Murder on the Hill (21 page)
Read Murder on the Hill Online
Authors: Kennedy Chase
Tags: #(v5), #Suspense, #Women Sleuth, #Mystery, #Animal, #Romance, #Thriller
Words choked in my throat. This man’s pain and dignity overwhelmed me. I could only nod and pat his hand before he turned away and walked out of the room. He passed his daughter, looking at her only briefly as he disappeared into the house.
A policewoman entered the room holding a pair of plastic bags. One with the black diamonds inside, presumably the real ones and not the fakes Ivanov had bought, and another with a stack of cash and photos of Mr. Bellman kissing Mrs. Kirino.
“Okay,” Alex said, “take them away. We’ve got enough to charge them. And, Harley, you’ll have to come down to the station later to make an official statement.”
“Of course.”
“Good work, that was seriously impressive.”
All his cocky bravado had gone, and now he was just this gorgeous, intense man who pinned me in place with those penetrating eyes of his. I blinked, remembering the kiss with Cole and remembering what an ass Alex had been to Cordi.
That didn’t quite dispel his potent magic. I gave him a shrug and left the Kirinos’, stepping out into the dark evening and taking a deep breath. It’d been a long and tiring day.
I leaned up against a streetlight and thought about what to do next. I had the money Cordi had given to me in my pocket, along with the ID cards and passport from Cole. I could get on a train and start again somewhere. Get away from Ivanov. Find a new life.
But then there was Cordi.
Could I leave her behind after all she had done for me?
As Alex and the police took Katie and Jim away, I headed for the nearest tube station, trying to decide where to go. I had two choices: take the train east toward Notting Hill, or west and head out of London and go somewhere new.
I got to the tube station and stood in the middle of the platform. There was a train on both sides: east and west.
The doors opened, and workers and tourists alike filtered to and from. I got on the train and hoped I had made the right decision.
CHAPTER 24
I got off the train, left the station, and walked up the street. I came to a door and knocked twice. The street was in near total darkness, and a chill had settled on the air. I shivered, but not necessarily from the cold.
With no answer, I knocked again and waited, worrying that I’d made the wrong decision. A moment later, movement came from beyond the door, followed by the sound of locks being unbolted.
The door opened.
“Harley!”
“Cordi,” I said, returning her smile.
She rushed out and hugged me. “You silly girl, you should have called me. I was worried after I spoke with Alex. I had no idea where you went, and you weren’t answering your phone. I thought…”
“How could I leave after all you’ve done? Besides, I’ll have to face Ivanov at some point. I might as well get it over with.”
“That’s why I tried to call you,” she said. “I’ve got some fantastic news, though I’m not the only one. Come through to the kitchen. You’ve got a visitor.”
I looked behind me before I entered, smelling cigarette smoke in the air. The miserable woman from across the road was there again on her steps puffing away. I was about to ignore her this time and head in when she gave me a brief smile and wave.
Huh, seems like whoever she was, she was happy to see me back.
Returning the wave, I went inside and followed Cordi to the kitchen.
“Cole,” I said, surprised.
He was sat there at the end of the kitchen table, immaculately presented as always. Before him lay a piece of folded paper and a small shoebox. How odd.
“Welcome back,” he said, his eyes twinkling with hidden promises. I wanted to leap over the table and kiss those lips of his again, but I’d already broken enough of Cordi’s stuff. “I’ve got some good news and bad news.”
“Urgh, tell me the bad news first. It’s to do with Ivanov, isn’t it?”
“It is. The bad news is that he got away from the police at the auction and has discovered the diamonds are fake, meaning he’s going to want to put that responsibility on you.”
“Great, like I don’t owe him enough already. What’s the good news?”
He grinned like a shark, showing his teeth. “The auctioneer’s unimpressive assistant wasn’t so unimpressive.”
“Oh dear, what have you done, Cole?” I groaned.
Cordi was doing her best not to spill the news. Like Cole, she wore a grin and was hopping from one foot to the other with excitement. “Tell her, then,” she said, unable to hold it in.
“Let’s just say she wasn’t all she appeared to be, and not all the money that was handed to the auctioneer found its way into his case before the police arrived. Let’s just say, theoretically, that if I had happened to have known this girl before the auction that I could perhaps have made a deal to split the proceeds.”
He lifted the lid on the shoebox.
I peered inside and gasped. It was full of cash and something else: two black diamonds.
“I can’t believe it. How much is there? How did you get the diamonds? I saw the police at Kirino’s place with them in the evidence bag.”
“Fakes,” he said.
My head was hurting trying to work this out. “I thought Ivanov bought the fakes?”
“Not all of them were. The auctioneer’s assistant switched the necklace Ivanov bought with a second fake—one that I had my best forger work on.”
“A fake of a fake?” I shook my head. “That’s kind of genius.”
“Meh, it’s just one of those things,” Cole said. “So anyways, there’s enough cash here to pay off Ivanov for good, and with the police sniffing around, he’s making plans to leave the country and return to Mother Russia. He won’t be a problem anymore.”
