Unraveled (21 page)

“Hi. Did I get you at a bad time?” Steve’s voice was deep and warm. The sound of it brought back a truckload of memories. Kelly felt her stomach twist.

“Uhhhh, no . . . I’m driving, that’s all.” Pausing for a second she asked, “What’s up?” She hadn’t expected to hear from him.

“I just called to say I’m sorry I stuffed you last night in the game.”

Kelly could hear the smile in his voice, and more memories loosened from the back of her mind. She found herself smiling in response. “That’s okay. I got you back.”

“Yeah, you did.” Steve laughed low on the other end. “You really rang it. You been working out more?”

“Way more. Lots of free weights.”

“I could tell. Which gym are you going to?”

“The new one that opened up in the middle of town. It’s open early in the morning till late at night. Good hours.” She set the car’s cruise control so she didn’t have to worry about her speed.

Steve went silent on the other end. Kelly waited for him to say something. It felt so strange to talk like they used to on the phone. Six months ago. It felt awkward . . . and good, at the same time.

Finally, Steve’s voice came again, low and soft. This time, Kelly heard sadness.

“Kelly . . . I’m so sorry for walking out on you like that. I know I hurt you. Bad. I . . . I didn’t mean to hurt you, Kelly, I swear I didn’t. I . . . I just lost it. Went a little crazy, I don’t know. I was losing everything, and I . . . I panicked . . . and I lost you . . . and everything we had.”

Kelly held the line, letting the silence fill the space. She didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t expected this. Last night, Steve had laughed and joked. And this phone call started the same way. Joking, Kelly could handle. But suddenly Steve had turned serious. Kelly wasn’t prepared for serious.

“Kelly? Are you still there?”

“Yeah . . . I’m still here,” she said softly.

“I just wanted to tell you that. I didn’t want you to keep thinking I was a jackass. And . . . and I’m sorry it took me so long to apologize. I . . . I wanted to. I just didn’t know if you’d hear me out. I figured you’d hang up on me. But after last night, I thought I’d give it a shot.”

“I’m glad you did,” Kelly said quietly. “Apology accepted.” She’d added that without thinking and realized she meant it. The past was over. They were in new territory now.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Kelly waited, wondering what Steve would say next. Now that the elephant in the room had been dealt with at last. She considered sharing some of her own feelings, but wasn’t sure how to start.

After a few more seconds of silence, Steve said, “Are you driving back into Fort Connor? I thought you’d be there by now.”

General questions. Familiar territory. “Megan and Jen went back this morning. But I stayed and went to a gun show at the Northeast Convention Center.”

Steve waited before answering. “A gun show, huh? Should I be worried?”

Taken aback by his quip, Kelly laughed without thinking. “Not really. I didn’t go to buy anything. I went to ask questions from some of the dealers there. One of Jennifer’s clients was shot in the house he had for sale in Poudre Canyon. Jennifer and I actually walked in and found him dead. I took some cell phone photos of the gun because it looked really old, and I was curious why someone would kill the guy with a collector’s piece.”

Steve paused again, then Kelly heard his low chuckle. “Sleuthing, right?”

Kelly heard the smile in his voice and relaxed. “Well, Jayleen’s friend Renee is the chief suspect, so Jayleen asked me if I could find out stuff in Denver. You know.”

He laughed softly. “Yeah, I know. Well, good luck finding the bad guys, Kelly.”

Surprised by his mellow reaction, Kelly replied. “Thanks, but I’m not sure who the bad guy or girl is. It may be Jayleen’s friend.”

“You’ll figure it out.” Steve paused for a second. “It feels really good talking to you, Kelly. Like this, I mean. Regular, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kelly replied quietly. She agreed. It had felt good. Like old times. She and Steve used to talk about everything. Up until, well, the bad times. Then, Steve stopped talking.

“I’ve missed that,” Steve said.

“So have I,” Kelly let slip. It was out of her mouth before she knew it. But it was true. She
had
missed talking to Steve.

“Take care of yourself, Kelly. Bye now,” Steve said, then clicked off. He was gone.

Disappointed that the call had ended, Kelly clicked off her phone and tossed it to the seat. Then, she hit the accelerator and sped toward Fort Connor and home.

“Hey,
buddy!” Greg’s voice came over Steve’s phone. “Are you coming into Fort Connor this weekend? Megan’s bouncing off the walls, she’s so excited. She’s convinced you two are gonna get back together.”

