Every Move She Makes (19 page)

“That’s a great idea, honey.”

Rachel pulled into the driveway. Ivy and Lark jumped out.

“Hey, there’s no stalker lurking in the bushes.” Lark strolled toward the house, hands shoved in her pockets.

Rachel slammed the car door. “Enough with the sarcasm, and don’t go inside empty-handed. We have the whole rear of the car to unload.”

With an audible sigh, her daughter turned and came back, grabbed her duffle bag and guitar case and sauntered away. Rachel and Kane followed, loaded down with suitcases. They dropped them in the entry, and Kane took a look around.

“What do you think?”

“Someone did a terrific job restoring this place.”

Rachel flexed her muscles. “That would be me. At least I did most of it. I hired a guy to refinish the floors, but I did the painting and wallpapering.”

He pulled her close for a brief hug. “I can tell you put your heart into it. The crown molding in this place is amazing, and I do believe that banister is solid walnut.” He nodded toward the stairway.

“It is. I sanded and lacquered it myself.”

“You have to love a woman who can do her own household repairs.” Slowly he released her. “Where do you want me to put my stuff?”

“I don’t have a spare bedroom, but the couch in the living room makes into a bed. You’re not going to have a whole lot of privacy.” She frowned. “I suppose I could put Ivy and Jade together and give you one of their rooms.”

“Leave the girls where they are. I don’t need privacy, and I don’t want you worrying about me. You should have seen some of the places I slept the year I worked undercover.”

Rachel shuddered. “I’d rather not even imagine it. You can put your clothes in my office.” She pushed open a door that led to a tiny room filled with bookshelves and a desk. “The bathroom is just down the hall. It has a shower, so at least you won’t have to share the upstairs bath with the girls.”

“This is fine, Rachel.” He turned and rubbed her shoulders. “Stop treating me like a guest. Pretend I’m your cousin or something. You don’t flip out over where family sleeps, do you?”

“Sorry. I guess I’m a little stressed.”

He opened his mouth then shut it.

Ivy raced inside with Daisy on her heels. “I’m starving. What’s for lunch?”

“How about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? There should be a loaf of bread in the freezer.”

The girl made a face. “I’m not in the mood for peanut butter.”

Rachel ran a hand through her hair. “Well, there isn’t a whole lot to choose from until I go to the store. Would you rather have tuna?”

“Tuna with pickles.”

She paused in the doorway. “How about you, Kane?”

“Tuna is fine. While you’re making the sandwiches, Ivy and I will take these bags upstairs.”

Ivy twirled on one foot then skipped across the hall. “I’ll tell him where they go.”

“Rachel.”

She glanced back over her shoulder. Shadows clouded her eyes.

“Relax. Everything will work out. I promise.”

* * * *

Some of the tension drained away as Rachel headed toward the kitchen. A simple thing like dividing up the chores took the edge off her mood. It had been too long since she’d had someone around to share responsibility for the small jobs. Bryce, at least, had been decent about helping out. It was one of the things she’d missed after their marriage ended.

When Kane and the girls came back to the kitchen, they sat down together to eat the tuna sandwiches. Then Rachel called her mom to ask if she could bring Lark over for the afternoon.

“Of course she can come over. How was your trip, honey? Tell me all about it.”

“It was fun, but I’m afraid I don’t have time to go into details right now. I have to drop Lark off, then take Ivy to her swim lesson, and I really need to stop by the bookstore for an hour or two.”

“That doesn’t leave you much time to prepare a decent meal. Bring the girls over for dinner tonight, and we can talk then. Your dad and I would love to see you. We’re having pot roast. I know it’s one of your favorites.”

“That sounds wonderful.” She took a deep breath. “Uh, we have a guest.”

“If one of the girls has a friend over, bring her along.”

May as well face the inevitable and get it over with.

“We’ll come for dinner, but our guest isn’t one of the girls’ friends. His name’s Kane Lafferty. I met him through Grace.”

“Really?”

Her mother’s voice held more questions she didn’t want to answer.

“It’s not what you’re thinking, Mom. I’ll explain everything to you this evening.”

“Now you really do have my curiosity roused.”

“You’ll just have to live with it for a few hours. Promise me you won’t pump Lark for information. I want to explain this myself.”