“So what you’re saying, then, is that really there is no bad news?” My grin stretched across my face as the burden of paying Ivanov melted away.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Cordi said. “There’re a couple more things. The first is I have enough money to settle with Alex and keep the house, but he demanded one stipulation.”
“Oh no, Cordi, what is he asking for now?”
“You,” she said.
“Um, what?”
Cordi took a folder off a kitchen worktop and placed it before me on the table. She flipped it open and presented me with a piece of paper and a pen. A sticky arrow pointed to a signature line at the bottom.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Alex’s stipulation. He said he would only accept the settlement if you agree to sign on as partner in the new Silvers & Hill Finders Agency business. You would own fifty percent of the business and be an equal partner.”
Holy crap!
“Cordi, this is… just… too much. I can’t—”
“Harley, babe,” Cole said. “Do it. This is your chance to start again. Ivanov’s gone, you and Cordi obviously work well together. You’ll have a roof over your head and a business to build up.”
“But why would Alex do this?” I asked. I knew the answer but wasn’t comfortable with it. He wanted to give me a reason to stay. I’d seen the way he looked at me. It suited him to have me around. By the look Cole gave me, he knew it too, but then I guessed he wanted me to stay around also; otherwise he wouldn’t have planned the whole auction heist.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said, overcome with emotion. “I mean, no one’s ever looked out for me like this. You two are… well… you know.” I couldn’t stop the tears of relief from flowing.
Cole and Cordi stepped around the table and brought me into a hug. It was the first time in decades that I had felt welcomed and part of a family.
I stayed in the clinch for as long as I could, enjoying the feeling of security and safety.
Eventually, Cole let go and wrapped his arm around my waist. “Well, babe, you signing?”
“Not until I do this.”
I kissed him full on the lips and pressed my body against his, wrapping my arms around the back of his neck. I melted into him again, our bodies becoming one. He gently nipped my bottom lip before delicately tasting me with his tongue. I kissed him back deeply, our tongues twisting together, exploring each other. My body responded, and I had to break away before I got too carried away.
“Okay,” I said, catching my breath. “I’m ready to sign.”
Cordi clapped her hands and squealed with delight.
I signed the papers, and we celebrated with a bottle of champagne the start of our new business venture: Silvers & Hill Finders Agency. We clinked glasses, shared a chorus of cheers, and partied late into the night.
And by partied I mean ate a metric crap-ton of cake while finishing the bottle of champagne. Cordi had cleared the spare bedroom for me and had done a really great job of making it look real nice and clean.
“Why don’t you stay the night?” Cordi said to Cole. “Especially now you’ve had a bit to drink.” She gave me an unsubtle wink. I knew what she was playing at and totally didn’t reject the idea.
Cole, sitting next to me on the sofa, brought his lips close to my ear and with a sultry breath said, “Will you share your bed with me tonight, babe? I heard it gets cold in this old house. I’d do a great job in keeping you warm—all night.”
“That’s a yes,” I blurted out. “Cole’s staying the night.” Hopefully the morning too. I had quite the appetite that needed satisfying.
***
While Cole visited the bathroom, Cordi staggered over to me, falling onto the sofa. She was giggling like she did that night at the
Crobar
. “I forgot, there was one more thing,” she said, her speech slurring slightly. She handed me the folded piece of paper. “After you gave me some computer lessons, I did some digging and found something you might be interested in.”
I unfolded the paper and blinked to focus on the words. “It’s an address,” I said. “North London. What is this, Cordi?”
“Your brother’s address,” she said.
My hands shook and I felt light-headed. I had been searching for my siblings for years. Not even knowing their names, or being able to get the information I needed, I had never made much progress.
“How did you get this?” I asked.
“I’m good at finding things,” she said. “It’s my business. Besides, once I explored the worldy web for a bit, I realised a lot of the data I wanted where I had previously had to go speak with someone or check physical records was available inline.”
“Online,” I said.
“Online, yes, databases and things. So yeah, that’s an address I found. I haven’t contacted them or confirmed it yet, because, well, I wanted you to make that decision. I hope I haven’t pried or offended you by—”
I flung my arms around Cordi, interrupting her words. I couldn’t say anything else other than, “Thank you,” over and over. I sat there for ten minutes just staring at the address and trying to get my head around the idea that I might be able to find my brother.
“You know,” I said as Cole returned, carrying Monty under his arm, “I think things are going to work out well here.”
Monty made a ‘merp’ sound as if to confirm it.
Yes, this was home; this was my future.
I poured out the last of the champagne and raised a toast. “To us, a ragtag group of rogues and bakers, ready to take on the world.”
“Hear, hear,” Cole and Cordi said, clinking our glasses together.
“Oh, one more thing,” I said. “Cole, are you a cop or not? What’s the deal with that?”
“You run a finders agency now,” he said. “Let’s see if you can find out.”
So it looked like I officially had my next mystery to solve. I couldn’t wait to get started with my ‘interrogations’.
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