Not This Time (42 page)

Beth tumbled over the waiting room rug. Lisa Harper bandaged her up, Mel insisted she take crutches, in case she needed to whack somebody to defend herself, and Joe got her into her SUV passenger seat. “You okay?”

“Fine.”

He slid in behind the wheel and cranked the engine.

“Drop by Sara’s. I forgot my purse at her house.”

Joe turned, and at the gate came to a dead halt. Two cruisers were in Sara’s driveway. “What’s going on here?” He whipped out his phone and dialed Jeff.

“I was about to call you,” Jeff said. “Robert’s returned.”

“Do I come in with Beth?” Joe asked. “Is Mark there?”

He trusted Mark, but then he would. They’d placed their lives in each other’s hands many times. “He’s here and he says, yes, bring Beth inside.”

Beth’s stomach roiled in revolt. She thought she was ready, but Robert standing in the living room with his back to her … She wasn’t ready. She’d never be ready to see him again.

“Think steel, sha.”

Joe’s whisper had the desired effect. She stiffened her spine and her resolve. “Robert?”

He turned. His face was scraped, his right arm in a sling. “What are you doing here?”

She hobbled over to the dining room chair and picked up her purse. “Forgot this.”

He glared at her. “You found Sara’s body?”

“Yes.” Beth glared back. “Where’ve you been?”

“Kidnapped.”

“I know that. I paid your ransom.” She paused, but of course he remained silent. “I mean after that.”

“They threw me out of a moving car.” He lifted his bum wing. “I didn’t fare well.”

“Apparently not. Sara was devastated. You knew she would be, yet you couldn’t call?”

“I called. That’s when I discovered my wife was dead and you had buried her.”

She bit her lip, teared up. “I did.”

“Did you kill her too?”

Anger surged through Beth and radiated off Joe. Jeff tensed up. Beth schooled her voice. “No, I didn’t. Did you?”

Robert lost it. “Get out of my house!”

She could push, reveal that it wasn’t his, but a glance from Jeff warned her this wasn’t the time. She started toward the door, paused, and looked back at him, then at Jeff. “Detective, has the judge signed that restraining order to keep him away from SaBe?”

Jeff picked up the carrot Beth hoped would force Robert to move quickly. “It will be ready by ten tomorrow morning.”

“Restraining order? Against me?” Robert scowled. “You can’t do that. I own half of SaBe now.”

“I can and will.” Beth walked out Sara’s front door and went straight to the SUV.

Joe got inside, started the engine, and slapped at the gearshift. “Am I going to have to muzzle you to keep you alive?”

“What?”

“If he’s Phoenix—and I’m sure he is—he’s going to kill you for that.”

“No, he’s not. He is going to do whatever he’s planning to do before ten tomorrow morning, though.” She frowned at Joe. “Jeff got it, why didn’t you?”

“I got it, okay?”

“So why are you ticked off?”

He backed out of the driveway and drove to the stop sign before answering. Then he frowned at her. “Because I love you. I can take NINA wanting my head on a platter. It’s been there a long time. But I can’t take them wanting your head on one. I can’t take the thought of—”

Beth touched his face. “You’re not going to lose me, Joe.”

“I could. You just put a target right between your own eyes.”

“Honey, it was already there. I just gave our side a clue when he’d strike.”

Worry flooded his face. “I wish I could put you in a cage somewhere safe. I wish I was sure I could protect you.”

“I don’t believe what I’m hearing.” Beth stilled.

“What?”

“You actually care about me.” The truth settled in and refused to be rebuffed. “Why?”

“I’m asking myself that very thing.”

He looked so disgusted with himself that Beth couldn’t not laugh. That insensitive reaction earned her a withering look that would have swept her off her feet had she been on them.

“Do you not see how much danger you’re in?”

“I do.” She coughed to hide a chuckle. “Really. It’s just …”

“What?”

“Worth it.” She let him see her surprise, her awe. “You care about me. One day, you might even come to love me.”

He stomped the accelerator, leaving half her tires on the street. “Sha, right now I don’t even like you.”

“I like you anyway.” Beth checked her watch. It’d be dark in an hour. “Let’s get some coffee at Ruby’s and then go check SaBe.”

“It’s been checked.”

“Roxy was interrupted.”

“No Ruby’s. We’ll go to Three Gables. Nora is having a fit to see you and Sara’s worried the fake mourning’s been too much for you. You can have coffee with them, then we’ll go to SaBe. I need privacy to get some backup in place.”

“That’ll work.” She leaned over and pecked a kiss to his cheek. “Get over your snit soon, okay? I like my calm, cool Joe.”

“I don’t do snits.”

“ ’Course not.” She smiled. “What was I thinking?”

He pursed his lips. “She’s going to drive me nuts the rest of my life. I can see it now.”

“But she’s crazy about you.”

He guffawed. “Still falling short, sha.”

“Growing into it, Joseph.” She pushed her sunglasses up on her nose, hiding her eyes. “Quit complaining and just drive.”

22

O
h, my girl, I’m so glad to see you.” Nora enveloped Beth in a fierce hug, her whole body shuddering.

“No happier than I am to see you.” Beth hugged her back, then looked into her face, saw the pain in every crease and line. “I’m so sorry, Nora.”

“You know about Nathara?” When Beth nodded, Nora sniffed. “Can’t choose your family, dearie, you’re stuck with them. I did better picking my own—Ben, you, Sara, and my boys.”

Beth blinked hard. “You’re loved and you know it.”

“I’m a lucky woman. I told Mark not to even think about doing anything to Darla Green. If that girl hadn’t had the guts to stand up to NINA, I’d be pushing up daisies.”

