Hunted Love (A Dangerous Kind of Love Book 2) (31 page)

“No,” Maggie said quickly practically lunging over the desk. “No, she did want a room. She did.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. She didn’t say.” She wiped away a tear. “I’m telling the truth. She did want a room that night.”

Ashton reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. “Do you remember the detective in charge of the case?”

“Yes,” Maggie said hesitantly.

“Do you know it’s a crime to lie to the police during a murder investigation?” Ashton said pressing a number into her phone.

Maggie reached out and cupped her hands around Ashton’s phone. “Please don’t. I don’t want—” She looked helplessly at Sarah, clearly looking for an ally.

Sarah looked back at her in sympathy.

“Don’t want what?” Ashton asked. “You don’t want to go to jail? You don’t want the real killer caught?”

Maggie jerked back in surprise. “Real killer? What are you talking about? They caught Robin’s murderer. His name was James Murphy.”

“How do you know that?” Sarah asked.

“Because I…” Maggie pursed her lips together for a moment. “Because that’s what the paper said. They said he pled guilty. They found him next to her body.”

“Someone knocked Jamie out when he entered the room,” Sarah said.

Uncertainty flickered through Maggie’s eyes. “That was just an excuse. He was there.”

“Did you see him there?” Ashton asked.

Maggie slowly nodded.

“What happened that night, Maggie?” Sarah asked.

When Maggie didn’t answer right away, Ashton turned back to her phone.

“Please,” Maggie said, “I don’t want to get involved.”

“It’s too late for that,” Ashton pointed out.

Maggie started to say something but was interrupted by the hotel’s phone.

Sarah mouthed a grateful, “Thank you,” to her sister as Maggie walked away.

“Well, what do you know?” Ashton whispered in amusement. “It seems you were right. Maggie does know something.”

“How are we going to get it out of her?”

“Don’t worry, she’s about to crack,” Ashton whispered as Maggie hung up the phone.

“Why don’t you want to get involved, Maggie?” Ashton asked when the young woman returned.

“I know enough about the O’Malleys to know it doesn’t pay to be too observant sometimes.” Maggie closed her eyes. “If I tell you what I saw, do you promise not to tell anyone I was there?”

“We already know you were there,” Ashton said. “Promises don’t—”

Sarah laid a hand on her sister’s arm cutting her off. “Yes, we promise. You have my word if you tell us the truth none of us will say anything.”

“Even you?” Maggie asked looking at Ashton.

Ashton sighed as she put her phone back in her purse. “So, what happened when you got to the pub that night?”

“I don’t know. I never made it inside. Robin was supposed to wait by the door and then come running out when she saw my car.”

“Then what?” Ashton asked.

“I was going to drive her back to the Howard. I reserved a room for her before I left.” She snorted. “Jane Smith.”

“What?” Sarah asked.

“That was the alias she used whenever she stayed at the Howard, which was quite a lot back then.”

“I thought you two were no longer friends,” Sarah said.

“I hadn’t spoken to her in years, but then one day a few years before she died, she walked into the Howard, saw me behind the counter, and ran up to me like she used to when we were kids. Before I knew it, we were friends again. We didn’t hang out and do stuff together, but we were still friends.”

“What was she doing there?” Ashton asked.

“Waiting for her boyfriend.”

“Brian Shaw?” Sarah asked.

“I think so. Maybe. I never knew his name. Well, not his real name anyway.”

“And you never asked about him?” Ashton asked.

“I knew better than to ask questions. I knew all about her dad you see.” Maggie grimaced. “I figured if Robin was going to all the trouble to hide this guy from her father, then I was better off not knowing the details. She agreed with me. Whenever she talked about him, she just called him Mr. Smith, but she did slip up and call him Brian a few times. I don’t really know anything else about him, just that he was tall, dark, and handsome. Just Robin’s type.”

“Did you see him at the pub the night she died?” Sarah asked.

