We'll Never Tell (Secrets of Ravenswood) (8 page)

Her smile shook. “I
guess I’m not.”

“And now that sorry sack
of shit is threatening you again?”

“The message he left
after Darby’s
accident
is still on the recorder.” She glanced over at
the machine. “He didn’t call after the fire. Maybe he thought we were smart
enough to figure it out for ourselves.”

“Bastard.”

“Juliette and I were
going to tell the sheriff today. We all agreed, but now…” She bit her lip.

“You’re afraid the next
time won’t be scrapes and bruises or a singed floor.”

She looked directly at
him, her beautiful green eyes shadowed with worry. “What do you think we should
do?”

“Move in with me.” The
words slipped out before he could stop them, but he didn’t regret the outburst.
The thought of something happening to Sam made his heart ache.

Her lips curved. “You’re
sweet, but playing bodyguard won’t solve the problem.”

“If it keeps this
asshole from taking a shot at you, it’s a damn good start.”

“What about Juliette and
Darby? I won’t leave my friends to fend for themselves. Maybe we should do what
he wants and stay quiet. Let the police figure it out without our help.”

“Honestly, can you live
with that?”

“I can try.”

The seconds ticked by.
In the corner, the refrigerator kicked on with a loud hum. Ethan leaned back in
his chair, letting her story sink in. “If you tell the sheriff everything you
know, this cretin won’t have any more reason to try to keep you quiet.”

“Except revenge.” A
shudder ran through her.

“He killed that woman by
accident in a fit of anger, but he let you and your friends go. He doesn’t seem
like a cold-blooded murderer.”

“My point exactly. If we
tell the sheriff what we saw, it may enrage him into a rash act.”

“They’ll reconstruct the
woman’s face and match it to the missing persons database. With DNA and dental
records, it won’t be long before the authorities have a positive ID for her.”

Frown lines etched
across her brow. “He was her boyfriend. They must have told people they were
going camping that weekend.”

“I’m sure the police
will track him down for questioning as a person of interest.” His fingers
itched to tuck the dangling strand of hair behind her ear, to smooth away the
worry creases bracketing her pink mouth. But he couldn’t make this threat
disappear.

“But—and it’s a big
but—Juliette, Darby, and I are the only ones who can tie him irrevocably to the
murder. Our testimony would send him to prison.”

Her words, spoken in a
matter of fact tone, chilled his blood. The killer would only remain anonymous
until the victim’s identity was revealed. Afterwards… “Shit.”

“If we go to the
authorities, his only option will be to make certain we aren’t around to
testify against him.”

“Jesus, Sam.” The fear
in her eyes fed his own. “This is Ravenswood, not exactly a haven for Mafia hit
men.”

She folded her arms over
her chest. “Maybe not, but the principle still applies.” When she raised the
mug of hot chocolate to her lips a moment later, it rattled against her teeth.

Standing, he took her
hand and led her out of the kitchen and into the living room. Pushing her down
on a big, tan couch, he settled beside her. When she leaned against his
shoulder, he slid an arm behind her back and pulled her close. She was not a
small woman, but she felt fragile in his embrace. Breakable.

“I’ve been thinking.”

She glanced up at him,
and her lips curved. “Yeah? My brain took a leave of absence at
eliminate
the witness
.”

“Funny, Sam.” His arm
tightened a fraction around her waist. “Here’s the scenario I came up with. You
and your friends keep quiet and stay away from the sheriff’s office. Hell, take
out an ad in the newspaper—
We’ll never tell.”

She choked and sputtered
on a laugh. “Seriously?”

“The ad may be a little
over the top, but I’m tempted.”

“I like it so far. My
sense of self-preservation definitely approves, but I have a feeling you aren’t
finished.”

“Not quite. You lay low
and lull this hot headed maniac into a false sense of security. Meanwhile, I
keep my ears open and pump Ken for information. I swear the man knows
everything that happens in Ravenswood before anyone else. Once I have the
victim’s name—”

“Wait just a minute.” She
jerked forward, turned, and stared at him, brows knit. “I’m supposed to sit at
home like some wimpy heroine in a B rated slasher movie while you play
detective?”

He grinned, amused by
the outrage in her voice. Sam was a lot of things—strong, independent,
determined—definitely not wimpy. “That about sums it up.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Doing nothing may go
against the grain, but think about it. Based on the speed of this guy’s
response after we discovered the body, he must have a contact in town. He’ll
know if you’re making inquiries.”

“I can be subtle.”

He ran a finger down the
soft skin of her cheek. “Believe it or not, Sam, you stand out in a crowd.”

She snorted. “Don’t try
to sweet talk me.”

“It’s the truth.”

She sighed. “I’m not an
idiot. I won’t do anything to put myself or my friends in harm’s way, and that
includes going to the authorities. Telling the sheriff seemed like the only
option, but—”

“I agree. Your safety is
what matters most, so we’ll wait to go the official route.”

“Patience has never been
one of my stronger virtues, but…” She raised her voice when he opened his mouth
to argue. “…I’ll work on it.”

Standing, he pulled her
up beside him and touched her full bottom lip with a single finger. Her breath
whispered across the tip. “Work hard. The thought of someone hurting you…” He
bent and kissed her, his lips lingering. Reluctantly he pulled away. “Damn, I
wish I didn’t have a full schedule today.”

She raised a brow. “Dogs
can’t wait?”

“Not when they’re spoken
for and the buyer expects a certain level of training.”

“Ah.”

He touched a strand of
hair stuck to her jaw. “I don’t want to leave you here alone. Come with me.”

“Can’t. I want to make
sure Juliette’s okay with our plan. I also have to call Darby.” She lowered her
gaze. “I may stop by the firehouse and say hello to Ken afterward.”