“They’ve given her immunity.” Beth looked at Sara. “You okay?” They hadn’t spoken since Robert’s return. Who knew how Sara was handling it? She wasn’t holding her inhaler. That was a good sign.

“I’m fine.” She nodded toward Nora. “Not that I’d be indulged in being anything else.”

Beth smiled. Nora did have a low tolerance level for anything that smacked of self-pity, but good grief, with all this, Sara had earned it. “What are you going to do, now that he’s back?”

“I’m weighing my options.”

“He’ll be in jail a long time,” Nora said. “No need for Sara to rush into any decisions. His hands are tied tight. She’ll have plenty of time later to decide what to do.”

Beth knew what Sara wanted. But wanting and getting were two different things. “It’ll work out.”

“Yes, it will.” Sara smiled. “I don’t know how, but it’s on the altar. I can’t think long-term or even next-week-term right now.”

Sara was praying again. Beth choked up. “I’m very glad to hear that.”

“I’m very glad to be able to say it.”

They went into the cottage. Beth and Nora had coffee and Sara a cup of Earl Grey. After catching up on the news and details on what happened to whom, the conversation turned to Robert’s blood.

“I haven’t seen anything remotely like that at home.” Sara accepted a slice of chocolate cake from Nora. “But I know now why Jeff searched my freezer.”

Nora set a plate in front of Beth. “Robert was playing it both ways—where he could seize control through Sara or you, Beth. He’s put that evidence where it’d hurt either of you girls.” She stilled, scrunched her lips. “Got to be at SaBe.”

“He doesn’t have keys.” Sara paused, her fork in midair. “Unless he stole them.”

Beth finished her cake.

Joe stuck his head in the doorway. “Beth, we need to go.”

“Where are you going?”

“To SaBe to look for evidence.” Beth winked at Nora.

She glared at Joe. “You’re taking her there tonight? What are you thinking, my boy?”

“Robert doesn’t know she’ll be there. He has no reason to go there, Nora.”

“He’ll do it because he can—before the restraining order’s in place.” She seemed exasperated. “You know the man’s an arrogant fool, bless his heart.”

“Nora’s right. Don’t go, Beth. I have a bad feeling.”

Beth didn’t. “It’ll be fine. Worst case, he shows up. What’s he going to do? Nothing. He doesn’t want SaBe tied up as a crime scene. He wants access, remember?” She put her dishes in the sink. “Right now, SaBe is probably the safest place on the planet for me.”

“She’s got a point.” Nora looked at Sara.

Sara stilled a long moment and then caved. “She does. But I still don’t like it.”

Beth didn’t like any of this, but it was the best opportunity they were going to get and they needed to seize it. Robert could destroy the evidence. Then where would they be?

Nora hugged her. “Be careful, my girl.”

“I will.” Beth prayed being careful would be enough.

After Joe parked the SUV in Beth’s usual spot, he ran a perimeter check while Beth chatted with Margaret, who was leaving for home.

“His majesty phoned here looking for you. I told him you were at police headquarters, hoping that would knock him back on his heels,” Margaret said about Robert. “I had no idea when or if you’d be back.”

“When was that?”

“Right before I left the building.” She scrunched her nose. “He pushed me again for the financial records. I told him they were in the vault and I’d request them, but since I didn’t have authorization, we’d have to wait until Henry gave it before either of us could get them.”

“Bet he wasn’t happy to hear that.”

“No, he wasn’t. If cold tones could kill, I’d be six feet under.”

“Where was he when he called? Did he say?”

“No, but I heard background noise. My guess is he was in his car.”

“Red Hummer, right?” Joe asked Beth. When she nodded, he scanned the parking lot again.

“Margaret, did Robert ever come to SaBe when we were all gone? Maybe nights or on weekends?”

“A week ago, I’d have said no. But Glenn from security told me not two days ago that he guessed Robert wouldn’t be coming here for peace and quiet anymore.”

“Peace and quiet?”

Margaret nodded. “That’s what he told Glenn. He came here to write because he couldn’t take all the noise at home.”

“What noise?” With just him and Sara, there was no noise.

“Logical question. He had an entire house in a gated community and restricted traffic with a guesthouse office and a backyard on the cove, for pity’s sake.”

Joe faced the hot night wind funneling in under the overhang. “Looks like you were right, Beth.”

“About what?” Margaret parked her glasses atop her head, her car keys jangling.

“Nothing significant.” Adjusting her purse strap, Beth shifted her weight. “Just Robert running away from home every chance he got.”

Joe started to correct her, then caught her gaze and knew she didn’t want to share. No sense worrying Margaret needlessly. From the smudges under her eyes, she wasn’t sleeping.

“I’ve got to get going.” Margaret turned for her car. “Game night at my house. I have to get the munchies ready. It won’t be the same without Nora. I do wish they’d find her.”

“Me too.” Beth waited for Margaret to get into her Tahoe, then told Joe, “That woman is a walking contradiction.”

“Yeah, she is.” He waved as she drove past. “I like that about her.”

“Me too.” She tipped her chin and touched a hand to his chest, then noticed his puzzled expression. “What?”

Joe frowned. “Why didn’t you ask her about Robert and the blood? You know Roxy was here. Margaret’s probably already looked.”

“Roxy wouldn’t tell her what she was looking for, and if I’d told Margaret, she would have stayed to help us look. She’s exhausted and needed to go home.”

Joe took a long look at Beth. “You didn’t want her here because you were afraid Robert might come after you and she’d be at risk.”

The security lights and streetlamps came on. Dark had officially fallen.
“Anyone in Robert’s path is at risk.” A body need look no further than his parents for proof of that. Beth shoved her hand in her pocket, curled her fingers around her cell phone. “But I figure we’re safe here.”