Tahoe Blues (14 page)

“I don’t understand,” Cara protested. “Why would the police search your house?”

“Because you became my TV watching buddy during gala season,” Brett yelled over the noise. “I sure as hell hope you didn’t leave anything incriminating here. They’re being very thorough. They even found a set of keys I lost over five years ago.”

“There’
s nothing incriminating to find anywhere!” Cara wailed. “And I’m not running. I am so sorry this is happening to you, Brett. You have been nothing but a good friend. I’m sorry for a lot of other things. When this settles down, do you think we could get together and talk?”

“What?” Cara heard confusion in Brett’s voice. “Run! Run now while you have the chance. This is not going away. You can’t believe
what they’re doing here. They will use anything, no matter how innocent to destroy you. They have even bagged and tagged my tools. How am I supposed to work? I don’t even know what they think you or I’ve done, but I’m scared. I’m more frightened than I’ve ever been in my entire life. It might be too late for me. I expect to be hauled away at any moment, but you might still be able to get away. Don’t let yourself be arrested. Run girl!”

“Calm down
, Brett. I’m going to call my lawyer. We’ll both come over. You and I will get out of this together.” She quickly disconnected and informed Martin of this new development.

By the time her seatbelt was clicked into place
, a plan of action had been put into play, and by the time she pulled up in front of Brett’s home/studio, Martin was already standing on the front porch protecting Brett’s interests. A copy of the warrant was clenched in his fists, and he was scanning it diligently.

Brett sat
on front stoop, looking miserable.

Cara jumped out of her car and ran to him. She shot a quick nod in Martin’s direction
, but let him continue with his work. Dropping down next to Brett, she wrapped a comforting arm across his shoulders. “I am so sorry this is happening. I knew Duncan was an ass-wipe, but I never thought he would stoop to anything this low.”

Brett looked at her with sad eyes. “You should have run
, Cara. I overheard them saying they were trying to get you for fraud.”

She rubbed his arm and sighed. “I’m not leaving you to face this a
lone. I may not have been a good friend in the past, but I’m not so self-centered that I’d skip town and leave you hanging out to dry.”

Brett pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. The confusion that crossed his face was e
vident. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful you roped Specks here into looking after me,” Brett said referring to Martin Langley. “But what self-centered business are you talking about?”

Having caught Brett’s
new nickname for him, Martin momentarily leveled a glare at Brett over the top of his horned rimmed glasses.

Cara
smiled, but quickly turned back to Brett. “Thank you for overlooking the fact that I insulted your work and screamed at you this morning. I’m also sorry for all the times I used you to get out of Leah’s noisy place. If I hadn’t taken advantage of your good nature, none of this would be happening now.”

Brett cocked his head curiously. “Do I look like a child? I’m about twenty years your senior. If anyone took advantage of
our friendship, it was me. I used you to get my work featured at the gala. I’ve been riding behind you and your Alexander coattails for years, and I have profited greatly from it.” His nervous eyes darted wildly back and forth. A scowl formed between his brows, then he jumped up and pointed an angry finger at her. “And in case you didn’t know, I consider you my friend. Friends hang out with each other. And just because you yelled at me, doesn’t mean I’d suddenly stop caring about you.”

Cara
stood up and tried to reach out to him, but Brett backed away. “Of course I know we’re friends, but look at the trouble it caused you. That’s what I’m trying to apologize for,” she tried to explain, but Brett was having none of it.

Cara scrubbed her
face with her hands. She was beginning to understand that being someone’s friend meant different things to different people. Leah expected more from her. With Leah, they both had to give support, and be there for each other through thick and thin. For Brett, it was a mutual using for each other’s benefit type of relationship. Being a good friend was turning out to be exhausting.

