was done in a French braid with a few loose curls framing her face. Her makeup was light, and she wore a simple blue, belted sundress that almost exactly matched her eyes.

“Thomas will be right along. I’m so nervous I can barely stand it.” Her eyes searched Roman’s face then swung over to Mia’s. “I’m praying you’ve discovered something that will put an end to this Eliza thing once and for all.”

“Amen,” came a voice from behind them.

A tall, lanky man with red hair shot through with grey came around the couch. He had a long, narrow face and a hawkish nose. Roman and Mia got to their feet.

“This is my husband, Thomas. That’s Roman Mancini and Mia Reeves,” Jennifer said, leaning forward in her chair.

They shook hands with Thomas and he gestured them to sit again before taking the seat next to his wife. He studied them for several seconds before nodding once and clasping his hands together and resting them on his thighs.

“I read the first report you did for Jenn. Very thorough. I was impressed. I’ve been less impressed with the results though. At least so far. I’m hoping you have something today that will boost my confidence we’ll finally be able to shake this wretched woman off my son and out of our family.”

“Why don’t I tell you what happened, and you can decide,” Roman said. “Eliza Wentworth and her friend, Kerry Jones, met up with Mia yesterday evening. Kerry had put in a rush order for two bracelets and paid extra to have a face-to-face pickup with Mia.”

“Oh my gosh, what happened?” Jennifer asked, turning to Mia. “Please tell me you found out something we can use against her.”

“Not exactly. I didn’t know it was Eliza ahead of time, and it wasn’t a chance encounter. She’d engineered the whole thing to let me know she was fully aware you’d hired Roman and me to investigate her. Basically, she told me to back off or bad things would happen,” Mia said.

“She threatened you?” Thomas said, his voice filled with outrage.

“She sure did.”

“Which means we finally have something to use against her.” Jennifer clasped her hands in front of her chest. “This is such great news. I mean, I’m sorry for you, Mia. It must have been unpleasant, but this is proof she’s evil.”

“Hold on. I have questions,” Thomas said. “How did you not know it was her? Did she use a false name on the order?”

Roman nodded. “She sure did. We didn’t find out until after the meet-up of course, but it was a stolen Visa. I’ve reported it to the police and they’re investigating. In fact, my old partner promised to keep an eye on the case for me.”

“What did she threaten to do?” he asked.

“Honestly, nothing specific. Just the aforementioned ‘bad things.’” Mia shrugged. “She also said nothing would stop the wedding going forward, especially not you and Jennifer.”

“She sounds dangerous. We should get a restraining order or something,” Jennifer said.

“It’d be hard to prove at this stage. We have no hard evidence, which means it’s Mia’s word against hers,” Roman said.

“Very annoying,” Thomas said. “Eliza’s proving to be a slippery opponent.”

“Maybe now is the time to take this to Scott. Loop him in,” Mia suggested.

Jennifer and Thomas shared a glance, then he shook his head. “My son is a computer guy. He lives and dies by his data. We have no hard evidence. He’ll never believe it.”

“Especially since he’s stupid in love,” Jennifer said. “I’m afraid if we jump the gun before we can prove she’s a bad person, he’ll only dig in harder.”

“But he’ll at least be forewarned,” Roman said.

Jennifer’s hands clutched at her throat. “Why? Do you think she’ll do something right away?”

“I can’t say for sure but probably not. Until she’s his wife, she won’t stand to gain financially,” Roman said.

“I agree.” Thomas nodded then flicked a glance at Mia. “Are you worried that you’re in danger?”

“Not really. I mean, she’d have to be crazy to attack us knowing we’ve been hired to investigate her. She’s the first person the police would zero in on,” Mia said.

“Still. You should be careful,” Jennifer said.

Thomas rubbed a hand over his eyes. “This whole thing is like a nightmare. I wish they’d never met.”

“But they did. And right out here.” Jennifer pointed through the window to the lake. “Scottie was staying with us for a week. Family time, you know? He always carves out a slot in his schedule every summer, and we love having just the three of us together.”

“Eliza and one of her friends were staying in the next-door house. Kerry, I think. Some of the property owners put their places up on Airbnb when they’re away for an extended period. We wouldn’t do that, of course. The idea of strangers touching our things ….” Thomas shuddered dramatically.

Jennifer continued telling the story. “Anyway, Scott was out one day taking his usual sunrise stroll along the shore and Eliza was in the water. She apparently went out too far and got herself into trouble. Of course, he dove straight in and saved her then carried her all the way up to the back deck of the house. The friend saw the whole thing and immediately started calling Scott a white knight in shining armor.”

“They went on their first date two days later.” Thomas spread his hands wide and shrugged. “And that was pretty much that. Jenn and I could see he was taken with her. Practically head over heels from that first week. He’d had girlfriends before but never seemed that serious.”

“Well, she is very beautiful,” Jennifer said.

“What did you two think of her when you met?” Roman asked.

Jennifer and Thomas glanced at one another. He cleared his throat. “Honestly, beyond her beauty, I didn’t think much of her. She had no substance. Couldn’t really talk about anything worthwhile other than that blasted social media nonsense. It seems like such a waste.”

“She was very nice to me. Overly so. Always complimenting my appearance and fawning over my every comment or small gesture of hospitality. It was tiresome, to tell you the truth, because it felt so fake.”

Mia shifted on the couch. “Did she ever talk about her family?”

Jennifer shook her head. “No. And we didn’t ask. Scott had prepped us the first time she came to dinner and said it was a difficult topic for Eliza. At first, I was sorry for her and also even more worried for Scott. I remember thinking that this girl had way too much emotional baggage and she’d literally latched on to him like a drowning victim.”

Thomas’ smile was grim. “Ironic, isn’t it? And it made me wonder if the whole thing hadn’t been a setup in the first place. I just can’t figure out how she targeted him.”

“Thanks for the info. It helps give us a rounder picture of Eliza. I’m assuming you want us to continue with your case?” Roman asked.

Thomas’ eyebrows drew together. “Of course. It feels like you’re finally getting somewhere. We cannot have this woman marry our son. If she’s bold enough to come right out and threaten you, who knows what else she’s capable of.”

Chapter Twenty-one

“That went okay, I guess,” Mia said once they were back in their SUV and driving home.

“Sure. You realize if they hadn’t wanted us to stay on the case, we’d have had to keep going regardless. No way we can let someone like Eliza chase us off.”

“So now it’s a pissing contest?” Mia said with a laugh.

“Maybe. I don’t know.” Roman shook his head. “The whole thing makes me mad. The nerve of her coming after you like that.”

“Babe, you don’t need to worry. I can take care of myself.”

“Yeah. I mostly know you can. But still. It irks me.”

“Well, I guess that’ll give you plenty of inspiration to get digging and find us some more clues,” Mia said.

“You can bet on it.  As soon as we get home, I’ll start calling former Darby students from Maryanne’s dorm. Maybe someone remembers something now that more time has passed. Something that didn’t seem important when it happened. I’ll use every interrogation trick in the book to try and squeeze it out of them.”

“Or we could go in person. I might sense something.”

“For sure. But they’re probably scattered all over the state if not the country by now. I’d need to cull out the most likely to have info and plot out a sensible interview route. I’m also going to attempt to nail down the source of the fentanyl from Maryanne’s overdose. Someone bought it and if I can figure out who, that could turn the suicide into a murder case and maybe point the finger straight at Eliza,” Roman said.

“It’s a bit like finding a needle in a haystack though, isn’t it?”

Roman clenched his jaw. “Doesn’t mean it’s impossible. And since those are the only threads I have to tug on right now, I might as well get down to it.”

“I wish you so much luck. And I’m ready to help with anything. Just say the word. You should also check in with the police and see if they’ve made progress on the stolen card Eliza used to pay for the bracelet order.”

“Of course. But I’m not expecting any miracles there. Since it was an online order, she didn’t even need the physical card, just the number. It’s doubtful there’ll be any tie to her.”

“Yeah. I know.” She sighed “Something tells me I’m not getting paid. I still have one of the bracelets, but it pisses me off all over again just thinking about it.”

He steered the Escape to a stop in front of their log house. “Don’t let her get in your head.”

“I won’t. Aw, look. The dogs are sunning themselves on the deck. They’re so adorable I can barely stand it. See how Layla and Tucker are lying back to back?” When Roman remained silent, she glanced over and saw his expression was serious. “What?”

“Nothing exactly. I was just remembering last night and how we batted around whether Eliza would come after us physically.”

“And you thought of that right now because you think I should keep the dogs inside?”

He shrugged. “I wish I knew for sure. My gut tells me we’re safe at the moment but it’s not something I want to be wrong about. Still, we have this place wired up with cameras. It’d be damn tricky to get on the property.”

“Best money I ever spent. You should check the camera behind the shed. I noticed some vines have grown over and blocked part of the view.”

“I’m on it,” Roman said, opening the door and stepping out.

“And I’m gonna eat. Some of us didn’t scarf down three cookies.”

“Too bad for you, because they were excellent.”

Inside the house, the dogs rushed her in the foyer as if she’d been gone for days. As always, it brightened her mood. By the time she’d said hello to each of the canines and thrown a salad together, she was feeling much better about life.

She wandered into the workroom at the front of the house and found Sheryl frowning at the laptop.

“Hey. Everything okay?”

The older woman jerked and patted a hand over her heart. “You scared the bejesus out of me. I knew you were home but sometimes you move through this house like a ghost.”

Mia glanced at the dogs by her feet. “Even with these guys on my tail?”

“Oh. Well. I guess I was concentrating harder than I thought. It’s been a weird day.”

Mia’s heart plummeted. “How so?”

“I know you told me to watch over the orders after what happened with that girl yesterday. Make sure nothing looked suspicious. I don’t know if it’s my sinister mind or not but now everything looks off.”

“Okay.” She set the bowl of salad on her worktable and pulled a chair up beside Sheryl. “Show me.”

“First off, we’ve had a lot of orders. Like the most we’ve ever had in one day, at least since I started working for you.”

“I see that.” Mia squinted at the screen. “I don’t think I’ve ever had thirty-seven in only a few hours. Even right after Melinda Frost gave me a shout out on that talk show, my biggest day was in the high teens.”

Sheryl used the mouse to scroll down the list. “I know at least two of them are legit. This one here, Kate Moses, I’ve been emailing back and forth with her since last week. And Ester Robinson is a repeat customer. You made moonstone earrings for her a few months ago. As for the rest, I don’t know.”

Mia wanted to punch the screen but instead she crossed her arms over her chest. “I think, given the circumstances, we’re going to have to assume the rest are fraudulent until proven otherwise.”

“But—” Sheryl shifted in her chair, her face filled with horror, “what if some of them are actual customers and we turn them away? You stand to lose lots of revenue. At least several hundred dollars, if not more.”

“True. Okay, then, I have an idea but it’s going to mean a boatload of extra work and tons of aggravation. I’ll pay you extra, I promise. What I want you to do is call each of the remaining new orders and see if you can verify them. This Eliza person could maybe have a burner phone but no way she has thirty of them. If anyone won’t give out their phone number, you can suggest the order will still go through if they provide a screenshot of their ID to match the credit card on record.”

“Yeah. I could do that. It’s gonna take hours, though. I won’t be able to finish the email automation.”

Mia patted Sheryl’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about the email for now. This is more important. In fact, I’ll split it with you. It’ll go faster that way. And there’s no point in me starting to make any new jewelry until this is sorted out.”

“Except for Kate and Ester. Those are real.”

“Sure. But let’s make a start on this anyway. I’m just going to slip out and let Roman know, then you and I will storm through this list.”

She hurried to the kitchen where she found Roman making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“I know I said I wasn’t hungry, but I sort of am, so sue me. I’m going to head into my office in town for the rest of the day. You’re okay being here, just you and Sheryl?” He flicked a glance at her then dropped the knife on the counter and whirled around. “What is it? What’s happened?”

She told him about the unusual orders. “This is such a pain. If she keeps this up, it could cripple my business.”

His expression had gone to stone while she told him. Now he bared his teeth and shook his head. “Eliza’s gone way over the line. We should call Kevin in on this, don’t you think?”

Mia rubbed a hand over her face. “Maybe. I don’t know. I’m guessing Dalton PD doesn’t have a crack IT division?”

“Okay. No, they don’t. But it’d still be good to get it on the record.”

“Not if it slows me down. I need to fix this. And fast. How about I screenshot everything? And I obviously won’t delete the orders from my system for now.”

“What if she keeps doing it for days and days? Maybe she’s set up some sort of automation,” he said.

“Thanks for that. Just what I need to hear right now.”

He stepped over and put his arm around her shoulders. “Babes, I’m sorry. This sucks large and wide. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Yeah. Bag the bitch.”

“I’m going to get right on it.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Maybe I’ll stick around here. Just in case.”

She flicked a hand in front of her. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter to me either way. In fact, I wish she would take a run at me. I’m so mad I think I could tear her apart with my bare hands.” She sighed and leaned into him for a beat. “I’d better get back out there and help Sheryl. It’s going to be a long afternoon.”

“Good luck.”

“You too.”

Mia barely noticed Roman poking his head into the workroom over the next few hours as she and Sheryl worked furiously to sort out the scam orders from the legitimate ones. It was almost nine o’clock when she finally pushed back from the desk and stood to stretch her arms over her head.

“That’s about the end of it. What’s our tally?” she asked Sheryl.

“Looks like five true orders, thirty fakes, and two outstanding.”

Mia shook her head in disgust. “What a waste of time. And now I’m getting behind again just when I’d caught up.”

“Some people are just evil, plain and simple,” Sheryl said.

“You’ve got that right. Thanks for staying so late. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Of course. Not going to leave you high and dry, am I? But now that we’re done, it’s time for me to get on. Thanks again for dinner. I appreciate you feeding me. See you in the morning?”

“You bet. Let’s hope tomorrow is a better day.”

Once Sheryl had left, Mia pulled out her phone and immediately sent an e-transfer. Her assistant had really come through for her and, in Mia’s opinion, that kind of loyalty deserved to be rewarded.

She gathered up the wrappers from the hastily eaten dinner provided by Roman and Mr. Sub and walked back to the kitchen. The dogs rushed to the sliding door and she let them out then, pausing a second, stepped onto the deck to watch over her pack. Not that she could shield them from bullets, but still, it didn’t feel right leaving them alone, just in case.

Surely Eliza couldn’t be a crack shot as well as a computer hacking mastermind?

She’d been compiling a list of all the credit card numbers used in the scam attempt on her business, and Roman had been feeding the numbers through to someone on the Dalton Police Department. Hopefully it would help the victims to know they’d been hacked before too much damage was done.

Crickets chirped everywhere around her, and the air was pleasantly warm as opposed to the stifling heat she was becoming used to living in Tennessee these past two years. Glancing back at the house, she noted Roman’s office light was shining brightly. In the next instant, he came into view and stared down at her as if he’d somehow sensed she was there.

Maybe he was getting a little bit psychic, too.

He lifted a hand in salute, and though she couldn’t make out his face she felt the restless energy coming off him in waves. Looks like he’d had a crap day, too. She sighed then called the dogs and went back inside.

Chapter Twenty-two

When Mia woke the next morning, she felt a surge of hope. Dealing with yesterday’s scam orders had been an absolute pain in the ass, but surely today would be better. She’d been so tired the previous night, she’d briefly stopped to talk to Roman in his office then fallen asleep before he’d come to bed. Now she was desperate to hear what progress he’d made.

She turned over and found his side of the bed empty. And now that she thought about it, the dogs were unnaturally quiet. Sitting up, she surveyed the room. Not even Mac remained. Her eyes flicked over to the clock on the bedside table and she saw with a jolt it was almost eight o’clock.

Wow. Somehow she’d slept thought the mass exodus of the canines who would’ve been insanely happy that breakfast was in their sights and no doubt jostling and bumping one another in their excitement. They often sounded like a heard of baby elephants.

Yesterday must have taken more out of her than she’d realized.

After a lightning-fast shower, during which time Mac returned and lay across the doorway to the bathroom, she threw on some clothes and trotted down the stairs. Roman was hunched over the table nursing a cup of coffee.

“Well, if it isn’t sleeping beauty,” he said. “Feel better?”

“Much. I’m so ready to take on this day. Sorry I conked on you last night. How’d you sleep?”

He lifted a hand and tipped it side to side. “Not great. Couldn’t shut down my brain.”

“Aw. That sucks.” She walked over to him and leaning down, planted a deliberately chaste kiss on his cheek. “There. All better now.”

Quick as a flash, he pushed back from the table, his arms came around her and drew her down onto his lap. He stared into her eyes for a beat before cupping her chin and bringing his lips to hers. The kiss started out soft and slow, but then he tipped his head and his tongue plundered, stealing her breath and making her heart jump in her chest and her skin come alive with goosebumps.

Time spun out.

The world and all its problems disappeared.

When she’d all but melted into a gooey puddle of wax on his lap, he pulled back and sighed.

“Now that’s the kind of kiss that makes things better,” he said, resting his forehead against hers.

“I’ll say.” Her fingers stroked across his stubbled cheeks. “How’d the investigating go yesterday?”

“Not great.” He straightened back against the chair. “Why don’t you make yourself a cup of that mint tea you love so much, and I’ll fill you in.”

When she sat across from him and cupped her hands around the warm mug, he reached to the bench seat by the window and picked up several sheets of paper.

“Before we talk about my progress in Eliza’s case, or lack thereof, I wanted to bring up something else. Or rather, revisit something we already discussed.”

She plucked up the pages and scanned the title, reading aloud.  “Prenup agreement between Roman Alfonso Mancini and Mia Eleanor Reeves.” Her eyes shot out daggers and she thrust the paper toward him. “I told you. I don’t need a prenup.”

“Stop being a big baby and just read it already,” he said.

“Fine.” She growled low in her throat but did as he asked before glaring at him from across the desk. “Where’d you get this thing? I hope you didn’t spend a bunch of money on a lawyer.”

“A friend of a friend put me onto this guy, and it wasn’t much. I really want you to sign it.”

“This is beyond stupid. I already told you I’m not worried about my money. Even if we did ….” She paused and took in a big gulp of air. “You’re a good and honest person. You’d never go after me like that. This is unnecessary and completely bad luck.”

“Come on, Mia. We’ve both seen more than enough of the dark side of humanity. Anyone is capable of anything when emotions are involved. That’s why domestic calls are the most dangerous for police officers. It’s all that history and love and rage boiling over everywhere. And by having this prenup, the worry goes away for me. No matter what happens between us, I want to make sure I never hurt you.”

Mia slumped over and rubbed a hand back and forth across her forehead. “I don’t want to fight about this.” She sat up straight again and looked him in the eye. “But everything in me is screaming not to sign this stupid thing. It’s like tempting the devil or something. Like I don’t trust you or think you’re the kind of person I can believe in. It just feels wrong.”

“Babes, if our relationship is shaky enough that you’re afraid of superstition, maybe we need to talk about it. What exactly is worrying you?”

“I honestly wasn’t worried until you brought up this whole stupid topic.”

“And now you are?” he asked in a soft voice.

“No. Not really. But it has given me pause.” She looked away from his probing gaze and chuckled. “Don’t you think it’s funny that both Eliza and I are refusing to sign a prenup?”

“But for entirely different reasons.” He blew out a breath in frustration. “Look. You have insurance on the house and car. Think of it the same way. It’s just a guarantee you’ll be okay if the worst happens.”

“I don’t understand why you think our marriage won’t go okay. What are you worried about?”

“I don’t know.” His hand rubbed up and down along the outside of his thigh. “Nothing … everything. More than half of marriages end in divorce, so we only have a fifty-fifty shot here.”

“But we one hundred percent love each other and are going in with eyes wide open. Especially since we started the Pre-Cana classes at St. Peter’s. We’ve been discussing and deciding on things I’d never have thought about before. Like care of parents and savings strategies and … I mean, last time we talked about whether we would get our son circumcised, for heaven’s sake. We’re proofing our marriage better than ninety percent of the population ever does.”

He tipped his head slowly side to side. “True. But circumstances change. People change. Ten years ago, I was a typical closed-down male and raging at the world. Ten or fifteen years from now I have no idea who I’ll be or what we might face.”

“Hey.” She reached across the table and grasped his hand. “You’ve been through a lot. Losing your sister like that was traumatic. No wonder you were closed down and mad. And you’re right about the future, we don’t know what’ll happen. It could be great or it could be awful. Either way, you’ll take what you’ve learned from the earlier parts of your life, and you’ll stand strong because in your core, that’s who you are. And I’ll be standing right there next to you.”

She felt it then. The fear. The anticipatory dread. It was eating at him like a cancer.

“Yeah. I’m sure you’re right,” was all he said though.

“Wait. Do you think I’m gonna bail on us? Is that what’s at the bottom of this prenup idea?” She snatched her hand back and stared at him with wide eyes.

“I don’t think that … I mean … I hope you won’t.” He swallowed and looked away.

“I’m a bad bet, huh? Not to be trusted. Liable to flake out and walk away after stomping all over your heart. Why the hell do you want to marry me at all?”

He slumped back in his chair. “No. That’s not it. I can’t … it’s hard to explain.” He shook his head and his eyes fell away from hers. “Maybe it’s actually not that hard to explain, but it’s hard as hell to admit out loud. I guess if there was ever a time for honesty, this is it. Look. The thing is, I know I love you more than you love me.”

His hand shot out when she surged to her feet. “Wait. Just listen. It happens that way sometimes with couples. One person is more into it than the other. And I’m that person. You want to know why I’m marrying you? Because I love you so damn much I can’t not. My life would be empty and meaningless without you in it and that scares me to death. So, I’m doing everything I can think of to make sure we’ll both be okay no matter what happens.”

Mia slowly sank back onto the chair and clasped her hands together while she worked to calm her breathing.

“You think I don’t feel the same? You think this marriage is a lark for me? Just something to jot down on my calendar for November first? I’m scared too. Have I been honest enough about myself? Do you know me fully and if you saw all the deep-down crappy parts, would you still love me? And FYI, I’m doing my best to eject all that deep-down dumpster fire stuff, but you keep putting me situations that bring me face to face with it all over again.”

“The PI cases, you mean?”

Mia’s mind flashed to Brooke’s suggestion that Roman rejoin the police department, then decided it wasn’t exactly the right time to bring it up. After they settled the prenup and closed the Lambs’ case, she’d see how she felt and maybe broach the subject then. She couldn’t decide if she was being smart or simply a big fat coward.

“Yeah. The cases. I know you live and die for that stuff. It’s your passion and you’re so good at it. I’m not going to take it away from you. And I’ve realized recently, it’s better for me to be involved. Like you said, I give help that no one else can. And it makes you happy so it’s all worth it in the end.”

“You think it’s worth it even now? When you’ve been threatened and your business is under attack?”

Her eyes blazed. “Hell, yeah. Eliza needs to go down. And it will give me so much pleasure to help make sure that happens.”

His eyes dropped to the prenup lying between them on the table. “Please just sign that damn thing so I can stop thinking about it.”

She stared down at the agreement then her eyes flicked back to his face. It was easy to read the emotion in those gorgeous brown eyes. He was clearly suffering, and she had it within her power to take away the worry. Plus, it didn’t exactly cost her a thing beyond rubbing up against her line of superstitious thinking.

“I can’t stop you doubting me. I can’t prove that I won’t leave at some point other than showing up each and every day with an open heart and a commitment to our relationship. But I’ll sign the stupid prenup if it makes you feel better. I just wish there was something else I could do to ease your fears,” she said before initialing in the appropriate places and scrawling her signature at the bottom.”

He leaned forward and studied the document while a smile broke over his face. “Thank you. It means everything to me.”

She huffed out a breath. “You’re welcome, I guess. Now tell me if you found out anything new about Eliza yesterday.”

Chapter Twenty-three

The smile on Roman’s face morphed into a scowl. “I found out practically nothing new on Eliza.”

“Really? I was so counting on a breakthrough of some kind. Damn. That’s depressing.” Mia took a careful sip of tea while she digested the information. “Nothing on the fentanyl?”

“I scored a big, fat strikeout on that too. Tracey Millar told me she didn’t know anyone personally who’d been dealing drugs while Maryanne was there. There were whispers about certain students, but they didn’t run in her circles. I got names and hunted down a couple of them but predictably, all I got were flat out denials. And none of them were willing to point a finger at anyone else either. Apparently, Darby College is clean as a whistle when it comes to drugs.”

“I call bullshit. But I get why no one wants to be involved.”

“Yeah. Me too. I also talked to six students who had rooms on the same floor in Maryanne’s dorm. Took them through the Sunday before she died and got another goose egg. Two of them saw Maryanne going back to her room alone after dinner. They said she seemed fine. Cheerful. One girl was in her calculus class, and they apparently discussed an upcoming test. That was the last time she saw her.”

“And no one noticed Kerry there either? After yesterday, I’m a lot more interested in her. Though looking back, she was only supporting Eliza and she really didn’t say much. She certainly wasn’t spearheading the whole thing. She reminded me of one of those hype girls that rappers used to have back in the day.”

“No one mentioned her being around. And I went back over the police report.”

“I’m guessing there wasn’t anything there?” Mia asked.

“When Finlay interviewed Kerry, she provided gas receipts from her journey to Memphis for that weekend. They also talked to the friend she was visiting, and she vouched for her all the way. Said she’d arrived on Saturday around noon and hadn’t left until the Monday. There were even ticket stubs to a local theatre production they attended on Sunday night. It doesn’t seem like she had anything to do with Maryanne’s death.”

“Figures. I knew I was reaching even as I said it. We’re back to square one, aren’t we?” She got to her feet and paced away. “What about Eliza? Can we trace her movements for that night?”

“A little.” Roman shrugged. “She posted to Instagram from a coffee shop and later snapped a picture of JP walking along the street in Nashville wearing a fancy new designer doggie coat. The police dug into it and the timestamps and GEO locational information seemed to be legit. The security cams show her entering her condo building around nine p.m., then nothing again until the next morning when she rushed out after the police had done the notification.”

Mia whirled to face him. “Was there another way in and out of the building?”

“Sure. There’s a freight elevator. It’s older and for whatever reason, they never installed security cameras. You’re supposed to book it in advance. Except when I called the building super yesterday, he said lots of people just use it whenever and since they’ve never had a problem they don’t plan on cracking down on the owners.”

“Which means she can’t prove she was there the whole night and we can’t prove she left.”

“That’s about the size of it.”

“Well, damn and double damn.”

They both sat in silence for several minutes. Mia sipped her tea and turned the case over in her mind but came up blank.

Sheryl arrived and the dogs rushed to the foyer to give her their usual warm welcome.

She appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. “Sorry to intrude, Boss. Wondered what you wanted me to get started on. I can go back to the email setup since we don’t have any anything ready to ship out this morning.”

Mia pushed away from the table. “Hang on. I’m coming. We’ll check and see what’s what. Hopefully today everything will be back to normal.”

“And on that note, I’ll leave you ladies to your work and hit my office in town,” Roman said. “I’m also going to drop by Dalton PD and see if anything’s turned up on the credit card for the bracelet order Eliza used as an ambush tactic. Make sure you forward anything new that comes in.”

“Sure. Happy hunting.”

“And happy … normalling? If that’s even a word. Basically, I hope you have a relaxing and peaceful day.”

In the workroom, Sheryl booted up the laptop while Mia studied the printouts for the three verified orders. She could definitely get those finished today and ready for shipping.

“Uh-oh,” Sheryl murmured.

Mia whirled. “Uh-oh, what? Are we slammed with fakes again?”

“Not slammed but we have eight new orders, and I don’t recognize any of the names. I guess I should verify like we did yesterday?”

“Yep.” Mia growled. “Unfortunately, that’ll have to be standard operating procedure from now on. At least until this case is wrapped up.”

“No problem. And if we’re down to just a trickle of them every day it’ll only add on a bit of extra time.”

“Great. And while you’re doing that, I’ll start on the quartz earrings for Kate Moses.”

The rest of the morning was uneventful and gradually, Mia found herself relaxing. Hopefully, Eliza had tired of this game and was moving on. With a wedding only weeks away and her social media business to run, she couldn’t have too much spare time on her hands, could she?

By early afternoon, Sheryl had managed to sort out the new orders and found only three were fakes. Mia sent her home.

“That’s enough. After yesterday, you’ve earned the rest of the day off and then some.”

“You sure? I don’t mind staying. And I really appreciated the bonus you sent last night. I’ve been eyeing up an air fryer, and I figure with the extra money in my bank I should go ahead and treat myself. You only live once, right?”

Mia shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe this is your fiftieth life already.”

Sheryl narrowed her eyes. “You don’t believe in all that reincarnation voodoo? The bible doesn’t say anything about living lots of lives. Just that we die and go to heaven. I’m sticking with that theory.”

“It’s a valid one, that’s for sure. And you should absolutely buy the air fryer. You deserve it.”

After Sheryl left, Mia had a late lunch, walked the dogs, and thought about Eliza. And Scott. And Jennifer and Thomas. She could perfectly visualize the drowning incident at the lake. Scott must have felt like an honest-to-God hero swooping in and rescuing her. And she’d just bet Eliza laid it on thick, with Kerry cheering from the sidelines. He’d have been puffed up like a peacock.

It also occurred to her that Eliza had likely staged the entire incident. Which means Scott had been specifically targeted. There was a good chance anyone staying in those upscale houses would be well-off but how many were her age, not in a relationship, and had millions of dollars to throw around?

He was the perfect mark. How on earth had she picked him out and figured the timetable so she was there during the one week he stayed with his parents?

Thomas had pegged her right. Eliza was a slippery one.

Once she got back to the house and refreshed doggie water bowls, she helped herself to a Perrier and returned to her workstation. The sun beat into the front room of the house and Mia closed all of the blinds except one to leave a patch of sun for the dogs to lie in.

She picked up the next order page and studied it. A rhodolite necklace, of all things. Her eyes flicked over to the bracelet she’d retrieved from the grass after the meetup with Eliza and Kerry. She wondered which of them had so carelessly dropped it.

Considering, she pulled the box into her lap and laid her hands on the pink and black stones then pushed out with her mind. The only thing she saw was a woman, long grey hair in a braid down her back and the skin on her hands wrinkled and covered with age spots. She sat at a table in an indoor trade fair. All around were piles of jewelry and gemstones.

Mia sighed and set the bracelet on the table again. No help to be had there apparently. And she certainly wasn’t going to reuse those stones until she’d cleared any negative energy from them. She spent a few moments picking through her stash of loose rhodolite, holding each stone and feeling its vibrational force before choosing a triangular one for the necklace.

When her phone pinged she checked the screen and saw the call was from Roman.

“Hey. Good news?” she asked.

“I’m afraid not. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Healing Crystal was bombed with 1-star reviews on Yelp.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Wait. I want to see. I’ll putting you on speaker.”

She pulled her phone away from her ear and swiped over to do an internet search then scrolled down the reviews. There were at least a dozen new ones. All dated yesterday or today.

“In case you’re worried I’d feel left out, no need. Mancini Investigations got the same treatment. Apparently, I’m nothing but a fraudster ripping off old people.”

“Surely this is slander.”

“Or libel, since it’s written. And yes, it is. However, I’ll bet you a million bucks it won’t be simple to get these suckers removed,” he said.

