PassionsPoison (19 page)

“Sure. I’m just down the road. See you in a few.”

Bea ended the call and stared at Zach. “Do you think he’s at
my apartment?”

“I know he is. Come on, let’s get dressed and see what he
has to say.”

“How do you know he was at my apartment, you were here with me.”

He pulled on his jeans. “Trust me, he was. And wait until
you see his surprise when we meet him together.”

She buttoned her blouse then slipped on her linen pants.
“You’ll come with me?”

Zach rolled his eyes. “Bea, you need to get it through your
head that I’m involved in this now, and in more ways than one.”

Huh? What did he mean by that? She opened her mouth to ask,
but he looked ready to tackle a black bear single-handedly. She swallowed her
questions and slipped on her heels. “Are you sure about this?”

He opened the hotel room door, an unreadable expression on
his face. “I wouldn’t miss this meeting for the world.”

Zach took Bea’s hand as they walked through the hallway
toward the main lobby. He grinned. She had no idea she looked adorably messy. She’d
forgotten to brush her hair and her clothes were wrinkled from lying on the
floor all night. She’d obviously had a fulfilling night of sex. Perfect.
Perhaps a kiss was in order.

He checked behind them to see if anyone was around, but the
hall was empty. Dragging her to the side, he pulled her into his arms and
pushed her against the wall.

“Zach?”

He silenced her surprise with his lips. The taste of
peppermint flowed across his tongue as he swept inside her mouth. The thought
that she’d popped the candy for her meeting with Officer Chris had his caveman
reappearing. He forgot where they were and deepened the kiss, making love to
her mouth while his hand crept inside her blouse to find the hardened nipple
within her bra. He pressed his cock against her until her hands tightened
around his ass, pulling him into her.

She moaned, her hips rocking into him. He had unbuttoned her
blouse before he remembered they were in the hall. He stepped away abruptly.

Bea opened her eyes, dazed, until she noticed where they
stood. A soft blush covered her cheeks as she closed her blouse. “What was that
about?”

He shrugged. “Couldn’t resist, I guess.” Now she looked
thoroughly ravished. Her lips reddened from his kiss, her blouse unevenly
tucked into her pants and her hair matted where it had crushed against the
wall. Good.

He grabbed her hand, strode toward the lobby, pulling her
with him.

“Whoa, Zach, what’s the rush?”

If he was right, Officer Chris would be waiting for them. “I
want us to be there when your cop arrives.”

She ran a few steps to match his stride. “Okay, okay, but it
hasn’t even been five minutes yet.”

“Exactly.”

As they rounded the corner, they found Chris standing by the
reception desk. His eyes narrowed when he saw them. Zach relished the jealous
way Chris took in Bea’s appearance.

He stepped toward them, but focused on Bea. “They told me
you weren’t in yet.”

Bea blushed, but Zach smirked. “That’s because I don’t start
’til nine today, but I stayed the night.”

Chris’ gaze took in their clasped hands and Zach couldn’t
resist baiting the cop. If Chris wanted to know, he’d be happy to tell him. “We
spent the night here. After all, it’s the best place in town for a romantic
evening.”

Zach reveled in the knowledge that the man across from him
wanted nothing more than to throw a punch, but of course he wouldn’t. That
would be too obvious in front of Bea.

But Bea was a smart woman and she recognized the standoff
between them. “Chris, you said you had news on the letter? Why don’t we go over
to the couches and talk? I think the less people who know, the better.” She
nodded in the direction of three guests who walked toward the front desk.

Chris nodded. “Sure, I’d like to tell you in private.”

Zach shook his head at the look the officer gave him. “I
agree. We should keep it between the three of us.”

Before Chris could say anything, Zach started for the
sitting area, refusing to let go of Bea’s hand, though she tried to disengage.
She got the message and gave in. They sat on the couch together while Chris
took the chair nearby.

Zach let go of Bea’s hand and draped an arm behind her. She
leaned forward, her anxiousness obvious in the clasp she had on his thigh.
“What have you discovered?”

Chris took the letter from his pocket and handed it to Bea,
but Zach intercepted it. He wanted to read this one too. He wanted to read all
of them. Ignoring the irritated look from the cop, he opened the letter as he
listened to what was so important Bea had to be dragged out of bed at six in
the morning.