“I never saw
him
,” Maggie said. “After I arrived to pick her up, I waited on the street for a few minutes for her to come out. I was just about to get out of my car and go in and hurry her up when that other man arrived.”

“What man?” Sarah asked.

“I don’t know his name. He worked for Robin’s father.”

“Can you describe him?” Ashton asked.

“He was a real big guy. Built like a sumo wrestler.”

“Moose,” Sarah said, excitedly. “Did you hear a gun shot while you were waiting?”

“No, I never heard a gunshot. Everything was quiet that night.”

Ashton and Sarah exchanged a look.

“What time did you get to the pub?” Ashton asked.

“About 3:30.”

“It doesn’t take that long to get from the Howard,” Sarah said. “If Robin called you exactly at three—”

“I couldn’t leave right away. I was helping a customer and I had to wait for my break. Plus, it was snowing outside and the roads were slick. I got there around 3:30.”

“And Moose arrived after you.” Sarah glanced at her sister in disappointment. “At least twenty minutes after the gunshot.”

“What did you do then?” Ashton asked.

“I went back to work. I figured Robin had called her father and he sent the big guy to pick her up.” She rubbed her hands down her arms. “Frankly, he was creeping me out. I could see him pacing through the windows talking to someone. He kept making these big gestures with his arms. I swear he looked out the window and looked right at me at one moment. Scared me so bad I literally ducked down and hid in my car.”

“Could you tell who he was talking to?” When Maggie shook her head, Ashton asked, “Can you describe the person?”

“Not really. I never saw their face. They were sitting down with their back to me. All I could tell was that the person had short black hair. At least I think they did. I was pretty far away and it was dark. It could have been a hat for all I know. It was rather cold outside.”

“What happened next?” Ashton asked.

“I was on my break and had to get back to work, so I left. I was just pulling away from the curb when the guy the papers said killed her drove up. I didn’t see anything else and I didn’t find out Robin was dead until the next day.”

“Why didn’t you tell the police the truth when they questioned you?” Sarah asked.

“I’ve heard stories about Robin’s father and his friends. The last thing I wanted to do was be a witness to a crime. Besides, I thought they caught the guy who killed her. The papers said the murderer was found standing over her body holding the murder weapon. I saw no reason to stick my neck out and get involved. I mean he pled guilty. It was over with.”

“It’s not over with,” Sarah said. “Jamie didn’t kill her. Someone planted the gun on him. The real killer is still out there.”

Maggie lifted her hands up as a scared look came in her eyes. “If that’s true, then I really don’t want to be involved.”

“Do you know of anyone that might have wanted to kill Robin?” Ashton asked.

“I’m done talking,” Maggie said, shaking her head. “I didn’t see anything and I didn’t hear anything.”

“Maggie, please,” Sarah said, “whoever killed her is after me now. If you don’t help me, I’m a dead woman. Please help me.”

Maggie closed her eyes. After a moment’s hesitation she wearily said, “You should talk to Robin’s sister, Kristen.”

“Why is that?” Sarah asked.

“Because Kristen tried to kill her a week before she was actually murdered.”

Ashton glanced over to Sarah in surprise before turning to look at Maggie. “Did she say why Kristen tried to kill her?”

“Robin told me that she and her sister got into a fight about Nathan, the man Robin was going to marry, and Robin blurted out that she knew Kristen’s secret and that she was going to tell their dad. Kristen got so angry she pushed Robin down the stairs. Luckily, they weren’t up very high, so Robin didn’t get too hurt, just bruised.”

“Did Robin tell you what Kristen’s secret was?” Ashton asked.

