In Shelter Cove (12 page)

Brianna stared at Katherine, reading between the lines. “Are you suggesting that Wyatt might have wanted the paintings for himself but somehow got
talked into giving them up? He doesn’t seem like a pushover.”

Katherine shrugged. “I don’t know. I could be completely off base, but I have wondered if Wyatt’s hostility is a cover for some other emotion—like guilt.”

“Well, that’s something I’ve never considered,” Brianna said in bemusement.

“I would be surprised if Derek didn’t consider it,” Katherine said, giving Brianna a curious look. “Didn’t you two talk about who might have taken the paintings, since Derek didn’t do it? He had to have had some idea.”

“He never mentioned his grandfather as a likely candidate,” Brianna replied. “To be honest, our visiting time was so short that Derek didn’t want to waste it talking about art. He saved those conversations for his attorney and the private investigator we hired. Now I wish I’d pressed him more. I keep wracking my brain trying to remember something he said that might have been a clue, but so far I’ve just gotten a headache.”

“Maybe you should just let the past go. Those paintings can’t free Derek now.”

“No, but if they can clear his name, I have to try to find them. I have a son to consider.”

Katherine stood up. “I understand. Be careful if you speak to Wyatt. Where art is concerned, he has no boundaries and no patience for people who get in his way.”

Which made Wyatt sound more and more
like the real thief, Brianna thought, as she ushered Katherine out of the house. She couldn’t remember anyone ever mentioning Wyatt’s name in conjunction with the theft, but then, why would they? He’d been the one to donate the paintings to the museum. Maybe Katherine was right—maybe he’d been forced to make the donation, forced to find another way to get those paintings for himself.

But would Wyatt have let his grandson rot in a prison cell for five years over some paintings? She had to find out.

Brianna woke up Wednesday morning with a headache. She’d spent a long night thinking about Wyatt and Derek and the paintings. She doubted confronting Wyatt would get her anywhere. He’d simply sneer at her in his condescending way and tell her she was on a fool’s errand to prove her husband’s innocence. And while Katherine’s suggestion that Wyatt might not have wanted to donate the paintings resonated with her, did she really have any new information to take to Joe Silveira? She didn’t think so. She needed more. But more would have to wait. She had a job to get to.

After dropping Lucas off with his grandparents, she started her shift at the quilt shop. At the end of three hours, she knew how to work the cash register and cut fabric, and she had a pretty good handle on where everything was. She’d also gotten to know two of her coworkers. Stella was a big-hearted, loud-talking forty-something divorcee who’d recently dis
covered Internet dating, and during slow periods at the store, she’d shown some of her favorite male profiles to Brianna, lamenting the fact that none of the men lived in Angel’s Bay. How far did she want to go to get a little something, she’d asked with a laugh. It was a question Brianna couldn’t begin to answer, since she hadn’t had a “little something” herself in a long time.

He other coworker, Erin McCarthy, was a quiet woman in her mid-thirties. Upon prodding from Stella, Erin had confided that she and her husband were trying to adopt a baby, and that there was a local teenager who might be giving her child up, but apparently there was quite a bit of competition. After that, she’d shut up, worried that she might be jinxing herself by talking about it.

The shop had done a steady business all morning, and by noon Brianna had lost track of all the people she’d met. She could see why Nancy enjoyed working at the store; there was a sense of camaraderie and community. People came in eager to create something new, and their hopefulness and joyous anticipation were infectious. Brianna had already started plotting out possible quilt designs in her head, and she had a feeling it wouldn’t be difficult to become an obsessed quilter herself.

She’d also learned that quilting in Angel’s Bay wasn’t just about the craft; it was also about business. Besides providing materials and classes for individuals, a core group of employees constructed a line of Angel’s Bay quilts that were sold all over the world.
Two women whose sole purpose was to handle the Internet orders worked in the back office. She’d never imagined that the store was supporting so many families.

Speaking of family . . . she smiled as Nancy and Lucas entered the shop. Lucas immediately ran into her arms, giving her a big hug and a kiss. She introduced him to Erin, who was just finishing up with a customer.

“He’s beautiful,” Erin said, with maternal yearning in her eyes. “I can see you in him. He has your nose, I think.”