Until today and her over examination of their relationship, being friends with Brett had been
a piece of cake. They called each other whenever they wanted, and no judgments were made or feelings hurt when one of them was unable to get together. It was just the way it was and it was accepted without question. When Brett wanted his work in the gala, he asked. When Cara wanted to escape from the noise at Leah’s, she had no qualms about inviting herself over. Brett was a low maintenance friend, and Cara insulted him by trying to make it into a gushy chick thing.

Cara wrapped her arms around his waist.
“You didn’t use me,” she soothed. “The day I walked into your studio, I knew your work was going in the gala.”

He grabbed her wrists and pulled her hug tighter.
His head shook in disgust at the disaster zone being created in his home and changed the subject. “Duncan is one vindictive son of a bitch.”

And boom,
they were back to business as usual.

Cara
smiled to herself and went right along with the flow. “I had no idea he would ever go this far. I talked to him a little while ago, and he actually denied his involvement and offered to get me a lawyer.”

“That man is unbelievable.” Brett shot
her a sideways look and warned, “They are tearing your place to shreds too.” He pulled her in close and whispered in her ear. “Run while you still can.”

She stepped back and studied his face.
She couldn’t understand why he kept insisting that she head for the high ground. It wasn’t as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her, but she was innocent. She was frightened, but part of her could not imagine Duncan would take this farce much further, whether she returned to him or not.

Living with
Duncan hadn’t been a picnic, but somewhere inside she knew he still loved her, and he was simply trying to scare her into complacency. As soon as he realized that was not going to happen, he would drop this outrageous charade.

Looking into Brett’s frightened eyes
, an inkling of suspicion began to trickle into her brain. Did Brett have something inside his studio he didn’t want the police to find? The first thing that came to mind was drugs. Had Brett been packing his artwork with illicit drugs? Was he a drug runner for the cartel? Had Brett used his international status as a front for a lucrative sideline?

Cara
let her mind go wild, and she began to see conspiracies brewing all around her.

Dealing with the underworld was more of an Alexander family
thing. Cara had not become privy to any of their illegal activities, but she was fairly certain they had the entire Tahoe Basin wrapped up in their pocket, and they would not take lightly to any interlopers. If Brett had infringed on their operation, he would have been dealt with swiftly and without regard to his fame or status.

As
her mind worked the problem, she began to worry for Brett’s safety. Was shutting down Brett and his drug operation the goal behind the investigation? And now that she was no longer a member of the family, had she become collateral damage?

Leah was right
. Cara had become a total drama queen. Cara let out the breath she was holding and told herself it was time to come back down to earth and live in the real world. She hadn’t done anything wrong and Brett was an artist plain and simple. She knew how far off base she’d traveled the moment she remembered that most of Brett’s international dealings were in Canada, not Mexico.

“
I’m not going anywhere, Brett.” She reassured him. “I’m certainly not going to leave you when you are so upset. I’ll wait for Martin to finish here, then he and I will head over to my place. The police are going to do whatever it is they are going to do. It’s bad enough watching your place being torn apart,” she said gesturing at the mayhem happening right inside Brett’s front door. “I don’t need to see the same thing happening with mine.”

Martin came down the steps and joined th
em. “We’re almost done here,” he said, pushing his glasses up on top of his head. “The warrant is extremely limited. They can only take gala related items and anything Cara may have left.” He pointed at the bags of tools officially tagged on the front lawn. “That’s an intimidation tactic. They know full well they can’t take it, and if it was evidence, it would be locked up tight, not sitting there for anyone to wander off with. They are hoping you will crack, believing your livelihood is about to go up in smoke.” Martin turned and headed back up the steps. “I’ll go inside and make a show of protecting your rights and demand they finish up quickly, but it’s not necessary. You are not their target. Cara is.”

Chapter Six

Sitting
in Mrs. Grimes’ cozy kitchen, Cara let Martin Langley deal with the police, their warrant and Duncan, who had blown in with his attorney and tried to take control of the situation. At one point Duncan went nose to nose with the Detective in charge. He poked his index finger repeatedly into the officer’s chest while spouting Cara’s innocence. Duncan’s attorney had been charged with keeping him out of the officers’ way, and the poor man had to muscle Duncan out onto the street and direct him to cool off.