“All she said was that Kristen was sleeping with the enemy.” Maggie shook her head sadly. “Those two girls never had a chance to be sisterly with one another. They fought constantly about everything and they were brutal too. It was their dad’s fault though. He encouraged them to fight with one another. Robin said that he thought it was funny.” She made a face. “Men like him should never be allowed to adopt children.” She glanced back at the phone as it rang. “Look, I need to get back to work.” She looked at Sarah sadly. “I wish I could help more, but I honestly don’t know anything else,” she said before turning and picking up the phone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Sarah laid Casey’s phone on her lap with a sigh before turning to look out the window as rain pelleted the window. After their meeting with Maggie, they jumped in the truck and headed back to Lexington, only stopping long enough to get dinner before getting back on the road. They were now thirty minutes outside of Lexington and on their way to Casey’s place to wait until it was time to leave for the airport.

“I don’t understand why Jamie’s not answering.” Sarah ran her fingers through Rory’s fur. “I’m starting to get worried. He was supposed to call before he left.”

“He said he
might
call,” Casey said. “The roads are pretty slick, so he may have decided to stay there another night.”

“Then why isn’t he answering his phone?”

Ashton flipped through the fashion magazine Sarah had picked up when they stopped for gas ten minutes before. “I’m sure he’s fine. If Fletcher was going to show up, he would have done it by now.”

“I just wish I could talk to him about what Maggie told us. I’m convinced Danny and Moose are the ones who planted the gun on Jamie.”

“I thought you said Danny has red hair,” Ashton said. “Maggie said the person Moose was talking to had black hair.”

“She also said that she wasn’t sure. It was cold outside. He or she could have been wearing a hat. Danny and Moose are practically joined at the hip,” Sarah said. “I can’t imagine Moose being there without Danny, and out of the two of them, I can see Danny planting the gun but not Moose. At least I don’t think it would have been his idea.”

Casey shook his head. “Well, let’s assume she was right. Who do you know with short black hair that could possibly be a suspect?”

“Brian Shaw has black hair,” Sarah said. “So does Wade Hogan, but I don’t know whether their hair was long or short back then. Kristen had short black hair. From the pictures I’ve seen of her, she’s always had short hair, but we can obviously rule her out. I think—”

“Why can we rule her out?” Casey asked. “Didn’t Maggie say that Kristen tried to kill Robin only a week before the girl died?”

“Kristen’s a victim,” Sarah explained patiently. “She’s on Fletcher’s hit list, just like I am.”

“Are you sure?” Casey looked at her in the rearview mirror “How do you know that?”

“Because he tried to kill her on New Year’s Eve,” Sarah said.

“Yet,” Casey said turning his attention back to the road, “somehow the top notch assassin managed to miss her and she lived to tell the tale.”

Ashton slowly lifted her head and looked at Casey.

Sarah leaned forward. “He also tried to kill her at the gorge. The poor girl broke her arm.”

Casey looked at her in the rearview mirror again. “I thought you said that she broke her arm when her horse threw her.”

“The horse only threw her because Fletcher scared him,” Ashton said.

Casey nodded. “And the top notch assassin managed to miss his target. Again.”

“Joker was going wild at the time trying to buck her off,” Sarah said. “Fletcher probably couldn’t get a good enough shot.”

Ashton closed the magazine and looked over her shoulder. “Casey does have a point. We don’t really know who to trust and Kristen does have a motive for wanting Robin dead. She and her sister couldn’t stand each other. Robin had threatened to expose this secret of hers and Robin was on the verge of marrying Nathan, who Kristen married shortly after her sister died. And if you notice the only person who’s died in the last couple of days besides the bodyguards Kristen hired was Holly. The woman you suspect was having an affair with Kristen’s husband.”

Casey snapped his fingers. “Yeah, maybe all this is some sort of smoke screen to hide her real motivation. Maybe she was after Holly all along.”

Ashton nodded excitedly as she turned toward Casey. “The shooting at the pub on New Year’s Eve, the threatening Valentine’s Day cards, the shooting at the gorge, what if they were all carefully designed to throw suspicion off of her.”

“Right,” Casey said, “even the incident at the gorge when she got hurt could have just been a lucky accident. I mean who would suspect she was behind it all now.”