Erin was the first person who hadn’t seen only Derek in her son, and it was refreshing. “Thanks.”

“Grandma and Grandpa took me to the pumpkin patch,” Lucas announced.

“And the bakery?” she asked, wiping away the smear of red jam by the corner of his mouth.

“I only had a little tart. Grandma said I have to wait until after lunch.”

Brianna was relieved to hear her mother-in-law was capable of imposing some rules; Rick and Nancy tended to spoil Lucas like crazy.

“Any word on babies, Erin?” Nancy asked.

“We’re still praying.”

“Well, don’t give up hope,” Nancy said.

“I won’t,” Erin promised. She turned to Brianna. “If you’d like, I can show Lucas the kids’ room while you check out with Fiona.”

“That would be great,” Brianna said, setting
Lucas back on his feet. “Fiona needs me to sign something before I go,” she added to Nancy.

Lucas went off with Erin with a happy smile, always happy to explore.

“So how did it go here?” Nancy asked.

“Great. It was busy, and I made some mistakes, but Stella and Erin and Fiona were great. They were very welcoming.”

Nancy beamed. “I’m so glad. I know it’s not a teaching job, but that will come soon. Do you want to find Fiona, and then we’ll go to lunch?”

“Let me just take this customer. I think she’s about ready.”

Nancy turned to make room for the older woman approaching the counter. As the two saw each other, they both stiffened. Nancy’s usually happy expression vanished. The other woman’s lips drew into a tight line, and the air between them crackled with tension.

The woman finally looked away from Nancy and set her fabric on the counter. When she turned to Brianna, her dark eyes widened in disbelief. “You!”

Brianna wasn’t sure how to respond. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t remember why. She had a rather nondescript appearance—brown hair streaked with gray, a thin face, no makeup except for a streak of pink on her lips.

“So it’s true. You’re here now,” the woman said, “Donald told me that, but I didn’t believe it. You have a lot of nerve.”

Brianna looked to Nancy for some help, but her mother-in-law seemed frozen.

Then Stella came around the counter, gently pushing Brianna to the side. “Fiona is looking for you, Brianna. I can take care of you, Mrs. Hanlon.”

Hanlon.
Lorene Hanlon, the wife of the security guard Derek had allegedly assaulted. Brianna swallowed hard.

“My husband still has headaches and dizzy spells,” Lorene Hanlon said, her eyes burning with anger. “He hasn’t been the same since Derek attacked him. And now you’re back trying to convince everyone he didn’t do it? Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Here’s your change, Mrs. Hanlon,” Stella interrupted. “And your fabric. You’re all set.”

Lorene took the money and the bag from Stella, then left, giving the door a furious slam on her way out.

“You okay, hon?” Stella asked with concern.

“I’m fine,” Brianna said as she took a deep breath to slow her racing heart.

“I forgot to warn you that Lorene comes in here sometimes,” Nancy said, finally finding her voice again. “We usually just avoid each other.”

“I’ll have to do the same.”

“I’ll get Lucas,” Nancy said, moving away.

Brianna turned to Stella. “Thanks for stepping in.”

“No problem. Listen, whatever Derek did or didn’t do, you’re not him. Most people around here
understand that. And those that don’t, well, that’s their problem.”

Unfortunately, it was her problem, too, and one reason she’d worried about bringing Lucas to Angel’s Bay. She could deal with Lorene Hanlon, but she wasn’t about to let anyone make Lucas feel bad for something that Derek probably hadn’t even done.
Probably?
She shook the doubt out of her mind. She couldn’t stop believing in her husband now.

After her shift at the quilt shop, Brianna went to lunch with Nancy and Lucas at the Crab Shack, then they picked up some groceries and stopped by the Kanes’ house to get Digger. When she finally returned home with Lucas and the puppy, Brianna found a note taped to her front door. It was short and to the point: “Kite flying, three o’clock.”

Jason hadn’t signed it, but she knew it was from him. It was also almost three.

“Who’s it from, Mommy?” Lucas asked.

For a moment, she was tempted to lie to him. In fact, she was tempted to track down Jason and tell him not to come, but it was a little late for that. She’d already told Lucas that Jason was fixing the kite.

