Dust and Obey (19 page)

CHAPTER 37

I’d
felt the tension between Riley and me since we’d almost kissed last night and since our “session” with Dr. Turner this morning. We hadn’t had time to talk about anything, and, truth be told, I didn’t want to talk about it. There was no need to dig up the demons from the past. We’d both had a moment of lapsed judgment. They happened, but I tried to avoid stuff like that overall.

That’s why, when my boss called me to talk about my assignments for the week, I was more than happy to fill the drive home with that conversation rather than one with Riley. In fact, our phone call lasted nearly an hour, which worked out perfectly for me. I may have even drawn it out, talking about barbecue and baseball and dream vacations.

But then the time came when we pulled up to our apartment complex. I knew there would be an opportunity as we said goodbye, and the thought made my stomach clench.

I climbed out before any deep talks could be initiated and grabbed my suitcase from his popped-open trunk.

“Well, it looks like we have another weekend behind us.”

He nodded stiffly. “That’s right. At least we can rule out Captain Leroy.”

“That means our pool of suspects is only getting smaller and smaller. That’s the good news.” My voice sounded falsely cheerful.

“Gabby, I really think we should talk,” Riley said as we stood on the front stoop.

This was it. The moment I was dreading.

Suddenly, the door beside us burst open. “Gabby!”

The lump in my throat nearly choked me a moment. My eyes had to be deceiving me.

Please?

Finally, I croaked, “Garrett?”

It was definitely him. Tall and lean and with undeniable swagger. Though he also had dark hair like Riley, his good looks were far more exotic. His hair had a touch of curl, his eyes had a touch of naughty, and his smile seemed to indicate that he could own the world if he chose to.

Before I realized what was happening, he pulled me into his arms and swung me in a circle. His familiar scent—sandalwood, I’d always guessed—filled my senses.

“I couldn’t wait another second to see you.”

“You're back here. I just can’t believe it.” I was stunned. More than stunned. I was stupefied.

“Sierra told me you’d be home this evening.”

I’d seen a couple of missed calls from Sierra. Perhaps I shouldn’t have ignored them. But if the baby was coming, she’d promised to send a SOS text to inform me, and I hadn’t gotten one of those. I figured I’d been safe to wait.

I pulled my hair behind my ear, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Right. We’re just getting back from an investigation we were hired to take part in.”

It was only then that Garrett's gaze fell on Riley. Some of his earlier gusto slipped from his gaze.

“Riley.” He nodded woodenly.

“Garrett.” Riley regarded him.

Tension as thick as the fog around Bird’s Nest Island fell between all of us.

“I’ll let you two talk,” Riley finally said. “I’ll catch up with you later, Gabby.”

Garrett watched him walk away before turning back to me. When he saw me, a huge grin stretched across his face. "You look great. The weeks have been good to you"

I nodded. “I guess you could say that. I have a new job. I’m moving in the right direction.”

“That’s great.”

“You look great also,” I told him.

“I can’t wait to tell you about Africa.” He practically glowed.

“I can’t wait to hear about it.”

He shifted and took a fleeting glance toward the door where Riley had disappeared. “I realize you just returned, but do you have time tonight? I just hate that it’s taken this long to see you, especially considering I’ve been back for a week.”

“I can do something tonight,” I said, despite the fact that I really just wanted a hot shower and time to decompress.

“Great.” He grabbed my suitcase, and we started upstairs. “There’s a new restaurant some of my colleagues have been raving about. I thought we might go there. It’s got oysters that are out of this world.”

Oysters? Argh. He had no idea.

“Sure. Let me just get freshened up.”

***

An hour later, Garrett and I were seated at a window table overlooking the bay. It seemed ironic to be here. The basic landscape was the same. The basic food was the same. Yet so much was different. The location, the company, my feelings.

Garrett Mercer was a great guy. Anyone would say so. He was handsome and generous and kind. A world changer. A most eligible bachelor. A dream come true.

“So how are you?” He leaned toward me and took my hand.

Earlier, I’d felt like I was betraying Garrett by being at the marriage retreat with Riley. Now I felt like I was betraying Riley by being with Garrett.
Gabby Goes to Royal Messville.

What exactly did it say about me that I kept giving titles to portions of my life, as if I was living in various sitcom episodes?

