“I don’t know how wise it was of you to come down here,” Vincent said to Caroline.
It had been a couple of days since her visit with Dylan and her mom, and Caroline was finally able to somewhat set her focus back on her brother’s business.
She glanced up at Vincent from her desk at Wilderness Photo Adventures. The fine lines in the face of her brother’s business partner had deepened since she’d first arrived in Cobalt after Owen’s death. She knew he worked hard in the construction trade and often had to travel to get work. Maybe someday the ten percent interest he owned in Wilderness Photo Adventures would really be worth something, freeing him up to take fewer jobs. She hoped so. “I have to get this place up and running on time to meet the financial commitments I’ve made. Otherwise, it all collapses.”
Vincent shoved his hands into his pockets. “That would be sad.” He turned and glanced out her door to the lobby, his gaze resting on the floor-to-ceiling river stone fireplace. “I helped literally build this,” he said to her over his shoulder. Then he shook his head and turned back around. “Every time I come here I remember me and Owen working side by side, and him talking about his dreams for the future. He was so excited.”
Caroline rapidly blinked to keep her eyes from tearing up.
“The offer I made still stands. I think I could get some friends together and buy it from you. Keep your brother’s dream alive without you having to turn your whole life upside down.”
“Thank you. But this is where I need to be right now. For Owen’s sake—and Dylan’s.”
Vincent cleared his throat. “I’ll have time to help you run things. Since it looks like I’m going to be a single man again, I have some time on my hands.”
He’d told her when he’d arrived at the office that his wife, Tiffany, had filed for divorce. Hearing the sorrow in his voice had made her realize how self-centered she’d become. Other people’s troubles might not appear as dramatic as hers right now, but to them they were every bit as real and heartbreaking.
“Have you tried counseling?” she asked. “Owen’s church has some very good programs.” Not that she’d been able to attend church lately.
He shook his head, his expression grim. “It’s going to take a lot more than talk to fix things between Tiffany and me.” He walked out of her office and into the lobby where Dottie was putting some newly arrived advertising flyers into the holders on a display board.
“Caroline, it looks like your nine o’clock appointment is here,” Zane called out. He’d been standing by the front door, keeping an eye on everything happening outside. Now he strode into her office. “Let me see the guy’s picture on your computer screen to make sure it’s him.”
She pulled up the photo she had of the sports equipment supplier who was willing to cut her a deal if she placed her order today.
“Please don’t frisk him when he comes in,” she said while Zane leaned over her shoulder to study the picture.
He gave a little noncommittal grunt in response. He moved back into the lobby and she followed him.
Zane pushed open the door and headed down the front steps and toward the parking area. At the same time, the reserve officer who’d been stationed outside of the building got out of his patrol car. Zane and the officer walked over to the visiting salesman who’d just parked his truck with a small storage trailer attached to it.
Caroline cringed a little. She’d warned the salesman about the situation he was in. Fortunately, he was understanding. And eager to make a sale. Still, this paranoid greeting was not exactly the kind of first impression she’d wanted to make on a new business associate.
She watched the three men talking and soon the salesman was smiling and nodding his head. Soon after that, Zane escorted the salesman up the steps, helping him carry satchels that were presumably filled with samples of winter sports clothes, hats and gloves. The sports equipment samples she wanted to see must be in the trailer. The reserve officer remained outside, watching the long winding driveway that led from the service road along the lake and up to Wilderness Photo Adventures.
Three hours later, Caroline had placed her order and the salesman had left. Now the pressure was really on to get the business up and running in order to pay for all of the stuff she’d just bought.
She grabbed a small bottle of peach-flavored ice tea from the office fridge and walked back into the lobby while cracking the seal on the bottle and taking a couple of swigs.
“All right, Dottie, we’re done,” she called out. “I know it’s been a stressful day and we’ve all been on eggshells wondering if some idiot was going to try and kill me again. I think we’ve put in enough work for now. Go on home and I’ll pay you your full eight hours.”
Her office manager looked up uncertainly from the pile of sales brochures she’d been folding.
