At Wolf Ranch (20 page)

Chapter 23

G
abe handed his black ski cap to Ella two miles before they reached town. “Put that on now, sweetheart. I don’t want anyone to recognize you.”

“I’m starting to think you’re ashamed to be seen with me.”

He didn’t care what she looked like, so long as she stayed out of her uncle’s grasp. With a detective in his pocket and any number of others who helped Phillip cover up Lela’s murder, no one who discovered Ella could be trusted to keep her safe.

“I’ll do everything I have to, to keep you safe.” Gabe vowed. “I spoke to Mr. Henighan, the funeral director. I’ve known him forever. He’s a good and honest man. He’s expecting us and promised no one else will be there. No one has tried to see Lela, or come in asking about her besides a local reporter. That doesn’t mean your uncle doesn’t have someone watching the place, hoping you show up.”

She stared out the side window and didn’t look at him, but her hands remained clutched tightly together in her lap. He put his hand over hers.

“Ella, sweetheart, it’s going to be okay.”

“I hope so. I know it’s a huge risk going to see her, but I have to.” Her eyes pleaded with him to understand.

“If it were one of my brothers, I’d feel the same way.” They entered the outskirts of town. He turned onto First Street and made a left on Webster. “Stay with me the whole time. No matter what, you stick by my side. If someone asks you to leave me for any reason, you say no.”

“Gabe, I won’t do anything stupid or reckless. Besides, anyone takes one look at you and they aren’t coming anywhere near me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Looked in a mirror lately? You’re huge. The dirty look you gave Blake when he pissed you off was enough to make anybody think twice about getting too close to you.”

“I’d never give Blake a dirty look and mean it.”

“You did yesterday.”

He traced a finger over her cheek and down her neck and settled his hand on her chest above her heart. “No one says or does anything that makes you unhappy.”

“I’ll remind you of that when you do something that displeases me.”

“Listen to you, city girl. Displeases you. Huh. I’ve been nothing but nice.”

“You’re a prince.”

“Have you ever dated a prince?” he asked, just to tease.

“No, but I met one once.”

He took his eyes from the road and stared at her in shock, then quickly looked back. “I was joking.”

“So was I,” she said, laughing. “You’ve got a really warped sense of who I am.”

“You’re not like anyone I’ve ever known,” he said, pulling the truck into a parking spot in back of the funeral home, backing in just in case they needed to make a quick getaway.

“Same goes for you, cowboy.”

He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. She tried to pull away, but he held tight. “Wait.” He scanned the parking lot. Only two other cars. Mr. Henighan’s and the mortician’s, Joel Snell. He watched the street and studied all the parked cars along the road and in nearby parking lots. Nothing caught his attention, or seemed out of place. No ominous black Escalade tucked in among the many trucks and SUVs. “We go in together. We come out together.”

“You and me.”

He turned to her and met her steady gaze. “You and me.”

Gabe got out first. Ella scooted along the truck seat to exit on his side. He blocked her from view until she stepped down to the pavement. He closed the door behind her, hit the lock button on the key fob, and escorted her quickly across the parking lot to the back door. Mr. Henighan expected them, so the door remained unlocked, per his instructions when they spoke on the phone.

They entered the building and stood inside a hallway that ran to the front of the building. Several doors opened on the right and left side. Gabe had been here several times for family and friends’ funerals since he was a little boy. He always hated this place. It made him sad. The cream walls, dark wood, and quiet were supposed to make people feel comfortable and lent a sense of solemnity to the space, but the heavy scent of fresh flowers nearly choked him.

“Mr. Henighan,” he called out.

The tall, thin man came around the corner at the front and walked down the hall toward them. “Gabe. Good to see you again, son. How are your folks?”

“Good. I really appreciate you doing this for me.”

“No trouble at all. Your mother and I go way back.”

Gabe didn’t want to think about his mother dating in high school, so he changed the subject. “This is my friend, Ella Wolf.”

“Ms. Wolf, my deepest condolences for your loss. Please, come this way.”

“Are we alone?” Gabe asked.