Sarah shook her head as they continued to flesh out their theory.

“She’s set up a great alibi for herself,” Ashton said. “She was with her sister and Sarah when Holly was being murdered, and then later, she just narrowly escaped the assassin’s bullet.”

Sarah cleared her throat. “Let’s say you’re right. Why send Fletcher after me? She could have done all of that without getting me involved.”

Ashton and Casey exchanged a look.

“If she murdered Robin,” Sarah continued, “why would she want to hire a detective or allow a film crew to look into the case?”

They were silent for a moment, and then Ashton waved her hand dismissively. “We haven’t ironed out all the details just yet.”

Sarah absentmindedly scratched Rory behind the ear as she stared out the window. “I’m far more suspicious of Brian than I am of Kristen. He and Robin had a lover’s quarrel the night she died. Jamie said the money and her ring disappeared that night. He also told me that Brian used to be a thief.”

“Why would the doctor want you dead?” Casey asked.

“Or Kristen or Phoebe for that matter?” Ashton asked with a snort. “What’s his motive?”

“I’m not sure yet, but it’s more plausible than Kristen being behind it all.” Sarah snapped her fingers. “I know. He’s afraid he’ll be exposed. Now that Phoebe and Kristen are stirring everything up, he’s worried the truth will finally come out, so he wants to kill them before that happens and since Jamie is the only one who knows his secret, he’s decided to have him killed too. I was just the bait to bring Jamie back out into the open.”

Casey frowned. “But didn’t the doctor already know how to find Jamie? Wasn’t he the one who contacted him and told him you were in the hospital?”

“Well . . .” Sarah bit her lip. “Hmm.”

“I think you’re reaching,” Ashton said returning to her magazine.

Sarah stared at the back of her sister’s head. “You know,” she said slowly, “actually, now that I think about it you could be right about Kristen. Robin must have been a nightmare to live with. I can see poor Kristen finally snapping after one snide comment too many and lashing out in a blind rage against her sister. Kristen probably dreamt of wringing her sister’s neck night after night after night after night.”

Ashton lifted her head. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced at her sister over her shoulder. “I hope you’re not speaking from personal experience.”

Sarah smiled sweetly. “Of course not.” Her grin widened. “Madison though . . . You should hear some of the things she says in her sleep.”

Ashton scowled. “When we land in the Bahamas, I’m getting my own room.”

Sarah laughed as she turned back to the window. “You know what we should do. We should go talk to Moose. He can tell us who was waiting for him in the pub with Robin’s body.”

“Oh, no.” Ashton shook her finger. “Not tonight we’re not. We all are going to the Bahamas.”

“What do you mean
we all
?” Casey said turning to look at her.

“You’re coming with us,” Ashton said as though it was already an obvious fact.

“I can’t drop everything and run off to the Bahamas,” Casey said. “You seem to think that I live a carefree life of leisure with the freedom to pick up and go on your whim, but I do have responsibilities. I can’t just leave.”

Ashton flipped a page over. “I met your manager the other night. He said that he practically runs the place single handed.”

Casey’s mouth dropped open.

“Besides,” Ashton continued, “Madison’s new boyfriend can’t protect both of us.”

“She’s the only one that’s in danger,” he said jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

“Did you not hear her a few minutes ago,” Ashton said dropping her voice low. “Frankly, I might need some protection myself down there from my loving sisters. You know I give and I give and this is the thanks I get.” She flipped another page over with a sharp flick of her wrist.

“I can’t just walk away from my business.”

“I’ll pay for everything.”

“I have responsibilities,” he said slowly.

“I will pay you double what I offered you last night.”

“I just have to stop at the gym and get my passport.” He pointed his finger at her. “I am warning you right now, I can’t stay more than a couple of days. Once we get down there, you’re going to have to find another bodyguard.”

“We’ll see,” Ashton said.