“Eliza is the biggest pest ever. This will hurt both of us and there’s no way to calculate how many customers we’ll lose.”

“I’ve already contacted Yelp and started the process. I’m going to pull Kevin in. We have the initial incident plus all the screenshots you took from yesterday when you were dealing with the fraudulent orders. I want this stuff documented just in case.”

“But won’t he want to talk to Eliza? As much as I hate this, I don’t want her pulling back and going underground either. Not before we solve this case and make sure Scott’s safe,” Mia said.

“My thoughts exactly. But it’d be better to have everything on record in case she does something worse. Obviously, we won’t be pressing charges right now. I should be able to talk Kevin into sitting on it for the time being.”

“You said she might do something worse, meaning you’re expecting her to escalate?”

Roman sighed. “It would be logical that she does. We haven’t backed off the case.”

“But she doesn’t know that. We went to see the Lambs. If she was somehow watching us, she has no clue what happened in there. We might have told them we were done.”

“True enough. But after the Lambs, I called around about her. If she got wind of that, she knows we haven’t stopped.”

“Okay. I guess it makes sense bringing Kevin in. How far away is Darby College?” Mia asked.

“About four hours. Why?”

“I’ve been thinking maybe we need to go there. If I can get into Maryanne’s dorm room, there’s potential for me to get a vision of her death. It feels like that’s our main sticking point at the moment. If Eliza didn’t commit cold-blooded murder, we’re dealing with your basic narcissistic vampire, not someone physically dangerous. That puts an entirely different spin on things, right?”

“Yeah. It does. If you’re okay with it, we could go tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow’s Thursday? Let me make sure.” Mia swiped over to her Notion account and read through the calendar. “Other than regular stuff, I’m clear. Maybe we leave mid-morning? It’d give me time to check on the overnight orders and make sure Eliza’s not mounting a new attack. Sheryl can watch the dogs.”

“It’s a date. I’m going to keep digging with the students. See if I can find any more kids from the dorm who’ll talk to me.”

“And I’ll get going on the remaining orders so I’m all caught up.” She paused to weigh her words. “You know the college won’t roll out the red carpet for us. We might have to do some fast work to sneak into the dorm. You’re okay with that?”

“Eliza has come after us directly. Sure, it’s more nuisance stuff right now, but the threat is out there. I’m happy to talk our way onto campus and into the dorms if it’ll potentially get us more info.”

She released her breath. “Good. Just didn’t want to drive all that way if you were going ruin our chances by turning into stick-up-his-butt Detective Mancini.”

“Ouch. That’s mean. But I guess also accurate. You can’t blame me for being good at my former job though.”

“I try not to.” She chuckled. “You’re just such a rule follower.”

“And that’s how I was good at my former job. It’s ninety-nine percent rules and laws. Without them, our whole society would break down.”

“I agree. People can be stupid and sometimes mean even when you discount the truly evil among us. Still, I don’t think the rules should apply to me because I’m obviously better than that.”

Roman laughed full out. “Of course you are, babes. But maybe I’m not. Maybe the rules are the only thing keeping me from going fully rogue.”

“As if. Any rebellious notions you might have are so carefully guarded by your moral code they’re never likely to see the light of day.”

“And we’re all better off for that. Trust me.” He paused and she could hear his chair squeak and the clacking of his keyboard. “Okay. I’m going to see if I can rustle up some more students to talk to. I should be home in a couple of hours.”

“Excellent. We’re going to barbeque burgers tonight.”

“Love that idea. And unless I find a new string to tug on, no more work after. I’d say we’ve earned a night of peace and quiet.”

“I could definitely use some peace and quiet.”

Chapter Twenty-four

Unfortunately, the peace and quiet didn’t last through the night.

Roman bolted upright in the bed and in the scramble to grab his phone, accidentally knocked it off the bedside table. Thankfully the screen lit up and he was able to snatch it off the floor and silence the damn thing.

Shaking his head to clear the sleep from his brain, he scrolled on the screen and saw there was a missed call from Kevin Latterly. It was five in the morning. Something bad was going down.

His mind immediately fixed on his parents. Had one of them fallen down the stairs or, God forbid, had a heart attack? He’d talked to his mom yesterday morning and everything had been fine then.

“What is it?” Mia’s voice was urgent and as he turned, she flicked on the bedside lamp. Her hair was mussed and her eyes big and filled with dread.

“Don’t know yet. Let me hit Kevin back.”

He put the call through and his ex-partner answered on the first ring. “Sorry, man. I know it’s early, but I thought you should know there was a fire in your office. Emmett was on duty at the station, and he tipped me off.”

Roman’s breath whooshed out in relief. Not his parents at least so that was good.

“Was anyone hurt?” he asked.

“Nope. The building was empty. A couple of Gino’s bakers noticed it when they arrived to get the bread rising or whatever they do at the butt crack of dawn. They saw the smoke and called it in.”

“That’s good. How much damage?”

“Emmett said the fire looked like it originated in a trash can by your desk. The desk is toast, man. I’d say same goes for your computer gear. I think a bunch of your files might’ve bought it too. Otherwise just plenty of smoke damage. Gino’s is basically fine, though they obviously won’t be opening for a bit until the Fire Marshall assesses the building.”

“Shit.” Roman scrubbed a hand over his face. “Well, it could’ve been worse, I guess. Thanks for letting me know. I’m going to head over there and see what’s what.” He paused while his brain clicked into gear. “Wait. Was there any sign of forced entry?”

“Not that I heard … are you saying you think this was arson?”

“I don’t know. But how does a fire start in a trash can? I’ve barely even used the thing lately. I was there yesterday but I’ve mostly been in the field this week. In fact, I remember dumping it out a couple of days ago. Now we’re talking about an empty trash can catching on fire.”

“That sounds plenty suspicious. Let’s see what the fire guys say today. If it still looks wonky, I’ll ask the Lieutenant to put me on the case. Could be your new best friend, Eliza Wentworth, had something to do with it.”

“Appreciate it, man. Later.”

“Is it bad?” Mia asked.

“Not too bad. But it’s going to be a huge hassle, from the sounds of it. I have decent insurance so it should cover the laptop and stuff. Still, fuck it. I hope to God Gino doesn’t kick me out of the building.”

Mia swung her legs to the floor and stood. “We should get down there. See what’s going on.”

***

There were two fire trucks and a dozen or so men at the building housing Roman’s office. It was six o’clock by the time they got there, and that meant all the early morning exercisers, dog walkers, and Bean Time customers also stood on the sidewalk gawking at the spectacle.

Although there was no smoke coming from the building, the air smelt burnt. One of the firemen was up on a ladder and spraying water in through the window. Others were traipsing in and out of the building carrying equipment.

The men and one woman moved quickly and efficiently with no sense of panic. Roman and Mia approached the closest fire wagon.

“Is Grant Field here?” Roman asked one of the firemen.

“Yep. On scene. I can’t let you up there right now until he gives the okay,” he said.

“Hey, Roman. Mia.”

They turned and found Gino Gazzola, owner of Gino’s Bakery and the building.

“Sorry about this. Are all your people okay?”

Gino pressed his hands together as though in prayer. “Everyone’s fine. An hour or so later, though, and who knows.”

“I heard it was one of your guys who called it in.” Roman paused and glanced over at the building. “Hey, you have this place wired, right? Why didn’t the alarm go off?”

“That’s a good question. I’ll be asking First Defense about that myself. They’re happy enough to take my premiums but the one and only time I’ve needed their service to work it was a total failure,” Gino said.

Gino wandered off, his cell phone attached to his ear, and they hung around in front of the building for another hour or so. Mia went to Bean Time and picked up coffee to support them through the wait. It was buzzing inside the café and the only thing everyone was talking about was the fire.

“Hey, Mia. Tough morning, huh?” Gail said after punching in the order. “People are saying it was a bomb or something.”

“No bomb. At least not from what I’ve heard.”

“That’s good, I guess. Bummer about Gino’s bakery being closed. I heard up to a week before they reopen. I don’t know if I can go that long without my rosemary bread.”

“It sucks.”

By the time she walked back down the street there was only one fire truck remaining at the curb. All the hoses had been put away although the team were still in and out of the building doing whatever needed to be done in the aftermath of a fire.

Roman stood talking to a tall man with thin sandy hair and a mustache. She handed Roman his coffee.

“Thanks. This is Grant Field. Fire Marshall. My fiancé, Mia Reeves,” Roman said. “Grant thinks it was arson.”

Mia turned to study Grant. “Really? How come?”

“A couple of things. First off, the alarm was compromised. That’s why it didn’t go off. It was someone who knew their way around the system. Also, the trash can looks to have been placed directly under the desk in the well where the chair normally fits. An accelerant was used on the desk itself. It burned way hotter and faster than it should have. Added to that, the filing cabinet was open and empty and what I surmise was the contents of the drawers had been placed on the desk itself.”

“That’s a lot of evidence. Obviously, whoever did it wasn’t trying to hide their intent,” she said.

“You can say that again,” Grant agreed.

“How long until we can get back in there?” Roman asked.

“Probably a day or so. There’s a spot on the floor below the desk that’s destabilized, but otherwise the building is sound,” Grant said.

Roman held out his hand and he and Grant shook. “Thanks, man. I appreciate the intel.”

“Of course. If it were my place, I’d want to know. It looks like you might’ve made an enemy. Maybe consider beefing up things on the home front. I’d hate to be called to your house any time soon.” He paused and pursed his lips. “When are you coming back on the force?”

Roman shrugged. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

“Shame. Dalton needs good detectives like you. Especially with the way crime’s been ramping up this year.”

Grant walked away shaking his head. Roman and Mia watched him make his way back into the building.

“Okay. Things just got real. We’re both thinking Eliza, right?” Mia said.

“Yeah. Ballsy move on her part.” He yanked out his phone and tapped the screen before holding it up to his ear. “Hey, Kev. Looks like we’ve got a solid arson case over here.”

While Roman and Kevin talked, Mia stepped over to the front door of the building. No one stopped her so she slid inside and wandered through the storefront of the bakery. The usual mouthwatering smells of fresh bread and donuts had been replaced with an acidic burnt tang that hit the back of her throat and made her swallow compulsively.

Looking up, she saw a dark crusty patch on the ceiling over the counter. It was about ten feet long and five or six feet deep. She surmised that was the position of Roman’s desk in the office above and the origin of the fire.

It would obviously need to be fixed and the whole place, including contents, cleaned and aired out. There were probably companies that specialized in dealing with fire damage. Mia wondered if the one-week timeline for reopening was all that realistic. Poor Gino. This was going to be a serious hit to the bottom line.

Outside again, she glanced over the door and noted there was no camera. Bummer. There was, however, one on Treasure Chest two doors down. Roman was still talking to Kevin so she walked briskly around the block to the alley behind the building. No cameras here either.

What the hell was wrong with these people?

She supposed they’d never really needed that much security before now. Well, times were changing, weren’t they.

A narrow glass window beside the door had been smashed. So that was how Eliza—because she couldn’t see anyone else doing this—had gained entry. Were there no security alarms? Or was that all part and parcel of the fire system? Maybe Eliza had taken everything out in one fell swoop.

When Roman approached, she simply lifted her chin at the door and said nothing.

“You didn’t touch anything?” he asked. She arched an eyebrow and he immediately shook his head. “Of course, you didn’t. Kevin’s on his way. He’ll dust it for prints but there’s likely nothing to be found. Whoever did this—”

“You mean Eliza?”

“Normally I like to keep an open mind, but I’ve gotta say I’m leaning all the way over in her direction.”  He glanced around then pointed. “At least we have one camera out here.”

“Treasure Chest, right? They also have one on Main Street. The rest of these people need to get with the program.”

“After this, they likely will. I’m going to wait and hang with Kevin. Why don’t you go home? I’ll get someone to give me a ride later,” he said.

Mia spent the rest of the morning sticking to routine while she worked to calm herself.

“I heard all about the fire,” Sheryl said the minute she stepped into the house. “The whole town is buzzing. It’s that damn nuisance woman, isn’t it?”

“We don’t know yet. The police are investigating.”

Sheryl frowned. “People are already whispering it’s arson.”

“That’s what the Fire Marshall ruled. Roman’s working with his old partner on it.”

Sheryl’s wiry grey hair was scraped back into its usual low ponytail and her wrinkled face was, as usual, bare of makeup. She shook her head and crossed her arms over her broad chest.

“That’s some bad business, that is. Anything you need, I’m here for you.”

“I appreciate it. Thanks.”

Mia left Sheryl in the workroom with Tucker, the dachshund, all but sitting in her lap and Layla watching approvingly. Mac and Fifi followed her to the kitchen where she grabbed her phone off the counter and shot off a text to Roman asking for an update.

Kevin and Franco are working the scene. A bunch of prints on the back door but I’m guessing our intruder was gloved up so probably not from them. Office door was breached. Looks like a crowbar or something similar. That’s all so far.

OK. Thanks.

Phone still in hand, she wandered out to the deck and sat on the glider while she thought some more. What she really wanted to do was get inside Roman’s office, in the quiet, and see if she could pick up a vision of the arsonist. But it’d be crawling with people for the rest of the day. Maybe tonight she and Roman could sneak in and see what was what.

Honestly, what the heck was Eliza hoping to accomplish by setting Roman’s files on fire? Other than the contract Jennifer had signed, there likely wasn’t much of a paper trail on her. And given that it’s the twenty-first century, everyone stored stuff in the cloud these days so torching his laptop was hardly going to wipe out the case notes.

Glancing down to her phone, she brought up Instagram and flicked onto Eliza’s page. This morning she’d posted a picture of a big orange sun rising over the rails of her balcony. The caption read, “A stunning morning with the sun glowing like it’s on fire. I want all my Vibers to take it as a sign that you’re on the right track to manifesting your perfect life. Onwards.”

Wow. Talk about brazen. She was clearly sending a message to her and Roman.

She hoped like hell they found something to implicate Eliza in the fire. It would be great to watch her squirming in the interrogation room. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting when Roman warned of escalation, but it hadn’t been this.

No sooner had she stepped into the house than the driveway sensor pinged from the kitchen counter.

She glanced idly at the monitor, expecting to see a FedEx or UPS truck. Instead, she recognized Brooke’s Prius. She walked briskly to the front door and stood on the stoop watching while her friend parked and got out of the car.

“Hey,” Mia called out.

Brooke stopped short when she saw Mia then slid the strap of her purse over her shoulder and all but jogged up to the front steps.

“Is everything okay? I was so worried about you,” Brooke said, her face creased with concern.

Mia sighed. “Yeah. It was a bummer way to wake up, but they’ve got everything under control.” She stepped back and ushered Brooke inside. “And nobody was hurt, thank God. Do you want a coffee?”

Brooke whirled to face Mia. “What do you mean no one got hurt? Was Roman in danger? Is that why this is happening?”

“No. He wasn’t even there. I promise, he’s a-okay. Come with me, you obviously need some caffeine. I’ve got your favorite hazelnut blend on hand.”

Brooke didn’t say anything else, instead followed Mia to the kitchen and watched while she put the pod in the Keurig and made a cup of fresh coffee. Mia doctored it with almond milk and a scant teaspoon of sugar just the way her friend liked it before handing it over.

“Let’s sit out on the deck. I know it’s already warm, but I want the fresh air. I swear, I can still taste that burnt tang at the back of my throat.”

“Sure. Whatever,” Brooke said. She took a sip of coffee then followed Mia outside and slid in opposite her before setting her mug on the table.

Mia pulled out her phone and checked the time. “It’s almost ten o’clock. Are you playing hooky from the dance studio?”

Brooke shook her head as though trying to clear her scattered thoughts. “Mia, what the hell is going on? Why didn’t you call me with a heads-up? I’m your friend, but not only that, your maid of honor, too. You should’ve reached out.”

Mia’s head tipped while she studied her. “Um … okay … I’m sorry, I guess. But it just happened and I don’t really have much to report at this stage. I was going to check in with you this afternoon once Kevin and Franco had time to process the scene.” She paused and her teeth sunk into her lower lip. “But of course, you’d have heard about it before then. I didn’t even think. God, I’m really sorry.”

Now it was Brooke’s turn to look confused. “What just happened? And why are Kevin and Franco investigating?”

“Because they think it might’ve been arson,” Mia said patiently.

Brooke’s head swiveled side to side then she turned to take in the house. “Did you have a fire here?”

“What? No. I’m talking about Roman’s office in town … but you didn’t know about it, did you?” Mia said. “So, what the hell are you talking about? What should I have told you?”

“Wait. There was a fire at Roman’s office? This morning?” Brooke’s voice got progressively higher.

“Calm down. It’s okay. Like I told you, no one was hurt. Everything’s fine. Well … it will be. Gino’s is closed for a bit, and we’ll have a lot of cleaning to do once the Fire Marshall gives us the go-ahead to get in there. Roman’s worried Gino might kick him out of the building, but we’ll deal with that when the time comes, I guess.”

“And it wasn’t accidental?”

“We think it’s related to our current case, but we can’t prove it … at least not yet .…”

“Wow. How did I not know this?” She swiped a hand across her forehead. “Probably because I had a late start time at the studio so I was happily home on the other side of town enjoying a leisurely morning when the emails starting coming through. Then I panicked and figured you would need me, so I drove here like a bat out of hell.”

“What emails?” Mia asked, while a sense of dread wove through her stomach.

“The ones from Big Top Tent Services and Best Eats Catering doing a follow up on you cancelling their services and reiterating that you forfeited your deposit.” Brooke dug her phone out of her purse, tapped on the screen then handed it to Mia. “It’s right there in black and white. I expected to find you crying your eyes out or wielding a blow torch and turning Roman’s stuff into the biggest bonfire ever while laughing manically. So let me repeat—what the hell’s going on?”

Chapter Twenty-five

“Crap and double crap. This cannot be real,” Mia said, reading the emails on Brooke’s phone. “I promise, I didn’t do this. And if the wedding was off, you’re the first person I’d call. For sure.”

“So … but … how did this happen then?”

Mia’s gaze lifted from the phone and her eyes narrowed, the hazel color shimmering closer to feral green.

“Good question. I’m pretty sure I have a good answer too. We’re investigating this woman who’s about to get married. We’ve only had one actual conversation and I told her the name of the tent people and the caterers. Brace yourself to get something from Palmer Vineyards next, ’cause I’m pretty sure I spilled that name as well.”

“But … I mean … it’s diabolic. Who does that?”

“A murderer with everything to lose. My brains are basically scrambled right now. Did it say when I supposedly cancelled my wedding?”

Brooke took back her phone. “Let’s see. Well, these came in this morning, like I already told you. There’s no previous email in either chain. The murdering, wedding-ruining wench must have set up a dummy account and done the cancelling from there. Obviously, I wasn’t CC’ed on that. Wait. These confirmation emails were sent to her too, so we do have the address. OMG, her email is dontmesswithme@google.com. That’s super aggressive.”

“Yeah. It is. But so is setting fire to an office. I wonder how easy it is to trace an email account?”

“I have no idea. They do it in movies all the time, but I’m betting that a big company like Google doesn’t just hand over client info without a court order or something.”

Mia sighed. “And so far we can’t even prove she committed a crime. I guess we’d better contact the vendors and see if we can get things back on track for my wedding.”

“I’ll help as much as I can, but you signed the contracts, so I think you’re the one who’ll have to do most of the work,” Brooke said.

“And I’ll bet it’ll be the biggest hassle ever, but the sooner done the better.”

***

In fact, it took Mia most of the day to get the wedding back on track. Apparently, anyone could cancel with a simple phone call and follow-up email, but now she was required to show up with ID in hand and re-sign all the contracts. Best Eats Catering even had the nerve to demand a new deposit.

“Are you kidding me right now?” Mia said. “Because of your shoddy standard operating procedures, the food for my wedding was cancelled through no fault of my own. Now I have to waste my time re-setting the whole order, and on top of the stress and hassle you expect me to pay a second deposit? I should be calling my lawyer and starting a suit against you.”

The Best Eats woman frowned and pursed her lips. “No, wait. Don’t do anything hasty. It’s just how the software works. This is going through as a new order, and it won’t let me confirm until you make a deposit.”

Mia pushed down her temper, which was no small feat, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay, Mary. You’d better get the owner in here, because there’ll be no second deposit.”

Things went more smoothly at Big Top Tents, but Palmer Vineyards could no longer give them the tasting date on September eighth, so she had to push it until early October which made her nervous that there could be a potential problem getting enough product in time for their November first wedding.

By the time she returned home, her head was pounding, and a rage simmered through her blood. It took every ounce of restraint to stop herself from driving to Nashville and punching or strangling a confession out of Eliza.

“Sorry about all this, babes,” Roman said, rubbing her shoulders while she sipped a rare glass of wine.

“Has it been ruled arson, for sure?”

“Yep. Grant signed off on it and Kevin and Franco are all over the case. Of course, no solid evidence to implicate Eliza. The feed from Treasure Chest only caught the shadow of a person. She—or it could still be someone else, I guess, but fuck it, we know it was Eliza—was smart enough to approach through the alley from the other side. They’re going to try to enhance the image, but I doubt they’ll get anything usable off it.”

“She must have knowledge of alarms, right? It’s not something you can look up on the internet.”

Roman moved over to sit beside her on the couch. “You’ve got that right. It’d be deadly for alarm businesses if any Joe or Jane could easily figure out how to disable their product. Still, if Eliza had the same system on hand, she could potentially figure it out, I guess.” He snapped his fingers. “Why didn’t I think of that before? I’ll see if I can trace Eliza buying a First Defense fire and/or alarm system. You’re brilliant.”

“Except it was your idea.”

“The wedding’s all okay again?”

Her smile was grim. “As far as I can tell. I also contacted every other vendor we’ve hired and gave them a heads-up just in case. I don’t know what she was hoping to accomplish other than pissing us off.”

“Well, I’d say she distracted us good and proper. I’ve been working with Kevin all day and I’ll be back on site or at the station tomorrow. Meanwhile you’ve been chasing from one wedding vendor to the next. I’ll bet you didn’t have time for anything else, right?”

“Not even a proper dog walk.” She glanced down at the pack who lay scattered around the kitchen floor enjoying the cool tiles on a still hot evening.

“Which meant we weren’t investigating her at all today. Smart. But hardly a long-term strategy. Maybe she just wanted to get the message across.”

Mia worried her finger back and forth over her lower lip. “Do you think she might escalate again? Like setting the house on fire or hurting one of the dogs?”

“It’s possible, I guess. But—” He laid a hand on Mia’s arm when she started to surge to her feet, “more likely she’ll wait and see what we do next. This felt like a warning shot. Especially because she used the ‘don’t mess with me’ email address.”

“Did you fill Jennifer in?”

“Yep. She was horrified and very sorry for our trouble. And she’s also seriously scared now. I reminded her that Eliza has nothing to gain by hurting Scott until after September eighth and as long as she and Thomas appear to be endorsing the marriage, they should be fine too. Scott still hasn’t asked, but if he does, I’ve instructed her to deny any knowledge of us and to plant the idea that maybe it’s someone from Eliza’s past who hired PIs.”

“Okay. That’s good. But—” she paused and shifted to face him. “I think we need to up our game. Eliza has come after us on a very personal front. And she’s threatening to do worse. I don’t care if we break the law or not, we need to shut her down whatever it takes.”

His deep brown eyes gazed into hers and after several seconds passed, he sighed, and his shoulders slumped. “Maybe you’re right. I just hate doing it that way. I should be able to solve this by following the evidence.”

“Well, we don’t have enough right now, do we? I can get you more if you’ll let me. And then we can use it to build an even better case that’ll lead to a warrant or subpoena or whatever it is you need to make this feel like a legitimate solve by your standards. Bottom line, I just want her off our backs, our property and dogs safe, and Scott not to be dead because we didn’t stop her in time.”

“You make a good point. But I want to table that for a sec. I have one more thing to show you. And it’s weird.” He pulled out his phone and swiped through several screens before handing it to Mia. “Read this.”

Hey Roman. This is Eliza Wentworth. We haven’t met but I talked to your fiancée              , Mia, the other day. I know you’re ‘friends’ with Scott’s parents. Maybe we could be friends too? There’s a party at the Lambs’ lake house on Saturday night. A pre-wedding celebration. I’d love it if you and Mia could come. Six o’clock. Semi-formal. Hope to see you then. Eliza.

Mia’s eyes pinged back to Roman’s face. “What the actual fuck? Why would she do this?”

He shrugged. “Hard to say. I can’t seem to work my way into her thought process. I think we should go.”

“What if it’s a diversion and she’s trying to get us out of the house for some reason?”

“I thought of that too. Kevin offered to be here while we’re at the party, so it should be safe enough. And my office is already trashed, so no point in going there again. I think that covers our bases.”

Her heart rate slowed and she turned her attention back to the email. “Could this be an actual peace offering? Maybe she realized she went too far?”

“I guess we won’t know until we get to the party.”

“What if we show up for an hour or so, see what’s what, then slip away and drive to Nashville. If I can get into her condo, chances are I’ll find something to help us.”

He blew out a breath. “Yeah. If nothing breaks before Saturday night, it might be the best course of action. One step at a time. First we work the party, okay?”

Now Mia was the one sighing. “Of course, if I could somehow get my hands on her phone while we’re there, that could work too.”

“Okay, my little criminal. Let’s take it easy on planning a crime spree.”

“Do you still want to go to Darby?”

“Yeah. I do. But not tomorrow. I want to work with Kevin again. Let’s pencil the college trip in for Sunday or Monday. One more thing. I think it’ll lighten the situation. Maybe give you a laugh. I brought our prenup to the office and left it on my desk.”

Although Mia didn’t actually laugh, a big smile spread over her face. “You mean, it’s nothing but ashes now? OMG, how is that not a signal from the universe?”

“I know. Ironic, huh?”

“I’ll sign another one if you want. I know it’s important to you.”

He collapsed back on the couch and closed his eyes. “Right now, I really don’t care. It’s been a hell of a day and all I want is to hold you.”

“Aw. That’s so sweet.” She shifted closer and pulled his arm from his side so she could snuggle in against his chest. “I love you too.”

Chapter Twenty-six

For the second morning in a row, Roman and Mia were awoken by his phone. Not as early as the office fire alert from Kevin, but it was still barely light when Roman scrabbled to snatch his cell off the bedside table.

“It’s Scott Lamb,” he said in a shocked voice.

Mia sat bolt upright, her eyes wide. She stared down at her arm where her skin lay smooth as silk with no hint of goosebumps. Her eyes flicked to the still ringing phone. “I’m not getting danger vibes.”

“Let’s see what he wants.” Roman cleared his throat, tapped the screen, and brought the cell to his ear. “Hello, Roman Mancini speaking.”

He listened for several beats then swung his legs to the floor and paced across the bedroom. The dogs sprang from beds and looked to Mia with wild hope in their eyes. She made a cutting gesture with her hand, and they quieted but remained gathered on her side of the bed.

“It’s a tough situation but your parents only want what’s best for you,” Roman said. “Yeah. Of course. I’d be pissed too … uh huh … we can make that work. No, we’ll come to you. Don’t bother. I’ve got it already … yep. Ten o’clock is fine. See you then.”

He ended the call then shook his head and glanced over at Mia. “Talk about unexpected.”

“Why does he want to meet us?” she asked.

“I think he’s hoping to talk us into backing off. Said he doesn’t want Eliza upset before the wedding seeing as it’s her big day and all.”

“Do you think he knows what she’s been doing to us?”

“Not sure, but I’d have to guess he doesn’t. Anyway, I don’t know if ten works for you? His company is located in Walkerton.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Maybe we can actually make him see reason. And since he’s the one who reached out, Jennifer and Thomas can’t be mad about us talking.”

“I think I won’t tell them until after the chat. Just in case they try to intervene. It’d be nice to get Scott on his own.”

Mia got to her feet, which the dogs took to be a positive step toward acquiring their breakfast and they yipped and whined in excitement. “Talk about a golden opportunity. I need to get this morning started. And I’m clearly not going anywhere until I feed the pack, but I’d better hurry.  Don’t want to be late in case he changes his mind.”

They pulled into the parking lot of Quantum Mind Technologies at ten minutes to ten.

“Looks fancy,” Mia said, studying the ten-story metal and glass structure.

“Quantum bought the building last year, so he owns the place. Paid five million cash. I’d say his company is doing damn well.”

“I believe it. AI is the hottest thing right now and it’s only going to get bigger.”

Inside, they reported to the reception desk where a serious-faced and exceptionally fit-looking man demanded to see their ID before handing them a plastic visitor’s tag and providing escort all the way to the top floor. Mia noted he had a gun on his right hip and a taser on his left.

The next level of security came in the more genteel form of a smiling brunette woman in her early fifties.

“Thanks, Jonah, I’ll take them back. I’m June. This way, please,” she said, gliding gracefully from behind the counter.

They walked into a large open space which was home to both ping-pong and foosball tables along with a section of free-standing whiteboards covered with doodles, scribbled notes and reminders, and multiple fragments of computer code. There was also a full-sized fridge, a Nespresso machine, and a table laid out with a variety of baked goods.

“Must be hard to resist the allure of treats,” Mia commented.

June let out a rueful chuckle but didn’t look over at the table, instead keeping her eyes fixed firmly forward. “I find if I don’t look at them, everything’s okay, but the minute I make eye contact, I know my day will be an all-out war with that sneaky voice in my head. It’s hardest first thing when Scott arrives with them fresh from the bakery. The smells are … intoxicating.”

“I’ll bet. Have you worked here for long?” she asked.

“Since it was a startup. I came across from Mr. Lamb senior. He wanted Scott to have someone reliable at his back for the day to day. I thought it would only be for a year or so, but I love working here. There’s such a wonderful atmosphere in the office and it’s exciting to see some of the things they’re creating. I may have drunk the Kool-Aid, but I think what they’re doing is going to be revolutionary. Especially in the fields of medicine and space exploration.”

The perimeter walls of the common space were glass. Most blinds were open, affording a view of young men and women hunched over screens. The only exception being the office at the back left corner, which had been shuttered and the door closed. June gave the door a perfunctory knock before easing it open and stepping back.

“Scott, Mr. Mancini and Ms. Reeves to see you.”

“Great. And right on time.”

A tingle of unease swept through Mia when she stepped into the office.

It was medium sized with nothing but windows on the far wall, giving a view of the west side of Walkerton. She could see the water tower and some of the high-rises from the downtown section of the city.

Scott stood from behind his walnut desk. In person, he was tall and lanky like his father. A large Adam’s apple bobbled when he swallowed, and his shoulders were narrow. He sported the same copper hair as daddy, but his face was more refined, the nose less prominent and the eyes bigger and a soft amber color.

“Thanks for seeing me on such short notice. You already know Kerry Jones, right?”

Mia turned and came face to face with the bob woman from the Eliza ambush outside city hall. “Yes. We’ve met,” was all she said.

Roman shifted beside Mia. “Hi, I’m Roman. Haven’t had the pleasure, though I’ve heard all about you, Ms. Jones.”

Kerry flushed and her gaze went straight to the ground. She didn’t say anything, seeming to shrink back as though trying to disappear.

“Since Kerry was the one who brought you to my attention, I asked her to sit in. I hope you don’t mind?”