I know your secret.

Okay, that was short and to the point, but what secret?

Chris explained. “First, we noticed that the person knows
how to spell your last name. You have to admit, it’s not an easy name to spell.
Plus, you don’t have your number listed in the phone directory, so that means this
person knows you.”

Zach squeezed Bea’s shoulder. Hadn’t he already figured that
out?

She gave him a nudge with her elbow. “That makes sense. Were
you able to discover anything else?”

Chris smirked. “Yes, we pulled a number of fingerprints from
the envelope. We should have the results back in a few days. Of course, yours
and mine will be on there, but hopefully the writer’s will be too. I also asked
the lab to check for DNA on the seal. If the writer licked the envelope, we’ll
know who it is.”

The man wanted to be Bea’s hero. No way Zach would let that
happen. “The prints sound like a long shot to me. With the front desk people
who handled the letter before Bea obtained it, I doubt there’ll be any usable
ones, and that is assuming the sender is in your database. Plus, if the writer
used water to seal the envelope, we’ll have nothing.”

Chris turned to Bea, ignoring Zach. “Don’t worry, we’ll
figure out who it is. Do you have any idea what the secret is that the letter
refers to?”

Though her body tensed, Bea shook her head. Zach studied
her. She did know. He’d bet his house on it.

Chris leaned forward and patted Bea’s knee. “That’s okay,
we’ll catch this guy.”

Zach tensed, unable to keep his cavemen from rising. Moving
his gaze to Chris, Zach took his arm from the couch and squeezed Bea’s
shoulder. “If it’s a guy?”

Bea’s head snapped around. “You think it could be a woman?”

He rubbed her arm, hoping to reassure her, letting her know
he’d be beside her to face whomever it was. “We can’t know for sure. It’s hard
to tell with just one letter.” He waited to see if Chris knew how many there
were.

Chris sat straighter. His eyes narrowed and a slight smirk
curved his thin lips. “Actually, you’ve had a number of these, right, Bea?”

Zach gave her arm a warning squeeze. No need to let the man
know exactly how many. He might slip and mention the number and they would have
him.

Bea looked at him before she turned to Chris. “Yes, I have.”

Chris’ face became stern. Though he tried to appear relaxed,
his hands clenched and unclenched. “I think we should take a look at all the
letters. If we can’t get good prints off the first letter you gave me, maybe
we’ll get lucky with one of the others.”

“Sure. Thanks for all your help with this.” Bea stood,
taking Zach by surprise. He rose next to her and put his arm around her waist.

Chris appeared taken off guard as well. “Okay then. I guess
I better get myself some sleep. Thanks for meeting with me so early.”

Bea cuddled into Zach as she addressed him. “Thank you for
helping us with this. We really appreciate it.”

His heart swelled at her use of the word “we” while a
different part of his anatomy swelled as her body pressed close to his. The
added advantage to their position was Chris couldn’t shake her hand. Smart
woman.

Chris said goodbye and left.

Zach was damn proud of her. He turned her in his arms to
give her a kiss and instead got the side of her head. “Bea?”

She pulled away and started to pace. “I hate this. I don’t
know who to trust. Now, I even have to be guarded with a cop? And the two of
you, posturing like two dogs fighting over a piece of meat. You don’t have to
do that, Zach. You already have me. You don’t have to rub it in his face. What
if he isn’t the one writing the letters, but is truly interested in helping?”

Zach grabbed her in mid-stride. “I have you?”

She caught his face in her hands and lowered her voice.
“Yes. Completely.”

Her words meant more to him then they should, but they were
what he wanted to hear. He clasped her body to him and gave her a searing kiss.

When he broke away, her eyes were still closed.

His good mood faded as he stared at her elegant face. They
were getting too close. He needed to put some space between them. “So, what is
this secret you’re hiding?”

* * * * *

Bea stared blindly at the computer screen. She’d been able
to put Zach off until tonight, but he wanted to know her secret. She had to
tell him, wanted to tell him, but didn’t know how. And what if he didn’t
believe her? She didn’t believe it herself the first time her mother told her.
Not until the doctor had explained Phillip’s coma had been caused by a strong
poison, did she accept what she was.