Sarah picked up the cell phone again and dialed Jamie’s number, hoping he’d pick up this time. “I don’t understand why he’s not answering his phone.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Ashton said. “Fletcher’s probably laying low for the moment, hiding from the police in some hole in the ground, far away from here at the moment. Trust me, everything’s fine.”

*  *  *

Jamie peered out one of the main stable’s broken windows into the darkness. He could just make out the figure, dressed head to toe in camouflage fatigues and high tech military gear, creeping slowly towards the house.

Jamie looked through the rifle sight, watching as the man left the safety of the woods and stepped out into the open. He had been waiting for this moment since he spotted the assassin hiding out in the woods several hours before from the upstairs window.

After making sure to make it look like someone was home, he had snuck down into the basement and then into the secret tunnel leading to the stables. Once there, he climbed up into the loft, simply settled in and waited for Fletcher to make his move. It wasn’t until the sun went down and night descended that Fletcher finally made his way to the edge of the woods.

Fletcher stood and looked around uncertainly. Crouching low, he dashed across the field toward the house.

Jamie’s fingers tightened on the weapon.

He could end it all now.

Just one shot and it would all be over.

He loosened his grip.

Except it wouldn’t be over
, he thought sadly. Whoever had hired Fletcher would just hire another. Unfortunately, he needed the man alive and well enough to talk.

High above, Jamie watched as Fletcher tried to peer through the boards covering the window into the house before cautiously moving to the old sunroom with its broken windows, damaged roof, loose flooring, and hidden digital recorder.

Jamie pressed the remote control he was holding to the recorder and watched as Fletcher reacted by ducking behind the wall. He smiled grimly. If everything went to plan, Fletcher would hear Jamie’s voice telling Sarah that he was going upstairs to take a shower, hopefully prompting the assassin to move to the damaged sunroom where a trap awaited him.

Jamie had spent a good portion of the day loosening the already damaged floorboards directly in front of the sunroom door in the hopes that Fletcher, when he finally arrived, would take the easiest way inside.

He held his breath, waiting for Fletcher to take the bait, only releasing it when the man swung a leg through one of the broken windows and disappeared inside.

Jamie climbed down the loft’s ladder and padded softly to the hidden door leading to the tunnel, where hopefully Fletcher was now waiting for him with a couple of broken legs. He passed by a window on his way, and stopped and stared as Fletcher crawled back through the opening in the sunroom and disappeared around the side of the house.

Jamie muttered a curse as he ran to the stable door. He started to race out, but skidded to a stop just as Fletcher reappeared. He ducked behind the door and watched through the window as Fletcher cautiously stepped away from the house and back toward the woods.

Seeing his chance at capturing the man slipping away, Jamie looked around helplessly for some way to draw Fletcher’s attention to the stables. Setting the rifle aside, he picked up an old rusted hammer and threw it against the wall.

Fletcher jerked to the side at the sound. He quickly dashed behind a giant oak tree and looked toward the stables.

Jamie reached for the gun attached to his belt as he slipped into one of the old stalls near the back of the stable to wait.

Less than a minute later, Fletcher stepped inside, quickly moving to one of the thick posts in the center of the room and hiding behind it.

“You in here, Murph? Is Sarah?”

Jamie pressed his back against the wall.

“Found your digital recorder,” Fletcher said tossing it across the room. “Nice try.” There was silence, then, “Looks like you had a little storm damage out here. Pity about your sunroom. You need to get someone out here and have that room fixed. I almost fell through the floorboards, but luckily, I caught myself just in time and pulled myself up.” He laughed. “I really ought to sue.” He dodged to another post, moving closer to Jamie’s hiding place but still staying well out of view. He reached out a leg, kicking open a stall door. “I could have sworn I saw you in the house an hour ago. How did you get out here?” There was silence, then a shuffle of footsteps as he moved to another post and finally an annoyed, “Are you in here? Ah, you know what? I don’t need the money that bad.” He stepped out of the shadows and began firing into the walls of the horse stalls one by one.