“You better take me up on it,” Caroline gently chided. “Pretty soon we’ll be up and running with regular business hours and there’ll be no cutting out early.”
“Well, you make a good argument.” Dottie started organizing the papers into neat piles. “Let me straighten this up a little and I’ll go.”
Caroline took another sip of tea. Zane’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and answered. Whatever the person on the other end said made Zane head toward the window. “I see it.” To Caroline he said, “You didn’t tell me you were expecting anybody else.”
“I’m not.”
Zane relayed that information into his phone and disconnected.
Caroline set down her bottle of tea. “What’s wrong?”
“Jeff says there’s a car coming up the drive and it’s moving fast.”
Caroline took a deep breath and tried to steady the panic that rose up in her stomach. “It might just be kids or tourists trying to drive around the lake. People sometimes don’t realize they took the wrong fork at the junction and that they’re now on a drive that dead-ends here on private property.”
“It would have to be kids with a pretty good allowance,” Zane said, looking out the window. “That’s a very expensive car.”
Caroline stepped up beside him but Zane gestured for her to move back. A few seconds later she saw a luxury sedan slide to a stop in the gravel.
The reserve officer had pulled his patrol car up near the building.
The sedan’s door opened and a woman got out. She was tall and slender, with dark auburn hair. She wore a beautiful black suit that was exquisitely tailored.
“That’s Rowena Sauceda,” Caroline said. “The Chief Operations Officer for the Cobalt Resort. She’s called several times, offering to buy Wilderness Photo Adventures, and each time I’ve turned her down.”
“Well, they say she doesn’t take no for an answer.” Dottie dropped the stack of papers she’d been holding onto her desk and sat down. “I’m hanging around for this.”
“Stand back,” Zane said to Caroline as Rowena Sauceda approached the door.
“Seriously?”
“Yes,” Zane said grimly. “We can’t afford to assume anything.”
“True.” It was foolish of her to think she could tell what a killer would look like. Anyone could be behind the attempts on her life. Even an executive at the resort.
Rowena walked through the door and quickly looked around until she saw Caroline. “You’re a difficult lady to track down.”
“That would be the point,” Caroline said.
“Fair enough.” Rowena glanced around at Zane, Dottie and Vincent. “Can we talk somewhere in private?”
“I’m afraid not.” Caroline had been standing at the back of the lobby but now she stepped forward. The anxiety she’d felt just moments ago quickly turned to anger. Who was Rowena to barge in here when it was obvious Caroline wanted to be left alone? “How did you know I was here?”
“I paid a couple of my employees to keep an eye on the place and let me know if they saw any activity.”
Fury burned the surface of Caroline’s skin. What if those employees had been willing to share that information with someone else for extra money on the side—someone like her attacker? This self-centered woman could have gotten her killed. She bit her lip to keep from saying something she’d regret. “You found me. What do you want?”
“Your business. Name your price.”
“It’s not for sale.”
“Oh, come on. Everything is for sale.”
“That’s not true.” She put her hands on her hips. “Tell me exactly why you want this place so badly.”
Rowena glanced out the window and Caroline got the impression she was carefully reviewing what she was about to say. And that maybe she was withholding something.
“There isn’t a lot of lakeside property available at the moment. This place would be perfect for us. It can be seen from the docks behind our resort. Guests would be able to enjoy an array of outdoor activities. That’s a huge draw these days, more so than we’d anticipated. You also have a nice sandy beach here. And since it used to be a campground, there are already good trails in place for hiking or snowshoeing.
“People on vacation want convenient, easy activities and we want to be able to offer them. Right now we don’t have anything to provide other than boating, tennis courts and a small golf course.” Rowena sighed. “So now that you know all of that, I’m sure it’s obvious you can demand a high price and we’ll pay it.”
Caroline shook her head. “I haven’t been trying to negotiate a higher price all this time. The property really isn’t for sale.”
Rowena stared at her for a moment and then frowned and shook her head. “If you change your mind, you let me know.” She left as abruptly as she’d arrived.