“Yes, of course. Just to be sure you’ve got all the privacy you need, I’ve sent Joel on break. He’s gone to the coffee shop.”

“He’ll keep quiet that she’s here,” Gabe said, his voice holding a hint of danger if he didn’t like Mr. Henighan’s answer.

“Gabe, relax. I’m the only one who knows she’s here. I’m on your side.”

Cautious, he tried to believe Mr. Henighan wouldn’t sell them out for the reward Phillip offered. A lot of money; most people wouldn’t hesitate to turn Ella in, but in these parts, you took a man at his word until he proved his word wasn’t worth shit. Mr. Henighan hadn’t given Gabe any reason not to trust him.

“May I see her?” Ella asked, her voice soft and sweet and so filled with sadness he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

“Come this way. I’ll show you the flowers while I prepare her for you to see.”

They followed Mr. Henighan into a room. Huge bouquets sat on the floor, towered toward the ceiling, and sat on every available table around the room. Mary must have directed everyone to send them here.

Ella held her locket in her hand against her chest. “It’s beautiful.” Ella stared at the outpouring of love from friends and colleagues. It meant even more because they hadn’t even scheduled a memorial yet.

“I’ve kept all the cards and well wishes. I’ll give them to you whenever you’re ready to leave. Please excuse me for a moment, and I’ll make your sister ready.”

Mr. Henighan left them alone.

“This is quite a display, honey. Who knew there was this many different kinds of white flowers in the world.” He tried to brighten her mood with a little levity, but she continued to stare.

He let her go when she walked up the aisle between the chairs to an overflowing basket of flowers and smelled the roses. He didn’t understand why she needed to get that close. The whole room was filled with their sweet scent. “I’m not even twenty-five and I’ve buried both my parents and now my sister.”

“You’ll bury your uncle next.” That earned him a halfhearted smile.

“It’s not fair, Gabe. It’s just not fair.”

“No, honey, it’s not. But you’ll get through this.”

“I will, because I have you.”

“For as long as you want me.”

“I might just keep you.”

“What’s with the
might
crap?”

That earned him a giggle and a smile. Maybe she thought he was teasing, but at this point, she had to know there was a hell of a lot more truth to his words than playing. She gave him a look, and they stared at each other across the room, some silent conversation that he understood. She didn’t think he was teasing, and he knew she meant to keep him, but her gaze drifted to the casket behind her, and he got that message too. If things didn’t turn out well for her, he might bury her, rather than marry her. The thought made his gut go tight and a deluge of thoughts swamp his mind.

What if something happened to her? No one knew they were together, except for his family. Would he have a chance to say goodbye, or would her lawyers, business associates, and friends step in, take over, and nudge him out? He didn’t like the thoughts running through his mind and vowed he’d make himself a permanent part of her life. Somehow. Despite all the obstacles.

“Relax, Gabe. Everything is fine.”

“Not if something happens to you. What do I do then?”

“You give Caleb’s brother-in-law Sam the information I’ve dug up so far. He can start asking questions and hopefully solve this whole thing.”

“I meant . . .”

Gabe shut his mouth when Ella’s gaze shot to the door. Gabe turned to protect her from whoever was coming in, but relaxed when he saw only Mr. Henighan.

“Ready?” the staid man asked.

Gabe wanted to walk Ella right out of there and spare her any more pain. He wanted to finish his sentence and tell her he meant, how was he supposed to live without her? Instead, he took her hand and followed Mr. Henighan back down the hall to the only open door. They entered the room where they kept the bodies in refrigerated storage lockers, like in a morgue. Hard to bury a person in the dead of winter out here when the ground was frozen solid under several feet of snow and ice.

One of the storage lockers stood open. The table pulled out. Lela lay there, a sheet covering her body. He couldn’t really see her face, just the back of her head. It looked like she slept, staring into the storage locker. Ella’s hand gripped his, her nails biting into his skin. She didn’t speak. Probably couldn’t, so he did it for her.

“Mr. Henighan, we thank you for setting this up. Please, may we have a few minutes alone.”