“Tha
t’s your ex-husband?” Mrs. Grimes asked as she peeked out the window. “He sure is handsome and...um...forceful.”

A sarcastic snicker slipped from Cara’s lips as
she bit into the top of a banana nut muffin. “That’s one way of putting it.”

Mrs. Grimes sat
next to Cara and patted her hand. “You’re one cool cookie. I don’t think I could sit here while my lawyer and my ex duked it out.” She raised her aged fists protectively in front of her face. The old woman thumbed her nose and dodged back and forth like an old time street fighter. She punched the air in Cara’s direction and said ferociously, “I’d wanna be out there mixin’ it up with them.”

Cara loved Mrs. G. more and more every day. The lady was
spirited and feisty. In keeping with her neighbor’s boxing theme, Cara replied, “I’ve been banned from the ring.” She ripped off the rest of the muffin top and shoved it into her mouth. “And since I don’t have to make weight, I intend to sit here and enjoy every last one of these.”

Mrs. Grimes pushed the platt
er of muffins a little closer in Cara’s direction. “You’re welcome to them.” Mrs. G. studied Cara’s face and scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Are you sure Duncan is the one behind this? He seems pretty adamant about your innocence.”

“He should be
, since all I have to do to make it go away is go back to him.”

Mrs. Grimes’ eyes flew wide. “He said that?”

Cara pursed her lips. Then with a reluctant shake of her head she conceded, “Not in so many words, but his offer was clear.” She set the muffin down and mimicked Duncan’s end of their phone conversation. “Cara, baby, I love you. Come back to me and my lawyer will save you.”

The look on Mrs. Grimes’ face was of complete and total disbelief, and Cara cracked under her scrutiny. “Well,” she stammered, “I may be paraphrasing
just a little bit.”

The sainted muffin maker laughed out loud. “By the guilty look on your face
, I’d say it was a lot more than just a little.”

The edges of Cara’s lips
began to curl into a grin, but lost their momentum when through the glass of Mrs. G’s front window she saw Tanner’s truck pull up behind a police car. A moment later he slammed the door and leaned his tall muscular body against the cab. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his jaw was clenched in anger. “Uh oh,” she frowned. “I think a little bit more spice has just been thrown into the pot.”

Mrs. Grimes turned and grasped the arms of her chair at the sight of her adopted son. “More like a red hot chili pepper. Do
es TJ know what Duncan looks like?”

“Yep.”

“And he’s standing there watching your ex prance around like he owns the place?”

Cara nodded her head.

“Oh dear. I don’t see this ending well.”

Cara picked up the bottom half of the muffin and calmly peeled off the paper.

Mrs. Grimes glared at her and pointed out the window. “Don’t you think you should get out there now?”

Through the muffled sounds of the muffin being consumed Cara replied, “I’ve been ordered, by my lawyer, Duncan’s lawyer
, and the police to stay put. Duncan ordered me too, but I don’t listen to him any longer.” She brushed a few crumbs off into the plate and looked up at her neighbor. “I’m afraid this is going to play out without any help from me.” Cara made her way to the window and drew back the curtains. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to watch every single second of it.”

Tanner
Reed glared at Cara’s pompous ass ex-husband. He watched in disgust and wondered why the man wasn’t handcuffed and locked in the back of one of the squad cars. He let out a humph, knowing he already knew the answer, Duncan was an Alexander and that put him a cut above all the rest. Tanner’s eyes narrowed every time the man stomped his foot or railed at his lawyer, and he wanted nothing more than to put the man in his place.

Tanner assumed the
man standing off to the side and checking every item that came out of Cara’s unit was her attorney. Tanner moved over to speak with him and reached out his hand. “Hi, I’m TJ Reed. I own Granite Gates. Cara is one of my renters. Is there anything I can do to put an end to this?”