“I’m doing well, Garrett.” I told him about a conference I’d gone to a few weeks ago in Oklahoma, meeting my future stepbrother for the first time, and starting my new job. I talked about Sierra and the baby and a new coffee flavor I thought he should try out.

“It’s amazing what can happen in your life in a few short months, isn't it?”

“That’s the truth,” I told him, an uncomfortable feeling of dread in my stomach.

Our food came. I’d bypassed the oysters again, especially knowing now what I did about them. Instead I’d gotten some grilled wahoo, steamed vegetables, and brown rice.

After we prayed and as I raised my fork, I turned the conversation on Garrett. “Please, tell me all about your trip.”

A fire seemed to ignite in his gaze. Passion—that’s what it was.

“There's so much to say. I loved it over there, Gabby. I’ve been to Africa before, but this trip was different somehow. Something stirred in my heart."

“Tell me more.” I honestly wanted to know. He was doing good work over there, leaving an impact that would last for years.

He told me stories about the children he'd met, the villages he'd visited, and the ways people had let him into their lives. He told me about interesting foods he’d tried and about trips to the market and how kids entertained themselves with rocks and sticks.

“I’m going to be spending more time over there. I want to oversee the operations more.”

His announcement surprised me, even threw me off kilter. “But what about your coffee business here?”

“I’ll still oversee that as well. But I want to be more hands-on. Life is too short to just sit behind a desk all the time and push paper.”

“I'll have to agree to that.”

His gaze latched onto mine. “I want you to come with me, Gabby.”

Suddenly, I lost my appetite. I put my fork down mid-bite and stared at him, waiting to hear “just kidding!”

“What?” I had to have heard him incorrectly.

But the earnestness in his eyes told me I hadn't.

He leaned closer. “You would love it over there. It would change your life. I could see us doing good work together.”

I leaned back, hitting the chair behind me a little too hard. “I don’t know what to say. I’m flattered.”

“Say yes.” His eyes implored me. There was a promise of adventure there, of every day being different, of the chance to be satisfied.

“It's not that easy.” My throat ached as I said the words.

“It could be.”

“As tempting as it sounds, my life is here. I just got a new job. My interest is in the field of forensics. I know I would love it over there. But I feel my place is here.”

His smile dimmed. “Is it because of Riley?”

I totally abandoned my food now. At least I’d had the chance to down about half of it before we got to this point in our conversation. I was downright uncomfortable and wished I could teleport myself to a happy place. “There's nothing between Riley and me.”

He didn’t break his gaze. “My assistant said Riley moved back and stopped subletting his apartment.”

I nodded curtly. “He did. I found out while I was in Oklahoma.”

He put his fork down also, his food forgotten. “And you’re working on an investigation together?”

“That's correct. But it's purely professional.”

He tilted his head, questions swirling in his eyes. "Do you really believe that?”

I nodded, maybe more adamantly than necessary. "I really do. We’re done. Over. History.”

“I’m not so sure.”

I swiped my hand through the air, indicating my decision was final. “Well, I am. I’m determined to be the bigger person and prove that we can still be friends, though.”

He stared another moment longer. When he glanced down, I knew the conversation was turning yet again. “I see. So what does this mean for us, Gabby? You’ve had three months to think.”

A physical pain twisted my heart. “I can't fit into your life, Garrett.” My voice cracked as I said the words. “I think that's obvious. We’re different people going in different directions. There’s no part of me that feels led to go to Africa long-term.”

“I see.” He placed his napkin in lap. “I guess this is it then?”

Tears rushed to my eyes. Why was this so hard? Why did chapters have to come to an end? I supposed the only way to avoid that was to never take any risks. “Life’s a Dance” by John Michael Montgomery began playing in the soundtrack of my mind. “You've meant so much to me, Garrett."

“You've meant a lot to me also, Gabby. It’s going to take me a while to process this, to be honest. I was hoping you would have a different answer.” His eyes lost their light, their hopefulness.

I hated myself for making him hurt.

“There’s a part of me that wishes I did too.”

He stood and dropped some money on the table. “What do you say we call this a night then?”

My heart was in my throat as I nodded. “I guess that’s a good idea.”

I prayed I wasn’t making the biggest mistake of my life.