“Take all the time you need. Um, Ms. Wolf, Dr. Fortner left this for you.” Mr. Henighan tried to hand her a large envelope from the desk in the corner. “He sealed it himself and told me to tell you if you have any questions or concerns to please contact him.”

Ella didn’t move to take the envelope. She stood beside him staring at her sister’s lifeless body. Gabe took the heavy envelope. He wondered what this doctor left for Ella. It felt like some kind of hard case inside along with the papers he expected in the envelope.

“I’ll leave you. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call for me. I’ll be in the office two doors down.”

“No one comes in here,” Gabe said.

“You have my word,” Mr. Henighan assured him, making a quiet exit behind them.

He stood beside Ella and waited for her to make the first move. He’d stand there all day if that’s what she needed.

“I don’t want to remember her like this.” Her voice came out quiet and sincere.

“All you have to do is look in the mirror and remember her.”

“But I’ll grow old and my face will change, but she will always be twenty-four and gone far too soon.”

“And when that day comes, and you look in the mirror, you’ll know what she’d have looked like, and you’ll know you lived for the both of you because she wanted you to live.”

“How do you always know the right thing to say?”

“Because I know you. You feel guilty about what happened, but, honey, you didn’t do anything wrong. You couldn’t save her. If you went into that room, he’d have killed you too. She called you for backup in case something happened.”

“It did happen.”

“And she knew if it did, you’d finish it. I’ve seen you, working all those hours at the computer. You’re not just digging for information on your uncle. You’ve been working at the company. You’ve done everything you can, but the one thing you need to do.”

“What is that?”

“Say goodbye to your sister.”

“I can’t.”

“You have to, sweetheart. She’s gone, but she’ll always be in your heart.”

Ella reached for her heart-shaped pendant, like she always did when she thought of Lela. Gabe was right. She needed to say goodbye.

It wasn’t easy, but she let go of his hand and walked to the bank of refrigerated lockers and sat on the rolling stool Mr. Henighan left for her. She dropped Lela’s purse beside her and pulled the ski cap off her head and shook out her hair. Hot, she peeled her mother’s heavy coat down and let it drop behind her as she sat on the bottom of it.

Gabe leaned back against the closed door, standing sentry for her, so no one came in and disturbed this solemn moment.

“Take all the time you need, honey. I’m not going anywhere.”

She believed him. The look in his eyes said he meant those words for a hell of a lot more than the time she needed with her sister. No, he meant he’d wait as long as it took for her to decide to be with him. Always. Well, she’d already decided in her heart. She just had to finish this and make it happen.

For the first time, she looked at her sister’s beautiful face. Passive. Calm. Serenity embodied.

She reached out and brushed the backs of her fingers over her sister’s soft cheek. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. We were supposed to grow old together. You’re supposed to be my bridesmaid and my kids’ favorite aunt. Who is going to spoil them rotten now? Who am I going to spoil now that you’re gone?”

She glanced over at Gabe. His intense brown eyes stared back at her. Reading his thoughts, she’d spoil her own kids. With him. She’d have nieces and nephews to spoil. The man had three brothers.

Thinking about Gabe was far easier than saying goodbye to her sister, but she turned back to Lela and tried.

“Why didn’t you tell me what you were doing? Why didn’t you let me help you? Why did you come to the ranch?”

Ella leaned back against the other locker and stared down at her sister, remembering what happened that morning in the penthouse. She forced herself to go back and remember the call. Something nagged at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

The longer she sat, the more memories that surfaced. She tried to make herself remember the good times. Like a slideshow in reverse, their lives together played out. She went back to the week before Lela died and the lunch they shared at the office, talking about the promotions they had set up for the cosmetics company launch. Back further to them sharing a bottle of champagne when the deal closed, and they owned the business. Dinners on their birthdays. Sleepovers as teens and children. Conversations about boys. Sharing all the good times and bad. Every achievement and loss. Every day of their lives.

The vacation they took together when they turned eighteen. Ten days in Europe. Not nearly enough time to see everything, but enough to finally stretch their wings and experience freedom out from under their uncle’s thumb. Trips to Italy and Spain. Lela loved exploring Australia. Every year, a different place.