Martin shook his hand. “Thanks for the offer, but in this instance
, you can’t stop the long arm of the law.” He looked over the top of his glasses at the jerk making a spectacle of himself. “But you could ask him to leave. It is your property after all.”

Tanner instantly liked the man and smiled. “Do you think he’d go?”

“Probably not, but if you push a few of his buttons, you might be able to get him arrested for trespassing and creating a public nuisance.”

Tanner turned around and watched
Duncan’s arms fly up in exaggerated outrage. “It seems to me his buttons have already been pushed.”

Martin shot Tanner a sly grin and planted a seed. “Cara told me abo
ut your relationship. I bet there’s at least one more available. That man is so arrogant, he still believes he’s the only man in Cara’s life.”

Tanner frowned
, needing a little more clarification. “And you think I should set him straight?”

Martin looked up from his clipboard and smiled.
“I think you’re the only one who has a chance in hell of getting him out of here.”

Cara’s attorney was asking him to pick a fight with her ex. Tanner hadn’t been in a fight since high school, but as he watch
ed the show, the idea of punching Duncan Alexander in the face began to appeal to him. He took a step in Duncan’s direction then he glanced back over his shoulder and asked, “When I get arrested, you’re going to get me off, right?”

Martin patted him on the back
and shoved him forward. “I’ll even do it pro bono. Don’t take the first swing, but then feel free to defend the hell out of yourself.”

He cut Martin a dubious look and received a
cherry two handed thumbs up in return.

Taking a deep breath, Tanner
approached Duncan carefully. He wasn’t sure how he was going to go about this, but he didn’t think it would take much to send the red-faced Cascade Bay executive completely over the edge. He tapped the shoulder of Duncan’s expensively tailored suit. “Pardon me, sir, but would you please calm down. You’re disturbing my other tenants.”

Duncan whirled around and knocked Tanner’s hand off his shoulder. “I don’t give a rat’s ass
about your tenants.” He cocked his head in recognition, and his indignation shifted gears. “Aren’t you the guy who kept cutting in while I was dancing with that hot blonde at the gala? She was a nice little piece.” He pressed his index finger hard into Tanner’s shoulder. “I had plans for her, and you messed them up.”

Tanner closed his eyes and quickly counted
to ten. The urge to bust Duncan, A-hole, Alexander in the chops was almost overwhelming. The way he spoke about his baby sister was unforgivable. His fists clenched into a ball. “That hot little piece is my sister,” he growled. His voice was threatening, but Duncan didn’t seem to understand how thin the ice he was skating on truly was.

“Your sister?” he bounced back. “I don’t see the family resemblance. Your mother must have got around.”

Before Tanner had a chance to think, his arm flew out and his fist cracked loudly against Duncan’s jaw.

Duncan wobbled back
for a moment. The look on his face before his eyes closed was one of pure shock. He hit the ground and was out cold.

Tanner turned around expecting to be greeted with a pair of handcuffs. Instead
, the officer standing in front of the house shot him an approving smile. Tanner walked back to Martin un-accosted by the twenty or so men in blue who were mulling around the property. “I threw the first punch. Why haven’t I been slammed up against one of those squad cars and frisked?”

Martin poked his finger into Tanner’s shoulder the same way Duncan had. “It wasn’t exactly a blow, but it was enough. More i
mportantly you shut Duncan up, and we are all extremely grateful for that.”

“
I’m off free and clear?”

“Probably not.” Martin shrugged. “Duncan will more than likely press charges, but he’ll have to wake up first.”

Seven hours later
at roughly the same time, both Cara and Tanner were taken into custody. Tanner for assault and Cara for fraud and money laundering.