“It’s your show. Whatever you want is fine with us,” Roman said.

He held a chair out for Mia then, despite her obvious embarrassment, did the same for Kerry before taking the seat closest to the door. Scott settled himself behind his desk and studied them.

“So. Here’s the thing. I know my parents hired you because they’ve got some wild hair about Eliza, but I want you to stop the investigation. I have zero doubts about my fiancée. She’s a wonderful person and this wedding is going to happen. I don’t want her upset and I certainly won’t have you two ruining her big day.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Mia noted Kerry clasped her hands together and nodded along while Scott spoke.

“You said Kerry came to you, not Eliza?” Roman asked.

His eyes shifted to Kerry and his face softened. “That’s right. Kerry’s such a good friend to my girl. Eliza was obviously showing me a brave face and wouldn’t have wanted to make a fuss by putting me at odds with my folks. I’m so grateful Kerry filled me in. I knew my girl was preoccupied this last week or so, but I thought it was just wedding planning stuff, you know?”

“She’s so hurt. I think she’d hoped becoming a part of Scott’s family would help heal some of the heartbreak of losing her own. Then she found out they were attacking her, and it cut deep,” Kerry said in a soft voice.

Scott shifted forward in his chair and laid his hands on the top of his desk. “My mom left when I was young. I don’t remember much about her, but I do remember how confused and sad I was. Years later, when I found out she’d died, it was another shock to the senses. It kills me to think of my family inflicting extra pain on top of what Eliza’s already feeling.”

Kerry took in a sharp breath. “I hadn’t thought about you losing your mom, too. It’s beyond awful. I know how hard it can be because mine died two years ago. I guess that’s something all three of us share.”

“I’m sorry for both of your losses. Sincerely. It’s never easy losing a family member,” Roman said.

“So you can understand why you need to stop poking at Eliza?” Scott said.

“It doesn’t bother you that her entire family died under such strange circumstances?” Mia asked.

His gaze sharpened. “How can you call a car accident and a suicide strange? More tragic than anything.”

“Yes and no.” Roman tipped his head side to side. “What did she tell you about her parents’ death?”

“Only that her dad had some kind of medical emergency and during the panicked drive to the hospital, her mom got in an accident.”

“That’s true enough. But it’s not everything. For instance, Philip had a well-known allergy to peanuts. We’ve just recently discovered Eliza purchased a vial of peanut oil the day before their death and shortly after a vicious fight she had with her father. She hid the vial and when it was discovered months later by her sister, denied any knowledge. Which was a lie. We have proof positive.”

Scott’s mouth opened then his lips pressed into a thin line, and he shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”

“Eliza would never have done that. She loved her parents,” Kerry said.

Mia turned to face her. “Really? You were Maryanne’s roommate. You must have overheard some of the conversations when Eliza called to complain about them? According to our sources, Maryanne was always trying to put out fires between her sister and parents. Especially in the days leading up to their deaths.”

Kerry’s eyes shifted away and her shoulders hunched. “But … that’s just … it doesn’t mean anything. Lots of kids fight with their parents but they still love them.”

“And Maryanne died only weeks after she’d confronted Eliza with the peanut oil. This was a girl with no history of drug use or rebellious behavior. Her friends swear up and down she wasn’t depressed and had shown no suicidal tendencies,” Mia pressed. “You were right there at ground zero. Is anything I said about Maryanne false?”

“Well … not exactly. I mean, she seemed fine when I left on Saturday morning but maybe something happened after. And you can’t ever know what anyone else is thinking or feeling deep inside.”

“Look. Eliza would never have tried to kill her parents. That’s just not who she is. And Maryanne’s death was ruled a suicide, plain and simple,” Scott said.

“Did Kerry happen to mention what Eliza’s been up to these last few days?” Roman asked.

Scott’s eyes flicked over to Kerry, then he shrugged. “No. I’m sure mostly wedding stuff and doing her business. She’s always so busy.”

“Well, why don’t I fill you in. First of all, she committed credit card fraud, ordered jewelry from Mia, then when they met in person, threatened her.”

“Yep. Totally true,” Mia said. “The next day I was swamped with bogus orders on my website—more fraud by the way. Both mine and Roman’s businesses have also been bombed with one-star reviews on Yelp in the last forty-eight hours.”

Roman continued on. “Plus, I’ve had an arson fire at my office, and we’ve had our own wedding sabotaged when someone cancelled several of our vendors.”

“Can you prove any of this was Eliza?”

“Other than the face-to-face threats, no. But it stands to reason since we don’t have any other enemies,” Roman said.

“Eliza threatened Mia?” Scott asked Kerry.

“Well, yeah. I guess. It was more asking her to back off,” she said.

“Or ‘bad things’ would happen,” Mia said, using air quotes.

Kerry leaned toward Scott, gripping the arm rests until her knuckles went white. “It’s because she loves you so much and she was scared these lies about her family would make you change your mind. She’d be heartbroken if you called off the wedding. You’re her entire world.”

A smile flicked over Scott’s lips. “Well, I think I might be neck and neck with JP but at least I’m in the top two.”

“Maybe. But only because he met her first,” Kerry said earnestly.

He slumped in his chair and tipped his face toward the ceiling for several seconds. Finally, he released a breath and brought his gaze back to Roman and Mia.

“Okay, I’ll ask Eliza about the encounter she had with you, Mia. But as for the rest, it’s nothing but speculation. I’m sorry for your troubles, but it’s not Eliza. I can guarantee that. I don’t think she knows anything about hacking so how would she even go about placing bogus orders or posting verified reviews on Yelp?”

“Good point. But you could do it, right?” Roman said.

Scott’s expression went to stone. “I was prepared to be civil, but you just crossed the line, mister. I want you and Mia out of my office right now. Leave Eliza alone. If you bother her, I’ll look into pressing charges and see about getting your license revoked.”

Roman crossed his arms over his chest. “First of all, we were hired by you parents, so take it up with them. Secondly, we have not—one single, solitary time—approached Eliza. In fact, whichever way you look at it, she’s the one crossing the line. And last thing, we’ll be at the Lambs’ party tomorrow night.” He paused and smiled broadly. “Eliza invited us.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

On Saturday night, Mia and Roman drove to the Lambs’ lake house. There was valet parking out front and the wait staff met them with champagne and canapes before they’d even had a chance to follow the path around the side of the house to the tent out back. It seemed Jennifer and Thomas didn’t want anyone to be deprived of food or drink at any point during the party, even in the minuscule space of time between handing off their car and walking through to the back lawn.

They made their way toward the sound of music then stopped at the corner of the house and surveyed the party spread out before them. There was one large tent and two small ones situated on the sprawling lawn. In the main tent, a five-piece band played in front of an empty dance floor, but Mia imagined once everyone had mingled and become sufficiently lubricated by alcohol, it would be packed with gyrating bodies.

Steps away was the narrow shore of the lake with the water stretching all the way to the horizon. The sun had already set, and the sky had gone to hues of pink and orange. The water was serene, the waves lapping gently against the land.

She couldn’t help sighing. “Wow. Talk about a perfect venue. How the hell did they pull off a party of this scale on less than a week’s notice?”

“Money and connections.” He glanced around, his eyes flicking over each small group of guests. “Not too many people here yet. I’d say maybe forty so far.”

“The party was such short notice it might end up being a small affair. Look, there’s Jennifer.”

She pointed to the smaller tent on the right where Jennifer was standing beside a table of food and talking to one of the servers.

They wove through the tables set with soft pink tablecloths, each anchored by a crystal vase containing a single, large sunflower. Jennifer spotted them immediately and she gave a brief wave.

“Oh, good. You’re here. I’m so nervous my stomach is queasy,” she said, pulling at the front of her pink silk dress. “I feel like something awful is going to happen.”

You and me both, sister, Mia thought. Her senses had been pinging ever since Eliza issued the strange invitation.

“Let’s just stay calm and wait and see,” Roman said. “Scott still hasn’t reached out to you since Mia and I met with him yesterday?”

Her eyes clouded over and her mouth turned down. “No. In fact, he won’t return any of our calls. I can’t believe that mousy little girl told on us.”

“You mean Kerry?” Mia asked.

Jennifer stabbed a finger in the air. “Yes. How dare she. It’s simply none of her business.”

“I guess she was looking out for Eliza,” Roman said.

“I know. Still, the timing couldn’t have been worse.” Jennifer sighed. “Well, what’s done is done. I’m hoping Thomas and I can have a candid discussion with Scott tonight. Maybe now that he’s had time to digest everything you told him, he’ll be more open to the possibility he needs to step back from that awful woman.”

“Maybe. But I wouldn’t get your hopes up. He didn’t so much as waver yesterday,” Mia said.

“How’s Thomas handling things?” Roman asked.

“Okay, I guess. We both want tonight to be over with. I’ve never actively hated planning a party more than I have this one.”

“You did an amazing job and in such a short time. I’m impressed,” Mia said.

“Thanks.” Jennifer blew out a breath and squared her shoulders. “Well, I’d best get back to it. Let me know if anything comes up, won’t you?”

“Of course. You’ll be the first,” Roman said.

During the next half hour, the party began filling in as more guests arrived and the sound of chatter rose accordingly. When twilight descended, the property became fully illuminated. Along with the usual patio and pool lights, string lights had been placed along both fence lines, around landscaping foliage, and outlined the small pool house. The bulbs shone a soft blue while the pool glowed green. To Mia, it made the grounds seem magical.

Roman and Mia got a glass of ginger ale and club soda, respectively, and wandered near the tables outside the main tent, catching snatches of conversations. There wasn’t much information to be gleaned. People, being people, mostly talked about themselves and very little chatter was focused on Eliza.

For several minutes, Mia let down her defensive mental barriers and took it all in. She turned to face a small group of twenty-something guys.

“See over there?” Mia tipped her head discreetly. “They’re Scott’s friends from his company. They’re not into Eliza at all. One of them just said how she may be hot, but she’s too mean for Scott. And the short guy thinks she’s after him for the money.”

“Good job, babes,” Roman said, taking her hand. “But don’t keep yourself open for too much longer. You know it’ll cost you and we have this whole party to get through.”

“You’re right. Hey, isn’t that June from Scott’s office?”

Roman followed her gaze and nodded. “Yep. That’s her. Should we say hello?”

“Maybe later, because the happy couple have just arrived.”

They turned to face the house and watched Eliza sashay across the lawn in a filmy, cream-colored slip dress. Her hair had been styled into an updo and flowers were clipped at the base while just a few curly tendrils framed her face.

She looked young and innocent, and very, very beautiful. It was suddenly hard to imagine this was someone capable of cold-blooded murder on top of everything she’d done to them in the last few days. For a split second, Mia couldn’t help wondering if they were wrong about Eliza.

But then, looks can be deceiving, can’t they? And didn’t I give off the exact same vibe all through my scamming and stealing years? Mia thought.

Eliza carried JP in her arms. He’d been dressed in a tiny jacket and bow tie and looked, in Mia’s opinion, absolutely precious. She set him down at her feet. The Min Pin was clearly more at ease in a large and noisy gathering of humans than he was meeting a single dog, and he sniffed at the grass then wandered toward one of the servers with a tray of bacon-wrapped dates and goat cheese.

Scott followed a few paces behind. He wore a dove grey suit with a white collared shirt and no tie. His hair had been styled so that tufts at the top of his head stuck up in a casually artful way. His smile was huge and his eyes stayed glued to Eliza.

Many of the guests surged forward to surround her. Scott managed to slip in and wrap an arm around her shoulders as though claiming his prize. She snuggled against him and gazed up adoringly.

Mia and Roman edged closer. Jennifer crossed the lawn and joined Thomas where he stood chatting to several guests at the edge of the seating area. More people arrived from the side of the house and gathered on the grass or wandered toward the main tent.

“Congratulations,” one woman said to Eliza. “Oh, look at that ring. It’s beautiful.”

“Wow. So impressive,” another gushed.

“I know. Scott definitely swept me off my feet,” Eliza said, beaming from ear to ear then gazing back up at her fiancé.

The four men Mia had mentally eavesdropped on came over and one of them gave Scott a playful punch on the arm.

“Nice blowout, bro.”

Scott, his hand now resting on Eliza’s forearm, turned and smiled at them. His face may have been long and narrow but there was something very appealing about the symmetry. Mia studied his soft brown eyes and sculpted lips.

“He’s probably not what Eliza would consider hot, but he’s still decent looking,” Mia said in an undertone.

“Should I be jealous?”

“Ha. You know I only have eyes for my Italian Stallion.”

Eliza caught sight of them and smiled hugely. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

Mia’s back went ramrod straight. “Let the games being,” she said in an undertone to Roman before stepping forward. “Me too. Quite the party.”

Scott turned and his smile fell away as he studied Roman. “I’d hoped you wouldn’t come.”

“I make it a policy never to turn down an invitation to a fancy shindig.”

The group around Eliza had mostly drifted away by now except for Scott’s four friends. He turned back to them and Eliza homed in on Mia. “We should grab a table. I’m definitely going to need some chair time. These Pradas are the cutest things ever, but my feet are already screaming like little babies.”

So, they were pretending that one of them hadn’t spent the better part of the week launching a multi-pronged attack against the other one. Fine. Mia could play along.

She glanced down at the beautiful strappy cream sandals with skyscraper heels. “I hear you, sister. I decided on flats for that very reason.”

Kerry materialized through the crowd, filming the party on her cell. She stumbled when she saw Mia and Roman, and the hand holding the phone dropped to her waist.

“Hey, Kerry. Great to see you again. It’s been too long,” Mia said brightly. “That dress is such a pretty color on you. You look really nice.”

Kerry’s gaze flicked away from them, and she glanced uncertainly at Eliza.

“Did you get me and Scott walking across the lawn?” Eliza asked her friend.

“Yeah, most of it anyway. What else should I video?”

“Everything. Duh. You know I like having lots of B roll stuff. I never know what’ll work until I start editing the video. Mia and I are going to grab a table. Get some footage of us chatting and then make sure you’re standing by. You’ll know when it’s time,” Eliza said.

“Sure. Of course.”

Kerry melted away, her phone once again in front of her while she walked slowly around the grounds.

“I guess being an influencer is a full-time job and then some,” Roman said.

“Sure. But when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work.” She tipped her head and studied his face for several beats. “Wow. In person, you’re really good looking. Even better than the picture on your website.”

“Thanks. Though you don’t say it like a compliment,” Roman said.

“Just stating a fact. And Mia’s seriously gorgeous. You’re quite the couple. She’s all fiery beauty and you’re dark and smoldering sex,” Eliza said, glancing from one to the other, then shrugged.

“What are we doing here, Eliza?” Roman asked.

“I thought you might like a night out. The Lambs know how to throw a party and it’s the perfect place to pick up some new clients. If I were you, I’d start handing out cards, because this case you’re on right now, the bust-up-the-Eliza-and-Scott-wedding case, it’s ending tonight. So go on and mingle while Mia and I have some girl time.”

Eliza tucked her hand in at Mia’s elbow and towed her toward a table on the far side of the seating area and closest to the lake. Carefully arranging her skirts, she perched on one of the chairs and Mia followed suit. Roman watched them go then positioned himself at the side of the tent where he could keep an eye on their table.

Meanwhile, Mia reached out with her mind but couldn’t get a solid read on Eliza. Her energy was chaotic. Super charged. Then Eliza smiled, her face lighting up like she held the secrets to the universe. Mia’s stomach clenched. Her heart beat overtime.

JP came galloping toward his mistress with a big doggy smile on his face. Eliza scooped him up, being careful of her dress, before setting him directly on the table.

“It’s gonna make Jennifer’s eye twitch if she sees him on the table,” Eliza said with a chuckle.

When Mia held out her hand to the tiny dog, he approached eagerly and sniffed before dropping to his side and requesting a belly rub.

Eliza’s expression turned to wonder. “Okay. Wow. That’s weird. JP never lets anyone but me pat his tummy.”

Mia shrugged and softly stroked the Min Pin’s almost hairless belly. “I’ve always loved dogs. I think they can sense it from me.”

“He’s my first. I never even knew I wanted one, and then one night when I couldn’t sleep I found myself scrolling breeder sites. I was on a plane to Phoenix the next day, and the rest is history.”

“You know, if something were to happen to you—like going to jail, for instance—I wonder how JP will manage. I mean, have you made plans for a caretaker?” Mia asked.

The color drained from Eliza’s face and her eyes dropped to the dog who was still luxuriating under Mia’s hand.

“Are you seriously threatening my innocent dog?” she hissed.

“What? No. Of course not. I would never. It was just an idle thought, that’s all, and something for you to think about.”

Eliza reached out and carefully pulled JP away from Mia’s reach. With a gentle hand, she stroked his tiny head then glared across the table.

“Don’t you worry, little man. Nothing’s going to happen to your mama.”

She kissed his nose then shifted her attention to her microscopic cream clutch and retrieved something from inside a zipped pocket. She slipped that something on her finger. When she held her hand out, Mia’s eyes fixed on the platinum wedding band nestled so innocuously beside the diamond engagement ring.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Eliza’s smile sharpened and she waved her hand back and forth in front of Mia.

“I have the best and most exciting news to share. Scott and I got married this afternoon at City Hall. Looks like your job is officially over. You lose and I win. And whatever Jedi mind tricks you think you’re doing on me about JP, it’s not working.”

Mia’s body went to stone. Her mild whirled in a multitude of directions. This was bad. Catastrophic. Here she and Roman had thought there was still time on the game clock, but it turned out it had been counting down at triple speed. Now the buzzer had sounded and the game might well be over.

Eliza lifted her hand in a half wave and Scott, who must’ve been watching from nearby, quickly approached. Roman immediately left his post beside the tent. The two men arrived at the table together and each took a chair beside their partner.

JP shifted uneasily on the now crowded table and Eliza lowered him to the grass. He sniffed the air and turned determinedly toward the house where another round of servers were parading out at regular intervals with trays of food held aloft.

Roman’s eyes focused on Mia’s face for a beat before flicking over to Eliza’s cat-licking-the-cream smile. “What’s going on?”

Eliza turned to Scott and held up her left hand. “Hey, honey. I already spilled the beans. I was so excited I just couldn’t wait.”

“They got married today,” Mia said.

“Here, you should put yours on, too,” Eliza said, passing Scott his ring.

He slid it on his finger and smiled down at it. “I’ve never been a jewelry guy. This feels kinda strange but in the best possible way.”

“Why the rush?” Roman asked Scott. “After everything we talked about yesterday, I’d have thought you’d want to take a moment and investigate a little further.”

“Because I have zero doubts. You two just don’t get it, do you?” He said, glancing back and forth between Mia and Roman. “I love Eliza and she loves me. She’s a good person. When she came to me in tears yesterday afternoon, insisting we call off the wedding because of my parents, I knew I might lose her, so I stepped up. Nobody tells me who I can’t marry.”

Mia nodded. “Ah. It all makes sense now. This was Eliza’s idea.”

“And mine,” Scott immediately shot back. “During the past month, we’ve joked off and on about eloping. In fact, I think I was the first person to bring it up.”

“But I didn’t want to. Not when the wedding was all planned. Plus, I still hoped deep in my heart I might win his parents over. Except it’s never going to happen. I know that now. I’ll just have to get used to the hurt, I guess.” She pressed her lips together while a tear clung to the edge of her lash line before slowly rolling down her cheek.

Scott grabbed her hand and cradled it between his palms. “Please don’t cry, sweetie. You know what it does to me. I hate to see you hurting like this. From now on, my mission in life is to make you happy.” He lifted his gaze to Roman. “And keep you safe.”

Eliza took a hiccupping breath and nodded. “You’re so sweet to me. Okay. No crying. This is a good day, right?” She waved a hand in front of her face as if clearing a slate. “Our first day as husband and wife. We’re not going to let a couple of low-level PIs or your parents ruin it for us.”

“Exactly, Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have an announcement to make,” Scott said.

He helped Eliza off her chair and they walked into the main tent. Scott gestured to the lead singer of the band who nodded to his bandmates. The music cut off abruptly. Many of the guests turned to see what had happened.

Mia noted that Eliza glanced wildly around then pointed to Kerry, who’d been lingering off to the side of the seating area with her cell phone poised and ready. She scurried straight to Eliza.

Scott leaned in to confer with the singer of the band, then took the microphone, and he and Eliza walked out of the tent to the area with the tables. They stopped not far from where Roman and Mia sat. A hush had descended among the party goers gathered across the lawn.

“Hey, folks. Sorry for cutting the tunes. I have a quick announcement to make then we’ll get the band fired back up and hopefully see some of you out of the dance floor.” Scott spoke easily with no hint of shyness.

Kerry stood a few feet away filming the scene. Occasionally Eliza smiled straight into the camera, but mostly she gazed up at Scott adoringly.

“Magnificent Catering, can you please give everyone a fresh glass of champagne,” Scott said.

He must have primed the wait staff because immediately five of them marched out of the sliding door at the back of the house and circulated, holding trays filled with champagne flutes. Once the majority of the guests had been served, Scott put his arm around Eliza’s shoulders.

“Okay. First of all, Eliza and I would like to thank everyone for coming. We really appreciate your love and support. Getting engaged to Eliza … it was a turning point for me. Best moment of my life. I never imagined I’d fall in love with such a beautiful, smart, amazing woman. And I’m so glad I can celebrate with y’all.”

Everyone clapped and a few of the women patted their chests or fisted hands over hearts. Mia saw Jennifer make her way from the house and through the guests. She beelined to Thomas, who was standing near the tent bar. Briefly, her eyes flicked to Mia then away.

“September eighth is fast approaching,” Scott continued. “We’re thrilled that so many of you are coming to the wedding, and we can’t wait for the big day.” He shot a conspiratorial smile to Eliza and she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “And when I say we can’t wait, I mean it literally. See, Eliza and I sort of snuck off this afternoon and got married. I couldn’t stand for one more day to go by before she was my wife.”

There was a collective gasp from the crowd, then a buzz of chatter swelled up. Someone started clapping and soon the backyard was filled with applause. Scott turned to Eliza and they grinned at one another.

Finally, Scott held up a hand. “Thanks, folks. It’s so wonderful feeling your energy and enthusiasm. You probably have questions, though. Let me assure you we’re still going ahead with the reception in September and I can promise it’ll be a great night. But for now, let me introduce my wife, Mrs. Eliza Lamb.”

He swung Eliza around in his arms then swept her low for a kiss. JP emerged suddenly and barked at the couple as they broke apart. Eliza laughed, her face glowing with joy as she scooped him up.

“Also, I’ll obviously be adopting Jean Paul Gaultier,” Scott said. “I couldn’t want for a better furry stepson.” He nodded to Kerry who quickly passed over two glasses of champagne from where she’d placed them on a nearby table. “Okay. I’d like to raise a toast to Eliza. My beautiful bride. Thank you for making me the happiest man on earth.”

There were several oohs and aahs from the crowd. Everyone clinked glasses. In the background, the band started up. Mia recognized ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by Elvis Presley.

Kerry quickly cleared away some of the nearby chairs to make a small dance floor then picked up her phone and continued documenting the scene. Scott turned to Eliza and held out his hand. With an extravagant gesture, she placed her hand in his and they walked the few steps over to the open space among the tables.

Just for a moment, they stood staring at one another while people gathered closer and captured the moment with cell phones. Then Scott wrapped an arm around her waist, and they began to sway with the music. Eliza looked like a movie star with her upswept hair and filmy dress.

Mia almost sighed before giving herself an internal shake. This wasn’t a romantic moment. This was possibly the beginning of the end for Scott.

Over by the opening of the main tent, Jennifer stood stock still with her hand covering her mouth. She was visibly trembling. Beside her, Thomas shook his head manically back and forth.

“I guess the shit has officially hit the fan,” Roman said.

Chapter Twenty-nine

“Lord Jesus, what are we going do?” Jennifer asked.

Mia and Roman were in Thomas’s office at the far end of the house. Nobody sat. Instead, they stood huddled by the door.

It was a small, cozy room sporting soft green wallpaper and a seating area with a fluffy white rug across from the metal and glass desk. The large picture window looked out over the front lawn and showed the controlled chaos of the team of valets and the various vendor vans crammed onto the circular driveway.

The party continued out back and the sound of music and laughter seeped into the room. Jennifer walked over to a table, and grabbing a Kleenex, dabbed at her eyes. Thomas paced back and forth in front of his desk.

“How could this have happened? We hired you to safeguard our son, and now he’s married to a probable murderer,” Thomas said.

“With all due respect, we were hired to look into Eliza’s past, not stop them from marrying,” Roman said. His tone was reasonable and he spoke slowly but firmly. “The question is, what do you want to do now?”

“We want the marriage annulled and Eliza arrested, obviously,” Jennifer snapped. “She’s going to kill him. I can feel it in my bones.”

“You know we don’t have enough evidence to have Eliza arrested,” Mia said. “We can keep digging though, if that’s what you want.”

Thomas stopped pacing and turned to face Mia. “It might be too late. She’s legally his wife now. If anything happens to him, she’ll get the estate.”

“You need to guard Scott,” Jennifer said.

“How? We can certainly stake out the house and follow where they go but we can’t set foot on his property unless invited. And that’ll be his most vulnerable time—when they’re at home alone,” Roman said.

“Jennifer mentioned you were planning to have a discussion with Scott tonight. A follow-up to the meeting Roman and I had with him yesterday. I think the moment has arrived,” Mia said. “Maybe when you raise all the suspicions about Eliza, it’ll hit differently coming from his parents.”

Thomas’s laugh held zero warmth. “You saw him out there? He’s so in love with this monstrous woman there’s no way he’ll believe anything we say.”

“I still think it’s worth a try, don’t you?” Mia said.

“Scott might be safe for a while,” Roman said. “I was looking up the Tennessee surviving spouse elective, and it sounds like Eliza would only inherit around ten percent of the estate if they’ve been married less than three years. Why would she settle for a piece of the pie when she could hang in there and get the whole thing?”

Thomas walked slowly around his desk, pulled out the chair, and sank down onto it. He sighed. “Because after the prenup fiasco, Scott had a new will drawn up. Now that they’re married, Eliza will inherit the whole thing, including his share of Quantum Mind Technologies.”

“Oh. My. God. Why didn’t you tell me?” Jennifer said. All the color drained from her face and her arms hugged her midsection.

“Because I didn’t want to add more worry. There was nothing we could do about it anyway,” Thomas said.

“Well, crap. That puts a different spin on things,” Mia said.

“Look. I still think it’s worth a shot talking to Scott,” Roman pressed.

Jennifer and Thomas locked gazes. The fear was so clearly etched on each of their faces. Jennifer’s eyes had gone glassy, while Thomas’s face was infused with red and his jaw tightly clenched.

“I guess all we can do is try,” Jennifer said.

“Great.” Roman nodded. “Let’s do it now. Before they leave the property.”

“You guys stay. I’ll get him,” Jennifer said before whirling toward the door.

No one spoke after Jennifer bustled out of the office. Thomas sat slumped in his chair staring blankly at the far wall. Mia could easily sense the waves of fear he was throwing off. When Jennifer returned and shut the door, she gestured toward the small couch and Roman and Mia slid onto it while she moved one of the straight-backed chairs beside Thomas’s desk.

There was an impatient rap on the door and when it opened, Scott stood on the threshold, his arm around Eliza. They were presenting a solid and united front and Scott’s light brown eyes flashed with anger.

Jennifer leaned forward in her chair. “Eliza, we’d like to speak to Scott alone. This is a family matter.”

“Eliza is my family now,” he said through clenched teeth.

Mia got to her feet and approached them, her gaze zeroing in on Eliza.

“Things have already started off pretty rough. If you want this marriage to have any chance of working, you need to let this play out,” Mia told her softly. “Maybe we’re wrong about everything and maybe your past is innocent and wholly tragic. If so, how does it hurt to let Scott have this meeting with his parents? The more you protest, the worse it looks for you.”

“Either she stays or we both go,” Scott said.

Mia and Eliza remained locked in place, staring at one another. Mia pushed out with her mind, but unlike with Thomas, she couldn’t get a real fix on Eliza’s emotions.

Eliza’s hand came to the base of her throat and her fingers tapped out a quick rhythm. Scott took her elbow but before he could guide her away, she shook her head.

“No. You go on ahead and have a chat with your parents. I have nothing to hide. I’ll see you outside … after .…”

She stood on tiptoes and planted a kiss on Scott’s lips before trailing her fingers slowly down his arm and giving his hand a quick squeeze. Then she took a giant step back and made a shooing motion with her hands. The entire time, her eyes stayed glued to Mia’s face.

Mia shut the door before returning to her seat. Thomas remained behind his desk with Jennifer off to the side. Meanwhile, Scott crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe, his expression neutral.

“You guys, I’m begging you to let this go. Eliza is my wife. It’s already happened. There’s nothing you can do now. All these things you’re convinced she did … well … you’re flat-out wrong. I’ve got the situation in hand and nothing’s going to happen to me. Please just leave us in peace,” he said.

“We love you so much, Scotty. We’re only trying to keep you safe,” Jennifer said, her voice hitching.

“Look at it from our point of view. If you had a son and he was married to Eliza, I promise you’d be terrified. You certainly wouldn’t welcome her with open arms,” Thomas said.

Scott sighed. “I get that this is hard for you guys. But you raised me to be strong and independent. To think things through and make smart decisions. I know what I’m doing. Can’t you just please trust me. I don’t want us to fight.”

Jennifer’s breath sobbed out and she covered her mouth with her hand while Thomas slowly nodded.

“What’s the plan now? Are the two of you jetting off on honeymoon?” Roman asked.

“No. We’ll carry on prepping for the reception on the eighth. I still have a bunch of stuff going on at the company, and Eliza wants to get her social media reels filmed so she can schedule out the posts for when we’re away on the planned honeymoon starting the ninth. Basically, everything proceeds as though we weren’t already married.”

“But she’s going to stay at your place from now on?” Mia asked.

“Of course.”

“Please won’t you allow us to put Roman and Mia in your house tonight? Just in case,” Jennifer said.

“Mom. That’s not gonna happen. End of story. Think of how hurt Eliza would be. I stood up today promising to love and cherish her.” He shook his head and studied his parents. “I’ll be fine. Please try not to worry.”

“Okay. I can see how us being there would send the wrong signal,” Roman said. “What if you let us put a health monitor on you? Just one of those wrist units that looks like a Smartwatch. That way we could track your vitals and jump in at the first sign of trouble.”

Scott blinked and his gaze flicked over the four people in the room. “Are you being serious right now? I’m not wearing a damn tracking device. It’s just another way to hurt Eliza and I won’t do it. End of story. I’m asking everyone to please back off.”

He turned and strode to the door before flinging it open. Eliza stumbled back. She’d obviously been listening in. Scott paused, the briefest hitch of his stride, then reached for her hand. She brushed by him and stepped into the room.

“I want you to know I love Scott. So much. I’d never do anything to hurt him. I don’t know what I’ve done to make you hate me so much. If you want Mia and Roman to guard Scott, fine. I don’t care. Whatever it takes to get you to leave us alone. They can even come right in the house with us.”

Tears flowed freely down Eliza’s face. Some of her makeup had been washed away but Mia noted her mascara was holding strong. Her lips trembled but she firmed them and turning back to Scott, took his hand. She somehow managed to look both fragile and brave as she stared up at him.