“Jason is going to bring your kite by in a few minutes,” she said as she unlocked the door.

Lucas squealed with delight. She hoped he was more excited about the kite than about seeing Jason, but she suspected it was a little of both. Lucas craved
adult male attention, and while his grandfather provided some of that, Jason was younger and more like a father figure. She just had to make sure that Lucas didn’t start seeing him that way.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Lucas was on her heels as she answered it. He greeted Jason with an exuberant hug that seemed to take the man by surprise, but he quickly recovered.

“Hey, buddy. Look what I’ve got.” Jason held up a red and purple kite that looked nothing like the one they’d made the day before.

Lucas stared at it in amazement. “It’s so big.”

“And not at all familiar,” Brianna added. “Did you buy a new kite?”

Jason shrugged. “I made this one. I used some parts of yours.”

If he had, she couldn’t recognize any of them.

“Ready to give it a test run?” Jason asked.

“I guess we can go out front,” she said somewhat reluctantly. She’d rather not be seen running around the neighborhood with Jason Marlow.

“We need more room,” Jason said. “I know a good spot. You’ll need jackets; lucky for us, the wind is picking up.”

“I don’t know,” she said, hesitating. “I can’t leave Digger here alone yet. He’ll tear up the house. And I just brought him back from the Kanes’.”

“Your puppy will love where we’re going. There’s a lot to explore, and he can’t get into any trouble.”

She was more concerned about the trouble
she
might be getting into going out with Jason. But if
they were going to do this together, she’d rather do it away from her house. “All right. Let’s go.”

Jason’s Jeep was parked in Patty’s driveway. As he opened the back to stash the kite, she caught a glimpse of a wetsuit and a couple of beach towels.

“Do you dive?” she asked.

“Some, but mostly I surf. We get some good waves along the coast, especially when the storm pattern is right.”

“Sounds dangerous and cold.”

“It’s challenging and fun,” he returned, a sparkle in his eyes. “Man against nature. It’s the ultimate contest. You should try it.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Sometimes it’s more fun to actually have an adventure, instead of just reading about it in the library,” he said with a smile.

She was already regretting sharing that with him. Ignoring his comment, she settled Lucas into the backseat with Digger, then got into the front and fastened her seat belt.

“So where are we going?” she asked as Jason pulled out of the driveway. “Somewhere out of town, I hope?”

He shot her a quick look. “It’s been a long time since a girl wanted to hide me from her parents.”

“I don’t want to hurt Rick and Nancy. They mean a lot to me.”

“I don’t want to hurt them, either. There’s a good spot just south of here, where the wind blows like a freight train and there’s a lot of room to run. Derek
and I used to fly our kites there. It took a while to get there on our bikes, but it’s not far by car.”

Turning her gaze out the window, she watched the streets go by, picturing two young boys pedaling to the beach with their kites. What an innocent time that had been. Neither of them would ever have imagined their lives would turn out the way they had.

As they left the downtown area, the scenery turned more rural. Although there were several large houses going up along the coastline, eventually those were fewer and far between. She saw a sign for Angel’s Bay Art Colony, and in the distance she could see a circular building with lots of windows. Next to it was a string of small cottages. “What’s over there?”

“A community art center. Wyatt and some of the other artists had it built about fifteen years ago. The studio is in the main building; the smaller cottages overlook the sea and provide artistic inspiration for visiting artists. The local art scene has grown tremendously in the past decade.”

“Is that where Derek painted?”

“Sometimes, but he usually worked at Wyatt’s house. He lives about a mile down the road. You can’t see his place from the highway.”

A few minutes later, Jason pulled off to the side of the road and parked at the edge of a wide, flat field. Good. She didn’t want to worry about Lucas and the puppy running along a narrow cliff.

Lucas had his seat belt unbuckled the second Jason turned off the engine. He was reaching for
the door when Brianna reminded him to wait. She wanted to get hold of Digger’s leash before he took off without them. The puppy was just as excited as Lucas to explore new territory. When she got the dog out of the car, he hit the ground running, taking her along with him. Fortunately, he ran only a few yards before stopping to sniff the wildflowers and paw at the ground.