Midnight Secrets (40 page)

Both were beautiful, with almost identical features, and yet they were so incredibly different.

Tears pooled in Sammie’s eyes as she grabbed Savannah’s hand. “My God, Savvy. Are you okay? When Zach called me, I almost freaked out.”

Before she could answer, Bri sat on the bed and put her head on Savannah’s shoulder. Typical Bri move. When something touched her deeply, she had trouble articulating. After their parents’ deaths, she wouldn’t talk for over a week.

Savannah smoothed her sister’s spiky hair with one hand and squeezed Sammie’s hand with her other. “I’m fine. Just still kind of tired.”

“Your voice … will it be okay?” Sammie asked.

Savannah nodded. “It’ll be fine. I just need—”

“To rest. She’s not supposed to talk.”

Three sets of eyes zoomed to the door where Zach stood. Dressed in faded jeans and a black T-shirt that showed off his broad chest and incredible biceps, he made it hard for Savannah to not salivate. She glanced from one sister to the other and had to swallow a giggle at Bri’s and Sammie’s slightly glazed looks. This was the first time they’d seen Zach in over ten years and were most likely having a similar reaction to the one she’d had. He had changed from the handsome boy they’d known to a sexy, gorgeous man.

“Sorry, I tried to catch you before you ran into the house.” His mouth lifted in a grin. “You two are fast.”

“Hello, Zach.”

The cool greeting came from Sammie. Bri said nothing. The glazed looks had been replaced with a hostile wariness. This reaction didn’t surprise her. They still had no clue why Zach had abandoned her. Though she had told them it was justifiable, until she gave them a better explanation, the hostility would remain.

Zach showed no surprise at this change but his eyes flickered with regret. When he looked at her, his expression softened considerably. “I’ll be in my study if you need me.” His eyes went cool again as he took in Sammie’s and Bri’s accusing glares. “Don’t let her talk too much.”

With those words, he disappeared. Savannah wanted to call him back. As happy as she was to see her sisters, she wanted to soothe Zach. Tell him that her sisters didn’t understand.

“Damn, that man looks good.” The awe in Bri’s words broke the tension. All three women relaxed.

“Have you seen Aunt Gibby?” Savannah asked.

Sammie said, “Not yet. Bri and I arranged to fly into Mobile around the same time. We rented a car there and drove straight here.”

“Is Gibby back home yet?” Bri asked.

Savannah shook her head. “I—”

“Wait.” Sammie held up her hand. “You need to rest your voice, which means to find out what’s going on, we need to get Zach back in here. First things first, and you don’t have to go into detail. Zach’s reasons for what he did … they were absolutely valid?”

Emotion clutched her heart. That’s all her sisters needed—one word from her and there would be no more questions, no more hostility toward Zach. Total faith and trust in each other had been theirs from birth. Nothing could ever change that.

She nodded. Then, because she needed them to know that not only did Zach have her forgiveness, her feelings for him were stronger than ever, she said, “We’re together again.”

“Forever?” Bri asked.

Her chest squeezed tight. She didn’t know the answer to that but everything within her said she hoped for forever and beyond. “I hope so.”

That was good enough for her sisters.

“I’ll go get Zach,” Sammie said.

As soon as her sister walked out the door, Savannah turned to Bri. “What’s wrong with her?”

Bri grimaced and shook her head. “I don’t know. I tried to get it out of her on the way here and she wouldn’t tell me a damn thing. Just said work had been heavy lately.”

Though Sammie was still as beautiful as any cover model, her appearance revealed definite signs of stress. Concern for her sister overrode the pain in Savannah’s throat from talking. “She looks like she’s lost fifteen pounds and hasn’t slept in days.”

“I know. As soon as we find the shithead who killed our parents and tried to kill you and Gibby, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Despite the seriousness, she couldn’t help but smile at her sister’s summation. Quick, concise, and to the point. That was so Bri.