The purchase order on her screen for two hundred geraniums
seemed impossible to complete, so she saved the file and turned off her
computer. It was time to go home anyway. She organized her work for her next
shift. She and Zach only had tonight because he was heading up to Maine to
visit his parents. Would he still want to see her again after she told him
about her condition? She needed to make love to him before he left. Would he be
willing, knowing he’d be sick?

Her cell phone rang. She pulled it from her purse and
checked the caller’s identity. Winni Real Estate popped across the screen. “Hi,
Dad.”

“Hi, Bea, how are you doing? Your mom tells me you’ve had
better days.”

She dropped back into her chair. “That’s one way of putting
it. Did she tell you what she did?”

“Yes, she confessed. I understand how upset you must have
been.”

Bea rolled her eyes. Mathew Emerson was the ultimate
salesman and if her father thought he could get under her skin, he would. “I
hear a ‘but’ coming.”

“Well, yes. She’s your mother. She tries to do what’s right,
but you know she doesn’t always succeed. Think about how you’ll feel when you
have a daughter. What will happen when she gets angry at you for a mistake you
made and refuses to see or talk to you?”

Oh, he was good. Really good. “I understand what you’re
saying, Dad, but I’m not ready yet. I have a more pressing issue on my hands
that needs my undivided attention.”

“Is it anything I can help you with?”

Bea hesitated. “Maybe. You’re pretty well-known in town,
right?”

She could envision his chest puffing as he spoke. “Well, I
try to be. Being the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and part of the Rotary
helps.”

She worried her lip before asking. “If I need you to, would
you confirm my condition for someone?”

There was silence on the phone.

“Dad?”

“Does this have to do with your new boyfriend?”

Bea crumpled her skirt in her hand.
Boyfriend
sounded
so teenager when what Zach was, was perfect. “Yes. He’s right for me. Andy
liked him right away.”

“Honey, if he makes you happy, that’s all I care about. If
he’s the right one and you need me to convince him, you bring him on over.”

She let go of the material bunched in her hand and closed
her eyes. “Thanks, Dad.”

“See your mom, Bea.”

“I will, eventually.”

She hung up and threw her phone back in her purse, then
glanced at the clock. She would have barely enough time to go home, shower and
drive to Zach’s. Telling him her secret wasn’t quite so daunting, now that she
had someone Zach could talk to about it, in case he didn’t believe her.

She reached to turn off the desk lamp when Craig Larsen
stepped into her office. “Oh Bea, I’m glad I caught you. This came for you
today. I almost forgot to give it to you.”

She stared at the letter in Craig’s hand, her heart thumping
in her chest. She shook her head and fell back into the desk chair, her knees
completely giving way as the air left her lungs. Her head swam, making the
white envelope in front of her go in and out of focus.

Craig rushed around the desk. “What is it? Are you all
right?”

She pointed to his hand. “Another letter.”

He looked confused. “Yes, it’s a letter.”

“But it didn’t come in the mail.” She closed her eyes.
“Neither did the other three.”

He sounded perplexed. “Is it from a friend?”

She opened her eyes. Poor Craig was so scattered he wouldn’t
recognize a rattlesnake for the danger it was if it slithered across his foot.
“I’ll take it. Did you happen to see who brought it?”

Craig wrinkled his nose to push up his glasses. “Yes, I did.
It was the kid who works at the ice-cream shop in front of our Hillside Inn.
You know him. He’s the one with the sandy-blond hair and pierced ears?”

Bea stared at Craig. He never noticed anything, yet he’d
discovered who had been dropping off the letters? She stood and gave him a hug.
“Thank you.”

He shrugged. “You’re welcome, I guess. Are you coming in
tomorrow?”

“No, I have the next two days off, remember?”

“Right. See you when you get back.”

As he left the office, Bea stayed absolutely still and
concentrated on breathing deeply to stop the quaking inside her body. She
couldn’t wait to tell Zach about the boy. She doubted the kid had sent the
letters, but she’d bet he knew who did. She looked at the envelope on the desk.
She could open it at Zach’s. After all, she wanted to get over there and then
she could share it with him. But even as she had the thought, she picked up her
letter opener and slit the envelope. She took out the letter and unfolded it.
Hand-sized pieces of paper spilled onto the desk. She read the one line.