CHAPTER 38

I
spent the beginning part of week avoiding Riley. I figured as long as I kept busy, I wouldn’t have to talk to him. We wouldn’t have to rehash any of our revealing conversations from last weekend. There wouldn’t have to be any awkward moments.

I’d also replayed my conversation with Garrett a million times. I’d had a certain measure of security knowing he'd been there for me. Now I really was going at life solo. My two best friends, Sierra and Chad, were married and expecting a baby. My dad was getting remarried. My brother had started a new business.

Meanwhile, everything that had happened at the retreat center was weighing on me heavily. I really wanted to provide some answers to Brad. Riley and I were supposed to meet with him before we left for the retreat on Friday. He needed some closure.

With a sigh, I glanced at my watch. Sierra's baby shower was supposed to start in thirty minutes, and I was hosting it at the coffeehouse across the street from my place.

Called The Grounds, it was my little home away from home. I was friends with the pink-haired, pierced like a pincushion owner Sharon, and she‘d been more than open to hosting the event there. The place was lovely, with wooden floors and glossy oak tables and sweet, heavenly scents that seemed to saturate the very walls.

Sierra had insisted that her party be for men and women. That meant that nearly everyone from the apartment complex would be there. As far as I knew, Riley wouldn’t.

“You ready for this?” Sharon asked, placing a tiered cupcake holder full of culinary delights on the counter. Sharon had even worked with me to make sure everything was vegan, since that was really important to Sierra. I would have never managed that on my own.

“Brownies?” I asked.

“Acorn brownies,” she said with a smile.

Sierra was infamous for once making brownies out of acorns and then feeding them to all her friends without any sort of heads-up.

“You seem different, Gabby,” Sharon said, pausing and leaning against the counter. “I've noticed it the past few times I've seen you.”

I pressed my lips together, feeling rather reflective and burdened with thought. “I guess I am different. Life can do that to you sometimes. I’m not the same person as I was last year at this time.”

“Does it have anything to do with him?” She nodded toward the door.

My throat went dry as Riley walked toward the coffee shop. He was coming. Argh.

“I guess he’s been a part of it. I'd be lying if I denied it.”

“That's one thing I’ve always loved about you. You call it like you see it.”

“I try to.” Although I had learned to hold my tongue more as the years went on. Not every thought that passed through my mind needed to be voiced out loud. That required some self-control, an attribute that only came with effort.

“You got this, Tiger.” She nudged me forward.

I plastered on a smile and stepped toward my ex-fiancé. “Riley. I didn’t realize you were coming.”

He looked great in his low-slung jeans and a blue T-shirt that clung to his muscles. His hair glistened, shower-fresh, and I could only imagine what he smelled like right now.

“I wouldn’t miss it.” He offered that sincere smile that always got to me.

Thankfully, more people flooded in so we didn’t have to force any conversation.

I let people mingle as they arrived, not wanting to rush into any of the candy-bar-in-a-diaper type of games I’d planned. I stood back and watched Riley a moment. He easily talked to everyone, looking happy and at ease. He seemed to genuinely be doing well.

Good for him.

Just at that moment, he caught me staring. I wanted to look away, but instead I smiled sheepishly and waved. He seemed to take that as a cue. He finished his conversation with our neighbor Bill McCormick and approached me. The smile left his face as he got closer, though.

“It’s great to see everyone. It feels like old times.”

I forced a nod, immediately sensing the tension between us. “Doesn’t it?”
Except in old times we were supposed to spend the rest of our lives together.

He glanced over at Sierra and Chad. Sierra rubbed her belly, and Chad leaned down to say something animated to the baby. It was a beautiful sight.

“I’m really happy for Chad and Sierra,” Riley said, following my gaze. “They really seem to have their lives together now, don’t they?”

“They do.” At least a few people in my life did. Maybe I’d put myself on that list one day.

Riley cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. “How’s Garrett?”

“He seems great. He’s going back to Africa.”

Riley blinked as if processing that information. “I’m sure that will be hard on your relationship.”

Was he fishing for more information or trying to get a read on my feelings? I wasn’t sure. “We’re just friends. Our lives aren’t going in the same direction.” I cut a sharp glance at him. “And I was always very hesitant about ever dating him, FYI.”