“Well, isn’t she a force of nature,” Dottie muttered as soon as the door fell shut behind her.
Caroline wasn’t sure what to think of Rowena Sauceda. Instead, she thought about the promise she’d made to Zane not to stay at the office for too long. If Rowena’s employees were watching the business to report back to her, they could be reporting her position to someone else, too.
That thought made the hairs on the back of Caroline’s neck stand up. But she couldn’t leave yet. There was a task she needed to take care of.
“Okay, guys, you can go,” she said to Dottie and Vincent. “Thanks for your help.”
“I’m not anxious to go back to an empty house,” Vincent said. “I’ll stay and help make sure you get into Zane’s truck and get away safely.”
“Oh, take a hint.” Dottie walked up beside him and nudged him with her elbow. “They probably have something to do or talk about that isn’t our business. Let’s go. If you’re lonesome you can go to the church play rehearsal with me and my kids. I thought they were going to have to miss it, so I’m glad to leave early.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him outside before Caroline could hear his response.
Zane locked the door behind them and then turned to Caroline. “You ready to search the office and see if we can find anything?”
Caroline nodded. And later, when they were finished looking, she was both relieved and disappointed that they hadn’t found anything.
“What about the outer buildings?” she asked him.
“I think we’ve been here long enough. We need to get you back up to the ranch.”
He was right. “Okay, let’s go.”
The reserve officer following them in his patrol car stayed a discreet distance behind until they were north of town and it was clear they hadn’t been followed. Then he turned back. She was grateful for all the time and effort people were putting in to keep her and her family safe—she just wished it wasn’t necessary. When would all of this end?
On the ride back to the ranch, Caroline thought through all the things that had happened to her since she’d returned to Cobalt. She couldn’t escape the feeling that the reasons for the attempts on her life were right in front of her. She just wasn’t seeing them.
* * *
Zane wasn’t thrilled to be back at the Bull Pine Tavern but if that’s where his dad wanted to meet, so be it. He’d gotten a call from the bartender telling him he had two hours to get down to the tavern if he wanted to talk to Lee Coleman.
His dad had picked a Saturday night when the tavern was crowded and busy. Zane didn’t know what to expect. He wasn’t even sure how his dad would look. It had been a long time since they’d last seen each other and he’d both looked forward to and dreaded this moment for a while. If Caroline’s life hadn’t been in danger, he would probably have put off meeting him for at least another year. Maybe longer.
He glanced around in the dim light, broken up by neon beer signs and whatever images were flickering across the TV monitors placed around the bar, but he didn’t see anyone who looked like his dad.
So he walked to the end of the bar and looked around the corner, to the area where the pool tables and electronic games were. It took him a minute, but he finally picked out a familiar slim figure leaning against a pool table. Something about the man’s slouched posture and the tilt of his head caught Zane’s attention.
Apparently the man saw Zane watching him at the same time. He stood and turned toward him, but didn’t take a step forward. So that was the kind of reunion it was going to be. Hesitant and suspicious. Why should he expect anything different?
Zane moved closer. The people shooting pool continued shrieking and laughing, paying no attention at all to Zane as he walked between him. They didn’t seem to be paying much attention to his dad, either, even though he was involved in their game. But then that’s the kind of friends Lee Coleman generally had.
There was a small light fixture hanging low over the pool table, and Zane finally got close enough to see the crooked nose that had been broken numerous times and the lips twisted in a familiar, permanent scowl. “Hi, Pop.”
Lee didn’t make a move toward his son. “You wearing a wire? Working for the cops?”
“No.”
It was hard to believe this was the man who had put so much fear into Zane at one time. Now he just looked small. And used up.
“Well, if you’re lying and you really are working for the cops I just want to say I’m not involved in anything illegal and I don’t know anybody who is.”
Maybe that was true. Probably it wasn’t.
“How are you?” Zane asked.
Lee shook his head. “You don’t care.”
Zane realized he actually did. Not only were the old fear and intimidation long gone, but to his surprise some of the old anger was gone, too—leaving room for compassion he hadn’t expected to feel. He’d prayed for his dad on and off over the years. Starting now he would be more consistent about that. His father was obviously a tormented, burnt-out shell of a man.