Sammie reappeared and Zach followed behind her, holding a tray of ice-filled glasses and a pitcher of lemonade. Every time he appeared, her heart did somersaults. Only Zach had ever affected her this way. And thanks to him, she was finally alive again. For ten years she had been in a deep freeze, going through the motions of life without actually living it. Zach had brought her back.

About to thank him for the drinks, she was startled when he leaned over and placed his fingertips against her mouth. “Rest. When you want to say something, use this.” For the first time, she noticed that under the tray of drinks was a notepad with an attached pen. Handing them to her, he winked and then proceeded to fill the glasses with lemonade and hand them out.

Relaxing against the pillows, she watched as her sisters sat in the two chairs by the window, leaving Zach to either stand or sit on the bed with Savannah. She was pleased when he grabbed a pillow from the end of the bed, propped it against the headboard, and sat next to her. She scooted closer to him. In an instant, his arm was around her, pulling her even closer. And then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, she lay her head on his shoulder.

The wide-eyed expression of her sisters made her smile. They might be discussing the murder of her parents, but there was nowhere on earth she’d rather be than right here with three of the most important people in her life.

Zach released a measured breath, not wanting to disturb the golden head on his shoulder. Having Savannah do that was more than he expected and a hell of a lot more than he deserved. With that one move, she was telling her sisters that she had forgiven him. Earlier, their glares could have frozen the balls off a bull. Now, that had changed. Though Savannah’s opinion was the only one that mattered to him, her endorsement made him feel like he’d won the lottery.

“Okay. So what do we know?” Sammie asked.

“Not a lot,” Zach answered. “Since the letters were destroyed, all we have left is a half-assed police report, the knowledge that a woman is involved, and a list of suspects.”

“Where’s the list?” Bri asked.

Zach took the tablet he’d given Savannah and ripped out a sheet of paper on which he’d listed all the names of the people who’d been at the Kilgores’ party. He handed the list to Sabrina, who briefly glanced over it and then gave it to Samantha.

“So there were four couples at the party, plus four other people, and you and Savvy,” Samantha said.

“Yeah. Right now, they’re all under surveillance and have been told not to leave town.”

Sabrina snorted. “Bet that went over well.”

Zach shrugged. No doubt about it, he hadn’t made any friends today. He’d been called a couple of names and lawsuits had been threatened. He didn’t give a shit. Someone at that party had killed Maggie and Beckett Wilde and had tried their best to kill Gibby and Savannah. If he had to piss off the entire town or state to get to the truth, that was damn fine with him. Savannah had almost died yesterday. He took that very personally.

“I doubt that I’ll be invited to any more of the mayor’s barbeques for a while.”

“So what’s the plan?” Samantha asked.

“We’re going to interview each person individually. Both of you have extensive investigative and interviewing skills. Brody James and Logan Wright are army buddies of mine who own a security company in Mobile. Brody is guarding your aunt and Logan is over at the Wilde mansion going over the guesthouse with the arson investigator. Between the five of us, we’ll interview them all.”

Savannah raised her head and said, “But—”

Zach put his fingers on her soft lips again. Resisting the need to linger and caress her, he said softly, “Use your notepad … babe.”

She smiled at his endearment; something he had never used until yesterday. Then she jotted quickly,
I can interview, too.

“Right now, you and your voice need to rest.”

Before she could write anything else, he added, “One more day and then you can talk to anyone you want. Okay?”

She nodded and settled back against his shoulder again, seemingly satisfied with his answer. He knew that wouldn’t last long. Savannah wasn’t the type to sit back and let others take charge. She’d throw a fit if he did what he wanted to do, and that was to bundle her and Gibby up and carry them to an undisclosed location. Finding the killer was important; protecting Savannah imperative.

“Where and when do we start?” Bri asked.

“I have the interviews set up at the station starting at four today. If one of you will stay here with Savannah, I’ll go with the other one to the station. We can alternate every few hours, today and tomorrow.”