“You don’t have to explain. I was out of line to bring it up.” He shifted, signaling a change in conversation. “By the way, I think I know what that text Atticus got was about.”

“Really? What?”

“On the news this morning it said something about Griffith Technologies. One of the programmers there left and went with another company. He took some of the product designs with him, and now there’s a big lawsuit starting. As soon as I heard that, I thought of that text. I’d bet anything that’s what it’s about.”

I nodded and let that sink in. “I guess that makes sense.”

Riley glanced at his watch. “I hate to run, but I just wanted to make an appearance and drop off my gift.”

“Hot date?” I wanted to smack myself for asking the question.

“Mixed martial arts class.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Since when?”

“Since I decided to take back control of my life.” He offered a half-shrug, half-nod.

“I’ll see you on Friday morning?”

I nodded. “Sounds good.”

***

On Thursday morning, I had to do a training session . . . where else? On the Eastern Shore for the Northampton County Sheriff’s Department. I wondered if Detective Hanson would be there. Could I possibly be that lucky?

I was going to do my job and not worry about proving myself to anyone. After all, I was a professional. Before I left, I picked up Dr. Turner’s book, trying to shut out all the voices inside my head. Emotions could certainly make a mess of people.

The man really did have some sage advice. His counsel was peppered with Bible verses, but not so overwhelmingly that people who weren’t believers should be offended. Of course, some would be upset at any mention of God or the Bible.

He told stories about his late wife that made her sound like a saint and stressed the importance of sticking with your partner through thick and thin.

He’d definitely spoken the truth into my life, even if I didn’t like it. In fact, I almost found myself craving his advice.

Just as I grabbed my supplies, my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but I did realize the Maryland area code.

“This is Gabby,” I answered.

“Gabby. It’s Rae Gray from the
Baltimore Enquirer
. I got your message.”

The reporter Brad had mentioned. She was finally getting back with me! And she wasn’t dead! Two for two.

“Thanks for giving me a call. We were worried something happened to you.”

“Happened to me? My uncle died. I was in Wisconsin for his funeral. I like to keep private things private so that’s why no one at the office told you what was going on. Now, how can I help you?”

“Brad Thorn told me he contacted you about his wife’s death.”

“That’s correct. I thought it was interesting, and I planned to look into what happened. Then my uncle died.”

“Any reason why his wife’s death interested you?”

“I’ve had my suspicions about the retreat center, especially after I heard what happened to Khloe Wescott.”

“Khloe Wescott?” I hated being clueless, but that’s exactly what I was at the moment.

“The woman who died at another retreat run by Dr. Turner.”

“What?” Had I heard correctly?

“I figured you knew.”

“I had no idea.” How had that detail slipped past?

“She was a mess. Had cheated on her husband five or six times. Started drinking too much. Had done some irresponsible things. I guess people weren’t surprised she died after living the way she did.”

“How did she die?”

“A heart attack.”

I bit down for a moment. A heart attack didn’t exactly fit my overall theory that something shady was going on. Yet I couldn’t dismiss it either. “You should know that another woman fell off a cliff last weekend. She’s on life support right now.”

“Now, that’s just crazy. How can anyone deny something is going on?”

“That’s my exact question. Do you have any theories about what had happened to either Anna or Khloe?”

“Well, I’ve been trying to connect the dots. There are only so many people who were at both of the retreat centers. At first I thought about Dr. Turner. I mean, he’s the connector, right? But I looked into his background, and I even talked to him once, and he seemed sincerely upset about what had happened. There were only two other people at both of the retreat centers.”

“Who were they?”

“Blaine Stewart and Steve Anderson.”

“Well, we can rule Blaine out. She almost died when someone tampered with her boat.”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to rule her out.”

“Why in the world would she do something like this?” I asked, trying to picture Blaine as a murderer.

“Because I discovered she used to be one of Dr. Turner’s patients. Of course, her official diagnosis is confidential, but I talked to some people who used to know her. Apparently, she suffers with some kind of obsessive disorder.”

“Do you know how that disorder manifests itself?” Really, what she’d said could mean so many things and take on various forms. I needed more details.

“From what I hear, she’s basically delusional with attachment disorders.”

“Any idea how that plays out in her life?”

“No, but it makes her a suspect to me.”