“Can we talk privately?”
Lee grabbed his beer bottle from the edge of the pool table and led the way to a table in a corner. “If you’re here for money, I don’t have any,” he said over his shoulder.
“I’m doing all right,” Zane said after they sat down. Zane was flooded with gratitude for both the Heavenly Father who loved him and the surrogate earthly father, Sergeant Henry Marsh, who had helped him avoid living the life that Lee had.
“I hope you can help me with something,” Zane said.
Lee’s eyebrows raised slightly. It occurred to Zane that he might be asking for help from someone who was actually involved in the attacks. With his background, Lee could easily be a hired thug. One of the unseen shooters at the house. That would be like him. If the money was good enough, he’d do just about anything. And in this case, maybe he’d even take less pay just for a chance to hurt the Marshes. He might still carry a grudge against the family. Zane didn’t want to believe that was the case, but it was possible. If there was any chance this could lead to information that would make Caroline safer, then asking for Lee’s help was a chance he had to take.
“Do you know anything about the attempted hits on Caroline Marsh?”
Lee lifted one corner of his mouth in a half grin. “You still got a thing for that girl?”
“No.” Zane wasn’t still pining over the girl he walked out on years ago. That relationship was in the past—and the feelings he had for her now were new. More mature than the youthful infatuation he’d felt before. And they were surprisingly strong. The Caroline Marsh he knew now was impressive. She was tough. And beautiful. He quickly shoved that train of thought out of his mind.
“The police have traced one of the men who attacked her at the marina office complex back to a group out of Seattle,” Zane said. “The other might still be in town. Have you heard anything about either of them? Or anything at all about any of the attacks on her or the murder of her brother?”
“No.”
“Maybe the attackers were from around here, hired by outside people?”
Lee shook his head. “I don’t want to go back to prison, so I don’t spend any time around anybody like that anymore.” He dragged a thumbnail over the label on his beer bottle. “I can ask around. I wasn’t much of a father to you after your mom died.” He cleared his throat. “I owe you.”
Zane felt a little lurch in his stomach. That acknowledgment, coming from Lee Coleman, was big.
“Be careful,” Zane said. “You warned me what happens to people who get too nosy.”
Lee nodded. Then he took an old flip phone out of his pocket and asked for Zane’s number. Zane gave it to him and told himself not to expect to hear anything back from Lee, not to get his hopes up. “If I hear anything, I’ll let you know,” Lee promised.
“Or just call me to talk,” Zane said.
His dad laughed and shook his head.
Small steps. He asked his dad for his phone number. Lee gave him one. Maybe it was real. Maybe it was a fake. All he could do was accept it, and see what happened.
One of Lee’s friends yelled to him from the pool table. Apparently it was his turn to shoot. Zane decided not to wear out his welcome. “Thanks for meeting with me.”
Lee nodded then ambled over to his friends.
Zane left. When he got back to the ranch, Rose had a plate of baked ham and scalloped potatoes waiting for him. He ate it at the kitchen table, while Millie snored on the throw rug by the door. Playing with the other dogs at the ranch had worn her out.
Nobody asked him about his meeting with Lee, though they all knew where he’d been.
Eventually, he wandered into the den where Caroline sat on the sofa with an electronic tablet on her lap and the TV turned to an old movie.
“How was your dad?” she asked after a few minutes.
“He looks twice his age. Seems tired.”
“Hard living will do that.”
“Yeah. Reminds me of how blessed I am.” And it reminded him of how determined he was to protect Caroline and her family. He wanted to go out of his way to help others, like Sergeant Henry. And he wanted to do the right thing for Caroline and for himself. All along, he’d been telling himself that that meant when this was over, he had to let her go. But was that true? They couldn’t recapture what they’d had in the past, but was there a chance they could build something new? He wasn’t sure. And now wasn’t the time to figure it out. Not when he needed to keep all his focus on the danger at hand.
But in this moment, he could let himself enjoy just sitting beside her.