“Oh, all right. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“I take it we’re dining with your parents.” Kane stood in the kitchen doorway. He raised a brow. “I get the feeling you aren’t too happy about it.”

Rachel scowled. “I couldn’t put her off. I hope you’re ready for the inquisition.”

“I’ve survived worse. The girls are ready to go if you are. I sent them out to the car.”

“Does Lark have her dance stuff?”

“She does, and Ivy has her swimsuit and a towel.”

“Very impressive. Maybe you should get out of law enforcement and consider a career as a nanny.”

He choked on the soda he was drinking. “I think I’ll pass.” He crumpled the can and sent it sailing into the trash. “Speaking of law enforcement, I’m meeting with Sheriff Walker while you’re at Ivy’s swim lesson.”

“Does he have any news?” Rachel locked the door to the house and handed Kane the key. “It’s my spare.”

He stuck it in his pocket. “None of our suspects have alibis, but he did get background info on a couple of them. I want to see what he found out and maybe set up some interviews.” He took the car keys from her hand. “Do you mind?”

“Not in the least. Head north. You’ll see the sign for the vineyard in about a mile.”

They dropped Lark off in the driveway and pulled away. Her mother stood in the doorway waving, neck craned.

Rachel grinned. “She’s trying to get a look at you.”

“I don’t blame her for wondering what’s happening. You sounded very mysterious on the phone.”

“I couldn’t help it. I want to sit both my parents down and try to explain about the stalker without freaking them out.”

Ivy laughed. “Good one, Mom. Grandma is going to lose it no matter how you tell her.”

“You’re probably right. Turn left at the light. The community swimming pool is a couple of blocks up the street.”

“Got it.” He pulled into the small parking lot near the pool, stopped then touched her hand. “I’ll be back shortly to pick you up. If you want to make out a grocery list, Ivy and I can take care of the shopping while you check in at work.”

“Really? You don’t mind?”

“I’m happy to help out.”

Emotion filled her, thankfulness for the simple gesture. “Better be careful. If I get used to this, I won’t want to let you go.”

“That’s what I’m hoping.”

* * * *

Sheriff Stan Walker was bald, stout and in his mid-sixties with penetrating gray eyes and a firm handshake. “Have a seat.” He motioned toward a chair on the other side of his desk. “Would you like coffee or a soda?”

Kane sat. “Nothing, thanks. I appreciate your seeing me on such short notice.”

“I’m happy to have your help. Frankly, I can’t afford to spend a lot of time on this case when there hasn’t been a crime committed here. I pulled the file.” He nodded toward the manila folder on his desk and pushed it over. “Go ahead and take a look, but I want you to understand one thing. This is my jurisdiction. Anything you do will be cleared through me.”

Kane opened the file then glanced up to meet his serious gaze. “I fully understand.”

“Just so you know, I called your lieutenant to check you out. He vouched for you and then some, or I wouldn’t be so willing to work with you.”

“I appreciate it, sir.”

“Call me Stan. Your lieutenant said you’re currently on extended vacation?”

Kane nodded. “I don’t intend to go back until this situation with the stalker is cleared up. Frankly, I think the man poses a serious threat to Rachel’s safety. I’m hoping to flush him out before he escalates further.”

“Which is why you asked for the background checks. See anything of interest?”

“The guy’s been obsessed with Rachel since her days as a soap opera actress. That was years ago, but he only recently began to stalk her. I’m looking for a change in his life that could have triggered this new, aggressive behavior.”

The sheriff pointed. “Dennis Olmstead’s divorce was finalized about six months ago. That fits.”

“Looks like Bob Mayfield recently inherited money and quit his job with a mail delivery service.”

“That would give him a lot of time on his hands.”

Kane nodded. “It certainly would. Chip Stevens has been working for the same company since he graduated high school. That’s where he and Bob met. I don’t see any major changes in his life, but maybe we haven’t dug deeply enough yet.”

“Who knows why these nut jobs do what they do. It could be as simple as his girlfriend dumped him.”

“Maybe I’ll have a talk with Chip first to see what I can learn.”

Sheriff Walker leaned back in his chair. “How about our last guy, Curt Dawson?”