He expected an argument, but though she stiffened slightly, she didn’t protest. Independent Savannah had suffered a blow yesterday. Zach wanted to kill the bastard for taking away the confidence and self-assurance she’d fought so hard for.

Sabrina stood. “I’ll go with you, Zach. Sammie can stay with Savvy for a few hours.”

He was surprised when instead of agreeing immediately, Samantha glared briefly at Sabrina and then gave him a strained smile. “Of course I’ll stay.”

Deciding the sisters had issues only they could resolve, Zach got to his feet. Not caring that her sisters were watching, he leaned down and gave Savannah a lingering kiss on her soft mouth. When he lifted his head, her eyes were gleaming. Unable to resist, he went back for another taste.

Pulling him closer, she weaved her fingers in his hair as she opened her mouth and took the kiss deeper. Zach groaned, wanting nothing more than to lie beside her and lose himself in her beautiful body.

His breathing slightly labored, he lifted his head and said, “You, Savannah Rose Wilde, are a dangerous woman.”

A smile of contentment curving her mouth, she released him and lay on the pillow again. “Come back home safely,” she whispered.

Knowing if he didn’t get out of the room, he would stay longer, Zach straightened and looked around the room. Apparently Samantha and Sabrina had left to give them privacy.

“I’ll be back in a few hours. There’s food in the fridge if you get hungry. Call me on my cell if you need me for anything. Okay?”

She nodded sleepily and closed her eyes. The doctor had told him she would be drifting in and out of sleep for most of the day. He slipped quietly out of the room and found himself facing two Wilde women with identical looks on their identical faces—determination.

“Okay, Zach, we’re willing to take Savvy on faith. But I swear, if you hurt her again, you’ll be answering to someone a lot tougher than she is. Understand?”

The threat came from Sabrina but Samantha nodded her agreement. Stupid, but he almost hugged them both. He’d always admired how the sisters stuck together.

“That’s one thing I can promise you both. As long as I’m alive, Savannah will never be hurt again, by me or any other person.”

Taking a deep breath, Sabrina gave a nod and said, “Good enough. Now let’s go find out who killed our parents.”

Chapter

Twenty-nine

Zach knew full well he was breaking protocol by having the three Wilde sisters assist with the interviews. He didn’t give a damn. If anyone dared to question him, the sisters’ impressive credentials backed up his decision. That the women were highly trained professionals was secondary to him. No one was more invested in getting to the truth.

Noreen and Kyle Ingram were the first to be interviewed. Zach chose to interview Kyle; Sabrina took on Noreen.

Sitting across from the man who’d obviously been in love with Maggie Wilde and had made little effort to hide the fact that he had moved that adoration to Savannah wasn’t easy. However, he wanted to get Kyle up close and personal, stare him down and determine if he was a sick, twisted murderer or just a sad, pathetic man.

Hound-dog expression firmly in place, Kyle sat quietly across from him, waiting. He didn’t fidget like many people who were being questioned by the police. Zach had seen a suspect’s behavior vary from lackadaisical to hysterical. Never had he seen someone like Kyle. The man’s sad, defeated air made Zach want to shake him just to get a reaction.

“You know why you’re here, Kyle?”

“Yes.”

“Look at me,” Zach snapped.

Kyle’s eye’s flickered upward. Zach leaned forward to catch the man’s gaze. “Here’s the deal. We know Maggie and Beckett Wilde were murdered. We know it was someone they knew. And we know you were obsessed with Maggie Wilde. So, I’m going to ask you outright. Did you kill them?”

Instead of answering directly, his eyes moved away from Zach’s stare to focus on the wall. “I loved Maggie Mae. I would have never hurt her.”

“But you hated Beckett Wilde.”

“She was too good for him.”

“What happened that night, Kyle? Did you lose your temper, maybe? Did things get out of hand? Did you go over to see Maggie and Beckett caught you, leaving you no choice but to kill them both?”

His eyes not moving from the wall behind Zach, Kyle answered quietly, “I loved Maggie and I hated Beckett. I didn’t kill either of them.”