Scott searched her face for several beats then shook his head. “No one’s coming in the house on our wedding night. That’s special and just for us.” He shifted to face Roman. “I can’t stop you from sitting outside my place, but if you have any shred of decency, you won’t do it. Be decent, okay?”

JP made a sudden appearance, prancing down the hall toward Thomas’s office. Eliza let out a small sob then scooped him up and cuddled him against her chest. Scott wrapped an arm around her shoulders as though to shield her from everything that had happened with his parents before leading her away.

“Well, that didn’t go too well,” Roman said, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Tears coursed down Jennifer’s cheeks and she grabbed another Kleenex and dabbed at them while her shoulders shook. Meanwhile, Thomas pulled out a piece of paper then swiped the screen on his phone before furiously scribbling. He stood and made his way out from behind the desk before thrusting the sheet at Roman.

“It just so happens Scott’s house is owned by his company, and I sit on the board so I have access to all the info. I looked it up the other day just in case. Here’s the alarm code, and I also signed a release for you to enter the premises. I’m hoping it won’t come to that, but it can’t hurt for you to have the info.”

“Are you asking us to sit on the house tonight?” Roman asked.

“Yes,” Jennifer blurted out at the same time Thomas said “No.”

“You heard our boy. We have to trust he knows best and let him live his life as he sees fit. If my parents had tried to intervene in either of my marriages, I’d have been livid. He’s certainly taking it a lot better than I would have. We can’t keep pushing or we’ll lose him for good,” he said.

“Speaking of, Scott mentioned his mom died a few years back. Is there anything we should know about her?” Mia said.

“It’s true. She did die. But honestly, she was never really here before that. Maybe my parents should have talked me out of marrying her,” he said with a sad smile. “Except I wouldn’t have Scott. He’s worth all the pain I went through back then. Rhonda was ill. Mentally, I mean. I only fully realized after we were already married, but I hoped we could make it work somehow or other. I was wrong. That’s probably why I’m so terrified for my boy now. Leaving aside the whole murdering intent part, I know what happens when you marry the wrong person.”

“What do we do now?” Jennifer asked.

“I guess we sleep on it. It’s all we really can do. Roman and I have a couple more avenues to explore and we can start on them tomorrow.”

Thomas nodded, his eyes bleak. “It’s the best we can do. I still can’t understand why he won’t see what’s right in front of his eyes. Our boy is smarter than this.”

Jennifer exhaled a shaky breath. “It’s like Eliza cast a spell on him. Maybe she’s a witch.”

“Or maybe he’s just so in love he can’t contemplate she’d ever want to hurt him,” Thomas said. “Love can do that, you know.”

He and Jennifer gazed at one another for several beats. Her breathing smoothed out and she tipped her head to the side. “Yeah. It surely can,” she said.

“Please try not to worry. Eliza would have to be crazy to do anything knowing we’re on to her,” Mia said.

Thomas’s shoulders slumped. “Crazy is exactly what I’m afraid of.”

Chapter Thirty

It had been a long night. When Scott finally walked out of the house in Walkerton and drove away in his Range Rover, she let out a sigh. Within minutes, she was on the road and driving back to Nashville. Anger simmered in her blood and when she arrived at her condo, she stomped inside and slammed the door.

The need for violence was strong. She glanced around wildly, eyeing the vase on the counter then the figurine on the side table. But instead of grabbing either of them, she simply threw back her head and screamed out the frustration.

The rage was a living and breathing thing, and it curled in her belly like a nest of snakes.

She’d seen a viper at the zoo once on a class field trip and stood transfixed outside the enclosure, too fascinated to tear her eyes away. The snake had slithered toward the glass, the fabulous girth of its body undulating lazily. Then it lifted its head and seemed to stare right at her, right into her, with those golden eyes and strange vertical pupils.

She still remembered the chill of recognition and the way her skin had pebbled all over with goosebumps. I want to hunt too, she’d thought. I want to slide noiselessly through this world then strike my victim when they least expect it.

For just a moment the thought had horrified her, but then she’d caught her reflection in the glass and saw that she was smiling. Her lips had curved into the exact perfect shape as if she’d known all along how to do it but simply forgotten for a time. It transformed her face. Made her look fun and approachable.

Her inability to smile—until this very moment—had been a thorn in her side. She’d understood it made people uneasy when she didn’t return their smile or grin at a joke. Benny, one of the worst of her tormentors at school, sometimes called her Sour-faced Sue or Can’t Grin and Bear It Bertha. Which she didn’t fully understand since her name wasn’t Sue or Bertha.

It made her mad when he called her those stupid names and the other stupid kids joined in. Sometimes they stood around her in a circle chanting at the top of their lungs. Her smile in the reflection of the snake’s enclosure got wider. Not so sour-faced now, am I? she’d thought.

And when she’d gone back to school the next Monday, she’d snuck into the classroom during recess and squeezed a generous portion of red-hot sauce onto his salami sandwich before slapping the top slice of bread back on and rewrapping it.

The whole thing had been so easy she didn’t understand why she hadn’t done something like this before. Upon returning to her desk after the break, she’d had to forcibly bite down on her tongue to stop from smiling.

It had been the most delicious feeling looking at Benny’s stupid face with those big fishy lips and the cowlick above his right eyebrow and knowing he was in for a rude awakening. And when the lunch bell had finally rung, it was all she could do not to stand over his desk and watch.

In fact, she’d made sure to put her head down and keep her gaze focused on her own food. At least until Benny made a sort of gasping sound and a few of the other kids started tittering. Then she’d joined in the laughter and how wonderful that had been.

Especially knowing she was the reason he had snot and tears running down his sweaty red face. Then he’d thrown up all over his desk and she’d wanted to cheer. Instead, she’d stared right back at him when he looked her way, her eyes steady and unblinking just like the viper.

One by one, over the next month or so, she’d paid back every single kid in her class who’d ever laughed at her or made her feel stupid.

It had been a glorious time. She had a purpose. A mission. And it gave her so much pleasure.

It was something she continued to do even to this day. In fact, when that mealy-mouthed bitch with the big earrings had stolen her parking spot outside the grocery store last week, she’d casually walked over and keyed the crap out of the driver’s side door. There are consequences for every action, she’d thought with satisfaction as she walked away.

Now she took a deep breath and blew it out. She was no longer in a rage, but it still wasn’t enough.

Sure, it had been a surprise when the meddling Lambs had called off the watchdog PIs, at least for last night. But she knew it wasn’t over. No way they were done poking around and attempting to stir up trouble.

Thomas and Jennifer thought they were so smart. Thought they could ruin all her careful plans. What she needed was to do something unexpected. Something amazing and awful and so utterly brilliant it would make her cry happy tears.

Well, not actual tears. She didn’t do that, of course. Oh, she could squeeze out whatever was needed to make others believe she was crying, but she didn’t feel them. Not in any emotional sense.

As she calmed, the big picture came back into focus. Of course, she could still sit back and wait it out. Sooner or later, maybe a year from now, it would be safe to get rid of Scott before moving on to Thomas.

But waiting was so boring. It felt like … well, not a failure … but not exactly a victory either. And this was supposed to be her crowning moment.

Not to mention she’d already invested so much into this plan. Time and energy of course, but also her heart and soul. Why should she have to wait?

At least the marriage had gone through. That was definitely one plus in her column. And hadn’t Thomas and Jennifer been shocked at the announcement? It was pleasing to know Scott’s nice juicy bank balance would be coming her way.

And it was all thanks to her quick thinking and her ability to pivot no matter the circumstance. The diversion she’d set up for Mia and Roman had worked to perfection. They’d been so busy putting out fires—literally and figuratively—that she’d been able to push up the wedding with no one noticing until it was too late.

If Scott was essentially off limits for the time being, she’d simply have to strike out in a different direction. Target someone who mattered enough to throw everyone off their stride, especially Mia and Roman. As long as it hit Thomas where it hurt, she could be satisfied with taking a more leisurely route to the final destination.

It was time to tap into that age-old magician’s trick. Right now, everyone was fixated on Scott and worrying he’d be murdered. So, while everyone looked left, she’d step right and do something completely unexpected.

She walked into her bedroom, grabbed the stepstool, and retrieved the acrylic box from the top of her closet. From inside, she pulled out two of her burner phones. The ones she’d already set up for just such an occasion.

That’s what made her so good. So smart. She was always thinking. Always planning. There was no way anyone would ever catch her.

She powered up the phones and thought for a moment. Then she typed out one final text into the chat she’d previously created between the two phones and waited until the satisfying ping sounded on the other. Her lips curved. This was going to be so much fun.

She walked back into the closet and quickly pulled off her wig and changed into dark bulky clothes before slipping on her black platform boots. They added a good three inches to her height. Finally, she took out the shiny black helmet she’d bought on a whim a couple of months ago.

Slipping it over her head, she walked across the room to the mirror and studied her reflection. Really, there was no way anyone could identify her when she was wearing this monstrosity.

“Don’t mess with me because I’ll win every single time,” she said and smiled when she heard how well the mechanism worked to garble her voice.

She sounded like a robot with a cold. It had been worth every penny she’d spent on the thing. Pulling the helmet off again, she brought it to her mouth and kissed it then tucked it under her arm and returned to the box on the bed.

She found the FedEx gift card and supplies and quickly parceled up the first phone. Then she walked briskly out of the condo and took the stairs down to avoid all but the camera at the main door.

Out on the street, her heart beat thickly in anticipation. This was going to be glorious. Fantastic. Amazing.

Really, she should’ve planned it this way all along because then Thomas would pay twice before she killed him. And by the time he’d lost everyone important to him, and he kneeled before her begging for his life, he’d be sorry he’d rejected her.

There were consequences for every action. Thomas was about to finally pay his dues.             

Chapter Thirty-one

Mia didn’t sleep well after the party. Roman remained peaceful by her side while the hours ticked away, and she lay there with her mind combing through the Eliza case. Something was lodged in her gut. Some sense there was a crucial piece of information, and it was right in front of their faces but they were still somehow missing the big picture.

She also remembered how, during the confrontation in Thomas’s office, Eliza had stared at her so intently as if trying to send a message. Surely, she wasn’t planning more vengeful actions against her and Roman? She’d won, after all. The marriage had happened just like she’d wanted.

Somehow Mia wasn’t convinced it would be enough for a woman like Eliza.

When she finally drifted off to sleep sometime close to four o’clock, it was to enter a landscape of tension-filled dreams about lost dogs and fires and the feeling of danger at every turn.

She woke a little after eight to an empty bed. Mac popped his head onto the duvet, and she sighed and stroked his nose before dragging herself into the shower. Moments later, Roman burst into the bathroom.

“You know I love shower sex as much as the next girl, but I’m too tired right now, babe,” she said.

“I can’t say I’m ever to tired for sex, but I hear you. Rough night, huh?”

She tipped her head back and thoroughly wet her hair before grabbing the shampoo bottle. “It wasn’t the best. The fact you slept like a baby only pissed me off more.”

“What can I say? I’ve trained my mind to turn off like a finely tuned machine. It’s a combo of discipline and maybe the fact my brain doesn’t have a whole lot going on most of the time,” he said with a grin.

“Right. You’re nothing but an airheaded boy toy.”

“You called it.” His gaze swept slowly down her wet, naked body. “God, you look … good enough to eat.” He shook his head. “Anyway, Thomas wants a team meeting at his office. Can you be ready to go in an hour or would you rather sit this one out?”

Smoothing a handful of conditioner through her long hair, she shot him a smile. “I’ll be ready.”

The headquarters for Best Bag was housed in a warehouse not far from Quantum Mind Technologies. There was only one car in the lot—Thomas’s gold Porsche. He let them in and stood back. His eyes were heavy and there was an air of deep fatigue about him.

“Thanks for coming. I can set you up with coffee, tea, or water.”

“Coffee for me, and Mia will have a tea.”

They followed him out of the reception area to a small hallway where he turned through the first door on the left and into a kitchen. The aroma of coffee was strong.

“Smells great,” Roman said, lifting his nose to inhale.

Thomas stepped up to a serious-looking appliance and after calling out the choices of beans and herbal teas began making Roman’s coffee.

“Do you usually work on Sundays?” Mia asked.

“Nope. But I was so on edge I had to do something this morning. I talked to Scott. He’s at work too, funnily enough. And, let me tell you, it was a huge relief to know he’d made it out of his house alive. One night down. Thousands more to go, I guess.”

He handed Roman the coffee and turned his attention to brewing Mia’s tea while also making himself a couple of shots of espresso. When all the drinks were prepared, he gestured them to a small round table.

“This place is as good as any. I’m the only one here so we don’t have to worry about privacy.”

“Jennifer’s not coming?” Roman asked.

“She’d planned to but called only a few minutes ago to say something came up. There’s a lot going on at the house with breaking down the party stuff and one of us needs to be there. I’d have held off and pushed you until this afternoon, but we have an appointment with our lawyer. Jenn’s idea. We’re hoping against hope there’s something we can do about protecting Scott’s assets so Eliza won’t have anything to gain by harming him.”

“I know you’re worried. I would be too. But for right now, I can’t imagine she’ll do anything. Not with the spotlight so firmly pointed at her face. I think the best use of our time is to keep trying to uncover whatever we can about her past. Determine, once and for all, if she’s actually a threat,” Roman said.

“Maybe Eliza did marry Scott for his money.” Mia shrugged. “But could be she’s only planning to spend like a trophy wife and not actually kill him.”

“At this point, I’d be thrilled. Don’t get me wrong, it’d still stick in my craw, and I’ll never be able to warm to the woman, but at least my boy would be okay.” He took a sip of his espresso and nodded. “Tell me, what’s the next step in the investigation?”

“We have the credit card fraud to follow up on. I’ll touch base with my police contact and see if we can’t push that along. It won’t prove she killed anyone, but maybe Scott will start to see her in a new light,” Roman said.

“We’re also planning a trip to her sister’s college. Roman has already talked to some students, but we thought it might be useful to see the location in person. Maybe we’ll dig up more leads or find something the police missed first time around,” Mia said.

“Okay. That all sounds fine. It might not net anything though. Then what?” Thomas asked.

Roman shrugged. “Investigations aren’t always linear. I can’t usually jot down a plan and simply work through the steps to a happy conclusion, because I don’t know what I’ll stumble over along the way. In this case, we keep our fingers crossed and hope we uncover a new thread. Something else to tug on.”

“For instance. Whoever’s targeting my online business must know their way around computers. Have you seen or heard evidence Eliza has that skill?” Mia asked.

“Hm. Let me think. All told, Jenn and I have only met her a handful of times. Computers haven’t come up a whole lot. Still, whenever I talked to Scott about the latest and greatest things going on with Quantum, she didn’t show much interest. In fact, it seemed like she wasn’t fully aware of what’s being developed by his company,” Thomas said.

“Could be an act,” Roman commented.

“Maybe so. When will you go to the college?”

“First thing tomorrow. It’s a good drive from here and we’re already halfway through the morning. I’ll stick with the credit cards for today and also try to run down the origin of those one-star reviews on Yelp.”

“Has there been any more of that sort of thing in the last twenty-four hours?” Thomas asked.

“I had a few bogus orders yesterday, but otherwise nothing else. It makes me nervous. Like this is just the lull before something big and bad gets thrown at us,” Mia said.

“I know exactly what you mean,” Thomas said grimly

***

Back at home, Mia took the dogs for a walk while Roman headed straight for his office. As much as she tried to enjoy the time spent wandering through the cool forest at the edge of her property, the sense of foreboding followed her like a shadow. Every time she turned around, there it was.

Her appetite was gone and she finally settled on a handful of carrot sticks and hummus for lunch before hunkering down in her workroom and trying her best to focus on the five jewelry orders she’d earmarked for completion that day.

An hour or so later, Roman came dashing into the workroom. His face was set in hard lines, and he held his phone in his right hand.

“Jennifer’s gone,” he announced. “The party cleanup crew reported she walked out of the lake house just after nine a.m. and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Thomas claims it’s not like her.”

Mia’s senses started pinging and skitters of electricity raced up and down her spine.

“Maybe she needed some quiet. Or retail therapy. Or maybe she just went to get a massage. It’s been a stressful time and who could blame her for wanting to step away for a moment?” she said, even knowing it was probably the last thing Jennifer would do right now.

“Remember she was the one who set up the meeting with the lawyer? He’s there now and there’s no sign of her. She’s not answering her phone, and the tracking app is disabled.”

“That can’t be good. Doesn’t she drive one of those fancy Teslas? I’ll bet they have tracking stuff on that, too,” Mia said.

“You’d be right. Apparently, her car is parked in an industrial lot in Nashville. He’s heading over there now. I said we’d meet him.”

“Give me a sec. I have a couple of things to do, including calling Sheryl to see if she minds coming over to feed the dogs later in case we’re held up for a while.”

Within ten minutes, they were in the Escape. Mia glanced at the four dogs lined up in their run and staring out forlornly.

Roman followed her gaze. “Don’t worry. They’ll be fine. You said Sheryl was coming in an hour, right? They love her. She’ll take them for a walk and no doubt play with them too.”

“I know. They just look so sad. Especially Mac. It hurts, you know?” She rubbed her fingers up and down her breastbone. She sighed then waited until he’d backed out and pulled away from the house. “You know, I’ve been thinking. If we find proof Eliza really is a murdering monster, she’s likely going away for a good, long time. JP will need a loving home.”

His eyes flicked over her face. “We already have four. I think that’s more than enough.”

“But he’s so little we’d hardly even notice him.”

He turned onto the main road and punched the accelerator. “How about we actually solve the case first. We can worry about the dog later.”

“Okay. But just know he’s on my mind. Anyway, what the heck do you think happened to Jennifer?”

“Dunno. It’s a strange time for her to drive to an unfamiliar location and walk away from her car.”

“Yeah, I guess. I wonder if she and Thomas had a fight. They’ve seemed pretty solid, but remember how she told us the marriage was rocky?”

“It has been crazy for them. I have to think emotions are running high,” he said.

“Hopefully by the time we get there, she’s already turned up.”

But when they angled into a long narrow parking lot outside a manufacturing building, there was no sign of Jennifer. Thomas pushed off his Porsche and gestured to a blue Tesla.

Roman pulled up beside him and he and Mia got out of their SUV. “What’s the word?”

“No word. Nothing. She’s just gone. Her purse is right there on the front seat. She’d never leave one of her bags behind. She loves those damn overpriced things.”

He was wearing the same navy dress pants and golf shirt that he’d had on when they met at Best Bag that morning. His hair was partially rumpled as if he’d been running his fingers through it but also remembering to pat it back down.

Mia approached the Tesla and glanced inside. Sure enough, a tan Hermes bag remained on the passenger seat.

“Did you touch anything?” Roman asked.

“No. I thought … well, just in case there’s evidence or something.”

Roman clapped a hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “Good man. Okay. I’m gonna take a couple of snaps real quick, then we’ll see if there’s anything pointing to Jennifer’s whereabouts.”

He took out his phone and Mia, well versed in the routine, turned to the Escape and opened the back door where she retrieved a box of latex gloves and a small tarp. She waited for Roman to take pictures from the outside. Then she slid on a pair of gloves and carefully opened the driver’s door before walking around to do the same on the passenger side. Roman continued documenting the scene. 

“Open the purse,” he told Mia. She did and he photographed it from the top down before sliding his phone into his back pocket.

Mia spread the blue tarp onto the asphalt next to the Tesla. She set the handbag on it and carefully removed one item at a time, lined them up on the tarp. There was a lot of stuff. Makeup. Hair pins. Multiple pens. Note pads. Hand cream. Trail mix and dried fruits in small Ziplock baggies. Three Cliff bars. Jennifer appeared to favor blueberry. A pair of Tory Birch sunglasses in a case. Advil. A Kindle Fire along with a paperback copy of Frieda McFadden’s The Boyfriend. Pink linen handkerchiefs with JL embroidered in the bottom right corner. Breath mints. And finally, a small, folded rain poncho.

When she was done, she glanced up at Thomas. “Can you see anything obviously missing or, on the other hand, something that shouldn’t be here? For instance, is it normal for her to have a book?”

“Oh, yeah. Jenn’s a big reader. The only thing I don’t see is her cell.”

“Yeah. I noticed that too,” Roman said. “Okay. Let’s go through the rest of the car.”

Like Mia, he slipped on gloves then returned to the driver’s side door. Since the Tesla was as neat as a pin, it took less than five minutes to clear the interior. They found little more than a gum wrapper caught down by one of the seats and a pencil. The glove box held all the usual ownership and insurance docs along with a small green container of liquid Stevia.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Thomas said when they finally stepped back from the car.

“Why would she come here?” Mia asked, glancing around the industrial area. There weren’t any other cars in the lot. “What is this place, anyway?”

“I looked it up. Zertex was a company that made high tension springs and coils,” Thomas said.

“Was?” Roman asked.

“According to Google, they went out of business a few years ago. I’m surprised the building is sitting empty. I checked the names of the board of directors and none of them meant a thing to me. I doubt Jenn knew any of them.”

“This is going to sound like an obvious question, but are we sure Jennifer is the one who drove her Tesla here? Could it be that she was taken somewhere else and the car was simply dumped afterward?” Mia asked.

Thomas’s lips pressed into a grim line. He nodded. “I’m almost certain it was her. I checked the navigation log, and the car came straight from the lake to here. No other stops. Then I brought up our door cam from the house. FedEx delivered a package just after nine this morning and Jennifer picked it up a few minutes later. She came back out fifteen or so minutes later. It was hard to be sure, but she looked like she was crying. A few seconds later you can just catch the edge of the Tesla going through the camera range as it went down the driveway.”

“And she didn’t contact you?” Roman asked.

“She did not. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what she could’ve gotten in that package to send her rushing out of the house the way she did.” Thomas blew out a breath. “It must have been something about Scott, don’t you think? But she damn well should’ve called me ....”

Mia stepped over and patted Thomas’s arm. “The important thing is to figure out what happened. Since there isn’t any FedEx package in the car, maybe it’s still at the house. We should go there and see if Jennifer left any clues.”

“Do you want to bring the police in on this? We’re in Walkerton PD jurisdiction and I know a guy who’d be good. He already has some of the background on Eliza,” Roman said.

Thomas’s gaze flicked to Roman. “Eliza? What does she have to do with this?”

“Think about it,” Mia coaxed. “You hired us to investigate her, and in the week since we started, Roman and I have been attacked in a variety of escalating way. Then there was the surprise elopement of Scott and Eliza, and now a possible kidnapping. It’d be strange if this is an unrelated incident. Unless there’s something you’re not telling us?”

“I’m not hiding anything,” he insisted. “Why would I when my wife’s missing?” He paused and glanced around the deserted lot. “Let’s go back to the house and see if we can find any clues like you suggested. After that, I guess we should call the police.”

“Sounds like a plan. First, we’ll pack this stuff up.” Roman gestured to where the contents of Jennifer’s purse lay spread out on the tarp.

Thomas suddenly jolted and he snatched his phone from his pocket. His eyes tracked down the screen and his breath gasped out while all the color leached from his face.

“Oh, my God. No. Why is this happening?” He held the screen out to show Mia and Roman the text message.

Chapter Thirty-two

Mia and Roman leaned toward Thomas’s cell phone.

I have your wife. She’s okay. For now. I want 1 million in Monero currency within 24 hrs. Don’t be a dick. I’d hate to have to kill her. Keep this phone handy. I’ll send more details. FYI no police or it’s over.

There was also a photo of Jennifer. The filter had been changed to black and white. She sat on an armchair that was a lightish color. It could have been tan or cream or grey or even light pink. There was a rip along the left arm rest.

The wall behind her was painted a slightly darker shade than the chair. It held no artwork or other adornments. The picture was zoomed in and had been cropped to cut out practically everything beyond the chair. A drop cloth covered the floor making it impossible to tell whether it was wood or carpet or even plain dirt.

Jennifer was barefoot and her hands were bound to the arms of the chair. There was a swath of duct tape covering her mouth. It looked to Mia as though her hair had started the day in one of those fashionably messy updos but now it was just straight-out messy, with a large chunk hanging in her face and partially covering her left eye. Both eyes were at half-mast.

“She looks like she’s been drugged,” Mia said.

Thomas was trembling so much that the phone bobbled, and Roman reached out and took it from him.

“Easy. I know this is upsetting but we’re going to do everything we can to get her back.”

“I don’t … it’s so .…” Thomas grabbed a fistful of hair.

“First of all, let’s see if we can engage the kidnapper, okay?” Roman waited until Thomas, eyes wild, slowly nodded. He typed into the phone then read aloud. “Please don’t hurt my wife. I’ll do what you say but I may need more time.”

“Can you get the money in twenty-four hours?” Mia asked.

“Yeah.  I think so. It’s all online nowadays so things move pretty fast,” Thomas said.

“Okay. I’m going to send this,” Roman said.

They waited several minutes for a response and finally the phone made a pinging sound.

We both know it’s more than enough time. Mess with me and you won’t like the consequences. I’m trashing this phone now so don’t bother trying this number again. I’ll be in touch.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. They sound mad. You shouldn’t have sent the text,” Thomas said, whirling on Roman.

“Calm down. She—or he because we don’t know who this is yet—was just establishing dominance. They aren’t going to walk away from a cool million after one single text exchange.”

“What’s Monero?” Mia asked.

“It’s sort of like Bitcoin. Except basically impossible to trace the users. Once I send the money, there’ll be no way of tracking it to the kidnapper,” Thomas said.

“Call Scott,” Mia told Thomas. “Let’s make sure he’s okay.”

It didn’t seem possible, but Thomas’s face went even more pale. Now all the blue veins on his forehead stood out and the dark circles under his eyes seemed almost fully black.

“You think something might have happened to him, too?” Thomas sputtered.

Mia shrugged. “Hopefully not. But you have to admit kidnapping Jennifer is one hell of a diversion.”

Thomas put the call through then switched to speaker phone while Mia and Roman huddled around him. He sagged in relief when Scott’s voice answered.

“Yo,” Scott said. “You’re not going to start calling me every half hour, are you? I told you I was fine.”

“No. Of course not. I guess I just wanted to hear your voice. Where are you?” Thomas asked

There was a pause. “Still at the office. Why?”

“No reason. Just making conversation. I guess Eliza’s back at the house?”

There was another long pause. “Are you seriously calling to check up on Eliza? This is whacked. I’m about to head home and there’d better not be any more calls tonight. Okay? Love you but I sure don’t like you right now.”

The line went dead and Thomas exhaled. “Okay. He’s fine. Mad but fine. I’ll take it. Let’s go to the lake house. And no police yet.”

Roman held up his hands. “You’re the boss. And I think it was smart not to tell Scott about Jennifer until we know more.”

By the time they pulled up to the lake house and Thomas stepped out of his Porsche, some color had returned to his face. He didn’t wait for Mia and Roman, instead barged straight in the front door. They jogged after him.

“There’s nothing here.” Thomas looked wildly around the kitchen. “No box. No packaging. Nothing. Shit. Now what?”

“She must have taken it with her. Let’s see the door cam footage,” Roman said.

Muttering to himself, Thomas pulled out his phone then shook his head. “It’s better if we go to the monitoring station. The screen is bigger.”

He led them down the hall toward his office, stopping at the room before and opening the door. It was little more than a closet, but it held a desk with six flat screens. He quickly toggled back through the previous few hours until a FedEx truck appeared on the top left screen.

They watched the man get out and walk briskly up the steps. He bent over to set a small, padded envelope on the front door mat then stood back, snapped a picture with his cell phone, and returned to his truck before driving away. The whole thing took one minute and twenty-two seconds.

Thomas scrolled ahead then stopped when the door opened. Jennifer stepped out. She looked as put together as every other time Mia had seen her. And as she’d guessed from the kidnapper’s photo, her hair had originally been twisted up and into a loose bun with several pieces left to curl down around her face. Her navy blouse had a sweetheart neckline, and her wide-legged tan chinos ended halfway down her calves.

The picture was high quality and her features were clear. The careful use of makeup couldn’t hide the strain of the previous day’s surprise wedding announcement or her worry for Scott, for it was etched plainly on her face.

She crouched down and picked up the small parcel, studying it for several seconds before going inside the house and shutting the door.

“Go back. See if you can zoom in on the package,” Roman said.

When Thomas did, they were able to easily make out Jennifer’s name and address on the front. The sender’s info had also been filled in. Lara Croft. 1301 Industrial Road, Walkerton.

“That’s where we just were. At Zertex,” Mia said.

“And Lara Croft? Obviously bogus,” Roman said. “And I bet when we follow up, this was paid by cash or some other untraceable way.”

“There’s more of her.” Thomas said. “See, at nine sixteen she leaves the house.”

They watched Jennifer rush out and hastily lock the door. She had the tan Hermes bag in one hand and her cell in the other. And as Thomas had suggested earlier, there were tears in her eyes.

“Pause it right there,” Mia said. “She doesn’t look scared, more—is she angry? Look at the little crease between her eyebrows. That’s a mad line if I ever saw one.”

Thomas nodded. “I think you’re right.” Using his fingers he repositioned the still frame of his wife and zeroed in on her purse. “It’s impossible to tell if she has the FedEx package in there. That thing’s about as big as a Buick.”

“She must have, because otherwise where did it go?” Roman glanced over to Thomas. “It would be pretty crazy for the kidnapper to snatch Jennifer then drive out here and break into your house to get the package. Way too risky.”

The three of them walked back to the kitchen. Other than a half-full cup of coffee left on a placemat at the breakfast bar, there wasn’t an item out of place. Mia glanced across the room at the back and out toward the lake. Not a tent to be seen, nor a single piece of trash anywhere.

“Hard to believe there was a party here yesterday,” Mia commented.

“What? Oh, right. We have a good crew. They always get us squared away pretty fast. Jenn hates things being out of place,” Thomas said.

“Thomas, you should look around the house. See if anything’s missing. Maybe the kidnapper wanted Jennifer to bring money or jewelry or something with her,” Mia suggested.

He walked briskly away to the bedroom wing on the other side of the main area. Roman sidled closer to Mia.

“You pick up anything I should know about?” he asked.

“So far the only thing I saw was how furious Jennifer was after she opened that FedEx package. I got a flash of her clutching the kitchen counter. Her face was bright red, and a pulse beat at the base of her neck like her blood pressure was going crazy. She was talking to herself. I think she said, ‘Not now’ or ‘why now’. Then she slammed her fist on the counter a bunch of times.”

“I wish we knew what in God’s name was in that package.”

Mia walked across the kitchen to where she’d seen Jennifer in the vision and closed her hands around the bottom edge of the counter, mimicking her stance. She closed her eyes and reached out with her mind but nothing came.

“Jenn took cash,” Thomas said, rushing back to the kitchen holding an envelope from Chase Bank. “We always have some on hand and it’s gone. I think maybe five grand or so.”

“That’s good info. But it doesn’t exactly help us zero in on where she might be,” Roman said. “Let’s assume we can’t find Jennifer before the twenty-four-hour deadline is up. Are you going to pay?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

Roman nodded. “Okay. What about the cops? Do you want them involved yet or at all?”