“Let’s just say there’s a chance,” Steve said, nosing his car around the corner of Fort Connor’s main north-south thoroughfare, College Avenue. “I didn’t think I had a prayer before last night. Every time I talked to her at those meetings, she was all business. I thought I was dead for sure. But last night . . .” Steve smiled to himself in the car. “Well, last night I saw a spark. So, maybe I’ve still got a shot. But I’ve gotta move slowly. Carefully. I don’t want Kelly to take me back. I want her to
want
me back.”

“Careful, huh? Well, I heard you stuffed her last night. That doesn’t sound careful to me.” Greg hooted. “How’d she take it?”

“Let’s just say it got her attention,” Steve said with a laugh.

“Listen, you gotta come over and give us a play-by-play. Megan cracks up every time she talks about it. And who is Bubba?”

Steve laughed out loud. “Bubba is a clueless gorilla who had the bad luck to get in Kelly’s way when she was trying to block shots. I’d just stuffed her, so Kelly grabbed him by the shirt and threatened to break both his knees with her bat. Poor old Bubba didn’t know what he was dealing with.”

Greg cackled loudly. “Oh, man, what I would have given to see that. When can you come back into town?”

“Actually I’m in town now. I promised my mom and dad I’d come for dinner. Why don’t I drop over to your place later tonight?”

“Great. I’ll round up everybody. We want a play-by-play for sure.”

“The funniest thing was Megan channeling her inner Jack Nicholson.” Steve laughed out loud. “Damn! I nearly split a gut laughing.”

“Okay, this I gotta hear. Come on over as soon as you can, buddy. We’ll be waiting for you.”

Fifteen

“Here
you go, Carl,” Kelly said, placing Carl’s refilled water dish on the patio. Carl, however, was far more interested in watching the movements of two chattering mountain jays who were fussing on a branch of the nearby cottonwood tree. Monday morning had brought warmer temperatures along with the bright Colorado sun. Kelly didn’t need her winter jacket when she ran on the river trail earlier.

Golfers were out on the course despite patches of snow. Most of the snow had melted already, but the green closest to Kelly’s cottage was shaded by huge cottonwood trees and was still snow covered. White golf balls were hard to find in white snow. Colorado golfers were a hardy lot.

Sliding the patio glass door shut, Kelly reached for the smartphone on her desk. She checked her watch and flipped through her directory for Arthur Housemann’s office number. After hearing from Jennifer that Renee Turner had told Housemann’s real estate agent about her willingness to sell the canyon property, Kelly was curious what Housemann would do. Had he said anything at the office? Secretary Doris answered after two rings.

“Housemann Properties,” Doris answered.

“Hi, Doris. It’s Kelly. How are you?”

“I’m quite well, Kelly,” Doris’s cheerful voice replied. “If you want to speak with Mr. Housemann, I’ll have to take a message. He’s in his office with that historical writer, Mr. Eustace Freemont, right now.”

Kelly retrieved her coffee mug from the kitchen counter. “Oh, I’m so glad they finally had a chance to get together. I know Eustace wanted to interview Arthur.” She took a sip.

“Well, Mr. Housemann found some time in today’s schedule, so he squeezed Mr. Freemont in. I must say he’s a delightful person. Quite a storyteller.”

“Yes, he is. He entertained Curt and Jayleen and me at dinner the other night. Tell me, Doris,” Kelly switched subjects to the one she’d really called about. “Do you recall if Arthur has mentioned the canyon property anymore? Has he given up on buying it?”

“I don’t recall his saying anything? Why do you ask?”

Kelly fished around for the most likely sounding lie she could think of. “I was with a group of people this past weekend and one of then was a real estate agent. She mentioned she’d heard that Fred Turner’s wife, Renee, indicated she would sell the property if someone was interested. I immediately thought of Arthur. I mean, he told me how much he loved the land up there. Maybe there’s a way for the sale to go through after all.”

“Hmmmph. I wouldn’t put much faith in anything that woman says,” Doris said in a cold voice.

Her response surprised Kelly. “You mean the real estate agent? I don’t even remember her name—”

“No, I mean Renee Turner.” Doris cut her off in uncharacteristic fashion. “I wouldn’t believe a word she says. Excuse me, Kelly, there’s another call coming in. Do you want to leave a message?”