Residents of the complex
had gathered to watch the circus. With her hands cuffed behind her back, an officer escorted her to his vehicle. Cara held her head high knowing she had done nothing wrong, but a million emotions swirled beneath her calm exterior. She heard Mrs. Grimes shouting words of support as she attempted to quell Cara’s humiliation and fear.

When the officer placed a firm hand on the back of Cara’s head to push her into the squad car
, she saw Barbie Blue Bug standing off in the distance. Their eyes momentarily locked. Lisa’s cool poker face revealed nothing, but Cara knew the woman had successfully exacted her revenge for the bare-assed beaded disaster.

The couple sat side by side with the bars of their individual holding cells separating them.

Cara chuckl
ed. “I can’t believe you decked him.”

Tanner reached
through the bars and stroked her delicate fingers, whose nails had been bitten down to the quick. “I was defending your honor.”

Cara’s eyes twinkled with sarcastic delight. “My hero!”

Tanner laughed out loud. He didn’t know how Cara did that. His previously untarnished arrest record now had a huge blemish smack dab in the middle of its forehead. Knowing Martin Langley was in his corner helped, but it was the beautiful and amazing Cara Lee which set his mind at ease. He was far more worried about her well-being than his own. “How do you think all those incriminating documents ended up taped under the silverware drawer in your kitchen?”

Cara’s brow furrowed and she bit her lower lip. She thought she knew the answer but she didn’t think Tanner was ready to hear that the assistant he hired was still loyal to Duncan, and that Lisa had just done one hell of a hatchet job on her. She eased into the conversation and hoped Tanner would come to the conclusion all by himself. “That’s a mystery. I thought for sure when my office came up clean that a box would conveniently materialize at the Alexander family compound.” She shook her head seriously. “Someone invaded my sanctuary. I have never seen those papers, and I know for a fact they didn’t come over with me in the move. Someone gained access into my home and helped Duncan do his dirty deed.”

Tanner nodded. “Maybe it was one of those kids last night,” he chuckled
, trying to make light of their dilemma. “Did you flunk one of them?”

His lame attempt at humor did not improve her mood. She quickly dismissed the idea. “Jena and Matt were the only ones with me last term. I
may have both met Duncan, but Duncan never took an interest in my work, let alone exert the effort involved in remembering one of my student’s names.” She cocked her head and shot him a brave half-smile. “Besides, they both earned very good grades.” Her grin did not last and she turned serious. Tanner was not taking the hint, so she looked him straight in the eye and asked, “Does Barbie have access to the keys of the complex?”

“Barbie?”

Cara sucked in a frustrated breath. She raised her hands neck level and pretended to choke him. “Blackjack Barbie. Barbie Blue Bug. Barbie who wore the bare-assed beaded disaster! Tanner James Reed, you know exactly who I am talking about.”

“
Lisa Hill,” Tanner corrected calmly.

“Fine!
Lisa, who fucked my husband, Hill!” With total exasperation Cara went on, “Does Lisa, f-ing, Hill have access to my apartment?”

Tanner sighed. He didn’t want to believe his new assistant had anything to do with Cara being in this predicament, but Lisa did have access to the keys to Cara’s apartment and he couldn’t dismiss the possibility. “Yes.”

Cara’s face pinched in anger. “I knew it.” She clenched her fists and pounded the cold hard metal bench. “I knew it was all an act. I knew she couldn’t be trusted. I
wouldn’t be surprised if she’s still sleeping with him.”

W
anting to refute her unfounded accusation, Tanner opened his mouth, but he knew she would never listen. Cara had made up her mind about Lisa’s guilt and until the truth was discovered, there was nothing he could do to change her mind. Besides, it would be stupid of him not to at least consider the possibility of Lisa’s involvement. Deep in his gut he believed the young woman was innocent. The story she told how Duncan used her had seemed sincere, but he hadn’t known her for very long and realized she could be playing him. He grabbed the bars which separated him and Cara and made her a vow. “My first order of business when I get out of here is to secure all the keys. Lisa will no longer have access into any apartment.”