Thomas pulled out a stool from under the counter and collapsed onto it. He scrubbed his hands roughly up and down his face. “I don’t know. Not if it might bring harm to Jenn. I’d rather just hand over the money and be done with it.”

“We have to look at the scenario where they don’t give her back. Or they …” Roman paused and blew out a breath, “they harm her. It’s bad enough doing an in-person exchange of cash for the hostage, but we have even less assurance when the money is sent online.”

“Why are you saying ‘they’? You don’t think it’s Eliza?” Thomas asked.

“I want to keep an open mind. If we assume it’s Eliza, we might miss an obvious clue or look in the wrong direction. Anyway, I’d be remiss if I didn’t suggest you involve the police. They can give us better coverage. If something were to go wrong, the kidnapper won’t get away so easily. Mia and I are just two people, after all.”

“Okay. I’ll think about it. In the meantime, I guess I’d better get the financials ready to go.” He glanced over at the clock on the stove. “Almost six already. They didn’t give a time, but I expect they’ll want the money by sometime mid-afternoon tomorrow.”

“I think it’s time to bring Scott into the loop. This is best done in person. He should be home by now and it’d be great if Eliza’s there too. I’d like to get her first reaction,” Roman said.

“But if Eliza’s there then she didn’t do it, which means we have zero clue who’s behind taking Jenn,” Thomas said, looking confused.

Mia shook her head. “Not necessarily true. Jennifer was taken around ten a.m. and it’s early evening now. Plenty of time to stash her somewhere nearby, locked up safe and sound, before she rushes home to her new husband.”

“Okay. I can see that.” He paused and stared down blankly at the counter. “I hate having to tell Scott. He loves his mom so much.”

“I think he’d be more upset if you didn’t tell him,” Roman suggested gently. “And we’ll be with you every step of the way. Come on. The sooner the better.”

Chapter Thirty-three

Roman waited for Thomas to steer his Porsche along the driveway then tucked in behind him. They drove fast, hurtling along the twisty lake road until Mia was forced to clutch the door handle to keep herself from being tossed around like a rag doll.

“Maybe Thomas shouldn’t be behind the wheel right now,” she said.

“He’ll be fine, and we’re almost back to the main road anyway.”

When the Porsche swerved and just about went into the rock-filled forest beyond the narrow shoulder, Mia gasped. Roman slammed on the brakes then coasted to a stop behind the now idling sports car. He put on his hazards and they both got out.

Thomas didn’t notice them approach. He sat hunched down in the driver’s seat staring at his phone. Roman tapped on the glass and he jolted so badly the phone went flying out of his hand and fell down beside the console. He fished it out then lowered the window.

“What the heck happened?” Mia asked.

His eyes were red-rimmed and his skin had taken on an ashy hue. He handed her the phone. “Read for yourself. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why Jenn would have gone off to meet some stranger without a word to anyone. Now I know.”

Mia and Roman peered down at the screen.

I’m getting bored. Let’s move things up. I want the Monero by 1 a.m. or I dump your wife’s body. Remember to keep the police out of it or we’re done. And FYI, this is what got her attention in the first place.

Mia clicked on the attached photo. It was a screen shot of a text conversation. Lots of sexy jokes and references to meeting up for another quickie. One of the participants signed off with the initial C and referred to the other using the nickname Big T. Big T promised C that his clueless wife had no idea and once things died down after his son’s wedding, he’d have more time for play.

“You swore you’d told us everything, and now we find out you were cheating?” Roman said, his eyes blazing. “Don’t you think that information was relevant to Jennifer’s kidnapping?”

“Meaning Eliza probably wasn’t involved,” Mia said.

Thomas’s breath heaved out. “That’s the thing. It’s not true. I don’t know any C. I admit I wasn’t always faithful in the earlier part of our marriage, but as God is my witness, I haven’t cheated on Jenn in years. Now if she dies, she’ll go to her grave thinking I gave up on us and I can’t stand it. This is all my fault. She must hate me.”

He bowed his head and sobbed softly, his shoulders lifting with every inhale.

Roman shot Mia a look and she crouched down and patted Thomas’s shoulder. “Hey. It’s all right. We’re going to figure this out and get Jennifer back. You can tell her all this yourself.”

Thomas shook his head and swiped a hand across his eyes. Searching the pockets of her jeans, Mia came up with a Kleenex and handed it to the sobbing man.

“You know, this is actually good news,” Roman said. “It’s our first honest-to-goodness clue. Someone framed you as an adulterer in order to kidnap your wife. Who knew about the early trouble in your marriage?”

“Well, no one, really,” Thomas said. He blew his nose and let out a shaky sigh. “I guess the women I was with. And our therapist. And some of Jenn’s friends.”

“These women, do you know where they are now?” Roman asked.

“Heavens, no. I haven’t the first clue. It happened more than ten years ago.”

“Was Scott aware of the infidelity?” Mia asked.

Thomas blinked several times, and his cheeks pinked up. “I guess he might have been. It’s not like I announced it to him or anything, but he knew there were fights and therapy sessions. I don’t know if Jenn out-and-out told him or not though.”

“I think he probably knew. Kids usually do. If so, he might have mentioned it to Eliza,” Roman said.

“Meaning this could still be her?” Thomas said with naked hope in his eyes. “God. That would be great … I mean, not great but the idea that one of my exes was behind hurting Jenn was too much.”

Roman rubbed his hands together. “The sooner we talk to Scott the better.”

“What about the earlier payment? Can you make the deadline?” Mia asked.

“Yeah. Probably. I’ll get the money sectioned off then look into purchasing Monero, but typically the transaction times on these things are pretty quick.”

“Okay. Good.” Mia checked her phone. “That gives us around six hours before you need to start the process. We’d better get moving.”

Mia and Roman returned to their vehicle and they resumed the drive to Walkerton. Scott lived in a gated community where the lawns were big and bold, the driveways sweeping, and the houses set well back from the road. His Range Rover was parked by the front door. There was no sign of Eliza’s red Toyota 86.

Scott opened the front door before they’d even crossed the front porch. “What’s going on?”

“Would it be okay if we came inside?” Roman asked.

Scott said nothing, simply pressed his lips together then stood back and waved them in.

“Is Eliza home yet?” Mia asked.

“Nope. I can’t reach her, either. I’ve been trying off and on all afternoon.” Scott’s eyes flicked over their faces finally zeroing in on Thomas’s. “Something happened. What is it? Is Eliza okay?”

“I have no idea,” Thomas said. “I haven’t seen her since the party last night.”

Scott sagged against a side table, causing the keys in a bowl centered on top to rattle. Then he pushed up and brushed by them, walking back to the kitchen. They followed him. He grabbed a bottle of water off the large center island and drank deeply.

“Scott, I’ve got some bad news.” Thomas moved across from his son and set his palms down on the counter. “Your mom went missing this morning. We’ve traced her car to an industrial lot in Nashville but haven’t been able to contact her. Shortly after we found the car, I got a ransom demand.”

Scott didn’t move. Didn’t blink. His face went completely blank, and he stood like a statue for several beats. Then he seemed to shake himself, and he turned to Roman and Mia.

“Tell me everything,” he said simply.

They quickly brought him up to date although, by silent mutual agreement, didn’t include the text about Thomas cheating. It was his decision whether to bring up the sensitive topic with his son.

“Okay. And no police, right?” Scott asked.

“Your father didn’t want them involved yet,” Mia said.

“Wait. There’s one more thing. As much as I hate to tell you, you have a right to know,” Thomas said. He told Scott about the screenshots made to look as if he’d been having an affair. “It’s not true. I wasn’t cheating, I promise you.”

Roman cleared his throat. “Scott, your father admitted there had been some infidelity in the early stages of his marriage to Jennifer but nothing recent. We think the kidnapper simply mocked this up to get your mom to the location of the snatch. Did you ever discuss your parents’ marriage problems with Eliza?”

“Not in specifics because I didn’t know them, but yeah, I might have mentioned something about marriage being work and how we had to commit to getting through rough patches.” He shook his head then stared down at the water bottle. “She didn’t do this. I promise you. You’re looking at the wrong person.”

Thomas crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s admirable you’re sticking up for her, but your mom’s life is on the line. I’d have hoped this incident would’ve cleared the damn mist from your eyes where Eliza is concerned. She killed her family and now she’s kidnapped Jennifer. That’s why you haven’t been able to reach her all afternoon. She’s evil incarnate and once we get your mom back safe and sound, I want you as far away from that monster as possible.”

Scott sighed. “It’s more complicated than you can possibly imagine.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. “I’ll try calling again. I’m worried something happened to her.”

“Nothing happened to her.” Thomas grabbed a handful of hair above his forehead and tugged while letting out a frustrated growl. “She’s the cause of everything, not some damsel in distress. I thought you were smarter than this.”

Ignoring his father, Scott held the phone to his ear then shook his head. “She’s still not picking up. I’m starting to seriously freak out now.”

Roman brought his gaze to Scott’s face. “When did you last talk to her?”

“Just before lunch. She was upset. Like crying and everything. Basically having a panic attack about how my parents hated her and kept asking what chance did our marriage have. I calmed her down some, but I could tell she wasn’t okay. When I said I’d come home right then and there, talk it over more, she told me not to. Said she was fine, but I knew she wasn’t. I decided to give her some space.” He slammed a hand down on the counter. “Clearly it was the wrong decision.”

“Can you track her phone?” Mia asked.

“No. At least not with a tracking app if that’s what you mean.” He grabbed the water bottle then strode around the island. “I’m going to her condo to see if she’s there. Maybe she just turned her phone off and doesn’t even realize I’ve been calling.”

“Mia and I will come with you,” Roman said.

Scott hesitated at the opening to the foyer. “I guess. If you want. No real need, though. I’m half expecting to find her tucked up on the couch eating Ben and Jerry’s and hugging JP.”

Mia let out a weighty sigh. “All we can do is hope that’s the case.”

Chapter Thirty-four

Thomas stayed at the house to prepare for the ransom payment and the remaining three hopped in Scott’s Range Rover. They made good time until reaching the outskirts of Nashville where the roads were clogged with rush-hour traffic and progress was slow.

“How was Eliza last night when you got home after the party? Was she upset then too?” Mia asked.

“No. Not at all. In fact, she was kind of giddy. She kept saying how right it had been to move up the wedding ceremony so no one could spoil it. And she was, for sure, excited about the reception on September eighth and especially about wearing the dress. Said it’s going to be a showstopper. We had a .…” He paused and cleared his throat. “It was our first night as husband and wife so let’s just say we had a good time and leave it at that.”

“And this morning … what was her mood like?” Roman asked.

“Still pretty good. We were both tired but she seemed fine. No tears or anything. And she had lots of work plans for the day. We each want our businesses to be squared away so we can really enjoy the honeymoon. I haven’t told her yet, but we’re going to Paris for five days, then Bali.”

Mia laid a hand over her heart. “Sounds so romantic. I’m sure she’ll love it.” She paused to think through the timeline again. “So last night, even after the set-to with your parents, Eliza was fine. You came home and all was good. Same with this morning. Then she called a few hours later in hysterics, and you haven’t talked since?”

“I called her actually. But yeah, that’s about the size of it.”

Scott steered around a stopped delivery van then turned down a side street before pulling up to a mid-sized building. He parked directly by the main door and turned off the engine. They jogged inside the lobby, and he flicked though the keys on his chain before slotting one into the metal plate on the large glass door and yanking it open.

As the elevator whisked them to the eighth floor, Mia worked to slow her racing heart. She told herself there was zero chance they’d find Eliza in the condo where she was also conveniently housing the kidnapped Jennifer.

Scott guided them left along the hallway and down to the end before stopping at the last door on the right. There was an electronic keypad, and he quickly punched in a four-digit number and grabbed the handle.

The door didn’t budge.

He tried again and finally a third time with no success.

“She must have changed the code, and I don’t have a key.” He pounded on the door several times, calling Eliza’s name, then pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and hit redial before shaking his head. “She’s still not answering.”

Roman tapped the wall with his fist. “Any other ideas?”

“Not really.”

“Would she have gone to Kerry’s place?” Mia asked.

“I called her earlier and then again around an hour ago. She hasn’t heard from her since yesterday. She was real concerned when I told her what was going on and promised to let me know if Eliza gets in touch,” Scott said.

“Well, damn,” Roman said softly. “I guess we might as well go back to your house. Could we maybe fit in a stop on the way? I want to follow up on the package the kidnapper sent your mom this morning.”

Once they were back in the SUV, Mia consulted her phone. “There’s a FedEx a few blocks over. Go west on Drury then south on Pinebush.”

As Roman had predicted, there was no way to trace the sender. He did find out the package had originated from a 24-hour drop box on the north end of Nashville and been paid for with a gift card. Without a warrant, the man behind the counter refused to give out any more information.

“It’s gonna be a dead end,” Roman grumbled when they climbed back into the SUV.

There was very little talk on the drive back to Walkerton. Inside the house, they found Thomas sitting at the large round table with his phone in his hand and a cup of coffee at his elbow. He looked up when they trudged into the kitchen.

“Since you didn’t call, I figured she wasn’t there. You know, I can’t help thinking how funny it is that Jenn is abducted and at almost the exact same moment, Eliza’s supposedly so upset she goes radio silent,” Thomas said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Not now, okay? Let’s just concentrate on getting mom back.”

“How’s it going with the finances?” Roman asked.

“Pretty much set. All I need is the kidnapper’s email address for their Mondero account. They—or should I say she—probably won’t send that info until right before the time.”

“Looks like all we can do now is wait,” Roman said.

“Is anyone else hungry? I’ll order delivery,” Mia said.

Food choices were taken and the order put in. Scott handed out bottles of water. Thomas continued shooting worried glances at his phone. Every ten minutes or so, Scott dialed Eliza’s cell. It always went directly to voice mail.

“How do we know Mom will be released after the payment goes through? Shouldn’t we demand proof of life or something?” Scott said.

Roman took a sip of water before twisting the cap back on and rolling the plastic bottle in his hand. “Unfortunately, we have no control in this situation. All we can do is hope for the best.”

An intense discussion began between Scott and Thomas about tracking IP addresses and scraping data from the text messages and the photograph of Jennifer.

“Even when we pinpoint the cell tower, it’ll only give us a general area. It’s not like it’ll spit out an actual address, so not all that helpful. And it’s going to be a burner phone anyways. The kidnapper knows their stuff. They wiped all the geo info from the picture. God, I hate seeing her like that,” Scott said, grimacing before returning Thomas’s phone to him.

By the time the food arrived, father and son had spread a couple of laptops across the kitchen island. Scott typed feverishly into a code window while Thomas scrolled down a never-ending screen of computer programming, making occasional comments about array names or if-then loops, all of which sounded like a foreign language to Mia.

“What exactly are you doing?” she asked.

“Trying to build a bot to go in and get the ID on the address the kidnapper uses in Manero,” Scott said, his eyes never leaving the laptop screen.

Mia’s eyes widened. “Will that work?”

“I have no idea. Honestly, it could take weeks. I doubt there’s enough time before the ransom is due, but I’ve gotta try.”

Deflated, Mia slumped back against the chair. When the doorbell rang, everyone surged to their feet. Scott grabbed his phone and swiped screens. “Relax, it’s just the takeout.”

“I’ll get it,” Roman said.

The food was dispensed and consumed by everyone except Thomas who did little more than pick at his burger. He sat with his head down and eyes on his phone where he’d propped it up on a book in front of him. Scott continued working on his laptop, his fingers flying over the keyboard while he mumbled to himself.

It seemed Thomas had decided it was best if he stopped commenting about Eliza’s possible involvement in the kidnapping. Every time Scott broke off, yet again, to try and reach her he rolled his eyes or frowned but remained silent. Still, Mia could sense the deep, dark anger swirling in his mind.

Mia and Roman wandered to a sitting room off the kitchen and sank onto a large sectional sofa.

“It’s got to be Eliza, don’t you think?” Mia said in an undertone.

“Maybe. Probably. I just don’t get why she’d expose herself by making a move on Jennifer. If she had any brains in her head, she’d know that’d put her straight into the number one spot on the suspect list. And for a lousy million? Why bother?”

“Hey, that’s a lot of money.”

“Sure. I know it is. But not in the grand scheme of what she’s hoping to get her hands on through Scott. Why not just stay married for a bit, spend lavishly, then arrange a tragic accident a few years down the road when the heat is off? Now, if Scott ever finds out she was behind this, he’ll divorce her in a heartbeat, and she’s left with nothing.”

“It’s definitely not how I’d have played the situation. Still, given what she’s done to us during the past week, maybe she just gets off on toying with people.” Mia paused and pursed her lips together. “There’s also the whole payback factor. She must’ve been furious and also somewhat humiliated at the way Thomas and Jennifer reacted to both the engagement and yesterday’s marriage. Maybe it’s as simple as wanting to hurt them, and the money is just an afterthought.”

Roman nodded. “Yeah. I can actually see her doing that. And if she murdered her family like we suspect, it wouldn’t be much of a leap to kill her mother-in-law.”

“I agree.” Mia held up her index finger. “But we still haven’t proven she did anything except buy peanut oil. I wish we’d made it to Darby today. We can’t keep stumbling around in the dark like we’ve been doing. I need to get a vision and I need one right now.”

There didn’t seem to be much to say after that, so they sat in silence. Roman leaned his head back against a cushion and scrolled on his phone. Mia tried a few minutes of deep breathing before systematically working through her body, muscle by muscle, to release the tension. It crept back almost as soon as it left and soon her shoulders were once again welded to her ears.

Time passed both slowly and quickly. She checked her phone frequently and sometimes was annoyed it had been mere moments since the last look. Other times, she got lost down a thought spiral and was amazed to find an hour had flown by.

When she heard Scott leave Eliza another voicemail and realized it was getting close to midnight, she eased away from Roman and wandered into the kitchen.

“How goes it?” she asked Scott.

“It doesn’t. I’ll keep trying but I can’t break through their firewall.” She shifted her gaze to Thomas. “Nothing from the kidnapper?”

“Not a single thing. They’d better reach out soon or I won’t make the deadline.”

The talking must have alerted Roman for he soon joined them, pulling out a chair opposite Scott. Mia stayed where she was with her elbows resting on the marble countertop. Over the picture window hung a large pewter clock and she swore she could feel the specter of doom inching closer with every loud tick of the second hand.

“I’m going to make a coffee. Anyone else want one?” Mia asked.

All three men raised their hand. She turned toward the Nespresso machine only to whirl back when Thomas’s cell phone pinged.

“It’s the kidnapper,” Thomas said.

Scott immediately shifted his chair closer to Thomas and they peered down at the cell phone as Thomas read the message in a shaky voice.

Here’s the Monero account. 9158181819811110118214 at outlook dot com. You have until one a.m. This cell number is now dead.

“That’s a long-assed numerical account number,” Scott said.

“Since it’s twelve-fifteen it looks like we’re out of time on that bot,” Roman said.

Scott sighed and shook his head. “Yeah. I probably need days or weeks assuming it’s even possible to do. I’m sure many before me have tried.”

“Nothing to do but trust, I guess,” Thomas said. “And what are the options anyway. If I say no money, Jenn will probably die. The only way to get her back is to pay.”

“She might die anyway,” Roman said gently. “You need to be prepared just in case the worst happens.”

“I know. But if I don’t pay, I’ll never forgive myself. It’s only money. I’d give up everything I had to get her back,” Thomas said. He pulled the laptop closer before handing his cell to Scott. “Can you call out the account number? It’s so damn long I don’t want to mess it up.”

Scott brought up the text message on the phone and slowly recited the string of numbers. When he was done, Thomas repeated it back to him and Scott nodded and returned the phone to his father.

“And just like that, one million dollars into the ether. Please let them free her now. We’ve done everything they asked.”

“I’m sure we’ll get a message soon,” Scott said, making a show of crossing his fingers.

“The waiting is going to kill me,” Thomas said. He got to his feet and walked across to the French door before staring out blankly into the night. “She must be so scared. They’ve had her since around ten a.m. That’s almost fifteen hours. It feels like a lifetime.”

“Hopefully Mom’s being released even as we speak,” Scott said.

But as the next two hours crawled by, Thomas’s phone remained silent. Everyone had gone inside themselves, processing the events of the day and worried what the outcome might be. When Mia began yawning, one jaw-cracking one after the next, Roman took her hand and led her back to the sitting room and pointed at the couch.

“It’s nap time. You barely got any sleep last night. There’s nothing for us to do but wait, so you might as well take advantage of this lull,” he said.

“Okay, fine. But only because I’m too tired to argue.” She rearranged the cushions and sank down while Roman moved over to the armchair opposite. “Don’t let me sleep too long.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

She dropped away like a stone and Roman smiled in satisfaction and let his head fall back against the cushion on his chair. He wouldn’t have minded grabbing an hour or so, but it seemed like poor form for both of them to be caught napping on the job. His mind wandered, doing its best to connect the dots of the case and once and for all figure out a way to prove Eliza had done every single thing they suspected.

Mia began mumbling in her sleep and her face twisted with distress. He shifted over to the couch and crouched down beside her. Laying a hand on her shoulder, he whispered, “It’s okay. You’re fine. Everything’s going to work out.” 

Her eyes flicked open, wide and unfocused, then she said, “JP’s still alive,” before sinking back into sleep. Roman continued rubbing her shoulder and waited until he was sure she was somewhere more peaceful before returning to his chair to keep watch over her dreams.

It wasn’t more than a few minutes later when Scott let out a gasp. “Oh, my God. I don’t believe it.”

Roman bolted to the kitchen to find Scott staring down at his cell phone. His face was drained of color and his amber eyes huge and glassy. He scrambled off the chair and ran to the foyer before opening the front door.

In the next instant, Roman and Thomas were on his heels with Mia not much farther behind. The security lights were on. The night was clear and still. A car had joined the lineup parked in front of the house. The headlights switched off and a woman stepped out.

When she turned toward them, the security lights illuminated her face, and she tentatively lifted her hand in a wave.

It was Eliza.

Chapter Thirty-five

With a whoop of delight, Scott ran toward her and lifted her into his arms in a giant bear hug.

“Wow. Big surprise. I send the ransom money and look who shows up,” Thomas said sourly.

“Let’s dial it back a notch and see what she has to say. Maybe even jolly her along a little to give the sense we’re not suspecting she had anything to do with the kidnapping. Could be, if she feels safe, she might accidentally give herself away,” Roman said.

Thomas turned to study his face. “You do believe it was her. I thought I was the only one. I mean, who else would want to hurt Jenn or me?”

“Based on the information we have, Eliza’s our best guess. Let’s all play nice and make the most of this opportunity,” Mia said.

They approached Scott and Eliza who were still clinging to one another.

“I’m sorry. So sorry,” Eliza was saying over and over while Scott ran his hands up and down her back.

“Shush. It’s okay. You’re here now. That’s all that matters,” he crooned.

Thomas took a step forward, but Mia grabbed his elbow and shook her head. Roman made a combo throat-clearing/cough sound and Eliza jerked in Scott’s arms. When he released her, she spun toward them.

“What … why are you all here?” She shifted her gaze back to Scott. “Did you call in a search party? You must have been so worried.”

Tears leaked down her face. Her eyes and nose were tinged red. She was pale, and if she was wearing any makeup, it was hard to tell.

“Hey, of course I was worried. You’re my wife and you were upset. I should have gone to you straight away,” Scott said.

“I’m fine now. It’s just … I’m not sure why I lost my mind for a bit, but I’ve come to my senses. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks except you and me, right? Our marriage is worth fighting for.”

Scott draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her tight to his side. “That’s exactly right. Let’s get you in the house. I’ll bet you haven’t eaten. There’s a couple of slices of pizza left in the fridge or I can zap one of those protein bowls you like so much. I stocked my freezer specially for you.”

He led her up the steps and into the house, going straight to the great room on the far side of the kitchen. Pointing to the couch, he helped her onto it and shifted pillows around to make it even more comfortable. The rest of the group returned to the table with Thomas all but vibrating with suppressed rage. Roman glared at him and he swallowed and gave a subtle nod before checking his cell phone for messages.

“You guys. I’m sorry Scott worried you. I never meant to cause any trouble,” Eliza said in a trembling voice.

“Where were you? We went to your condo a few hours ago,” Mia said.

Scott straightened from where he’d been fishing out a microwavable dinner from the freezer drawer. “How come you changed the code on your door?”

“Oh … because … the building manager sent out a notice there’d been a break-in and said we should, you know, change our pass code or whatever so I did.”

“Okay. That makes sense. Unlucky timing for us, I guess. When I couldn’t reach you, I also talked to Kerry. She said you hadn’t called. Where’d you go?” Scott asked.

Eliza rubbed a hand over her face. “I was nowhere, really. I drove around for hours just trying to calm myself down.” Her eyes flicked to Thomas. “You really hurt me last night. I’m working hard to forgive what you and Jennifer did, but it’s going to take some time.”

Thomas’s face turned beet red. “I can’t believe you’d dare to—”

“Hey. Let’s not do this now,” Roman said, cutting him off. He turned his attention back to Eliza. “Are you telling us you’ve been driving for the whole afternoon and most of the night?”

“Well, I stopped a bunch of times, and I walked in a park, grabbed a couple of coffees. But yeah, mostly just driving.”

Mia’s scalp began to tingle, and the insight hit her in the next second. “Where’s JP?”

Eliza’s breath caught and she pressed a hand to her mouth and shook her head. “He’s at the groomers. I decided to leave him overnight. We’re so totally bonded, and he’s really sensitive to my moods. When I felt the sadness coming over me, I just knew I’d be sobbing for hours and I was afraid it would be hard on him. I miss him, though. So much. It’s like I’m not myself without my little man.”

Thomas pushed back from the table with a screech of chair legs scraping across tile. He shot to his feet and turned to Eliza. His face was practically purple, and a vein throbbed at his temple.

“You have the nerve to sit there spinning a tale of woe about hurt feelings and missing your damn dog like you haven’t spent the past eighteen hours putting Jenn through hell. What have you done with her?” His gaze pinged over on Roman. “I know I said no police before, but I want them now. Like immediately. We can’t allow this lying, conniving, evil woman to get away with this.”

He lunged for his phone, but Mia snatched it up off the table before he had a chance to make the call.

“Dad,” Scott hissed.

“Easy there, Thomas,” Roman said. “Let’s stay calm and talk it out like we discussed.

Eliza scrambled to the farthest corner of the couch, pulling her knees to her chin and wrapping her arms around them. Her eyes flicked to Scott’s face.

“Why is he saying these awful things to me?” Her gaze quickly passed over the others and she frowned. “Where is Jennifer, by the way? I’d have thought she’d want to be on the front line of the firing squad.”

“She was kidnapped this morning,” Scott said.

“But … how … where?” Eliza’s mouth opened and closed while she formed her next thought. “What happened?”

“Like you don’t already know,” Thomas said, sinking to his chair.

“Before we answer your questions how about you tell us more about the last few hours. Where exactly were you driving? Did you get gas? Do you have receipts from buying the drinks?” Roman asked Eliza.

She slowly straightened her legs to the floor and crossed her arms over her chest. “Wow. So I’m the kidnapper now? Is that what this is about? I love you, Scott, I really do. But holy cow, I don’t think I can take much more of your family. Talk about toxic. Since I had nothing to do with this situation, you guys had better stop looking at me and figure out who really did it.”

“Do you have any ideas?” Mia asked.

Surprise crossed Eliza’s face and she shook her head. “I mean … no … maybe it was some work thing from Thomas’s company. Like someone he dissed or cut out of a deal.” She sneered at him. “It’s probably all your fault and you sit there on your high horse blaming me.”

“Nice try but you still haven’t proven your whereabouts. Let’s see those receipts,” Thomas shot back.

She surged to her feet and brushed by Thomas’s chair, giving it a solid bump with her hip. Mia shot Roman a look before jogging after her. She caught Eliza on the driveway.

“I hope you’re not planning to run,” Mia said.

“Why would I?” Eliza shot over her shoulder. She marched to her car and yanked open the door. “I’ll show him the damn receipts, that smug son of a bitch.”

She dove across the driver’s seat before re-emerging with her purse and rummaging a hand inside the Louis Vuitton bucket bag.

“I can understand why you’re mad, but try to see it from his point of view. It’s been a hell of a day and he still doesn’t know if Jennifer’s safe,” Mia said.

“Ta da.” Eliza lifted a piece of paper in triumph. “This is from the iced mocha I had around dinner time. Read it and weep. I probably have more evidence on my phone.”

She began retracing her steps to the house and Mia moved up beside her.

“That’s good.”

“Why do I hear a ‘but’ in your voice? You’re as bad as the rest of them,” Eliza whined.

“Gee. I wonder why I don’t trust you? Could it be because you outright threatened me then went after my business, set fire to Roman’s office, and tried to shut down my wedding?”

Scott stepped out onto the front porch. “Everything okay out here?”

“Why didn’t you stand up for me in there? If you think I had anything to do with your stepmom’s disappearance, we might as well throw this marriage in the toilet. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t believe in me,” Eliza said in a hitching voice.

Mia watched as one perfect tear teetered on her lash, the floodlight making it shine like a diamond, before it plopped onto her cheek. The girl had skills. That was for sure.

While Eliza sniffled and dabbed at her eyes, Mia pushed out with her mind. She hit the despair first. A deep down, helpless feeling permeated the woman. And under that was a layer of anger. She caught flashes of Thomas and her own face along with Roman’s.

Jennifer was also prominently featured along with several quick glimpses of Scott’s friends. Tracey Millar had a moment of time too.

Interestingly, Mia didn’t find Scott in the anger parade. Surely if Eliza had been planning—for some time now—to kill her brand-new husband, there’d be all sorts of negative emotion directed at him. Yet he simply wasn’t featured at all.

“Come here.” Scott wrapped his arms around Eliza. “It’s going to be fine, you’ll see. Just hang in there.”

Eliza turned into him and Mia had a clear view of her face. There were no smug looks or secret smiles. Instead, the woman’s body sagged while she closed her eyes and melted against her husband. When Mia pushed into her mind yet again, she caught the overwhelming sense of comfort and love Eliza was experiencing in that moment.

It just wasn’t adding up. This woman didn’t present as a psychotic homicidal monster. Instead, it seemed she was mostly soft and gooey on the inside. Sure, she wasn’t above being snooty and throwing her weight around, but could she have actually killed anyone?

Maybe not.

Unless she was the greatest actor in the world and the most dangerous person Mia had ever met.

A shiver went down her spine, and she felt instant relief when Roman shoved open the front door.

“You guys are having a party and you didn’t invite me. What gives?”

“Party’s over. Let’s all go back inside,” Scott said, his arm still around his bride.

When they got to the kitchen, Eliza marched straight over to Thomas and slapped the crumpled piece of paper into his hand. “I really was driving around just like I said.”

He squinted down at it then shook his head. “One coffee receipt doesn’t prove anything. What about the nav on your car. Print that off for me and then we’ll talk.”

“I didn’t have it on. It’s not like I was lost or anything.” When Thomas continued staring stonily at her she threw up her hands. “I can’t win with you, can I? Let me see your nav. Bet you didn’t use yours today either.”

“I’m not the suspect here,” Thomas said, stepping toward Eliza.

“Why not? It’s almost always the husband or boyfriend, right Roman?” Eliza asked while keeping her gaze locked on Thomas’s face.