“No, no, that’s all right. Good-bye, Doris,” Kelly said, then heard Doris click off.

That was a surprise, Kelly thought.
What was up with Doris?
That was so out of character for the mild-mannered secretary. Clearly, Doris didn’t care for Renee Turner.

Kelly shoved her phone in her jeans pocket, grabbed her briefcase and knitting bag, and headed out her front door. Today would be a good day to work at the shop. She could set up in the café, then take knitting breaks. She could use some relaxation after the past weekend.

A brisk breeze whipped her hair into her face, and Kelly hurried across the driveway and into the melted garden behind the café. Snow still lay in clumps and layers in the shadier sections of the garden, while it had melted away in the open sunny areas. The flagstone path that wound through greenery was mostly clear.

Another blast of chilly breeze caused her to shiver in her thick red knitted sweater. This was the warmest one she had. Kelly raced up the wooden front steps to the café, wishing she’d worn her jacket. Old Man Winter wasn’t ready to leave yet.

The warmth of Pete’s café enveloped her the moment Kelly stepped inside. Along with the enticing breakfast aromas. She would be good this time, she vowed, as she waved at Julie. “Is this table free?” Kelly asked, spotting one of her favorite spots to work. A smaller table sat right beside a window with a view of the garden and the foothills, the Rockies glistening white behind them.

“It’s got your name on it, Kelly,” Julie said as she brought a mug and coffeepot over. “Here you go. Would you like breakfast?” she asked as she poured Eduardo’s brew into the tall mug.

“Some fruit would be nice, thanks,” Kelly said as she dropped her briefcase and bag on the adjoining chair. Settling into the cozy spot by the window, Kelly took a deep drink of coffee.
Ahhhh
. She was ready for those accounts.

“Hey, Kelly, I was getting ready to call you,” Burt said as he walked over to her table. “I’m glad I spotted you. Do you have a few minutes?”

Kelly gave him a grin. “For you, Burt, anytime.”

Burt sat in the chair across from her and placed his coffee mug in front of him. Kelly sensed he had information to share, and she shoved the encroaching financial accounts back into a corner of her mind.

“I wanted to update you on what’s happened since I told Paul about Jennifer’s phone call the other day. I had a call from him late Sunday.”

“Did Peterson’s men question Housemann’s real estate agent? Did she confirm what she told Jennifer?”

Burt nodded. “Yes, she did, and Peterson and my friend Paul went over to question Renee Turner again. They didn’t call her, they simply showed up on her doorstep yesterday.”

Kelly remembered Renee Turner saying her attorney had advised her not to speak to the police without him being present. “I’ll bet she told them to come back when she had her lawyer. I remember Renee talked to Jayleen and me right after she’d been to her attorney’s office.”

“As a matter of fact, she didn’t send them away,” Burt said, then took a sip of his coffee. “Paul said she looked very nervous, but when Peterson told her they knew she’d made the offer to sell the canyon property right after her husband’s death, she looked kind of scared. That’s when she started talking.”

Kelly sipped the dark brew. “That wasn’t smart. It sounds like Renee needs all the protections an attorney can give. Did she admit making the offer?”

“Absolutely. But then, it got interesting. Peterson started asking her about Arthur Housemann and how she knew him. And Renee started acting nervous and began to pace around her living room.” Burt cradled his coffee mug in both his hands. “Apparently Peterson had heard from someone he’d interviewed that Renee Turner and Arthur Housemann had an affair years ago.” He paused, obviously waiting for Kelly’s reaction. It came swiftly.

Her eyes popped wide. “
What?
You’re kidding!” She hadn’t expected that.

“Nope. Apparently Peterson heard the rumor from several different people in northern Colorado.”

“Did Renee admit it?”

“Not at first, according to Paul. But you know Peterson. He kept on circling around and around Renee Turner and asking her more questions and giving out more details from the other sources, and finally she admitted it. Paul said she put her head in her hand and started to cry.”

“Oh, brother. Not good.”

“That’s probably why Peterson went to interview Housemann the first time. He wanted to get a read on him in person. Now, it looks like Renee wanted to get control of the land so she could sell it to her old lover.”

“She’s looking guiltier and guiltier, isn’t she?” Kelly shook her head. “I have to say she’s a convincing liar then. She had me giving her the benefit of the doubt after I met her here in the café with Jayleen.”