“Dawson moved to California several years ago. He has his own computer tech business. I don’t see anything that stands out. Again, we might need to dig a little deeper.”

“Isn’t he the one who had the advanced reservation at Granite Lake?”

Kane glanced up. “His whole family was there for a reunion.”

“So he probably isn’t our man.”

“I’m certainly not going to rule him out.” He stood to offer his hand. “Thanks, Sheriff. I’ll be in touch.”

“Do you want to take one of my deputies along for these interviews you’re planning?”

“Right now I’d like to keep it very non-official. If I’m talking to an innocent man, he should open up to me. I know from experience the sight of a cop can make some people nervous for no reason other than a few unpaid parking tickets.”

The sheriff grinned. “Making people nervous isn’t always a bad thing. Keep me posted.”

Kane nodded and left. He barely made it back to the pool before Ivy’s swim lesson ended.

Rachel climbed into the SUV and gave him an anxious look. “How’d it go?”

“Interesting. I’ll tell you about it later. Did you make me that grocery list?”

Rachel handed over a sheet of paper. “I’m afraid it’s pretty long.”

“Ivy and I don’t mind.” He smiled at Ivy in the rearview mirror. “It’ll keep us occupied until time to take Lark to her dance class.”

“You don’t have to do all this for me. I can manage, really. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

He pulled up at a stop sign and turned to look at her. “You didn’t ask. I offered. Christ, Rachel, it’s just running a few errands, not giving you a kidney.”

Ivy leaned forward. “Are you two fighting?”

Rachel glanced over her shoulder. “No, we’re not fighting. I’m just not used to anyone other than family helping me out this way.”

“Get used to it,” Kane broke in. “Where’s your bookstore?”

“Two blocks up on the right.”

He double-parked then reached over to squeeze her hand. “What time is Jade finished with soccer camp?”

“Four-thirty.”

“I’ll get her. Do you want to work until six or shall I pick you up sooner?”

“Six is good. Have fun, Ivy.”

“We will. Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, Rachel. I mean it. Don’t worry.”

All he wanted was to kiss the wary expression off her face. Instead, he drove away with her daughter in tow.

As the car pulled away, Rachel’s heart swelled with gratitude. Kane was filling an empty place in her life she hadn’t realized existed. She’d missed the friendship inherent in any good relationship more than anything, including physical intimacy. Still, the prospect of starting over scared her more than a little. Her life was complicated enough, and having a dangerous predator out there watching her only made it worse. She glanced down the busy street and shivered despite the heat. Pushing open the door to the bookstore, she hurried inside.

“Look who’s back.” Chandra stepped around the end of the counter. “Welcome home, Rachel.”

“Thanks. How did everything go while I was away?”

“Fine. We were really busy over the weekend, but nothing we couldn’t handle. Oh, there was a mix-up with a book order last week, but Ellen took care of it.”

“Where is she?”

“I finally convinced her to take a break. She should be back soon.”

“I need to talk to you both when she gets back. I’ll be in my office until then.”

“Sure. Is there a problem?”

“Just a complication. I’ll tell you both all about it.”

Rachel had just finished answering her most urgent e-mails when Ellen tapped on the office door.

“Welcome back.”

Rachel glanced up and smiled. “I hear the place ran so smoothly while I was gone, you didn’t even miss me.”

“I don’t know about that. There were a few issues, but I handled the major ones.”

“I knew I left the place in competent hands.”

“Thanks.”

“Is it busy out there right now? I have something to discuss with you and Chandra.”

“No, it’s pretty slow. Chandra’s helping a lady pick out a children’s book, but I think they’re almost finished.”

“Good.”

Rachel stood and followed her right-hand woman back to the front of the shop. Just as they reached the coffee bar, the door opened and Tim breezed through. With razor-cut hair and a diamond stud in one ear, he projected suave sophistication. A wide smile lit his face when he saw her.

“Hey, you’re back.”

“I got home this morning. What brings you in on your day off?”

“I wanted to let someone know I need to leave early tomorrow. I scored a pair of theater tickets and a hot date to go with them.”

“Good for you, and your timing is perfect. Do you mind sticking around for a few minutes?”

“No problem. What’s up?”