“Most of the time,” Roman said with a shrug. “But kidnappings are a little different.”

Scott moved between his wife and his father and held up his hands. “We’re tired. We’re stressed. And this isn’t helping. Let’s put it aside for now. It’s been almost three hours since the money was sent and we could hear something any second.”

Eliza stepped back from Thomas and her shoulders sagged. She turned to Scott. “There was a ransom?”

“Yep. A million bucks.”

“Okay. They weren’t fooling around. Though if they knew anything about your family, they should’ve asked for a lot more. What?” she snarled when Thomas made a scoffing sound. “It’s not like it’s a state secret. You both own public companies. Where was the drop off? Did you see them?”

“It was done electronically,” Roman said.

“Oh. I see. Like Bitcoin.”

“Good guess. Monero,” Mia said, watching her closely.

Eliza wrinkled her nose. “Never heard of it, but then, that’s not exactly my thing. Did they give you some kind of password or something?”

“Yep.” Scott retrieved Thomas’s phone from the table and flicked over to the messaging app before handing it to her.

“That’s a weird account number,” Eliza said, her eyes glued to the phone. She mumbled the numbers under her breath several times then dug a pen from her purse and wrote something on her hand. “And nothing since then?”

“Not yet,” Roman said while Eliza set down the phone.

She stood there for almost a minute seemingly lost in thought while she counted on her fingers, her lips moving the entire time. Then she wrapped her arms around her chest, and gently shifted side to side as though rocking herself. Even from across the room, Mia could feel the joy pumping off the woman.

“Something’s going on,” Mia murmured to Roman.

Scott returned to the kitchen island and pulled back the plastic film on the protein bowl before setting it in the microwave. “Anyone else want food? Dad, you didn’t eat dinner you should grab a bite too.”

“I don’t think I can get anything down right now. Maybe later.”

When the food was ready, Eliza took it to the couch and Scott joined her. Thomas remained at the table and Mia and Roman, deciding to give the family some space, retreated to the sitting room.

It was going on four in the morning and once again there was nothing to do but wait. Roman drifted off to sleep and later, when Mia wandered quietly through the great room, she saw both Scott and Eliza lying huddled together with their eyes closed. Scott, at least, was still awake since his hand stroked gently up and down her arm. Thomas had moved to an easy chair by the French door but remained alert with his phone clutched in his hand.

Eventually, the sun rose over the pool in the backyard, bathing the beautiful outdoor space in a golden light. One by one, everyone made their way back to the kitchen and hunkered down around the table. Mia set about making coffee for the group and even indulged in a steaming mug of java herself since she so badly needed a boost of energy.

Thomas somehow looked greyer, and his cheeks seemed to have sunk in on themselves in the past few hours. Eliza, on the other hand, had freshened herself up. Her hair was coiled into an intricate bun at the top of her head and her makeup was on point, including soft pink gloss on her lips.

“We’re not going to get her back, are we?” Thomas said. His voice was raspy and his eyes bleak.

“Don’t say that. We will.” Scott scrubbed a hand up and down his face. “We have to. I refuse to accept any other alternative.

Eliza leaned over and gently smoothed Scott’s copper hair where it stood up at the top of his head. “Of course we’ll get her back. Thomas paid. Why wouldn’t the kidnapper release her?”

“Because they want more money. Or they just like killing people. Or Jenn can identify them,” Thomas snapped.

With a sigh, Roman took his first sip of coffee and swore he could feel the instant the caffeine hit his bloodstream. He took several more in quick succession, giving his system a chance to get up to speed, before setting the mug in front of him on the table.

“Okay. We may be stuck waiting to hear but, in the meantime, there’s a couple of things we can do. First off, let’s start calling hospitals. They might have released Jennifer but if she has a concussion or some other issue her memory would be screwed up. I also think we should get the police on board. At the very least, they can process the Tesla and surrounding area. Maybe something will show up.”

Thomas’s eyes fixed on Roman’s. “When Eliza suddenly appeared, I know I said I wanted to call them, but I’ve changed my mind. Or at least not yet. What if the kidnapper set up some kind of surveillance on the parking lot? It’s so easy to do nowadays with all these miniature cameras and the like.”

“Calling hospitals is a good idea,” Scott said. “After that though, I’m with Roman. We kept up our end of the bargain and the kidnapper reneged, so we’re within our rights to add the police into the mix.”

“Okay, everyone spread out. Mia and I will take Nashville. Thomas, you cover Walkerton. Scott and Eliza, split up the outlying areas between you and hit any hospitals you can find. Don’t forget about urgent care clinics, too,” Roman said.

Roman had barely pushed back from the table when a ping sounded. All eyes went to Thomas and he snatched up his phone from the table.

‘It’s not me,” he barked. “Whose phone is that?”

“Mine. It says unknown caller,” Scott said. He cleared his throat and blew out a breath between pursed lips. “Hello.”

Chapter Thirty-six

“Who is this? I can’t hear you,” Scott said. “Mom? Oh, my God. Are you all right? Where are you?”

The room went deathly silent and everyone leaned in.

Scott’s voice huffed out in excitement. “Look around. Is anything familiar? No. Stay on the phone … yeah, do that.”

“What’s happening?” Thomas hissed.

“She’s in the woods somewhere but doesn’t recognize anything … that’s good, Mom. Follow it and don’t hang up, okay?” Scott lifted his eyes to his father. “She’s found a trail.”

It took several moments but eventually Scott pumped his fist. “She’s in The Cedars of Lebanon State Park.”

Thomas grabbed one of the laptops and stabbed at the keyboard. “It’s not far. Let’s go.”

“Okay, Mom, we’re coming. Are you hurt? ... Yeah … uh huh … just stay where you are. We’ll be there soon. I’m gonna hang up now. I don’t want you running out of battery, but I’ll call and give you updates. Don’t worry, we’ll be there before you know it.”

“I’ll drive,” Roman said. “Let’s take the Rover. Scott, while we’re en route see if you can get a location on the phone your mom was using.” He turned to Thomas. “This is the time for the cops. There may be trace evidence on Jennifer they can use to catch the kidnapper.”

“I want to talk to her first. See if she’s okay with that,” Thomas said.

“Maybe I should drive separately … I mean … she might not want to see me,” Eliza said.

“We’ll need two cars anyway. I’ll go with you,” Mia jumped in before anyone else could comment.

“Let’s get moving,” Scott said.

They made the twenty-five-minute drive in record time. The trailhead parking lot was practically empty, only containing two other cars. Roman parked the Range Rover right next to the entrance and Eliza tucked her Toyota in beside him.

“How’s Jennifer doing?” Mia asked as soon as she hopped out and joined the men.

“Okay, I guess. She sounds scared and confused,” Scott said.

“Let’s go. We can talk later. This way.” Thomas strode ahead, staring down at the map on his phone.

Scott tapped the screen of his cell then put it to his ear before reaching for Eliza’s hand. They hurried after Thomas. “Mom, we’re here. Just sit tight and wait. We’ll come to you.”

“How’s Eliza reacting?” Roman asked in an undertone.

“All I’m getting from her is relief. She talked about how, now that this is behind them, maybe things will get better with Scott’s family. I think she’s feeling vindicated. What was the mood in the boy’s car?”

“It was a little rough, to be honest,” Roman said. “On the one hand, they’re obviously thrilled to know Jennifer is alive, but Thomas was fixated on why she called Scott instead of him. Scott kept trying to soothe him by suggesting she’s all messed up right now, but he didn’t seem convinced.”

After walking briskly for more than ten minutes, Thomas cried out then ran ahead with Scott and Eliza in close pursuit. Mia and Roman weren’t more than a couple of paces behind. They surrounded Jennifer, who was slumped down at the base of a tree.

She lifted her hand feebly before letting it drop down by her side. Thomas knelt and threw his arms around her shoulders while Scott plopped straight down beside her and patted her knee. Eliza pulled back until she stood next to Mia.

“Don’t. You get away from me … you … liar,” Jennifer said, her voice sobbing out.

“It’s me. It’s Thomas. You’re safe now,” Thomas said, still attempting to keep his arms around her even as she flailed at him.

“I know it’s you and I know what you did. What happened to me is your fault. Make him leave,” Jennifer said, turning to Scott and grasping his hand.

“Mom. We’ll figure this out later. Let’s get you home. Can you stand?” Scott asked.

“I don’t know. I feel so strange. They drugged me. Twice. My head is still spinning.”

Scott and Roman helped Jennifer to her feet. Her appearance was startling. Her lovely long blonde hair had been shorn close to her scalp and her eyebrows had also been removed. An angry red circle of skin surrounded her lips, making it seem as though she had a clown’s mouth painted on.

There were lacerations on her wrists and ankles. Her feet were bare and smeared with dirt as were her hands. Dead leaves and twigs clung to her navy shirt, and her pants were ripped along the left thigh.

Once they got her upright, she struggled with her balance and ended up leaning against Scott. Her pupils were the size of saucers. She kept blinking and shaking her head as though clearing away a swarm of flies.

“Folks, before we move Jennifer, we need to make a decision on the police,” Roman said.

“No. No police. They said they’d kill me,” she said all in a rush.

“Who’s they? Was there more than one kidnapper? Can you describe them?” Mia asked.

Jennifer hung her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t see a face. It seemed like there might have been two of them, but I only saw the one. They wore a black helmet like a … a motorcycle helmet but different. It reminded me of that man in the movie with the weird breathing thing. I can’t remember his name.” Tears plopped down her cheeks. “Scotty, it’s that movie you loved when you were little with the light-up swords.”

“You mean Star Wars? Are you talking about Darth Vadar?” Scott asked.

“Yes. The kidnapper wore a costume like that. Helmet, black hoodie and black gloves. I never caught a glimpse of their face.”

“Was it a man or woman?” Roman asked.

“Woman. I think so, anyway. She was small. Not as tall as me and she just seemed … or maybe moved … like a woman.”

Roman nodded. “Good observation. Did you catch her hair color? What about her voice? Anyone you recognize?”

“No. There was something in the helmet that made it sound sort of raspy and strange. Oh, God, I think I’m going to be sick again.”

Jennifer lurched away and dropped to her knees before retching. Her stomach was apparently empty for nothing came up beyond a small amount of bile.

“Here, rinse out your mouth.” Thomas handed her a bottle of water.

Despite her weakened state, she managed to glare at him. “I’d rather die. You’re the reason this happened to me. This was probably a twisted revenge scheme for some girl you used and tossed over.”

“Mom. It was a lie. The cheating part. The kidnapper mocked it up to lure you away.”

“I haven’t been with anyone but you. Not since we started therapy all those years ago. I give you my word,” Thomas said.

“But … no, I saw the text messages. It was real,” Jennifer said, squeezing her eyes shut. “You’re just trying to confuse me.”

With her patchy head and angry red-rimmed mouth, she somehow reminded Mia of a baby bird. She crouched beside her and took the woman’s dirty hand in hers.

“I’m so glad we found you. You had us worried. Why don’t you give Roman the phone and we’ll tuck it away so we can check it for clues later.” After Jennifer handed over the small grey burner phone, Mia nodded. “I’d really like to catch whoever did this to you. Are you sure you don’t want the police?”

“No. I can’t.” Mia felt the tremor go through her. “She told me if the police were called, they wouldn’t bother kidnapping me again. Next time they’d just kill me. I really want to go home now.”

Mia nodded. “We can do that. It might be a good idea to have you looked over. Don’t worry. I’m sure we can setup a house call, right Thomas?”

“Of course. I’ll get onto Dr. Horner’s office right away. Come on, Jenn. Let’s bring you home now.”

More tears tracked down Jennifer’s cheeks and she let out a shuddering breath. “I must look so awful.” Her free hand rubbed over her scalp. “I don’t even remember when this happened. I feel naked without my hair.”

“You look beautiful, Mom.”

“It’ll grow back before you know it. There are a bunch of supplements that will help. I can get some for you,” Eliza said tentatively. When Jennifer didn’t respond or even so much as glance her way, she shrank back again.

Mia and Scott helped Jennifer to her feet and the group walked slowly along the trail and back to the parking lot. Jennifer didn’t want Thomas near her so Eliza offered to drive him back to the house. Everyone else got in the Range Rover. Jennifer put the front seat back and instantly fell asleep.

“Do you think she’s okay?” Scott asked in a whisper. “She seems kind of out of it.”

“She’ll probably be fine once the drugs wear off. It’d be good to identify what she was given in case it helps us catch her abductor,” Roman said.

“Can I see the phone?” Mia asked.

When Roman passed it over, she cupped her hands around the device and closed her eyes. Immediately, her mind filled with a vision of Jennifer, groggy and nauseous, struggling to sit up. She was lying on her side on the forest floor.

Not helpful. They already knew where Jennifer had been dumped.

Mia tried again, and this time she saw part of a figure, all clad in black, programming a number into the phone. His or her gloved hand pushed the phone into the pocket of Jennifer’s pants. There was a momentary view of the lower half of the person’s body, black cargo pants and black platform boots, but frustratingly, that was all Mia could see.

She let out a sigh and passed the phone back to Roman. “Not helpful. At. All.”

“That’s okay. We’ll figure this out sooner or later. Do you think there really were two people?”

“I have no idea. Easier with two but so much riskier. We’ll have to drill down on that once we get Jennifer back to the house. I wonder how things are going in Eliza’s car?”

“Ha. I’m betting kind of frosty.”

“What was the point of shaving my mom’s head or her eyebrows?” Scott asked.

“Hard to say. Maybe to make her feel diminished and less secure. Maybe because the kidnapper is a sadist and it upped the fun factor for them,” Roman said.

Scott shook his head. “I’m going to make sure they pay in every possible way for what happened to her.”

When they arrived at the Lamb house, it was difficult to rouse Jennifer. She finally came awake, but sat cowering and shaking in the front seat, obviously terrified.

“Easy now. You’re okay. You’re safe. Let’s get you inside,” Mia said in a soothing voice.

“Dr. Horner’s here. He’ll check you out, then we can tuck you into your very own bed,” Roman added.

Thomas had taken the doctor through to the kitchen and he was opening his case when they helped Jennifer onto one of the stools. Eliza hung back, retreating to stand by the window overlooking the lake. Scott nodded to her but kept his attention fixed on his mother.

Dr. Horner took Jennifer’s vitals and asked her questions about how she felt. Since it seemed intrusive to hang over his shoulder, Mia and Roman joined Eliza in the family room.

“Is she okay?” Eliza whispered.

“I think so. Just tired and still traumatized,” Mia said.

“We’ll take some blood and test for drugs.” Dr. Horner’s voice carried across the space. “Then I’d like to give you a full physical exam. Is that okay with you?”

They saw Jennifer nod. Her gaze flicked to Thomas before settling on Scott. She reached her hand toward him, and he quickly took it, cradling it between his palms and smiling at her. Then he helped her off the stool and down the hall.

It was thirty or so minutes later when Scott and Dr. Horner returned from the bedroom. Thomas rushed to them.

“How is she?”

“Taking a shower then she’s going to lie down. There weren’t any major injuries. I’ve treated the lacerations from the bindings and drawn several blood samples. It’ll take a couple of days to get results on that. I found injection sites on the right side of her neck. You’ll need to watch for signs of infection.”

Thomas’s breath came out in a rush. “But she’s okay?”

“Physically, yes. Mentally, it’s hard to tell until the drugs are out of her system. It wouldn’t hurt to find a psychologist who specializes in trauma therapy.”

“Yes. Of course. I’ll line up someone today,” Thomas said.

Scott held up a see-through packing cube. “It’s not exactly a sterile evidence bag, but I snagged her clothes just in case.”

“Excellent thinking,” Roman said.

Dr. Horner packed up his medical kit and Thomas walked him to the front door.

“I know this is a hard time and it might seem insensitive for us to intrude, but if your mom isn’t sleeping, we have a couple of questions,” Roman said.

Scott nodded. “Yeah. Of course.”

Mia could feel Eliza watch them walk through the kitchen, but she didn’t move from the couch. Scott led them down the hallway toward the bedroom. The door was ajar, and he carefully poked his head in before swinging the door wide open. The bed was empty.

“Crap. Where is she?” Scott said.

Sounds of hysterical crying came from the en suite bathroom. Scott rushed to the door and finding it locked, pounded his fist against it.

“Mom. What’s wrong? Are you okay? Please let me in,” he said.

The crying got louder. “Go away. I’m hideous. I don’t have any eyebrows. It’s so … it’s just .…”

Jennifer started wailing and all the hairs on Mia’s arms stood up. The pain was so primal and raw. She sounded like a wounded animal.

“Open the door, Mom.” Scott said, pounding again and again.

Eliza and Thomas came running in. Thomas’s eyes flicked wildly over the three of them huddled by the bathroom.

“She’s okay. Just upset,” Mia murmured. “But she won’t let us in.”

Scott began kicking the door. It vibrated but held firm. Roman elbowed him aside then, taking three steps back, threw himself at the door and it popped open with a splintering sound.

Jennifer didn’t even turn to look. She was on the floor, curled up on her side with her knees hugged to her chest and crying her heart out.

“Honey, it’s okay. You’re fine. You’re safe. Please don’t cry,” Thomas said.

He grasped her shoulders and pulled her up and into his chest and for several seconds she folded into him, still sobbing. Thomas’s eyes closed as though in relief, and he sighed hugely. Everyone huddled around her on the floor.

In the next second, Jennifer lifted her head from his chest and slapped him across the face.

“Don’t. Touch. Me. This is all your fault,” she screamed before scrambling away from him.

“Mom. Easy. It wasn’t Dad’s fault,” Scott said.

“Don’t tell me how to feel. None of you know what it was like. Get out. I want everyone out.”

Spittle flew from her mouth as she yelled, and her face was so red it bordered on purple. Ointment had been applied to the skin around her mouth and now it glistened, making the raw, angry ring stand out even more.

Mia stood. “I think Jennifer needs some space. You guys go. I’ll sit with her. Being as I was kidnapped last year, I have some idea of how she’s feeling.”

No one said anything for several beats. Finally, they shuffled out of the bathroom. Mia didn’t touch Jennifer. Didn’t say anything. She simply pulled out a padded chair from a small section of marble counter and sat down.

Jennifer remained on the floor. She was at least sitting, but the tears continued along with her sobbing breaths. Mia pulled out her phone and after a short search, found some soothing instrumental music and let the sound fill the bathroom. She took several deep breaths, calming her own energy and clearing her mind.

“OK. You’re going to get through this. I know it’s hard, but you’re tough. Who cares if you don’t have eyebrows. They’ll grow back. In the meantime, paint some on and forget about it,” she said in a no-nonsense tone.

“Easy for you to say. You look like a goddess,” Jennifer said, her voice hiccupping. She turned her head and studied Mia, swiping tears from her eyes. “Were you really kidnapped or is this just a buddying-up technique?”

Mia took two fingers and made a cross over her heart. “As God is my witness. I wasn’t held for as long as you, but he did march me out into the woods and try to kill me.”

There was a spark of interest in Jennifer’s eyes and her breathing finally leveled out. “That’s horrible.”

“Yeah. It was. But you dust yourself off and you move on, right? I’m not going to let that moment define me.” Mia studied the woman’s face. “Truth time? You don’t look your best, but you’re still beautiful. And all this is temporary anyway. You won’t be living the rest of your life without hair or eyebrows. But you will be living it, right? The kidnapper can’t take that away from you.”

A shuddering sigh rose up from Jennifer’s chest. She nodded once then, using the counter, climbed to her feet and stared into the mirror, tipping her head side to side.

“You’re so right. I’ve never hooked into the victim mentality. No point in starting now.”

Mia smiled and pushed up from the chair. “There she is. That’s the bold, in-charge woman I met a week ago.”

“I sure don’t feel that way, but I’ll try to remember, anyway.”

“I’m sorry you were kidnapped,” Mia said.

“And I’m sorry you were kidnapped. Did they every catch the person?” Jennifer asked.

Mia hesitated. “Yeah. They did. And I want to make sure we catch your person, too. You want that, don’t you?”

Jennifer clasped her hands together and nodded. “Yes, I want her punished more than you can imagine.”

“Okay. Good. I have questions.”

Chapter Thirty-seven

Mia pulled the padded chair across the spacious bathroom and gestured for Jennifer to sit. She perched on the lip of the soaking tub across from her.

“Initially, you said there were two kidnappers, yet you only saw one. What made you think there was a second person?”

“Well … I think she mentioned another person. Like she said, ‘Your old man paid up and we’re going to have such a good time with this money’. At the beginning she made a reference to checking in with someone.” Jennifer squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t remember what it was though. So many things are fuzzy in my mind.”

“Did you have the impression she was the boss or this other person was pulling the strings and she was following orders?”

“No. She was the boss. Or at least she put on that front.” She tapped a finger to her forehead. “I just remembered something else she said. ‘I need to check in with the minion to make sure things are ticking along.’”

“Okay. What about where you were held? Was it a house? A storage unit? Did it feel like you were in the city or a more remote location? Do you remember anything about the car ride to and from the place?”

“I had a hood on in the car and I was tied to the back seat. Not that I could have done much anyway. Once the drugs kicked in, I was all but useless. It felt like a long time, though. Driving there, I mean.”

“How did you get inside?”

Jennifer’s eyes went blank for a moment. “I think I walked. But we were already inside. I guess it was a garage first, maybe … oh, my goodness, yes, there were three steps up and then a small narrow hallway with blue triangles on the floor. Once I was in the room, she took the hood off and tied me to a chair. It was so uncomfortable. As soon as I was alone, I tried to move it over to the door, but the chair was chained to a metal ring on the wall behind me.”

“What else was in the room?”

“There was a chair across from me. A God-awful orange color. And beside it was a plastic crate used as a table. When she came in to see me, she always had a big glass of sparkling water, and she’d set it right there on that stupid crate. I was so thirsty I thought I’d die, but she never gave me so much as a single sip.”

Jennifer’s breath came fast now and she shook her head back and forth. Mia’s senses were fully engaged and she felt the woman’s fear and anger wash over her. Working to steady her own breathing, she held strong against the wave of emotions.

“Anything else you remember about being there? Could you hear traffic or people talking outside? Was there a window? How about any smells that stand out?”

“It was as quiet as a tomb. The only thing I could hear was someone walking above me sometimes. There weren’t any windows, and the light fixture was a basic builder type, the kind they install in low-end housing. The floor was linoleum. The same tan with small blue triangles as by the garage.”

“You remember a lot. Good job. Any idea what happened to your phone? Or shoes?”

She shrugged and looked down at her hands. Mia blew out a breath and smiled when Jennifer finally lifted her gaze again.

“What about when you were dropped off in the woods?”

“That part’s the most fuzzy. She injected something in my neck while we were still in the room, and the next thing I knew, I was lying on the back seat of the car. My hands and feet were tied together, and I had the hood on again.”

“What happened when you got to the park?”

“I didn’t realize it was a park, all I knew was the car ride went from smooth to bumpy. My head kept hitting the arm rest of the door. After a while we stopped and she came around, untied me and told me to get out. We were in the woods and it was dark. No one was around. She got in the car and drove away.”

“What kind of car?” Mia asked.

“Light-colored Camry. Older model. I stupidly didn’t think to get the tag. I was just happy to be free. I started walking but then I got sick, and I don’t remember much for a while after. When I was conscious again, it was daylight. I had to pee, and when I pulled up my pants, I noticed there was a phone in my pocket so I called Scott, and you all came.”

“You’re an excellent witness, Jennifer. You’ve remembered so much.” Mia paused for a beat. “One more question. Do you think it could have been Eliza?”

Jennifer held Mia’s gaze. “I don’t know. I want it to be her. But I just don’t know. The kidnapper seemed bigger. It was hard to tell because she was wearing bulky, ill-fitting clothing but Eliza is so petite. And she was with you most of the time, right?”

“Only the last few hours. Before that we couldn’t get hold of her. We’ll need to do more investigating and see what we can find. You doing okay?”

For a second, Jennifer looked blank then she nodded once and squared her shoulders. “Yeah. I am. Not going to promise there won’t be other breakdowns over the next few days, but right now, I feel decent. Tired though.”

“You should sleep, if you can. Let the drugs work their way out of your system. You’ll feel even better once you’re clear. One more thing. We have no reason to believe Thomas was cheating. It looks like the text exchange was a mockup.”

Her face started to crumple. Blinking hard, she fought back the tears. “I don’t know why I want to blame him, but I do. I know how irrational it is. Sill, while I was being held for those hours, I thought of nothing except how I was going to make him pay.”

“It’s not irrational. But try and let it go now. I promise, if Roman and I uncover anything that points to your husband, you’ll be the first to know.”

Jennifer climbed shakily to her feet, still fighting not to cry, and Mia moved over to stand beside her.

“You up for a hug?” Mia asked.

Jennifer bit her lip then nodded, so Mia wrapped her arms around the woman’s shoulders. Digging deep into her reserves, she sent a tsunami of calming waves. The energy bled out of her double time, but she figured Jennifer had earned some relief.

“Thanks. You’ve been amazingly supportive,” Jennifer said when she stepped back.

“My pleasure,” Mia said, working to keep the strain out of her voice. “Go tuck yourself into bed. We’ll talk later, okay?”

When she stepped into the hallway, Mia heard angry voices. And though she wanted nothing more than to lie down somewhere in a dark and quiet room, she hurried out to the kitchen. Eliza was nose to nose with Thomas.

“Just because you’re my father-in-law doesn’t mean it’s okay to constantly insult me.”

“Don’t call me that. I don’t want to be your father-in-law. It makes me sick thinking you’ve infiltrated my family,” Thomas bellowed.

“Enough. Both of you,” Roman said forcibly. “It was a long night and we’re all tired and stressed. Ripping at one another won’t help Jennifer.”

Eliza whirled on Scott. “Why aren’t you standing up for me?”

“Eliza, sweetie, everyone needs to calm down. I’m sure my father didn’t mean it. We all know you had nothing to do with my mom’s kidnapping.”

She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, please. This isn’t just the stress talking, and we all know it’s not the first time he’s put me down. What about hiring Mia and Roman? Who does that to their son’s wife? It’s .…” She took another step back and shook her head. “You’ve never really been in my corner, have you?”

“Of course I have. I love you. I married you, didn’t I? I changed my will for you. Your happiness means everything to me and I’m doing whatever I can to give you a safe life,” Scott said, his voice weary and his eyes red-rimmed.

“If you had a shred of decency, you’d stop clinging to my son and leave us alone during this painful time.” Thomas sighed and turned to look out through the kitchen window. “You ruined your entire family, and now you’re trying to do the same to mine while making sure you get a nice big payday in the process. There’s nothing decent about you,” he said, his voice so soft it seemed he was talking only to himself.

“Dad. Stop speaking. I think we all need some space,” Scott said, pulling out a stool and sinking onto it. “And probably sleep would be good, too.”

Eliza studied him for several beats, then she whirled around and, grabbing her purse off the table, marched to the door.

“You’re right. Space will fix this. Good idea. I’ll go back to my place in Nashville. Hopefully that’ll be enough space,” she called out over her shoulder.

“Shit,” Scott mumbled under his breath.

He heaved himself up and lurched toward the door. Mia wandered out after him and watched from the front steps. He caught Eliza before she’d opened the driver’s door of the Toyota, almost tackling her from behind. His arms wrapped around her, and he caged her against the car while his head dropped down so they were cheek to cheek.

Eliza fought for maybe a minute, managing to get in a couple of good kicks and foot stomps in the process, but Scott remained as calm as an iceberg. When she stopped struggling, he immediately spun her around and kissed her. Deeply. Passionately.

Her hands went up to frame his face and she sagged against him. Eventually, they broke apart and she nodded up at him, her smile brilliant. Mia couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it looked like Scott had more than patched things up with his wife. He helped her into the car then stood and waved when she drove away.

“All good?” Mia asked Scott once he’d walked slowly back to the front door.

He grimaced. “For now. But I have this sinking suspicion things are going to get worse before they get better.”

“What does that mean?” Mia asked.

He didn’t say anything, simply shrugged and walked past her into the house. Roman and Thomas were still in the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, Scott,” Thomas said. “Not for what I said, because I truly believe it, but for upsetting you. It wasn’t the right time or place.”

“We’re not gonna talk about this right now. How’s mom?”

“I checked on her a minute ago. She’s in bed, not sleeping yet, but at least resting.”

“That’s something we should all do. It was a long and stressful night,” Roman said. His gaze flicked to Mia’s face. “But first, did you get anything useful when you talked to Jennifer?”

“Well, it seems she only ever interacted with the one person but had the sense someone else was involved. Like a partner situation. Although her take is the absentee partner was a subordinate and not the mastermind. She’s also terrified of the police. Apparently, the word was they’d come back and kill her.”

“What?” Thomas’s hands formed into fists. “I’ll never let that happen.”

“Should we be taking that threat seriously?” Mia asked Roman.

He paused and rubbed a hand across his mouth. “Not to scare anyone, but if we don’t catch this person, a second abduction needs to be factored in. It wouldn’t hurt to look into personal security.”

“Yes. Of course. I’ll get on it,” Thomas said.

Scott waved a hand dismissively. “I doubt it’ll go that far. We’re smart. I bet we figure out the identity of the kidnapper even without the help of the police.”

“I hope so.” Roman saw Mia stifle a yawn. “The best thing for right now is to sleep. Mia and I will take a few hours down and you two should do the same. Then we can come back refreshed and ready to investigate the hell out of this.”

“We don’t have a car,” Mia commented.

“You can take one of ours. Which reminds me, we’ll need to retrieve Jenn’s Tesla at some point,” Thomas said.

“Give us the key and Mia and I can do that for you. I think it’d be best if you don’t leave Jennifer alone right now,” Roman said. “Also, send me screen shots of the kidnapper’s texts. I want to see if there’s anything to tease out from there.”

“Yeah. Of course.”

Thomas walked around the island and opened a drawer before handing over a black plastic card. “This will work for the Tesla.”

“Thanks. We’ll check in later today.” Mia took the card and tucked it in her pocket.

Thomas pointed a clicker through the kitchen window. “Here. Take the Lexus. I’ve opened the garage door.”

“Get some sleep,” Roman said to Scott who stood, bleary-eyed, clutching the counter.

“Same. Talk later?”

“Should we get the Escape from Scott’s house or go home?” Roman asked once they were driving away in the Lexus.

Mia collapsed back against the seat. “Home. Now. I’m beyond tapped out.”

“You gave Jennifer a boost, didn’t you?”

“A couple, actually. She needed them.” Mia jacked the seat back until it was flat. “And I need to recharge.”

Chapter Thirty-eight

Mia woke to the sound of rumbling thunder. She staggered to the bedroom window and saw the sky was filled with angry clouds but there wasn’t a whisper of wind. The trees stood immobile at the edge of the lawn. Below her, Roman walked slowly back and forth across the grass, staring down at his phone while three of the four dogs frolicked beside him.

She automatically reached her right hand down and stroked it across Mac’s head, and the Doberman made a satisfied groaning sound and leaned into her thigh.

“You stuck with me, huh? Such a loyal soldier. I guess we’d better get some grub organized. It must be almost time for dinner.” When she checked the clock by the bed, she grimaced. “Wow. It’s already after six o’clock.”