“Sam—”

She held both palms out
to stop his protest. “Ken and I are close. He’ll wonder what’s wrong if I avoid
him.”

He pushed a hand through
his hair and stared at her. “We’ve no idea who’s involved in this.”

Her back stiffened. “Not
Ken.”

“No, but what if he
mentions your curiosity about the body we found to the wrong person?” He
squeezed her shoulders and felt a tiny tremor run through her.

“I won’t give him any
reason to say a word. Promise.”

Ethan dropped one last
kiss on her lips and walked through the door before he could change his mind
and stay.

****

“Haven’t seen you since
the body turned up.” Ken leaned back in his creaky, leather desk chair and
twined his fingers behind his head. “Where’ve you been keeping yourself?”

Sam propped herself
against the doorframe into his office and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Juliette and I took a quick trip to San Francisco to see Darby.”

“Girls’ weekend?”

“Something like that.”

His lips curved beneath
his moustache, and his brown eyes sparkled with humor. “Rumor has it, you’re
dating Ethan Thorne.”

Sam rolled her eyes.
“We’ve been out once, had a couple of conversations.”

He sat forward and
planted his elbows on the scarred surface of the desk. “You could do worse.
Ethan’s business has really taken off in the last few years.” His direct gaze
met hers and held. “More importantly, he’s a good guy.”

“I don’t doubt it, but I
think I’ll hold off picking out china patterns until after our second date.”

“Smart ass.” His smile
stretched, and the moustache quivered. “Did you drop by for a reason or just
because you missed me?”

“No reason.” She
straightened and broke eye contact. “Did anything exciting happen while I was
out of town?”

“Nope, they transferred
the body you found down the mountain to a bigger lab. They’re working on
identifying her now.”

“Her?”

“Our ME determined the
victim was a female in her late teens or early twenties. They’ll run more tests
to narrow it down, but it looks like she died around twenty years ago.”

Sam let out a breath.
“Imagine, all those years…”

“Yeah, I’ve hiked by
that spot dozens of times. I can’t help wondering what happened to her out in
those woods.”

“Do you think the
authorities will figure it out?”

“Once they identify her,
the investigation will gear up. We’ll have to wait and see. There certainly
won’t be much evidence after all this time.”

She nodded and changed
the subject. “Is Lenore busy with plans for the fall festival?”

The chair creaked as he
leaned back and scowled. “The woman spends all her time on the phone. Last
night she told me she was busy, and I could make my own dinner if I was
hungry.”

Sam grinned. “Poor baby.
Did you starve?”

“Not likely,” he
growled. “I can grill a steak with the best of them.”

“Maybe I’ll call Lenore
and offer to help with preparations for the festival. I’m not going anywhere
for a while.”

“Good.” Concern shone in
his eyes. “You look a little ragged around the edges. Constantly on the go the
way you are, it’ll wear you down if you aren’t careful.”

Her frazzled appearance
had a lot more to do with a killer’s threats than job burnout. “Then you’ll be
pleased to know I’m taking a break, at least for a month or two.”

“Good,” he repeated.
“Call Lenore. Better yet, come to dinner.” He drummed his fingers on the desk
and frowned. “Shoot, we have plans tonight, but tomorrow is open. Bring Ethan
with you.”

She smiled. “I’d love
to. Thanks, Ken.”

“Sam?”

Pausing on her way out
the door, she glanced over her shoulder. “Yes?”

His eyes twinkled.
“Lenore loves to shop. She’d be happy to help you pick out a china pattern.”

“Now who’s the smart
ass? See you tomorrow.”

****

The phone rang, and rang
again, its shrill peal jangling along her nerve endings. Sam reached out just
before the machine picked up. “Hello.”

“I got your message.”

She dropped onto a chair
and lifted the cup of tea steeping on the table. Grimacing at the heat, she set
it back down. “Hey, Darby.”

“Hey, yourself. I talked
to Juliette. Sounds like you had an eventful morning.”

Taking a cautious sip of
the steaming liquid, she closed her eyes. “This guy is serious, Darb. If we
don’t play nice, I’m afraid he’ll do more than threaten.”

“Then we’ll follow his
rules. Simple.”

Sam ran a finger along
the rim of the cup and frowned. “Ken thinks they’ll have an ID for the woman
soon.”

Darby’s sigh came
through the receiver. “After all these years, it’ll be good to put a name to
the face. She deserves that.”

“Even better if we find
the son of a bitch who killed her.”

“What?”

“We can’t tell the
sheriff what we saw, but that doesn’t mean I won’t hunt for him myself.
Discretely of course.”

Darby’s voice rose. “My
God, Sam, you’re asking for trouble.”

“I’m not. Honest. And I
won’t be alone playing detective. Ethan is pretty adamant I stay clear and let
him do the majority of the legwork.” She stared at the steam rising from her
mug. “He doesn’t want me to take any chances.”

“Hmm.”

 “What does that
mean?”

“Nothing. I’m glad
someone is looking out for you. You like this guy?”

“I do.” She looked up at
the cobweb hanging from the cabinet over the refrigerator. How long had it been
since she’d cleaned more than surface areas? How long since she’d been home
long enough to have the time?

“Are you there, Sam?”

“Yeah.” She let out a
breath. “I do like him, but I don’t want to get hurt. The way my life rolls,
I’m only around long enough to get my emotions tangled up, and then—”

“So stay. You’ve been
living like a freaking nomad since you graduated from college. Reality
check—it’s been seven years. You’re allowed to spend more than a month at a
time at home. You can’t save everyone, no matter how hard you try.”

Sam bit her lip.
“Juliette said the same thing. So did Ken.”