Once downstairs, she stepped through the sliding door off the kitchen then walked to the gate and whistled. The other dogs immediately lifted their heads and whirled around and raced toward her with Tucker, the most food-motivated of the bunch, taking the lead. His sturdy Dachshund body barreled into her calves like a cannonball, and she winced and stepped back.

“They already ate,” Roman said flatly when he joined her on the deck. “I literally just fed them five minutes ago and they have the audacity to act like they’re starved. You can’t believe a word any of them say. They’re nothing but a bunch of liars.”

Mia bent down to rub her still smarting calf while Tucker put his front legs on her knee and reached up to lick her cheek.

“Of course I forgive you. It was obviously an accident, little guy,” she said, picking him up and cuddling him to her chest. He bathed her face in kisses. “Aren’t you just the best boy.”

Layla, obviously determined to get in on the action, jumped on Mia and caused her to stagger sideways. Roman grabbed the labrador’s collar.

“Hey. Not cool. It’s okay for Tucker to have some one-on-one time with mommy. You get plenty of attention too. We all have to wait our turn,” Roman said, ruffling the fur behind her ears.

When Mia gave Tucker one last kiss on the top of his head and set him down, Roman straightened and immediately pulled her in for a hug. Cupping her chin, he kissed her before burying is face against her neck and sighing.  

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” she asked.

“Nothing’s wrong. I guess this thing with Jennifer got me thinking about the times you were kidnapped and how lucky we were to get you back. It’s like every day that we’re together, I’m less and less able to be okay without you. If you … weren’t here anymore … I don’t think I could handle it,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

She stroked her fingertips gently back and forth across his cheek. “I’m fine. Nothing’s going to happen to me. Don’t worry so much. And by the way, I love you too.”

“You’d better.” He lifted his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “So now the only question is, do we have wildly innovative and emotionally connecting sex before or after we eat?”

“Why not both?” She hooked a leg around his hip, and he immediately boosted her up.

“I like where your mind’s at, pretty lady. One thing first, though. This time, I’ll be in charge.”

Her breath hitched when she saw the way his eyes flashed, all deep, dark dominance.

There was nothing slow or tender about the next kiss. The need poured off him as he took her mouth, his tongue pushing in to stroke across hers. She felt that first brilliant spark of lust strike deep in her core and the heat quickly spread, radiating out in lashing waves. He tasted like coffee and smelled of their vanilla body wash, which should have been a feminine scent but somehow worked when mixed with his musky male essence.

He turned and carried her several paces before gently lowering her onto the outdoor dining table. His mouth stayed fixed on hers, and she groaned when his hands went straight to her breasts. She was vaguely aware of the dogs romping on the deck and Fifi whining from somewhere nearby.

Shifting lower, he laid a line of kisses along the side of her neck, stopping to lick and gently nip the heated skin until she was writhing under him.

“That’s amazing. I feel like I’m on fire,” she breathed.

“Quiet. No talking.” His voice was like a whip, but he softened it with a smile.

He undid the buttons of her blouse, his fingers moving deftly down the line of them. Spreading the fabric wide, he studied the white lacy bra before dipping a fingertip beneath the top edge and running it back and forth along her bare skin.

“Hurry. Please hurry,” she moaned when he pushed the straps of the bra down her arms.

His hands had barely claimed their prize when his phone pinged from the pocket of his jeans.

“Ignore it,” she pleaded.

Several alerts sounded in quick succession and Roman growled and dropped his head against her chest before reaching around and pulling out his cell. He squinted down at the screen and sighed.

“It’s Eliza. I guess I should find out what’s going on,” he said. He scrolled to the text messages then reared up. “Shit. She’s had some kind of blow-out with Scott. Claims he’s in danger.”

The hot waves of lust instantly froze into ice. Mia sat up and impatiently shifted her bra back into place before pushing off the table. Her still open blouse billowed around her while she strode across the deck then whirled back to face him.

“I’ve had this weird phrase in my head off and on all day. JP is still alive. I don’t know what it means.”

Roman’s hand shot out. “You mumbled it in your sleep last night, too.”

“JP’s still alive. JP’s still alive,” Mia chanted to herself as she continued pacing. “Why wouldn’t he still be alive?” She stopped short and stared across at Roman. “Bring up the texts from the kidnapper.”

He shrugged. “Okay. Here.”

She jogged over to him and snatched the phone. “I’ve got her. Don’t call the police. Blah, blah, blah. Send the money. Blah. Blah.”

“I know. I was studying them just now. I couldn’t find anything relevant,” he said, shaking his head.

“But there’s something there. I feel it.” She held out her arm. “Look. All the hairs are standing straight up and practically saluting.”

She went to hand the phone back but halfway there, her arm stilled and her face went blank.

“What? You’ve thought of something, haven’t you?” Roman said.

“The kidnapper used such a strange address when Thomas was sending the Monero money.”  Her finger flicked over the screen of his phone. “What if it’s some kind of code?”

“Could be, I guess.”

“How can we break this thing?” she asked.

“Well. It’s easy as long as you know the cipher. The most basic types involve assigning numerical values to each letter in the alphabet. A equals one, B equals two, that sort of thing.”

Mia studied the string of numbers on the phone. “Okay. It starts with a nine and a one. That must be two separate letters because there aren’t ninety-one letters in the alphabet.” She counted on her fingers. The ninth letter is I.” She glanced wildly around the deck. “We need to write this down.”

They hurried into the kitchen and Roman grabbed the pad Mia used for making shopping lists. “FYI, your shirt is still open. Super distracting.”

She smirked at him before quickly buttoning the blouse and tucking it into her jeans. “Better?”

“Yes and no. I’d rather we were both still out on the table having us a really satisfying adult moment. Still, there’s always later, right?” He cocked an eyebrow at her before shaking his head. “Anyway. Back to the task at hand. We think our first letter might be an I. What’s next?”

“There’s a one and a five. Which could make two different letters or combine into one.”

He nodded. “Let’s start with single letters. One corresponds to A and five is E. So far we have I A E. Doesn’t look promising.”

She huffed out a breath. “We should keep going. It might make sense once we’ve figured it all out.”

They worked painstakingly through the rest of the numbers, arguing back and forth about possibilities. Not knowing how many letters there were in total, they allowed for multiple variations.

“Tell me we have something?” she said, leaning her hip against the counter.

“Not unless IAEHRRAIHKAAABN or IOHAHRSHAAKARBN mean anything to you,” he said.

She let out a growl. “I must be on the wrong track. Maybe this JP thing is nothing.”

“Or maybe we have the wrong cypher. Either way, we don’t have time to figure this out right now. We need to get going.”

“Yeah.” The phone, which had been pinging in her hand these last few moments – the texts from Eliza getting more and more frantic – signaled again. “I’ll tell her we’re on our way.”

Once Roman had steered the Lexus by the house and started down the lane to the road, he flicked a glance to Mia. “Maybe check in with Thomas and see if everything’s kosher at the lake house.”

“Seems to be,” Mia said several minutes later. “Jennifer’s up and having some soup, which is a good sign. His texts don’t mention anything about Scott or Eliza.”

“Good. Now let’s hope this is nothing more than a lovers’ spat between two stressed people trying to navigate a tough situation.”

When Mia and Roman exited the elevator in Eliza’s building, they found her pacing the hallway outside her door. She immediately rushed to them. Her face was bone-white, and her hazel eyes seemed huge.

“I’m worried about Scott. He was here a little while ago and acting crazy. He wants to get our marriage annulled. I’m not sure what’s going on, but he’s not himself. I think he might be suicidal. After everything that happened to Maryanne, I can’t go through that again. Please.” She clasped her hands together. “You have to find him. Make sure he’s okay.”

“Let’s go inside and take a moment to talk this out,” Roman said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“No.” She shook him off. “You need to go right now. Before it’s too late.”

Eliza’s breath sobbed out and she clapped a hand over her mouth while her whole body trembled.

Mia brushed by her, every one of her senses buzzing. She flung the door to Eliza’s condo open wide and quickly walked through the unit. Roman jogged to catch up and followed her to the primary suite where she stopped to study the room.

It had a walk-in closet and an attached bathroom and was decorated in a soft pink palette. The bed was made and covered with about a dozen throw pillows. One of the pillows was embroidered with Eliza’s name and a second one had been done in matching gold thread for JP.

She marched back out to the main living space where she once again surveyed the area. Directly in front of the floor-to-ceiling window was a beautiful miniature sofa adorned with tiny shag throw pillows and a doll sized blanket.

In the corner of the kitchen was an elaborate doggie food station. Three different ceramic bowls sat on a pink and cream mat with the name Jean Paul Gaultier embroidered in flowing script. Water was dispensed from a squat filtration machine into an oval bowl. It hummed quietly in the background.

Roman’s eyes were fixed to her face. “What is it?”

Instead of answering, Mia turned to Eliza who continued tugging on Roman’s arm and urging him to look for Scott.

“Where’s JP?” Mia asked.

Eliza’s lips pressed together, and she dropped Roman’s arm and stepped back, her shoulders shaking and her breath ragged.

“Let me see your phone again,” Mia said to Roman.

He leaned over her while she frantically swiped the screen of the cell. “What is it, babe. You’re scaring me.”

She studied the conversation between Thomas and the kidnapper. “What if the code starts at zero instead of one? If A is zero nine would be…” She paused and counted on her fingers. “That’s the letter J.”

“And one would equal B. So we have a J and a B?”

She went back to her fingers then lifted her head and smiled hugely. “Or instead of one we put it together with the next number which makes fifteen. And fifteen is the letter P. Now we have JP.”

“Shit. You’re right.” He glanced at the phone. “Next we have an eight which gives us an I.”

“Followed by S.”

They continued converting the numbers, stumbling once or twice until Mia raised a fist in triumph. “JP is still alive. I knew it. That’s why it was in my head. I must have partly picked up on it when Thomas was sending the money.”

As one, Mia and Roman turned to Eliza who had lowered to the couch and sat cowering, her hands covering her face.

“You helped kidnap Jennifer. This whole time you’ve been plotting against the Lambs,” Roman said. “Where’s Scott?”

“And what happened to JP?” Mia strode across the room and sat beside Eliza. She grasped her shoulders and gave her a hard shake. “You’d better start talking.”

Tears flowed down Eliza’s face and her breath hiccupped out. “Please. I’m begging you. Listen to me. Scott’s in trouble. You have to find him.”

“If he’s in so much trouble, why didn’t you go and find him instead of waiting for us to get here?” Mia asked.

She turned her face to the side and squeezed her eyes shut. “Because … because … I can’t. If she sees me—if I warn him and she finds out—she’ll kill JP. The only way I can figure is if you and Roman make it look like you just randomly stumbled into the scene.”

“Who is ‘she’?” Roman demanded.

Eliza stared up at him, her face so drenched with tears that even the super-special, top-of-the-line mascara had started to run.

“Kerry Jones.”

Chapter Thirty-nine

“Kerry Jones, is the kidnapper?” Roman said in disbelief.

In a flash, Mia felt the truth of it. “She murdered Maryanne, too, didn’t she?”

“Yes. I didn’t know at first, but later, after the funeral, she came to me.” Eliza swiped angrily at her tears. “Told me she’d killed my sister and said she’d make everyone believe I’d done it if I didn’t go along with her plan.”

“But why on earth would anyone think you’d killed her?” Mia said.

“Because ….” She let out a weary sigh and got to her feet. Snatching up several Kleenex from the side table, she mopped at her face. “Since Kerry was my sister’s roommate, she knew everything that was going on. Plenty of times she overheard her talking about what I’d done to my dad.”

She swung to Roman now, her eyes pleading. “I never meant to kill him. Or my mom. I did buy the peanut oil, like you said, but I only wanted to make him a little sick. How was I supposed to know there weren’t any EpiPens in the house? And why didn’t my mom call the paramedics?” She shook her head. “I’ve replayed that night over so many times, and if only I’d stayed home, they never would have died.”

“Or if you hadn’t dosed your dad’s dinner, they wouldn’t have died either,” Mia said.

“You think I don’t know that? I feel the guilt every single day and probably will for the rest of my life. I can’t change what happened,” she said stubbornly. “All I can do is be better going forward.”

“But Maryanne knew about the peanut oil,” Roman said.

“Yeah. And she got really upset. I guess she talked about it a lot. Kerry recorded some of the conversations she had with Tracey.”

“Okay. I can see that. But why kill her in the first place?” Mia asked.

Eliza’s head tipped back until she looked up at the ceiling. “This whole thing is so twisted it’s hard to explain. Mostly it’s about Kerry being a complete monster. I swear she gets off on hurting people. Anyway, she came to me, played the recordings of Maryanne venting about how I needed to pay for what I’d done. It was apparently going to be my motivation for killing her. Kerry also claimed to have one witness who would testify that I’d bought fentanyl from someone he knew the day of her … of her passing … and someone else who’d supposedly swear they’d seen me coming out of the dorm room early the next morning.”

“Meaning she could potentially frame you for the murder. But what was the point?” Roman asked.

Eliza’s laugh was harsh. “See that’s the thing. Maryanne’s murder was just a means to an end. What Kerry really wanted was to bleed money from the Lambs and she wanted me to help her.”

Mia shook her head, trying to make sense of everything. “But why couldn’t she have married Scott herself? Or wait, did she try, and he wasn’t interested?”

“Not that I know of. She said there was no way she’d be directly involved. Too risky. She wanted to make sure if anything went wrong, I’d take the fall. I didn’t want to do it, I swear. But I was scared of her. Scared I’d get pinned with Maryanne’s murder and maybe even my parents’. And kind of scared she’d just out-and-out kill me.” Eliza surged to her feet. “We don’t have time for this. You need to find Scott.”

Roman nodded slowly, his eyes on Eliza’s face. “Yeah. I hear you. But you’re coming with us. You can fill out the rest of the details on the way. Let’s go.”

“I don’t know … okay, okay, I’m coming,” Eliza said when Roman grabbed her elbow. “But Kerry can’t see me there, otherwise I’ll never get JP back.”

While Eliza locked her door, Roman and Mia jogged down the hallway.

“Do we trust her?” he asked softly.

“Yeah. One hundred percent. I had a vision of Kerry snatching poor little JP. And another of her raging at Eliza about you and me and demanding the wedding be moved up.”

“Where to?” Roman asked once Eliza joined them in the elevator and they started their descent.

“I’m not sure. He said he was going to his lawyer to change the will. I don’t know if that was true or not. He was kind of ranting.”

Mia pulled out her phone to check the time. “It’s after seven o’clock. I kind of doubt he’d get an appointment. Where else would he go? And if we can’t find him, why the worry Kerry will find him any faster than us?”

“Because she put a tracker on his Range Rover. By the way, there’s one on your car too.”

“What the what,” Roman said, then strode out of the elevator when the doors opened. “Now that’s just rude.”

They hurried after Roman. Outside, the air remained as thick as a wet blanket, but it was no longer still. Gusts of wind sent trees bowing sideways. Pieces of litter swept along the sidewalk and into the condo building where they twirled for several seconds before jamming into corners and cervices. People scurried past, hair blowing every which way and clothing fluttering around them.

“I don’t suppose you have access to the tracking monitor?” Mia asked.

Eliza snorted. “Right. Like Kerry looked on me as an equal partner. Get real. I was her pawn, plain and simple.”

They fought their way across the parking lot and into the Lexus. With the doors shut, it seemed weirdly quiet after the howling wind outside.  

Roman rubbed a hand across the dash of the borrowed car. “At least she can’t track us right now.” He started the engine. “Okay folks. Where do we start looking?”

“Maybe we should call him?” Mia suggested.

“Not me. I’m pretty sure he won’t pick up,” Eliza said.

“I’ll do it.” Roman pulled out his phone. “It’s going to voice mail … hey, Scott. Heard you weren’t at the lake house. Just wanted to check in. I have news on your mom. Call me.”

He dropped his phone into the cup holder of the console and drove out of the parking lot.

Eliza peered out the window. “Where are you going?”

Roman shrugged. “I figure the most likely places are his house, the office, or back to his parents’. Whatever place, he’s probably not in Nashville anymore.”

“If he calls back, let me talk to him,” Mia said.

They drove is silence for several minutes, then Roman glanced over his shoulder at Eliza in the back seat. “Why Scott? I get that his family is rich, but there’re lots of rich people.”

“I don’t know. At first Kerry just made me do stupid petty stuff like making friends with some woman in a coffee shop then stealing her credit cards, or going to luxury open houses and lifting perfume or Hermes scarves. It all changed partway through May. She came to me all stoked up and said we were going to stay at a rental house on the lake and it was my job to make the guy next door fall in love with me. I had one week to get it done. I remember she laughed so hard like she was telling a joke. I’d never really seen her laugh before and it gave me chills. Not the good kind, if you know what I mean.”

“Then you staged a drowning and he rescued you. Whose idea was it?” Mia asked.

“Honestly? It was mine. I know how guys like to be knights in shining armor. And Scott’s sort of physically … I mean … he’s not super built. I figured this would make him feel all hyped up on himself. And maybe he’d transfer the emotions to me. Being with me, I mean. It totally worked.”

“But the whole time you knew Kerry was going to kill him,” Mia sputtered.

Eliza held up a hand. “Whoa. Pump the brakes. She never said anything about murder. I thought it was just a money-heist thing, which is still messed up, but I figured if I did what she said and she got a nice fat paycheck, that’d be good enough. I looked Scott up first and saw he was loaded. He could afford to lose a couple of million.”

“You’re making it sound like you were fine with swindling some poor guy. Scott has been nothing but sweet to you,” Roman said, his eyes meeting Eliza’s in the rearview mirror.

She bowed her head. “I’m only telling you where my head was at in the beginning. But then I got to know Scott, and he was kind and adorable and … just … I didn’t expect to like him so much. A couple of weeks in, I felt so bad that I started being really bitchy and mean. Like I’m talking total brat. I figured If I could make him break up with me, it would save him.”

“What happened?” Mia asked.

“The doofus wouldn’t walk away no matter what I did. He just kept being his awesome self. I did some really crappy stuff to him, too. But then Kerry sort of twigged on and she told me the minute we broke up, she’d kill him and then me.”

“Have you already started siphoning money?” Roman asked.

“I only did for the first time an hour ago. As bad luck would have it, she was there when Scott showed up and said he wanted a divorce. When he left, she got real quiet then smiled her scary smile and told me to move as much money as I could into my account. She, of course, has access to it. I’m sure that money is already hers.”

Mia turned in her seat to face Eliza. “And JP?”

Immediately, tears filled her eyes. “She took him again. That’s why she was there in the first place. She was returning him to me because I hadn’t spilled the beans during the kidnapping. After Scott left, she grabbed him again. I couldn’t fight her because I knew she’d just break his neck or something. He looked so scared.”

“We’ll find him,” Mia said fiercely.

Eliza dabbed at her eyes. “Unless she’s already killed him.”

Roman’s phone pinged and Mia immediately snatched it up. “Hey, Scott. Roman stepped out so you get to talk to me ... no, nothing’s wrong. In fact, it sounds like she’s doing a little better. How are you? ... Wait, where are you? ... Oh, okay. Sure. Of course we can talk later.”

Mia punched her fist in the air. “He’s at his house. Let’s go.”

“He told you that?” Eliza said.

“Basically. I couldn’t tell if Kerry was there or not. I’m going to text him. Warn him about Kerry.”

Eliza reached forward and grabbed Mia’s arm. “Wait. Don’t. What if she sees?”

“Worst case, she’ll try and move up the timeline on whatever sick plan she has going. Best case, Scott is a least forewarned,” Mia said. She glanced at Roman. “Yes or no?”

“Yes. More information is always better. His chances improve if he’s already on guard.”

“Done.” Mia dropped the phone back in the console.

Roman hit the accelerator and they sped along the road. Fat drops started falling onto the windscreen and he turned on the wipers. Darkness was descending quickly as more storm clouds gathered.

“Where does Kerry live?” Mia asked.

“I’m not sure. She always came to my place. We never went to hers. Can you believe she forced me to give her a key? Hers was somewhere close though. At least she always seemed nearby.”

Mia grabbed the armrest and braced herself when Roman took a hard right. “Do you think she took JP to her house?”

“What about when she kidnapped Jennifer?” Roman asked.

Eliza shrugged and spread her arms wide. “I literally have no idea where she held her. Like I told you, I was just keeping my mouth shut as ordered. We weren’t exactly all BFFs and brushing each other’s hair.”

Roman rounded a corner and slammed on the brakes. A dozen or so cars were stopped ahead and all jockeying to turn around in the road. Beyond them, two police cruisers, with lights flashing, blocked access. He could just about make out a downed power line.

“Crap. I’ll have to go a back route. It’s gonna take a lot longer. Try calling Scott again,” he said.

“He’s not picking up. I’ll hit him with another text,” Mia said after being put through to voice mail. Once she’d recorded her message, she brought up the previous text and checked the details. “He never got my first text. It says ‘not received’. He must have turned his phone off.”

“Or this wind knocked out a cell tower the same way it brought the line down on the road,” Roman said, quickly executing a three-point turn and speeding back the way he’d come.

“This feels bad,” Eliza mumbled.

“Yeah. I agree.” Mia turned to Roman. “Hurry, okay?”

“Going as fast as I can.” His fists tightened on the wheel. “Hey, look in my contacts. You’ll find a Joe Kosinski of Walkerton PD. Tell him he needs to send backup.”

Chapter Forty

Scott opened the front door to Kerry. “You shouldn’t have driven all the way out here, especially in this weather. I’m not exactly in the mood for company right now.”

“Oh … but … I could see how upset you were. And Eliza’s just a mess. She begged me to talk to you. Is it okay if I come in?”

She huddled on the doorstep. The intensity of the rain had increased in the last few moments. Her hair whipped across her face, and she made futile attempts to tame it against the gale-force winds. Scott stepped back, then paused and tipped his head to the side.

“I swear I can hear a dog barking. This wind is making everything sound crazy. Anyway, get inside before you’re soaked. I was just having a whiskey. Do you want one?”

“Well … I’m not usually much of a drinker but sure. Only a little though,” she said, patting at her hair. “Are Mia and Roman here? I saw their car parked by the garage.”

“Nah. I’m all on my ownsome. I’m not sure when they’re coming to pick it up but doubt it’ll be tonight.”

They walked through to the kitchen, and he snagged a second lowball glass from the cupboard and poured out a couple of fingers of whiskey. Kerry joined him, carefully setting down her purse on the counter. He slid the glass across to her and raised his own in a toast.

“To three-day marriages. Technically, I guess it’ll be at least four days. I can’t file for a divorce or annulment or whatever until tomorrow. Anyway, to ridiculously short marriages. Salut.”

He took a quick sip and set the glass down with a thud, causing some of the liquid to slosh onto the counter.

“I’m not drinking to that. It’s too sad. And you and Eliza aren’t getting a divorce. This is just a … small bump. Come on. Everything’s been so awful, with your parents hiring private investigators and then your mom was kidnapped. Of course you’re feeling out of sorts.” She lifted her glass. “To true love and finding your way back to Eliza.”

When he only crossed his arms over his chest, she clinked her glass against his unattended one on the counter, then took a sip and grimaced before setting it down again.

“Kerry. I’m sorry. I know Eliza’s your friend, but this marriage is done like dinner. The kindest thing you can do is go back and tell her that. Make her believe it.”

“But I don’t understand what the problem is. You two seemed fine. More than fine. You’re the perfect couple. What changed your mind?”

He shrugged and let out a weary sigh. “I guess what Roman and Mia said started worming a hole in my brain. All that stuff about her family.” He pursed his lips. “It’s not like I think she actually killed anyone, but still, the peanut oil thing is whacked, right? And when I look back on everything, it was Eliza who wanted the wedding pushed up. Sure, I was on board, but I never would have suggested it.”

“Only because she was madly in love with you.”

“See that’s the thing. I can’t tell if she even likes me. What if it was only ever about the money for her? You and I both know Eliza loves her ‘abundant’ lifestyle. And the way she started yelling at my dad—it was so inappropriate and selfish. There’s a time and a place for these things.”

Kerry leaned down, set her elbows on the counter and rested her chin in her hands. She gazed over at him. He blinked and studied her face. He could have sworn her eyes were blue but instead two amber irises stared back.

“She told me your dad was bullying her. Got it in his head she was the kidnapper and just wouldn’t let it go. She was really upset.” Kerry paused and tapped her fingers together in front of her face before standing upright again. “I know I wasn’t there, and this is only her point of view, but she said you didn’t exactly back her up.”

His hands fisted at his sides. “Yeah. Well. I wasn’t going to get into it with my dad right then and there. My poor mom was a wreck. The kidnapper shaved all her hair off, did you know that? We’d just paid out a million bucks—which, believe me, no regrets—but it didn’t look like we’d ever catch the person. And .…”

He paused and shook his head. His face was red and his breath came fast. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this, but my parents’ marriage has had some real rough spots. Dad cheated a couple of times early on. And the kidnapper made my mom believe he was stepping out on her again. They’re not exactly getting along that great right now. Eliza should have taken the high road and let it go for the time being.”

Roman’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out and checked the screen. He waited for the call to go to voice mail then, keeping his eyes on Kerry, listened to the message.

“Sorry. I just a have to make a call real quick,” he said, before slipping out to the foyer.

Kerry watched while he paced to the door. She heard him say, “What’s wrong?” then a few mumbled words and finally, “I can’t talk now” before hanging up.”

“Who was that? Is everything okay?” she asked.

“What? Yeah. Fine. It was a work thing. No big deal.” He turned off the power and shoved it back in his pocket.

Kerry’s expression became earnest, and her eyes fixed on his face. “Can’t you give Eliza another chance? I know she can be kind of spoiled and entitled, but you’re having such a great effect on her. I swear, every day she’s changing into a better person. She needs you,” she pleaded.

“It feels wrong now.” Scott took a step back and blew out a breath. “I’m not sure I want to be with someone who’s not a decent person in and of themselves, you know what I mean? Maybe if this whole thing with my mom hadn’t happened, I’d have sailed along just fine. Never questioning any of it. But the kidnapping made me see everything differently. Life is short. Any damn thing can happen. I want to make sure I spend time with quality people and Eliza seems like too big a risk. I love her. I really do. But sometimes love just isn’t enough.”

Kerry fisted a hand over her heart and her eyes sheened with moisture, making them glow like gemstones. “That’s the saddest thing I ever heard. I feel bad for both of you. Promise me something, okay? Don’t do anything with the lawyers right away. Sit on it for a bit and see how you are after a few days. Maybe when everything settles down with your parents and you get over the shock of what happened, you’ll feel better about Eliza.”

He turned and walked over to the French door, stopping to lean his forehead against the glass. Outside the storm raged and the house creaked. After several beats, he shifted to face her.

“It’s not going to happen. I need to end things with Eliza and move on.” Behind him, a branch crashed against the window, and he glanced over his shoulder. “You should go before this gets worse.”

“You’re probably right.” Her breath hiccupped out. “This whole thing is tragic. First Eliza lost her family and now she’s losing you. I can’t believe one person has to have such a hard life.”

Her breath wheezed in and out and her eyes went wide. She patted at her chest, struggling to bring in air. Turning, she stumbled into the counter and grabbed wildly for her purse.

“Here. Let me help.” He handed it to her.

“I need my inhaler,” she gasped.

After reaching inside and unzipping a compartment in the purse, she pulled out a small plastic tube and shook it vigorously. She brought it to her mouth and gave herself three puffs of the medication then closed her eyes and pursed her lips.

“Are you okay? I didn’t know you had asthma,” Scot said. “You know, your color is already looking better. Should you take another hit?”

Slowly, she shook her head and opened her eyes. She noticed he’d inched away from her and now stood at the end of the island in the kitchen. “It’s already working. I hate when I get one of my attacks. It’s so embarrassing.”

She stowed the inhaler back in her purse, taking a few seconds to rearrange a couple of items before zipping it closed.

“Sure you’re okay to drive? You could stay here for a bit if you need time to recover,” Scott said.

A tentative smile showed on her face. “Honestly, I’m fine. But you’re so sweet to worry. Even in the middle of all your troubles you’re willing to help me.”

She opened her arms. Fury bubbled in her throat when she noted the way he hesitated and glanced at each of her hands before stepping into the hug.

“Of course. We’re friends, right?” he said.

She patted the back of his neck, rubbing a small circle. Making absolutely sure the fentanyl patch was firmly on his skin.

“I like thinking we’re friends,” she purred in his ear. “I feel especially close to you. And what scares me more than anything is if you and Eliza split, I might never see you again.”

He pulled away and blinked down at her. “Not if we make an effort to stay in touch. Let’s not worry about that right now.”

“Well, I’ll best get out of your hair. I hope you’ll think about what I said and maybe cut Eliza some slack.”

Kerry secured her purse over her arm and walked across the kitchen. When she reached the opening to the foyer, though, she swayed and started to go down. She only managed to grab onto the wall at the last second and stop herself from falling.

“Whoa. Easy there. I don’t think you should be climbing behind the wheel right now. Look. I know I have some soup somewhere. Why don’t you sit and relax while I make you a bowl? Let’s see how you are in half an hour or so.”

“Oh, that’d be nice. But only if you’re sure. I’ve had a crazy day. Now that I think about it, I haven’t eaten since this morning. So much happening.”

She boosted up onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar and watched while he opened a pantry cupboard and rooted around before coming up with a can of soup.

“Chicken noodle okay?”

“Sounds great.”

He fixed an old-style opener to the top of the can then started cranking the handle. After a couple of rotations, he stopped and stared at the can, squinting in disbelief. He held his hand out in front of his face, moving it closer and farther away several times before whirling toward his glass.

The movement unbalanced him and he stumbled into the edge of the counter. Still, he stayed on his feet and fought his way to the whiskey. After holding the glass up to the light, he examined the liquid then brought it to his face and inhaled.

“You must have drugged this,” he said, his voice soft. “I was expecting you to try and stab me with a needle like you did my mom. I don’t understand how you got it in there without me noticing.”

There was a slur to his words now with the S’s going soft. Kerry’s smile was brilliant. She stood and, tossing the purse aside, strode to the bar.

“For such a smart man you’re incredibly stupid. And given how fast the fentanyl is hitting you, you’ll be in full-blown overdose in less than five minutes. Might as well enjoy the short high. While we wait, I’m going to get myself a drink. Sort of a pre-celebration. Whiskey’s not really my thing. I’m more of a tequila girl.”

She poured a shot of Patron and downed it in one quick swallow. Meanwhile, Scott made his way shakily across the kitchen and yanked open a drawer. He reached for a small plastic nasal spray, but his reflexes were off and it slipped from his hand onto the tiled floor. With an animal growl, Kerry streaked around the island and snatched it up.

“Narcan. Wow. Color me impressed. Too bad you’re not going to get a chance to use it.” Pulling off the plastic stopper, she pointed it above her head and squeezed, dispensing the drug harmlessly into the air. “What else have you got squirrelled away in there?”

She hip-checked him aside and pawed through the drawer. “More Narcan. My gosh. Exactly how many kits did you get? You really should’ve left some for all those poor hopeless addicts. That was so selfish.”

Letting out a war cry, he slammed into her from behind, caging her against the counter. He reached an arm around her neck and applied pressure while at the same time grabbing for the Narcan containers in her hand. They wrestled for several seconds until he finally managed to free one but in doing so, his arm slipped down her neck.

She shoved her hand against his wrist, earning another inch or so of precious breathing space, and twisted her body around before kicking straight up between his legs. Her aim was dead on, and she connected, full force, with his balls.

When he staggered backwards and crumpled in on himself, she turned and snatched the Narcan neatly out of his hand before crouching and gathering the fallen containers. Working deftly, she emptied every last one, letting each dispenser drop uselessly back to the floor.

Meanwhile, Scott sank to his knees and bowed his head. His breathing was labored as he forced himself to take deep breaths. His chest heaved with each inhalation. His hand moved to his right ankle, and he grappled with something under his pantleg.

She squatted beside him and grabbed the gun just as he finally managed to release it from the holster. The struggle was brief, his system already so compromised he couldn’t muster much of a fight. She tucked the small pistol inside her purse then returned to her stool and leaned back with a satisfied smirk.

“Well, well, well. Looks like this party is just about over. What a shame. I was having a really good time.”

“Why are you doing this? You already got a million dollars today when my dad paid the ransom.”

Kerry wrinkled her nose. “Yeah. But it’s not nearly enough. I want all your money. And since you and Eliza are still legally wed, and you were gullible enough to change your will, I’m about to get what I deserve. It’s too bad you got that bee in your bonnet about ending the marriage, because I’d have let you live a little longer. Probably.” She twisted a piece of hair around her finger while she studied him. “How’d you figure out I was the one behind everything?”

“Cause I’m really, really smart. I hacked into Eliza’s emails and text messages a few weeks after we started dating. Something felt off, but I couldn’t figure out what.” His words came slowly, laboriously, and his face was sheet white. “I figured out you were blackmailing her. She never killed her sister. You did.”

“Yeah, and ending Maryanne was sweet. Except I didn’t talk it out with her like we’re doing. It’s so much better this way. Much more satisfying.”

Scott struggled to lift his head and look at Kerry. “I still don’t understand why you picked me. There’re lots of rich people around. And to kidnap my mom. That was so low.”

“You still don’t get it. Not so smart after all. Jennifer isn’t even your bio mom. Rhonda was.”

She sighed and slid off the stool before casually strolling across the room and kneeling down beside him. With sure movements, she reached up and unsnapped something on either side of her head before lifting the dark wig away and tossing it aside. A thin nylon cap covered her hair, and she slipped it off and ran her fingers through the shoulder length copper strands. It was precisely the same color as Scott’s hair.

“Fun fact, Rhonda was my mom too, which makes you my brother. Well, half-brother if you want to get all technical about it.”

Roman blinked at Kerry, doing his best to focus on her face. His pupils were barely bigger than pinpricks. “That’s crazy. I don’t have a sister.”

She patted his face. “Oh, yes, you do. We’ve got the same blood running through our veins, buddy boy. That’s why I’m feeling a teensy, weensy, pang of conscience right now. It would’ve been good to have a brother kicking around. Except, if you’re anything like your dad, you’d shut me out as fast as you could. Did you know he sent Rhonda away when she was pregnant with me?”

“What? No. Dad wouldn’t have done that.”

“Reality check. He did do it and more. When she came back to him years later, he refused to let her see you. So what if she was an addict? You’re still her kid, right?”

“I didn’t know. What about your father?” Scott mumbled.

Kerry snorted. “Ken Flanners. Now there was a useless piece of garbage. He cheated on his wife with Rhonda, then when I came along, he was nowhere to be seen. Cut off all contact. No financial support either. Don’t worry though, I took care of him. In fact, he was my first kill.”

Scott’s head bobbed slowly up and down. It was impossible to tell if he was nodding or simply fighting to keep himself upright.

“My dad was your target all along? Which means Eliza and I were just a means to an end.”

“Aw, honey. It’s hard to say all those words, isn’t it? You’re so slurry right now.” She stroked a hand through his hair then dragged a stool over and climbed on, so she was positioned above him. “Of course, Thomas is the target. He rejected my mom, then when I came to him a few years ago, he outright rejected me too. Like I’d be happy with a pitiful monthly payment? Get real.”

“Did Eliza have anything to do with planning the kidnapping?”

“As if. I didn’t even tell her ahead of time. She was getting soft on you, and I couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t blab. That’s why I snatched the mutt. I knew it would keep her in line and playing the part.”

“You killed Ken Flanners and Maryanne Wentworth. Plus, you kidnapped Jennifer Lamb and held her for ransom. Now you’re partway through murdering me. Quite the collection of crimes,” Scott said, stumbling over every word.

“Yep. God, it’s so great being able to talk about this with someone.”

“Don’t worry. Soon everyone will know. I created an app in my home smart system. It’s recording everything you’ve said.” Kerry scrambled off the stool and looked around wildly. “It’s not stored locally. Everything’s in the cloud. And it only cues to my voice. There’re also web cams pointed at you right now. Again, they go to the cloud. I set up an automatic email program. Mia and Roman will get this the second I go quiet for more than fifteen minutes. See. It doesn’t matter if I die or not. You’re going down.”

He collapsed onto the floor, letting his cheek rest against the tile and fighting to keep breathing. The skin on Kerry’s face went a splotchy red color. She darted around the kitchen, opening cupboards and drawers. When she discovered one of the web cams attached to the corner above the backsplash, she smashed it against the counter.

“I told you. It doesn’t matter,” Scott said weakly, his eyes closing.

Kerry ran to Scott and kicked him in the stomach repeatedly, as hard as she could. He moaned and coughed but couldn’t manage to curl himself into a ball. The wind continued to screech outside but now, very faintly, the sound of police sirens could be heard. She howled in rage, grabbed her purse, and slipped out through the French doors, slamming them behind her.

His last conscious thought was that Eliza would finally be free of her monster, and he smiled before drifting away.

Chapter Forty-one

Roman pushed the speed as much as he dared. The storm was fully formed by now. The rain lashed down and even on the highest setting, the wipers couldn’t keep up. It was dark enough that it might well have been the middle of the night. Branches and other debris littered the roads. Some vehicles had pulled over to the shoulder and sat, with hazard lights flashing, to wait it out.

“Looks like we’re going to beat the police,” Mia said. Her hand clutched the door and her eyes stayed glued to the road while they turned onto Scott’s street.

A tree limb blocked the lower section of Scott’s driveway but Roman simply swung wide onto the lawn. The SUV skidded but managed to gain traction on the saturated grass. They were around and back to the asphalt in the next instant.

When they swept up the incline and the house came into view, Eliza gasped.

“Oh my God. That’s Kerry’s car. What if we’re too late?” she wailed.

Roman aimed the Lexus for the back of the Honda Civic and pulled to a stop, blocking Kerry’s escape. They flung the doors open and leapt out. Overhead, lightning flared, and multiple earsplitting cracks sounded, while the crash of thunder happened almost simultaneously. The air was electric and goosebumps sprang up on Mia’s skin.

In the next second, everything went dark.

“Shit. The lightning must have hit a tower or wire and caused a power surge,” Roman said.

Roman dove back into the SUV, grabbed his phone, and turned on the flashlight function. Mia did the same. They were soaked to the skin before they’d jogged to the front door.

It was locked.

“I know the code,” Eliza said.

She pushed in between Mia and Roman, punched four numbers into the keypad, and the door clicked. Roman tapped her shoulder.

“Quiet. Kerry can maybe hear the sirens but doesn’t necessarily know we got here first. It never hurts to have the element of surprise on our side,” he whispered. Reaching behind, he eased his gun out from where he’d tucked it in the back of his pants. “Stay behind me.”

“I thought you were worried about Kerry seeing you,” Mia hissed to Eliza.

“I am. But I can’t just sit in the car and do nothing.”

Roman carefully opened the front door and aimed his flashlight into the foyer. “Wait until I’ve cleared the main floor,” he said.

Mia and Eliza stepped inside but shrank back until they were anchored against the wall by the door. Mia turned off her flashlight so as not to draw attention to their location while Roman slipped along the foyer and, sinking low, moved into the kitchen. She could see his light bouncing off the white cupboards and glossy tile flooring.

“I’ve found Scott. He’s in bad shape,” he called out.

Mia nudged Eliza’s arm. “Go outside and wait for the cops. Tell them what’s going on.”

“No. Scott’s hurt. He needs my help,” Eliza said, pushing off the wall and walking briskly toward the kitchen.

Mia jogged after her. “Be careful. We don’t know where Kerry is.”

“I can’t find a heartbeat,” Roman said.

The women dropped to the ground beside Roman. Mia turned her flashlight back on. Scott lay on his side. His skin was cool to the touch and his lips were tinged with blue. She rested a hand on his shoulder and reached out with her senses.

In her mind’s eye, she saw a single beam of light. It was a weak yellow color and very narrow. Barely more than the width of a pencil. She gathered herself and, using all her might, pushed out a wave of energy.

Beneath her hand, Scott took a gasping breath, then another. A few seconds later, one more. The light in her mind strengthened to soft white and the beam widened.

But there were no more breaths after that, and the light quickly began to dim again.

“I couldn’t find any signs of obvious injury so he’s either having some kind of cardiac event or he’s OD’ing,” she said.

Eliza let out a sob. “What? He’d never do drugs. Like ever. Scott’s all about clean living.”

“But Kerry likes using them. At least on other people,” Roman said, his eyes alert and continually sweeping the kitchen. “What the hell is that?”

He pointed to a small dark furry object. Eliza’s gaze flicked over briefly before returning to Scott. “Probably Kerry’s wig. She started wearing it a few months ago. Her real hair is red. Not as deep as Mia’s though. More like Scott’s color.”

Mia aimed her flashlight along the floor and studied the plastic containers littering the area by the sink. “That’s a lot of doses of Narcan. It should be more than enough to keep him breathing or .…” She paused and shook her head when the vision came. “No. Kerry emptied them so he couldn’t save himself.”

“We need to do something. We can’t just sit here and watch him die,” Eliza sobbed. “His hand feels like ice.”

“If we can keep him breathing until help arrives, he might make it,” Roman said.

“You mean mouth-to-mouth? I can totally do that. My whole family learned in case my dad ever had an allergy attack and the EpiPen didn’t work.” She pushed in next to Mia and quickly rolled Scott onto his back then gently laid a hand behind his neck and straightened his head. “There’s something sticky here.”

“Leave it. Let me see,” Roman demanded. He rolled Scott over again and, using his flashlight, studied the flesh-colored patch on the back of his neck. “Probably fentanyl. There’s a cut in the patch. It’s supposed to be time released but that stuff will be pouring into him right now.”

Mia clutched Eliza’s arm when she went to grab it. “We need to be careful otherwise you’ll get hit with it too.” She jumped to her feet and opened drawers at random until she found the food wrap supplies. “Here, use this Ziplock bag as a glove before you pull it off.”

Eliza did as instructed then quickly moved Scott to his back again, cleared his airway, and began assisting his breathing. Mia laid a hand on his heart, willing it to pump. After several breaths, she was rewarded with a thump under her palm.

“That’s good. He’s responding. Keep going. The sirens are pretty close now. The police will be here any minute and should have more Narcan. I’m going to find Roman, okay.”

“Go. I’ve got this,” Eliza said, her voice breathy.

Mia left her phone beside Scott so Eliza would have some light and crept silently through the main floor. No sign of Roman. Or Kerry.

She met Roman coming down the stairs. “The house is empty. She must’ve gotten away.”

“Yeah,” Mia said. “But on foot since her car’s still out front and so is our SUV and Scott’s Range Rover.”

Roman’s phone pinged and he glanced down absently then went still and studied the message.

“It’s from Scott. Must be automated.” He tapped the screen and began playing an audio file.”

There was some indistinct mumbling then Kerry’s voice said, “I’m not much of a drinker,” followed a few seconds later by Scott. “To three-day marriages.”

“Scott, you absolute beauty. Looks like that smart bastard managed to record everything that happened tonight with Kerry.” He squinted at the screen again. “And there’s a video file coming too.”

“But where is she?”

“Don’t worry. We’ll find her.” Roman grabbed her hand. “Come on.”

Back in the kitchen, Eliza was mumbling, “One, two, three, four and breath,” before bringing her mouth to Scott’s and filling his lungs with another lifesaving shot of air.

Mia checked his pulse and nodded. “A definite rhythm now. On the slow side, but still good news.”

“We can’t find Kerry in here so we’re going to extend the search outside. Make sure to tell the police when they come. Don’t want to get shot,” Roman said.

“Sure. Okay.” Eliza nodded distractedly and her eyes stayed on Scott.

Mia wondered if she’d remember. Scooping up her phone, she joined Roman on the far side of the great room. He flung the French doors open and the wind almost blew them back into the room. Items flew off the coffee table and all the drapes fluttered, making it seem like the room was inhabited by evil spirits.

They stepped out into the storm while behind them the cops pounded on the front door.

Together they jogged to the end of the yard and opened the gate. An asphalt path about two feet wide followed the edge of all the backyards. Beyond that was a large forested area.

“What do you think?” Roman asked, sweeping his flashlight up and down the path.

Even with the wind howling and the rain pummeling them, Mia was able to quiet her mind and go into herself. She breathed slowly and deeply. Her energy reached out, searching, searching before the vision finally came.

She blinked her eyes open as a lightning bolt streaked across the sky, seemingly directly above her head. The crack was deafening. When the thunder rolled through an instant later, Roman couldn’t help smiling to himself. Talk about surround sound.

“She went that way,” Mia said, pointing along the path to their left. “And she has a gun.”

They jogged forward, eyes scanning. The almost absolute blackness was eerie. It made it seem they were the last people left alive on the earth. A few tiny glows of light partially illuminated windows in several of the houses they passed, and it was a weird relief to Roman to know they weren’t alone after all.

Mia charged ahead for several paces then stopped short, skidding along the pavement. He grabbed her shoulder from behind to stop her falling. Her body was thrumming and the energy gave him a tiny jolt at the point where his hand made contact with her.

“What is it?”

“I think she doubled back and went into the woods. What’s on the other side of it?” she asked, leaning into him and bringing her lips next to his ear so he could hear over the storm.

Roman flipped his phone in his hand and brought up Google maps. She cupped her palms over the screen in an effort to shield it from the rain while he shifted the view and zoomed in.

“Looks like a commercial lot. Dunkin Donuts. Seven Eleven. A bunch of other stores,” he said.

They spun around and, this time walking quickly rather than running, retraced their steps along the path. Mia’s head craned to the left and she studied the forest. Finally, she stopped and pointed.

“I feel her energy going that way.”

There wasn’t a true trail to follow but the trees were smaller and sparser at the edge, and it was easy to slip into the forest. The ground squelched under their feet, the mud thick enough to sink into and spill halfway up their shoes. Layers of sodden leaves added a slickness factor, and Mia went down on her hands and knees. Her phone landed off to the side, the flashlight shining straight up.

“You okay?” Roman grasped her elbows and helped her up before retrieving the phone.

She didn’t answer, just continued trudging forward while wiping her filthy hands down the front of her jeans. Lightning crashed directly overhead and seconds later the bleachy smell of ozone hit their nostrils. The forest got thicker. Harder to navigate. Time and again, Roman grabbed onto tree trucks while fighting to keep his feet under him.

Mia stopped short and he rammed into her before wrapping an arm around her chest to save her from falling again.

“She’s close.” She angled to the right. “Let’s turn off the flashlights. We don’t want to give ourselves away.”

They walked carefully now, stopping from time to time to peer into the darkness. Every flash of lightning was both a blessing and a curse, for as much as they could see during the brief illumination, they were well aware they could also be seen. During the next flash, Mia spun and grabbed for Roman’s arm.

“She’s there. By the tree.”

Roman strained but couldn’t make out anything resembling a human form.

“I’ll take your word for it. We must be close to the strip mall. If she gets that far she’ll be gone. Likely grab someone’s ride and disappear into the night. Maybe she hurts someone too. We have to stop her. I’ll circle around and try to get out before she does. Block the escape route. You keep tailing her but stay back, okay?”

Mia nodded, but her expression was filled with doubt. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before slipping off to the side, using the trees for cover as he circled around. She watched him disappear into the dark, rain-drenched woods, her heart thudding not just from the chase but from the electric buzz of the storm and the danger of what was to come.

She turned her focus back toward Kerry. Through the rain and the shrouded darkness, Mia strained her senses, trusting the subtle pulls and vibrations that had never failed her. She edged forward, careful not to lose her footing again, her body tense and ready.

Another bolt of lightning sliced through the sky, showing her the tangled branches ahead. Just beyond was the outline of the strip mall. Terrifyingly close.

Mia saw Kerry again. She was crouched low, her small gun clutched in both hands, eyes darting wildly. She was soaked to the bone, her hair plastered to her face, looking more like a cornered animal than the cold, calculating murderer Mia knew her to be.

She inched forward until Kerry was less than twenty feet away. Near enough to feel the frantic energy radiating off her. A few seconds later, Kerry stood tall and began striding toward the back of the mall.

Another gust of wind swept through the forest and the thunder reverberated like cannon fire. Mia took a deep breath, steeling herself. She couldn’t afford to wait for Roman. Once Kerry made it around the building to the store fronts, there were too many potential victims at risk. Too many chances she’d make her escape.

She stepped out from behind the tree, her voice loud but calm. “Kerry, give it up. The game’s over. There’s no where to run.”

Kerry spun around, her eyes wide, and for a split second, Mia saw a hint of vulnerability peek out. Then her features hardened, and her lips formed into a sneer. She raised her arms straight out in front of her, hands steady despite the buffeting wind.

“I’m going to enjoy killing you so much. Roman too. Where is he?” Kerry shouted, the gun staying trained on Mia.

Mia held her hands up, palms facing Kerry, trying to project calm through the storm and the chaos. “We split up. He took the car in case you tried to use the road to escape. It’s just you and me.”

Kerry’s eyes darted to the right, towards the strip mall. Mia could sense her calculating the distance, weighing her chances. Just a few more steps and she could be gone. Mia cautiously inched forward, keeping her voice steady. “Think about it, Kerry. Even if you get away, you’ll never be free. You know that.”

“A couple of million will buy me lots of freedom,” she spat.

Another flash of lightning lit the scene, and Mia saw Roman emerge from the other side, his gun raised, pointed directly at Kerry. Kerry jerked in surprise, and she turned toward him, her pistol drifting away from Mia.

“Drop it,” Roman barked, his voice cutting through the thunder.

For a tense moment, time seemed to freeze. Mia’s breath caught in her throat as she reached across the distance with her senses and felt the rage bubbling in Kerry’s mind. She found no thought of surrender. Instead, the woman’s anger galvanized on Roman and she raised her arms again, turning her body slowly to face him.

To hell with that, Mia thought.

“Don’t you dare shoot him,” Mia yelled before rushing toward Kerry, her eyes fixed on the small gun.

Kerry had just enough time to swung back to Mia and squeeze the trigger before Roman shot her. The bullet tore into her shoulder, and she howled even as Mia tackled her to the ground. There was a brief struggle before Kerry was disarmed.

Roman pulled off his belt and quickly tied her hands together then whirled on Mia.

“What the actual fuck? Are you insane,” he screamed.

“No more than you. We were both standing there. She was gonna shoot at one of us. It made more sense for me to bait her and you to take her down.” She winced and rubbed her upper arm. “Man, she really dug her claws into me.”

He pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight before marching up to her and roughly grabbing her arm.

“Let me see.” His hard expression morphed into concern. “That isn’t from her nails. You’ve been shot.”

“Please. It’s just a scratch.” She glanced down and her face paled when she saw the blood mixing with the mud and dripping off her elbow. “Oh my God, I was shot. No wonder it’s burning like hellfire.”

“Can you move your arm okay?”

Mia did a few testing circles. “Seems fine. It must have just caught the meat.”

“The bullet might still be in there.”

He attempted to wipe at the layer of mud on her arm, but she batted him away.

“If it is, we’re not going to do anything about it right now, standing in the middle of a forest during the storm of the decade.” She turned and gazed at Kerry who sat, head bowed over her cuffed wrists. “Come on. Let’s clean up this trash. Looks like you got her shoulder. I guess she’s going to need to be patched up, too.”

Roman’s hand fisted on the front of her shirt. He pulled her to him then held the flashlight beside her face and studied her eyes. His were clouded with worry and his lip quivered before he pressed them together in a hard line. Finally, he seemed satisfied by what he saw, and his arms came around her in a crushing hug.

“If you ever do that again I’ll shoot you myself,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

“Ow. Too tight. You’re hurting my bullet wound,” she whined.

“I don’t care.” Despite his words, he released his arms.

Then he lifted his hands to cup her jaw and laid his lips on hers. She felt the raw need pouring off him along with the crushing fear. She pushed back love. And light. And comfort. He sighed against her mouth and eased away.

She smiled at him. “Hey, now I can say I took a bullet for you. Bet none of your other girlfriends stepped up in such a big way.”

The laugh burst out of him. “You’re right about that.” He paused and shook his head. “I declare the prenup officially off the table. Forever. All this time, part of me has been worried you weren’t all in on this relationship. I’ll never question you again.”

“Finally.” She lifted her injured arm away from her side and glanced down at it. “Okay, I’m not gonna lie. This is starting to really hurt. It better not leave an ugly scar, or our wedding pictures will be ruined.”

The rain had eased slightly during the past few minutes, but now another intense squall washed over them. He took her mud-covered hand and brought it to his lips.

“God, I love you so much. I can honestly say I’ve never been happier than I am in this moment,” he murmured.

She beamed at him. “Me either.”

Epilogue

September 8th

It was a picture-perfect postcard of a day with the sun shining brightly over crystal blue skies. Although warm, the humidity had lessened, and a breeze softened the sun’s rays. It was a day for picnics and barbeques. For family reunions and first dates and weddings.

Mia and Roman left their house in the late morning. The invitation had been unexpected, and they were more than a little curious. The day after Scott was released from the hospital, Jennifer and Thomas had come to Roman’s office to thank them and settle their account. As far as everyone was concerned, the case was closed. It was time to move on.

Except maybe it wasn’t.

“Tell me the truth, are you glad we didn’t have to adopt JP?” Mia asked.

Roman smiled full-out. “So glad. I mean, he’s cute and all, but we’re at max capacity in the dog department. I honestly thought the poor little guy was a goner anyway. I’m still not sure why Kerry didn’t just kill him and be done with it.”

“She was probably hanging onto him just in case she needed to bend Eliza to her will one more time. He was the ultimate leverage for keeping that girl in line. After, I’ll bet Kerry would’ve killed him without a second thought. I’ll never forget how scared he was when we found him in her car.”

“Or how happy Eliza was. For a moment there, she was hugging him so hard, I was worried she’d accidentally smother him.”

Mia dabbed at her eye where a tear threatened to fall. “It was an epic reunion, that’s for sure. And the EMT guys were so sweet to let her take JP in the ambulance with Scott.”

“You know, I’m still not sure I like her all that much, but when it really mattered, Eliza came through like a champion,” Roman said.

“Scott wouldn’t be alive right now if not for her decision to help. And she did it knowing there was a good chance she might lose the thing she loved the most. JP was literally all she had left in the world. That right there, my friend, is bravery.”

“Funny how sometimes it’s the most unlikely person who steps up in the biggest way.” Roman flicked on his indicator and made a turn onto a side street. “And talking about other unexpected outcomes, I’m still not over Tracey and Eliza making amends.”

“I think the fact Eliza put her neck out for Maryanne and made sure her killer paid was all it took. Plus, she probably felt Maryanne would’ve wanted them to have each other to lean on. They may never be besties, but I think they’ll stay on friendly terms. It’s a way for them to keep Maryanne’s memory alive.”

The parking area only contained a handful of cars. Roman found a shady spot and turned off the engine. Mia took out her phone and brought up the text with instructions before grabbing the flowers from the back seat.

“We’re supposed to head to the east side,” she told Roman.

The cemetery was a large one and they walked along a path between the gravestones. When they crested a small rise, Eliza and Scott were visible in the distance. As they got closer, JP caught sight of them first and turned to stare before clawing at Eliza’s legs. She crouched down to pat him, her long pink skirt spreading across the grass, then glanced over and saw Mia and Roman approaching. Scooping up the Min Pin, she stood to face them.

“I’m so glad you came. I wasn’t … I mean, I’d have understood if you didn’t show,” she said.

“Hey, good to see you guys.” Scott turned. He held out a hand to Roman and the two men shook.

“You look a whole lot better than the last time we saw you,” Mia said, grasping his hand and squeezing gently. “How’re you feeling?”

“My stamina isn’t what it used to be and sometimes my brain goes soggy, but I can’t complain.” He released Mia’s hand, and his gaze flicked to Roman then back to her. “There’s no way I can ever thank you enough. If Kerry had gotten away … well, I don’t think I’d be feeling too great. Just knowing she was still out there and might circle back to get her revenge on my family would’ve been hard to take.”

“All in a day’s work,” Mia said.

“I doubt you’ll have to worry about Kerry Jones ever again. From what my contacts tell me, the case against her is solid. Mostly thanks to you and your sting operation at the house. I think it still would’ve been okay, but having a solid confession from the perp is what they call a slam dunk,” Roman said.

“The only question is, why didn’t you give us a heads-up? It was stupid to go all lone wolf and put yourself in danger,” Mia said, tucking the flowers firmly in at her elbow before shaking a finger at him.

Eliza shifted closer to Scott “I know. I told him the exact same thing. He could have died … every time I think about it, I get the shakes.”

“I didn’t want to do anything to tip Kerry off. She had zero suspicions about me, and for my plan to work, I had to keep on being the clueless, lovelorn stooge. The stakes were so damn high. Unless I got enough evidence, Eliza would never have been free and my family always in danger. It still freaks me out knowing she’s my half-sister.”

Eliza scowled. “Her big beef against your dad was so whacked. Rhonda cheated on him, got pregnant, and flat-out left him. Then she comes back years later, messed up on drugs and wanting to hang with the son she walked out on. Thomas did right to protect you. But he wasn’t mean about it. He helped support her financially. Then gave Kerry money, too. Like what was her problem?”

“Some people are just born twisted and evil. Kerry is definitely one of them,” Roman said.

“Here, these are for Maryanne. I picked them from my garden this morning,” Mia said, holding the flowers out to Eliza.

Eliza set the Min Pin down at her feet and gently took the flowers. “They’re beautiful. Hydrangeas were Maryanne’s absolute faves, and she had a potted dahlia in her dorm room at Darby.” Her lips trembled and when her eyes filled with tears, she blinked rapidly. “It’s almost like you knew. Thanks.”

She turned and walked the few steps over to the white marble headstone with Maryanne Patricia Wentworth etched under a dragonfly. The epitaph read, ‘Daughter, sister, friend. You are a song in our hearts forever.’

There was already a vase with a small bunch of daisies sitting at the base of the headstone, and Eliza added Mia’s bouquet next to it. She ran her fingers along the top of the marble before straightening and pointing to the next two graves bearing the names of her parents.

“It’s still so unreal that my whole family is here. If I could go back in time, I’d never have that fight with dad or ….” She covered her eyes with her hand and exhaled shakily. “I can barely believe I was such a snotty-nosed brat. Who pitches a fit and poisons their own father?”

Scott patted her shoulder. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You made a mistake and I’d say you’re still paying the price.”

Eliza fished out a Kleenex from her pocket and blew her nose. “Whatever price I’m paying, it’ll never be enough.” She sighed. “But this isn’t supposed to be about me. This day is for Maryanne. “

She turned back to her sister’s grave and clasped her hands in front of her. JP, who’d been nosing around in the grass, came over and sat at her feet as if understanding this was a sacred moment. Mia noted he was wearing a tiny pink bowtie, the same color as Eliza’s dress.

“I guess I invited all of you today because I wanted you to meet my sister, Maryanne. And for her to see everyone who helped avenge her death. Even though it doesn’t make up for anything, I like to think she’d be happy to know Kerry’s paying for what she did. I miss you, little sis. I know I was only two minutes older, but it still counts. I hope wherever you are, you’re happy and at peace. Please keep an eye on me, okay? I’m trying to be a better person, but I’ll probably screw up a bunch of times and I might need your help. Anyway, that’s all I wanted to tell you.”

All four bowed their heads and after a few seconds, Scott patted Eliza’s arm. “I’m sure your sister is proud of you.”

Roman nodded. “Yeah, good job.”

“I’m glad you invited us. It was nice to meet Maryanne,” Mia said. She paused and glanced back and forth between Eliza and Scott. “So, it’s totally none of my business, but are you two still married?”

Scott glanced at Eliza. “Funny you should ask. As it happens, we’re still legally wed.”

“But I made him change his will back, so I don’t get any money. Plus, I signed a prenup. Though I guess it’s actually a postnup, but whatever,” Eliza said all in a rush.

“And we’re taking it slow. She’s living at her place and I’m in the house in Walkerton.”

“Basically, we’re just dating,” Eliza said, smiling up at Scott. “He’s being so sweet to me. I mean after everything that happened, I thought he’d want to run a million miles away, but he hasn’t.”

Scott shrugged. “Considering how we met and what we’ve been through, I don’t know if we stand a chance or not, but I know I like her. A lot. And she did save my life, so there’s that.”

Eliza actually blushed. “And I really like him. I may have saved his life, but he saved mine, too. Without him, I’d still be stuck with Kerry—if she hadn’t outright killed me by now.”

Mia let out a sigh. “Aw. That’s so great to hear.”

“Just so you know, Mia and I met under … unusual circumstances and like Eliza, she had a hell of a back story. Still, we’re proof that it can sometimes all work out,” Roman said, taking Mia’s hand and lacing his fingers through hers.

She beamed up at him before turning her attention back to Eliza and Scott. “We’ll be rooting for you.”

“We were going to grab lunch at Capris, do you want to join us?” Scott asked.

“No, we have to get on, but thanks. Maybe we’ll see you around,” Roman said.

“Good luck with everything. And I really hope you find that happily ever after—I can promise you it’s worth fighting for,” Mia said.

*****

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Acknowledgements

Although my name is the only one on the cover of this book, I didn’t do it alone.

First of all, thank you to my husband, who puts up with this crazy obsession of mine, supports me every step of the way, and, every time he reads my latest book, tells me it’s the best one I’ve ever written.

To my sister, without whom this book would have been finished months earlier. She challenged me to up my game, and in doing so, I found myself rewriting the entire middle section. I hope I did justice to her excellent story notes! She’s the best writing partner and the most loving sister a girl could ever wish for.

To my editor, Betty Fisher—this is our first book together, and I’m so proud of it. With your attention to detail and thoughtful notes, you took this story to the next level. I look forward to a long and happy partnership with you.

To Robin Johnson of Florida Girl Design Inc.—the cover you created is absolutely beautiful and exactly what I envisioned. Thank you so much.

And last, but certainly not least, to my readers—you’ve embraced Mia and Roman with such enthusiasm that it takes my breath away. I love all the comments and messages you send about the books and am so thrilled to have you in my life. Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting me. I appreciate every single one of you.

Other Books By This Author

No Time for Goodbye

No Escaping the Past

No Place in Heaven

Crashing into Liam

Stars in Our Eyes

Keeping it Real

What the Heart Wants

Drawing from the Heart

Feeding the Heart